Don’t Block Housing

By Esther Kane, Berkeley| 3/14/2022

Regarding “UC Berkeley enrollment fight: Neighbors complain there’s not enough housing, then try to block it, officials say” (sfchronicle.com, March 11): As a student who attends UC Berkeley, I am absolutely dismayed that Berkeley residents are willing to deny so many students the chance to attend this university.

It makes no sense to me to block attempts to address the student housing crisis and then make no effort to collaborate with the university.

This win by the advocacy group is dangerous for the future of other UC campuses because this could inspire other residents across California to file lawsuits to restrict student enrollments under the same guise of overcrowding.

I do believe that UC Berkeley officials need to provide more accessible housing for students, and I urge the university to follow the proper environmental protocols.

However, the way to address this issue is not by punishing the university, but by rewarding it with more funding and more resources. This way, our already underfunded campuses will have the ability to provide housing that meets the demands of the cities.