Quick Take
UC Santa Cruz told 41 students living in its on-campus trailer park that they have to move out by the end of March because of safety concerns. Students told Lookout they're shocked and don't understand the reasoning or timing.
Citing safety issues, UC Santa Cruz told students living at the university’s Camper Park that it plans to indefinitely close the longstanding on-campus trailer park by the end of March, sending the 41 residents on a search for new housing for the remainder of the academic year.
Dave Keller, interim associate vice chancellor for Colleges, Housing and Educational Services, said officials made the decision to close the park 10 days ago because of escalating problems with mold, fire hazards and a rising number of maintenance requests at the park.
“The [conditions] are getting worse,” he said. “It just wasn’t tolerable anymore.”
Keller said he couldn’t allow students to continue living there until UCSC conducts an assessment to determine if the trailer park is safe and sustainable. He said a final decision on whether Camper Park will be permanently closed won’t be made until after the review – which he didn’t have a timeline for, though he said the park’s residents will also have to find alternative housing for the 2024-25 school year.
Many student residents of the park questioned the sudden risk level at the park, which has been operating for the past 25 years. They said they also don’t understand why the university is requiring them to move out in several weeks, as opposed to waiting until the end of spring quarter when their housing contracts end and they leave for the summer.
“As a person living in the trailer park and living in the trailers, I don’t agree with that whatsoever,” said fifth-year student Gia Balius, who moved into the park in the fall quarter. “None of the residents here at the Camper Park were talked to by anyone about whether it was safe or livable, so I’m confused.”
Camper Park was founded in 1984 after students had demanded for years that the university provide a place for them to live in their trailers because they couldn’t afford housing on or off campus, according to a Good Times article. In 2016, the campus started phasing out students’ personal trailers, requiring students to live in university-owned trailers, and took over the process of reviewing applications and admitting students to live there. A unit in the park costs about $6,500 to $7,200 a year without a meal plan, compared to single units in the dorms that cost $21,429 with a meal plan.
Located in the northern part of campus, the park’s campers are situated under redwoods and partially surround a community room. There are 41 campers, down from 42 after one burned down a few years ago.
Students say the park is more than just a cheap living option – it is a crucial part of their well-being as the park offers a communal living space while giving students a chance to live in a single unit. The trailers have a bed and a kitchenette with a small fridge and a cooktop. Some have sewer hookups for a bathroom; however, most use communal bathrooms. There are also laundry facilities and a lounge and study room.
On Tuesday, about 25 to 30 Camper Park residents attended a meeting about safety concerns organized by university officials.
There, Keller told the students that the risk was too high for students to continue living there because of fire hazards with the trailers, an increase in mold issues and a rising number of maintenance requests. He added that the vehicles are built for temporary and periodic use, not for long-term living, and for all those reasons, residents would have to relocate. Keller said administrators started talking about safety after the camper burned down a few years ago.
“So it all kind of came together – what we need to do is hit pause on this program and determine if this is an appropriate way to house students,” said Keller. “We’re going to do that evaluation, and to do it we also need to have the students move out so that they’re not currently in [the trailers] at an unknown level of risk exposure.”
Keller said there are currently about 200 open beds on campus and housing officials are setting up individual meetings to make sure Camper Park students find a housing situation that works for them. He said there are enough open beds to ensure students who have disabilities and need accommodations – like a single room – get the appropriate room placement.
The university is offering a free meal plan to each of the students, will maintain their current rate and do their moving.
Third-year student Olivia Howell is one of two residential assistants at Camper Park. She said this move is traumatic for her as a student without parental support and without a home to go to outside of the park. She moved to the park last year.
“This really is my home, and when I have to move for the summer, that is very difficult,” she said, adding she has to travel using someone else’s car and couch-surf.
“So the idea of having to move again and being displaced so soon, so quickly in three weeks is really, really hard for me,” she said. “That’s why I’m really trying to fight for my residence.”
Balius, Howell and 24 other students met Wednesday evening to discuss their next steps. They say they plan to submit a letter to administrators demanding they be allowed to stay in the park.
Balius said she’s very confused and concerned about moving at a stressful time of the year, with finals coming up. She’s also sad to leave the community she built there.
“It’s such a special and unique experience here at this university,” said Balius. “I feel like there wasn’t a solid answer as to why we have to move out in the middle of the academic school year.”
– Kevin Painchaud contributed to this report.
FOR THE RECORD: This story was updated to clarify when students need to move out of Camper Park, add information about the university’s assistance for their move and to correct the opening date of the park.
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