UC Santa Cruz housing officials announced Wednesday a plan to replace aging RVs at Camper Park with university-owned RV's, a move to increase access, affordability, and safety.
The park will continue to be a housing option for undergraduate and graduate students for the foreseeable future, said Dave Keller, director of Housing Services.
"This plan will help ensure the Camper Park retains a sense of community, along with the affordability that so many students need," Keller said. "The changes will help more students afford the park by removing the burden to purchase and maintain a trailer for the duration of their residential tenure in the community."
The park has 42 spaces with four currently vacant, two of which are set aside for resident advisors (RAs). The campus will replace at least 12 units this summer and more in the coming years.
The RV replacements will occur as students graduate or otherwise move out, and prepare to sell their units, or when a trailer is so degraded that it is no longer safely habitable.
Continuing students will also have the opportunity to be in a university-owned vehicle if they wish to remove their RV from the park
Students who own a trailer in the park will be able to sell the RV on the open market and have it removed. Alternatively, the student can have the university remove the unit free of charge and receive $2,500.
Having the university own the trailers will remove the need for incoming students to purchase the trailers every summer from outgoing students-often at a significant cost. The monthly rental rate will continue to be low.
"Some students interested in living in the park can't afford to pay up front for a trailer," Keller said. "This change will help make the park affordable for many more students."
