Dear Chancellor Khosla,
The majority of Academic Student Employees (ASEs) across the University of California system
are rent-burdened, a term used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to
define families and individuals who pay more than 30% of their income for housing. Since our
last round of bargaining, ASE compensation has not kept pace with the skyrocketing cost of onand off-campus housing. ​Here at UC San Diego, ASEs are no exception. ​The typical 50%
Teaching Assistant spends 42% of their monthly income (on average) on housing costs and
therefore, is considered ​rent-burdened by the HUD.1 Moreover, UC San Diego
administrators’ insistence that UCSD housing is 20% below market rate is simply false.
Over the last year alone, UCSD ASEs and graduate students at-large have met with you and
other administrators to discuss the rent-burden crisis. Last March, the Graduate Housing
Committee (previously known as ARCHAC) advised HDH to freeze rental rates for the
upcoming year. HDH overruled the committee’s advice and chose to increase rents, continuing
to put students in a rent-burden crisis.
In order to address this immediate rent-burden crisis, ​we propose the following solutions​:
1) Provide all ASEs With a Housing Stipend to Eliminate Rent Burden
● Given the lack of affordable housing stock on each campus, UCSD must provide ASEs
with a monthly housing stipend of $1,422.
● There is precedent at UC for providing housing stipends to student employees: UC has
already agreed to housing stipends in collective bargaining with medical interns and
residents at UCSD2, UCLA3, and UCSF4.
​https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/affordablehousing/​. ASEs who pay 30% or more
of their income on rent are considered rent-burdened by the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
2
​https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/m6/docs/m6_2018-2021_00_complete.pdf​,
Section 20
1

 ● We propose that the University increase these housing stipends on a yearly basis to
ensure that ASEs do not become rent burdened as a result of future increases in housing
costs.
2) Eliminate rent burden in existing on-campus housing
● The vast majority of ASEs who live in UCSD on-campus housing still experience rent
burden. Currently, the only on-campus units which do not leave 50% FTE TAs rent
burdened are ​One Miramar Half ​and Rita Atkinson Half. However, Rita Atkinson will be
converted to undergraduate student housing at the end of this academic year and very few
ASEs currently have access to One Miramar.
● Thus, the University must reduce the rent at its housing units to rates that eliminate the
rent burden currently experienced by on-campus ASE tenants.
3) Build more affordable, on-campus social housing
● Given the lack of affordable on-campus housing, the majority of ASEs are forced to find
housing – often far away from campus – in the private market, where rental rates are
skyrocketing across the state.
● UC must also address the rent burden crisis by dramatically increasing the amount of
affordable on-campus social housing so that all ASEs have the option of living
on-campus without rent burden.
● UC must consider the larger ecological impact of building so that non-UCSD
environments and communities are not overly burdened by any future construction.
Since 2000, ASEs and graduate students at-large have prioritized cost of living concerns and we
have bargained over these matters in every set of contract negotiations at the systemwide table.
As we present you with our demands, we look forward to working with the University to
eliminate rent-burden at UCSD. We believe both the Union and the University have an interest in
ameliorating the economic hardships for all and welcome sitting down to negotiate over these
matters. ​Please advise us of your availability to meet and collectively bargain over this
proposal.
Sincerely,
John Sarracino, Unit Chair, UAW 2865 San Diego
Celine Khoury, Recording Secretary, UAW 2865 San Diego
On behalf of ASEs at UC San Diego

3
4

​https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/m4/index.html​, Article 12
​https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/m2/index.html​, Article 27