February 10, 2003

UCSC helping students displaced by off-campus fire

By Jim Burns

UCSC officials worked closely last week with students displaced by a fire in an off-campus co-op on Sunday, February 2.

By week's end, 18 of the 30 students affected were making plans to move into the Village, UCSC's modular housing facility located near the Lower Quarry. The students were planning to stay at the Village at least through winter quarter; other residents of Cesar Chavez House, the burned Victorian in the Beach Hill area of Santa Cruz, had found other housing, UCSC officials reported.

Thirty people were living at the co-op at the time of the fire, including 24 UCSC students. The co-op, located at 316 Main Street, is not affiliated with UCSC; it is part of a national network of co-ops affiliated with the North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO). The latest estimates suggest it will take six months to repair Chavez House.

UCSC's Colleges and University Housing Services (CUHS) staff worked closely with the students during the week to address their housing needs. In addition, staff from Financial Aid and the Bay Tree Bookstore helped the students secure replacement books and supplies. A call also went out within the Division of Student Affairs for usable computers slated to be surplused; CUHS staff is fast-tracking plans to set up a computer lab at the Village.

UCSC staff were also telling students affected by the fire that they could request a loan through Financial Aid to replace lost computers and other items.

Donations of other materials are still needed, however. If you have questions about what is needed, please contact Courtney Wait at (831) 251-8285. In the meantime, anyone interested in helping Chavez House residents may do so by sending a tax-free donation to:

SCSHC/Co-op Relief Fund
Box 525
849 Almar Avenue, Suite C
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

The students expressed great appreciation for the UCSC support. "We have been so impressed this week with the dedication and generosity shown by representatives of UCSC, specifically those from Housing Services and Financial Aid," Wait said. Added fellow student Max Krochmal: "In a particularly difficult time for 30 students without a home and much of their belongings, the university has helped us resume our lives as students very quickly, and we are all extremely grateful."

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