CSULA Campus Housing
The two definitions of civic engagement that I found were, “Civic Engagement is individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern” (Adler & Goggin, 2005) and “Civic engagement involves “working” to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference” (Civic Engagement | Youth.gov, 2019).
The way that I would define civic engagement is: The participation taken by an individual that focuses on specific issues within an area. The way I think of civic engagement is that it brings attention to these issues and rather than just discussing there are actions being taken to ensure that there is exposure to these areas. I also think of it as a way of assistance without having a long term participation period.
On campus housing is seen as luxury. These luxuries allow there to be a surrounding community that creates relationships, convenience for students and resolutions. These resources come with a cost. Many students will receive financial aid to assist with the cost of the housing whereas others will go take student loans to be able to afford the campus living. Many may ask, “What is the issue?” To answer that question, California State University, Los Angeles housing is improperly maintained. Being a student who houses on campus, I have experienced both the new building South Village and the older buildings such as Phase One and Two. Throughout the past three years of living on campus I have experienced many inconveniences consisting of with lack of maintenance, improper food supply (mandated for students in South Village) and lack of cleanliness. This is the reason why there needs to be changes to ensure students a positive and healthy environment to promote a better educational experience.
Housing provides a third party contractor for their cleanings in South Village. Their general tasks consist of maintaining garbage, restocking toilet paper and paper towel and cleaning the bathrooms. In these bathrooms, many have experienced mildew buildup on the shower curtains, trash within the shower stalls and many more unsanitary issues. From a personal experience I have encountered a used condom in the shower, and a build up of black mold. Others have encountered missing shower heads and no shower curtains. These experiences happened just in the first year of South Village being open to students in 2021. Currently being in the apartments it is left to the residents of that apartment to maintain the cleanliness of the bathrooms.
Housing in Phase One and Two is apartment style. Phase one was built in 1984 and Phase Two was built in 1987. While these are considered to be relatively new for housing complexes. There has been a lack of general maintenance to ensure that those who are living in these apartments are receiving the proper safety standards expected of all housing sites. An example of the lack of maintenance that I have personally experienced is the kitchen sink overflowing due to the apartments above improper drainage. Following this incident a cast iron pipe broke resulting in those residing in the apartment including myself to be moved into another apartment temporarily. It was stated to be only a week for the repairs to be completed which was extended to three weeks without access to our belongings due to the hazards.
In a recent news article published in University Times, CSULA by Sasha Funes she also exposes the truth behind the experience from other students on campus. In the beginning of the article, Funes states that housing cost have continuously increased for California State Universities. She also exposes the thought of students who are housing in regard to maintenance, untrustworthy food supply and cleanliness.
In another article published by San Diego Union Tribute by the editorial board states, “An estimated 417,000 students at the state’s three large college systems lack stable housing — representing about 5 percent of undergraduates at the University of California, 10 percent at California State University and 20 percent at California Community Colleges”. In this article it states that through the housing insecurity for college students it has lead to detrimental mental health issues while also creating implications with their education due to the lack of support coming from the state.
“The conditions of housing should be better considering the amount we pay each semester”
- Melissa Orellana
“Everything in my apartment is broken or soon to be broken”
“Housing doesn’t care about the safety of their students. They don’t prioritize the maintenance issues that need to be corrected. When these issues are brought to their attention they fail to truly fix them more so find a band aid solution”
-Monserrat Chiquete
“They overcharge for the quality of the apartments we live in. Instead of fixing the issues they attempt to cover them up”
-Aaliyah Gomez
October 22, 2022
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