University of Virginia Library

Housing Association
Opposes Rent Increase

An Open Letter To The University Administration:

1. On Sunday, December 15, 1968, the Charlottesville Daily
Progress contained a news release from the University
concerning a decision by the Board of Visitors increasing the
rent for married student, faculty and dormitory housing. This
decision came as a complete surprise to the University Family
Housing Council, the representative body for student family
residents of Copeley Hill and University Gardens. The rent
increase - $15 per month for Copeley Hill apartments and
$10 per month for University Gardens Apartments - is due to
go into effect in September 1969.

2. The University Family Housing Council places itself on
record vigorously opposing this arbitrary administrative
decision for the following reasons:

a. The decision was made without consulting student
family residents or their elected representatives and
apparently without reference to the basic interests of
student families, when it is clear that increases in such a
basic cost of living vitally affect student families.

b. This will be the second such arbitrary increase in rent
for University operated student family housing in two
years. Moreover, the rent has increased by $25 per month
per apartment since the 1966-1967 session - an average
increase of approximately thirty per cent over a two-year
period.

c. The rent increases seem totally unjustified by increases
in costs of labor or material to the University and, most
certainly, cannot be justified on the ground that they
result from qualitatively or quantitatively higher levels of
service to student family housing. Moreover, while the
reasons given by the administration to justify the rent
increases, i.e., "the rising cost of maintenance, custodial
services and administration, may otherwise be true, these
reasons (1) are so broad and vague as to become absolutely
meaningless unless supported by hard data, and (2) do not
appear warranted with respect to Copeley Hill and
University Gardens, e.g., what we get cannot be very
costly, nor can its cost have increased $96,000 ($25.00 per
month per apartment for 323 apartments) in two years.

d. There have been no concomitant increases in
fellowships, assistantships, other stipends or other real
wages with which student families could offset the
increases in rent in the past two years.

3. Finally, the University Family Housing Council regrets the
manner in which students at this University have been faced
with a fait accompli in such a vital matter. We intend to press
for a full and detailed explanation of the decision to increase
the rent in student family housing and for a frank and open
discussion of the actual cost of these accommodations to the
University and of the guiding philosophy behind the operation
of University family housing.