Residents duck contracts

by Chrissy Zehrbach
Sports Editor

The once over-crowded residence halls at the University of La Verne are being vacated by students who no longer wish to live on campus.

Since the beginning of the spring semester there has been a surge of students asking to be released from the one-year housing contracts they signed with the Office of Housing and Residential Life.

Just last week, in a second wave of releases, 10 students were released from their contracts, bringing the total this semester to more than 30 students.

The Housing policy is to allow students out of their contracts early for any of four reasons: health problems, marriage, financial hardship or if they are not attending ULV the next semester.

Some students are unaware that the housing contract signed when applying for housing the previous year is a year-long commitment.

“When you sign the contract it stipulates that it’s for the academic year, so we treat it as such,” said Eugene Shang, assistant director of leadership programs and housing. “You’ve committed yourself to the year and that’s what we’re going to hold you to.”

Many students say they have begun to outgrow the on-campus experience and wish to move off-campus and become more independent, a phenomenon Shang said is common to every university campus.

Most of the students looking to break their year-long contracts early are claiming it is for financial reasons.

Financial hardship is the hardest to prove or disprove, and the hardest to make a decision upon, Shang said, adding that the housing office will take each contract on a case-by-case basis and should enough proof be provided, the student will be released.

“The financial hardship becomes a special circumstance and how do we decide on special circumstance?” he said. “So we ask that people bring the documentation that proves it.”

Students often find it easier to get work done or get more sleep when living off campus.

“Most people’s reasons seem to be it’s less strict. You have more freedom living off campus,” said sophomore Zach Lord, who moved out of the dorms in December.

Lord said one of his main reasons for moving off campus “was not to be hassled by the problems that arise when dealing with the housing office.”

But for even more students, the cost of housing has become an issue. With tuition increasing every year, housing is an added cost that could be reduced by living off campus. On-campus housing can be a financial burden for some students.

“I wanted to move off campus to save money mostly to help out my parents who are paying for my housing,” said sophomore Marc Holmquist. “But also to get the experience of living off campus.”

In previous years students have had an easier time being released from their contracts if there was an incoming student waiting to replace them. This is not the case today, however, because numbers for hosing were low this year.

“We try to maintain numbers for budgetary reasons,” Shang said.

And with the number of students attempting to get out of their contracts, the Housing Office has dropped below the number of residents needed.

Students wishing to be released from their contract must give 30 days advance notice and complete a Housing License Agreement Release form. Once they submit the form and other necessary documents, Housing will determine if the student shall be released form their contract.

Some students have complained that the process takes too long.

“It was a ridiculously long process,” Holmquist said. “I’ve been waiting, and two months later I’m still in the reconsider pile and I haven’t even heard that I’ve been denied.”

“I’ve heard stories from people who have been released and their situations financially are very similar to my situation and so I am very curious as to why I haven’t been released from my contract,” Holmquist said.

Some students, like Lord, moved out before a decision had been made on their contract release and end up paying for both.

“It just took time in the process because there was nobody to replace them,” Shang said. “It was something we had to address and find an answer to.”

“I think the biggest problem is communication between departments,” Lord said.

“Financial aid will tell you one thing, housing will tell you another thing and then financial aid will change its story and basically it becomes a big hassle,” he said.

Sophomore Ryan Beesley requested to be released from his housing contract two months in advance and was denied the first time around. But, like many other students, after supplying housing with the necessary documents, Beesley was released.

“It took them a long time,” Beesley said. “I originally got rejected. But because I gave him evidence he was able to push through it.”

Housing has released many students who have been patient and have been willing to work with them by supplying documents and proof.

“They worked through the process with us,” Shang said. “We really appreciate that.”

“It sometimes gets difficult because people think we’re asking too much at times,” Shang said. “I would ask that people read the contract and now that’s how we see it, but be knowledgeable that we have the process in place.”