This article is a part of our news series on the COVID-19 pandemic. For information on how to prevent the spread of the virus, click here.
UC San Diego will offer short-term on-campus housing for students facing housing insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic this summer from June 15 through September 5. Spring 2020 graduates, entering first year and transfer students, current undergraduate and graduate students, and international students are all eligible to apply.
“We understand that there are students who may need flexible housing accommodations this summer,” the May 19 announcement email from UCSD Housing, Dining, and Hospitality (HDH) read. “Some may choose to stay in San Diego while searching for jobs and graduate programs, while others may need to continue to reside on campus due to travel restrictions.”
The summer housing application expands on this statement by clarifying that UCSD students should apply if they would otherwise face food and housing insecurities, personal safety risks, or be unable to continue learning on a virtual basis. Students may also apply if they are not able to travel to their homes, or are originally from an area greatly affected or threatened by COVID-19 outbreaks.
The application portal for the summer housing opened on May 18. The portal remains open with the condition that from June 10 onward, applying students need to provide at least three business days’ notice before their desired move-in date. Each student who applies for housing will be required to sign a housing contract with the university in order to be accepted and receive their move-in instructions.
As of May 26, about 50 undergraduate and graduate students have expressed interest in the summer housing program. A representative from the university confirmed with The UCSD Guardian at the time of publication that students will be housed this summer in John Muir and Roger Revelle colleges, however if there is high enough demand additional dorms and residential areas will be opened.
The UCSD Guardian interviewed Andrew Borell, a second year Earl Warren College student about his experiences with living on campus this quarter during the pandemic.
“I’d honestly say living on campus right now is probably pretty similar to what it would be like to live at home, me and [my roommate] are just cooped up all day, we only really leave to get groceries,” Borell said. “One minor annoyance is that they’ve basically stopped stocking the market except for a few things…They’ve also got the dining halls on rotation so only a couple are open at once…Overall I’d say it’s been pretty much what I expected, and I don’t have any major complaints about the way things are here.”
According to the summer housing page on the HDH website, students will pay $49 each night and sleep in their own rooms. However, these rooms will be part of campus housing’s shared apartment set-up, meaning that HDH will assign students to gendered housing, and that common areas, kitchens, and bathrooms will be shared by all occupants. Those students who may need financial aid are encouraged to fill out the university’s basic needs assistance form.
These shared areas will be cleaned by UCSD custodial staff on a weekly basis. The university also will continue with the preventative sanitation measures implemented in March, including disinfecting high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs on a regular basis, and employees wearing personal protective gear and practicing social distancing.
The website further clarifies that this short-term housing does not come with a required dining-plan. However, students will be able to access and receive meals from those dining halls and markets that remain open on campus.
Those students interested in reading more or applying for the short-term summer housing program can do so here.
Photo by Mariyah Shad for the UCSD Guardian.
