UO sale of Westmoreland is unconscionable
In an early interview after the proposed sale of Westmoreland was made public, University Housing director Mike Eyster stated, “I don’t know that it will be a terrible shock.”
I’ve lived here for nearly five years, made friends and been grateful for the low rent that makes living on my income possible. Now I’m losing this. Of course I’m shocked.
I’m not sure which is more shocking, the news of the Westmoreland sale or the way the University has chosen to handle matters.
Officials show little concern for those who live here. “Families” (defined as those with children) are to be given “priority” in housing, but that is it. Even assuming that the existing housing is able to hold all of the families and that the families can afford the higher rent, which is unlikely, that leaves the rest of the residents house hunting in an increasingly expensive market. Why such “non-families” are deemed beneath concern is quite beyond me.
In a meeting with residents, Eyster said this is for the good of the University, and for long-term benefits, sometimes people have to be hurt in the short term.
How is this action of selling Westmoreland going to benefit the University, either in the short or long term? After all, GTFs are part of “the University.” As students we bring in tuition money, and as instructors we teach many of the introductory freshman courses. Short-term or long-term, depriving us of affordable housing is a bad move.
Jessica Greenlee
Graduate Teaching Fellow