Record of Correspondence Between The UCLA Tenants Union and UCLA Housing Administration 2020

UASRA

11/19/2020

This is a summary of the correspondence between the UCLA tenent’s union, the UASRA and the UCLA housing administration to share the ongoing communication with residents and interested parties.

Link to April 28th Letter: Initial letter from UCLA Tenants Union delivered to UCLA administration and Chancellor Gene Block. The letter included a list of requests/demands and testimonials from students. The demands included:

• Cancel rent for the duration of the pandemic.

• Ensure that no more than 30% of student incomes go to housing costs when in-person university operations resume.

• Stop pressuring residents to sign onto payment plans.

• Guarantee universal contract renewal for residents wishing to continue living in University Apartments, independent of student status if residents are graduating.

• Guarantee that no holds will be placed on students’ academic records, including

• access to campus services, enrollment, and graduation if they do not pay rent.

Link to May 4th Letter: UCLA Housing Vice Chancellors, Peter Angelis and Suzanne Seplow, responded with a letter stating that housing is unable to cancel rent due to the cost of maintaining the facilities. The response included a recommendation for students to pursue external assistance.

Link to September 24th Letter: UCLA Tenants Union Responded to the letter with the following demands/requests:

• Cancel rent for the duration of the pandemic.

• Ensure that no more than 30% of student incomes go to housing costs when

• in-person university operations resume.

• Stop pressuring residents to sign onto payment plans.

• Guarantee universal contract renewal for residents wishing to continue living

• in University Apartments, independent of student status if residents are

• graduating and/or even if residents’ are unable to pay rent.

• Guarantee that no holds will be placed on students’ academic records, including

• access to campus services, enrollment, and graduation if they do not pay rent.

• Cancel the proposed rent increase for the academic year 2020-2021.

• Ensure that all residents are informed that masks must be worn anywhere

• outside one’s residence, except if the resident suffers from a respiratory

• Condition.

Link to October 6th Letter: Housing responded with a similar message as their original letter: that they are unable to meet the demands and recommended external resources for financial assistance. The letter did not individually address each demand.