Review ARCH's Non-Renewal of Housing Contracts on Lease Expiry

Dear all,
Last week, we received notification that UCSD Housing, based on GSA's recommendations, is not renewing housing contracts for people living in SGA and One Miramar, in order to make room for new students, so that they can implement their new one year limit for on-campus housing.
While we commend efforts being made to ease new students' transition into UCSD by granting housing, this change in policy affects us as well as the greater graduate student community at UCSD on the whole in the following ways:
-We were not made aware of this proposal when given our lease contracts for the 2008-09 year. This is especially troubling to first year students, who were not attending UCSD during the compilation of the GPSES report and therefore had no say in this decision. It also affects first years who spent a substantial amount of money on their apartments, assuming that they would be living there for an extended period of time
-On an average, off-campus housing is substantially more expensive. Additionally, this policy will lead to a sizeable increase in demand for off-campus housing which could potentially further increase rents in the area as well as further worsen the student housing shortage in the surrounding area.
-This will worsen the waitlist situation for those desiring ARCH housing not included in this policy.
-Many international, non-local and other students do not have a vehicle, which is fairly essential if one seeks housing in more affordable areas which tend to be farther away. Poor public transport in the area makes it impossible to put in extra time in labs or the library after hours.
-Moving is a highly stressful and cumbersome process which takes away from the time that one can put into school. That the school itself is facilitating this without prior notification is detrimental to the 'sense of belonging' that graduate students living on campus have towards the University.

Several people have already stated that had ARCH made this proposal clear before they accepted their housing offers, they likely would not have accepted them. It is likely that new students will think similarly, leading to vacancies in on campus housin, a valuable commodity which cannot be wasted.

Proposed amendments to the policy change:
-An exception should be made for current residents as they were not made aware of this policy beforehand.
-At the bare minimum, current residents should be allowed to extend their contract for 1 year so that every graduate student (current as well as new graduate and professional students) begins this policy on equal terms.
-In order to meet the additional cost of being forced to live in more expensive, off campus housing, some sort of housing assistance (financial or otherwise) should be provided.
-Details should be provided on the role of the new graduate student housing complexes under construction, in this new housing plan.

Please sign this petition if you are affected by this policy change, or if you agree with the points prevented. Graduate students being negatively affected by this situation deserve to have their side heard in a fair manner.