UA scrambles to find freshman housing

Keren Tully Arizona Summer Wildcat UA President Peter Likins dropped a plan to house freshmen in Casa Feliz Apartments last week. The UA may temporarily house selected dorm dwellers in residence hall lounges or hotel rooms, officials said.

UA freshmen could find themselves sleeping in local hotel rooms or residence hall lounges this fall until university officials locate more dorm space, Residence Life Director James Van Arsdel said Monday.

In the wake of University of Arizona President Peter Likins' killing a plan to purchase Casa Feliz Apartments, 1201 E. Drachman St., officials may have to resort to temporary housing for students guaranteed a room.

Van Arsdel said there is a "small chance that 18 freshmen might have to be in temporary spaces or hotel rooms."

It is hard to determine an exact number of students because the figures change everyday, he said.

Van Arsdel said the UA would decide if the temporary housing would be in residence hall lounges or the Plaza Hotel, 1900 E. Speedway Blvd.

"It probably makes more sense to put students up in the Plaza than in lounges, where it would affect more students," he said.

Students who might have to live in temporary housing applied on or close to May 1, the deadline for a guaranteed dorm room, Van Arsdel said.

Students who missed the deadline will have to find off-campus housing.

Residence life typically has about 60 to 80 people who do not accept their dorm assignments or cancel their reservations, he said. When those spaces open up, the students in temporary locations would move into permanent spots.

"We're a lot like an airline. People make reservations and then they don't show up," Van Arsdel said.

He added that temporary housing for students is not a new tactic.

University officials often start a school year booking dorms over capacity because they know there will be a number of cancellations, Van Arsdel said.

"If we open with vacancies, it drives up the costs per person," he said.

But Van Arsdel said if the UA had purchased Casa Feliz, temporary housing would have only affected late applicants.

"It wouldn't have been an option for those who applied before May 1st," he said.

UA Dean of Students Melissa Vito said university officials weighed the pros and cons of the situation regarding the Casa Feliz purchase plan.

"There was significant community concern that we were trying to be sensitive to," she said.

Likins announced last Wednesday the university would not purchase the complex because of neighbors' concerns and limited time to convert the apartments into a residence hall.

"We had all along prepared several different scenarios, one if we acquired Casa Feliz and one if we did not," Vito said.

UA officials grappled throughout last semester with different solutions to the continuing problem of limited dorm space for incoming freshmen.

In February, Van Arsdel scrapped a proposed lottery system that would have shut out 200 returning dorm residents in order to accommodate more freshmen. Van Arsdel was barraged with student and parent criticism, prompting him to abandon the plan.

Residence Life also acquired former office space at Babcock Inn, 1717 E. Speedway Blvd., and put three beds in double rooms at Arizona-Sonora dorm.

For a long-term solution, the university has plans to build two more residence halls in the Highland area and an expansion to the Pima Hall, 1340 E. First St., Vito said.

"Our situation is more temporary," she added.

Van Arsdel said that a dorm lounge would have to meet certain criteria before it would be suitable for residents.

"It has to have windows and a bathroom facility within the same vicinity as a dorm room," he said. "Not all lounges would be used because not all lounges meet that criteria."

Van Arsdel said students who just missed the deadline may be in temporary housing for a short period of time, while those who applied later could be there for a period of weeks.

When Residence Life notified freshmen of that possibility, many were displeased, he said.

Associated Students President Cisco Aguilar said he is concerned that UA officials are making a mistake.

"I would hope they would find other resources before they would resort to that," he said.

Aguilar said that while a hotel is a better place for students than a lounge, he is sure parents will be concerned in either situation.

Nanna Ogburn, an incoming freshman, said both her brother and sister attended the UA and had bad experiences with housing, so she made sure to apply early.

"I think it's lame that they insure freshmen housing and then can't back it up," she said.