UC DORM OVERCROWDING How increasing enrollment has impacted student life
every UC campus. At UC Berkeley, 22% of undergraduates reC Santa Barbara’s mostly ported some level of housing windowless 4,500-person insecurity during the pandemic. Throughout the UC system as a dorm is only the latest indictment of years of overcrowd- whole, more than sixteen thousand students were on various ing in a UC system that has housing waitlists. UC San Diaccepted more students than it ego has eliminated its two-year can feasibly house or housing enroll in classes. guarantee The dormiTHESE PROBLEMS until 2023, tory, designed and ARE NOT UNIQUE TO SANalso partialpartially funded TA BARBARA, THOUGH. ly due to the by billionaire and THERE IS A REAL NEED pandemic. amateur arFOR HOUSING ON ALMOST G i v e n chitect CharEVERY UC CAMPUS. the system lie Munger, strain, it is would innot surprisdeed solve ing that UC Santa Barbara would the university’s housbegin considering extreme soluing crisis that pushed over 900 freshmen tions to its over-enrollment. Howto the dorm waiting ever, although increasing the list last fall. Although housing supply addressMunger’s design has es one of the most faced backlash for its crucial aspects of the lack of windows (94% problem — homelessof dorms would only ness — it leaves others have false windows by the wayside. Enrolling lighted to reflect a in classes has, at many day-night cycle), it UCs, become hyper-comfulfills its keystone petitive. UCSB freshmen promise: more beds often have for a desperately trouble reghousing-strapped istering for 12 credits college town. worth of class These problems are not unique to es, the minimum Santa Barbara, required to remain though. There is a full-time student. a real need for At UCLA, students housing on almost have taken to buyJULIET SHEARIN copy editor
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ing and selling their class seats on Facebook. When students cannot enroll in their preferred classes, or in some cases any classes at all, the result is a worse educational experience and students who have to pay for unnecessary additional quarters at university. Over-enrollment also brings increased demand for infrastructure, adding additional expenses for university administrators to cover. It is not surprising the UCSB would opt to cover their costs with a restricted donation from Charlie Munger for a largely-window-
