Professor Elam

Wednesday October  2 2013

Since Day One, the Main Campus has looked more like SMU  than a right fit for our non traditional students. Where is the affordable housing, day care, or study areas that commuter students would need. At least Brooks has some study areas. Who laid out the faculty parking that requires one to drive a half mile and back, in the wrong direction, to then exit the mile long driveway into the school?  How much gasoline does that consume for no good end?

As this article in the Mesquite notes, the student housing being considered and built at SAC  is twice as expensive as affordable apartments within a block of the new developments. 

As the author of the article states, our typical student is 32 and many have families. An upscale trendy brand new facility with swimming pools and such may look great but hardly fits the needs of our students. 

Student housing  when I attended UT Austin in the late 1960s was efficient and affordable without posh amentities. Married students could rent space in former WW II barracks out on Town Lake blvd. Sure the rooms were divided by curtains in some cases but the rent was about $50 per month. It wasn't fancy but it allowed those students to achieve their goal of obtaining an affordable degree while rasiing a family. 

Other dorms were  low cost. Verano is at a standstill. VTLM which has claim to the tax abatements for infrastructure is in bankruptcy. There are many empty structures at Brooks. Perhaps it is time to re think future development. There are many perfectly good structures at Brooks that TAMUSA could surely rent for far less than building something new. Is anyone even exploring this possibility?  UIW exists all over town. TAMUSA has deliberately branched out already into no less than five, count 'em campuses, 

Gillette, Main, Brooks, Schertz, and Downtown. 

Structures need to be affordable and efficient without extravagance. The legislature is signalling it is time for Universities to stand on their own Capital Budgets by refusing to allow any more Tuition Revenue Bonds, for any campus. Is anyone listening?