A proverbial egg has been splattered over university President Dan Mote’s face, as his administration has begun to feel the effects of its abject failure to provide for the housing needs of on-campus students. We can only assume that Mote had been delegating responsibility on the topic, as we’ve seen no other evidence of gross incompetence from him. We can only imagine then, how angry and helpless he felt when he was briefed on the situation – which, by the way, is far worse than most students realize.
Demand for housing has been an insatiable juggernaut, vacuuming up thousands of beds created by the renovation of Queen Annes’ and construction of South Campus Commons, University View and The Courtyards. There are two major contributing factors: Enrollment is increasing, as is the percentage of students seeking on-campus housing.
Both these factors are heavily policy-influenced. The university is obviously in charge of the number of students they wish to enroll. In 1996, a mere 3,474 first-time students were admitted. The number trended steadily higher before reaching a peak of 4,212 in 2005 before dropping slightly to 3,962 last year. With the proliferation of on-campus living-learning programs, the percentage of on-campus housing requests is structurally increased as well.
With this policy-driven demand should have come policy-driven supply. But administration efforts to procure more housing have been feeble at best. A planned 500-bed dorm on North Campus was shot down in 2005 by the Board of Regents, and no new projects appear to be in the works. While we’re fully aware the university is at times operating on a shoestring budget, housing is and should have been a basic lobbying priority.
Off-campus, the political situation is toxic. College Park residents simply do not want students living in their neighborhoods. As a result, they have convinced their representatives to enact disincentives against the construction of student housing. Even as this current disaster unfolds, the state Senate has passed a bill wiping out a fee waiver for the construction of student housing in much of College Park. The financial consequences are enormous – the long planned Mazza complex, aimed at graduate students, would be subject to a one-time tax of more than $1.8 million, or $7,700 per apartment. If the tax doesn’t completely kill the plans of prospective developers, it at least will force them to increase already high rents.
For a lack of a better phrase, the university is screwed. Demand is spiraling higher, and supply is artificially capped. Even if construction started immediately, the failed policies of today will continue to hound the university for years. The worst is yet to come. Buckle up.