On May 21, residents of Graduate Village, a UO-run housing complex designed for graduate students, received an email informing them that the option to renew their lease was not guaranteed for the upcoming academic year.
The UO plans to reduce the apartment building’s capacity by half to make room for isolation chambers for students exposed to or infected with COVID-19. Residents were later informed that graduate students, one year out to their degree, and law students are prioritized.
In the wake of the email, many residents were left feeling frustrated and stressed. Not only because of the looming chore of having to search for new housing options within Eugene’s rocky housing market, but this also led to a public demonstration and an open letter that gained the support of hundreds. Residents were then notified on June 2 that those who submitted a renewal request by the June 1 deadline would be granted a spot although some would have to move to a different location.
Residents’ one-year contracts are set to terminate on June 30. Graduate Village residents who wish to renew their contract will receive notification of their apartment assignment no later than June 7 for the upcoming academic year.
The initial news
Carmen Ebel, a doctoral student at the UO, moved into the complex a year ago and planned to stay for at least another year. Ebel had been periodically checking in about renewing her lease but was told multiple times they would be sending her renewal documents soon. “Then, to just receive that email, it made me very frustrated and shocked and just pulled the rug out,” she said.
Last academic year, Barnhart and Riley hall were set aside as isolation chambers for students who contracted COVID-19. The Graduate Village building, which is steps away from the Matthew Knight arena, was selected this year as the quarantine building because of its size, location on campus and proximity to services.
Hannah Wellman graduates with her doctorate in anthropology this summer and plans to move out of the complex regardless but advocates for others who are having the “rug ripped out” from under them. She has lived in the complex since 2016 and said there has never been a problem with this scope before.
“It seems like a pretty cynical, calculated, financially motivated move as well. Which is a bummer, but I guess not surprising,” Wellman said.
An open letter addressed to Director of Housing Michael Griffel and President Michael Schill was sent out the following week. The open letter received almost 700 signatures from tenants and solidarity signatures from students, faculty, staff, alumni, local organizations and community taxpayers.
In the open letter, residents shared their concerns and shock over the UO’s proposed plan.
“In addition to our initial shock, the reduction of the issue to a ‘misunderstanding’ is a further source of frustration,” according to the letter. “The University must and did know that to not renew existing Graduate Village leases has direct, negative repercussions for the academic success and financial, mental, and physical well-being of the graduate and undergraduate students who live there.”
On May 24, three days after receiving the email, residents organized a public demonstration outside Johnson Hall to advocate against the administrative decision. Students held strips of cardboard with handwritten statements saying, “Where do we go, Schill?” or “Hey $chill, can I stay with you?”
‘The university created their own crisis’
Residents have the choice of moving into Spencer View, another UO-affiliated apartment complex. However, the Graduate Village offers studios and one-bedroom apartments, while Spencer View is two to three bedrooms. Courtney Tabor, a board member for Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF) and the vice president for grievances said this “changes the dynamic in a way that they were not prepared for. Also, the financial costs of moving and the stress of moving during finals week are quite extensive, and rather unnecessary.”
Tabor points out that many housing options require rental history, some up to five years, which creates barriers for international students who recently moved to Eugene.
Rajeev Ravisankar, the president of GTFF, said that there is also a concern because of Eugene’s intimate and concerning relationship with houselessness.
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development figures, Eugene ranks one of the highest in houselessness per capita in the nation. “The bigger issue is the sort of prevailing insecurity and precariousness around housing that I think grads face,” Ravisankar said. “That was really the motivating factor in terms of why people reacted and organized the way that they did — it was more about this sort of long standing issue. It was not just the communication side of it.”
In a statement sent to the Daily Emerald, the UO said they are aware that the communication on May 21 caused some confusion, but the administration is committed to aiding residents in alleviating the stress. Following their initial email, the university sent another email to students in Graduate Village following up with students stating that they are committed to aiding residents in finding alternative housing options, which will be provided at the same rental rate as residents paid in Graduate Village, and providing assistance with moving hefty items out of the complex.
The resident-led advocacy initiatives that took place, such as the demonstration and open letter, did not impact the administration’s decision, according to a UO statement. However, the concerns of the tenants, “spurred University Housing to more clearly communicate” with them about housing alternatives and the possibility of relocations.
Tabor said it is important to note that the UO caused the situation. “It’s very important to make it clear that the university created their own crisis,” she said. “It’s not really graduate students being unfair as much as it’s the university creating their crisis that they are unwilling to reverse.”
Administrative resolution
On June 2, 31 students who requested to renew their contract with the Graduate Village by the June 1 deadline were granted lease renewal, however some may have to move to a different unit within the complex.
Additionally, nine undergraduate students who submitted a renewal request will be accommodated in other UO-affiliated housing units at the same rental rate. According to the university, residents are welcomed to continue offering contract renewals, and those will be processed in the order they are received.
The complex will continue to be the UO’s primary isolation space.
In a statement to the Daily Emerald, the UO wrote, “Following the notification in May that one of the Graduate Village units would be used for next near for COVID-19 isolation and quarantine next year, the University Housing team has reached out to everyone currently in Graduate Village, working to make assignments quickly and provide a quick resolution.”
