University Housing Services
Posted on September 2, 2014 July 31, 2015 by Pat Lopes Harris SJSU in the News, Trending Topics
Silicon Valley Business Journal: SJSU Kicks Off $126M Student Housing Project
P0sted July 8, 2014 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
By Nathan Donato-Weinstein
San Jose State University is starting construction on a large student housing project that will add 850 beds to the burgeoning campus's capacity.
The project is the $126 million Campus Village Phase 2, to be built across from the existing Campus Village Phase 1 complex.
That project, completed in 2005, added 2,279 beds among three mid- and high-rise buildings, the tallest stretching 15 stories. It was called a major step toward turning San Jose State from a commuter school to more of an urban university.
Posted on September 1, 2014 July 31, 2015 by Pat Lopes Harris Internal Affairs, News, Student Life
SJSU Breaks Ground on Residence Hall
An artist's rendering of Campus Village 2.
Media contact: Pat Lopes Harris, 408-924-1748
SAN JOSE, CA – Seeking to modernize student housing and foster a sense of community, San Jose State has broken ground on a residence hall.
"Campus Village 2 was designed to support student learning and activities," said Victor Culatta, director of University Housing Services.
The building will accommodate 850 students over ten floors. Current plans call for the building to open to freshmen in fall 2016.
The 193,000-square-foot tower is under construction in the southeast corner of campus, near existing housing including the first phase of Campus Village, completed in 2005.
Fostering Community
University Housing Services worked with Facilities Development and Operations to envision living spaces that will support social interaction.
Residential units will be organized in L-shaped wings of 25 double-occupancy bedrooms, with two wings per floor. The rooms will open onto shared halls, encouraging residents to get to know each other.
Each residential floor will feature a quiet study room, an activity room and a laundry room. Offices and meetings space for student groups and the university community as a whole will be on the first two floors.
Courtyards on the east and west side of the building will be available for student activities. Decorative details will evoke a strong sense of historical continuity and campus connections.
Exterior accent walls will feature a brick facade reminiscent of the traditional, three-story dorms. Inside, plans call for décor featuring symbols of school spirit and iconic landmarks such as Tower Hall.
Overall, Campus Village 2 will achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver equivalency standards, including a good deal of natural lighting.
Promoting Student Success
"Studies have demonstrated that on-campus residential living plays a significant role in promoting student engagement and improving academic success and student retention," SJSU said when securing approval for the project from the California State University Board of Trustees.
The architect is Solomon Cordwell Buenz and the design-build contractor is Sundt Construction.
The budget is $126.1 million, and will be financed through the CSU Systemwide Revenue Bond Program and from housing program reserves. Housing revenue will repay the bond financing.
The new residence hall's completion will clear the way for the next step in efforts to update the southeast corner of campus. Plans call for an expanded aquatics and recreation center that will cover space currently occupied by two traditional dorms dating back to 1960.
San Jose State — Silicon Valley's largest institution of higher learning with 30,000 students and 3,740 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU's 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation's 10th largest city.
Facilities Development and Operations University Housing Services
Posted on May 14, 2013 July 31, 2015 by Pat Lopes Harris Internal Affairs, Student Life
Cramming? We're Here to Help!
It's time to take those exams! Go Sammy go!
Check out all the exam week specials offered by Parking Services, King Library, Spartan Shops, Spartan Bookstore, Associated Students and Housing Services:
"Any holders of park-and-ride permits or one-day-a-week or two-day-a-week parking permits can park on campus May 15 through May 22. So even if you don't have a full-price permit, you can park in campus garages during exam week. The park-and-ride shuttles will operate Wed., May 15, through Tues., May 21." — Denny Yau, Parking Services assistant manager
"King Library will be open all night during much of exam week. Get the details here. On Fourth Cafe will be open until midnight on May 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20. Before cafe workers leave for the night, they will set up a free coffee stand for students hitting the books through the night. On May 17, the cafe closes at 5 p.m., so coffee will be available beginning around 5:30 p.m." — Bridget Kowalczyk, King Library senior assistant librarian
"Spartan Shops is ready to help you prepare for finals! Our eateries will have special, extended hours during finals week, including On Fourth Cafe which will close at midnight for everyone studying late at King Library. To start the first day of finals, find our Nesquik team in front of the Village Market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wed., May 15, and get a free bottle of Nesquik chocolate milk! Plus, find pencils, scantrons, green books, and drinks at our various dining locations." — Stephanie Fabian, Spartan Shops marketing manager
"The Spartan Bookstore is here for all of your exam and graduation needs!! We have blue books, scantrons, pencils and smiling employees ready to wish you the best on your final exams! For your convenience, we will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat., May 18 and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sat., May 25. Good Luck Spartans!!" — Ryland Metzinger, Spartan Bookstore director
"Students can usually find a quiet space in the A.S. House Fireside Room during business hours. The A.S. Student Programming Board hands out snacks and other giveaways across campus during exam week. The Computer Services Center will open early at 7:30 a.m., and the Print Shop will be open extended hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fri., May 24." — Kelli Williams, Associated Students associate executive director
"In order to better meet the study needs of all housing residents, the Living Learning Center (LLC) located on the first floor of Campus Village Building B has expanded its hours during finals. The LLC will now be open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily through Tues., May 21. This space is designed for group and individual study, with quiet study after 8 p.m." — Stephanie G. Hubbard, Residential Life associate director
Commencement is right around the corner! Check out what Sammy's been up to as he prepares to graduate.
Associated Students Commencement King Library Parking Services Spartan Bookstore Spartan Shops University Housing Services
1 Comment Posted on August 26, 2011 by Pat Lopes Harris SJSU in the News
SJSU in the News: Students Assigned to Housing Three Miles Away but "Amenities Outweigh Any Inconvenience"
SJSU students check into a hotel — for the year
Originally published by the San Jose Mercury News Aug. 24, 2011.
By Ellen Huet
Carefully taped, not pinned, posters of James Bond's "Quantum of Solace" have replaced Kinkade-esque wall art of flowered archways and helped convert one wing of the Clarion Hotel into San Jose State's newest dorm for 90 students.
The students began moving in over the weekend in preparation for Wednesday, the first day of classes, and expect to stay there for the fall and, probably, spring semesters. The accommodations are similar to those on campus — one room with two beds — but the North Fourth Street hotel's sparkling pool, fitness center and weekly cleaning service are a definite upgrade from traditional dorm life.
The hotel restaurant, the Island Grill, gives students a 20 percent discount, including on fare such as the "Kahuna Breeze Salad" and a Sunday buffet that SJSU spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris says is already popular with students.
This is the first year that SJSU requires all nonlocal freshmen to live on campus, and it also happens to be welcoming an incoming class of around 4,000 — more than a 1,000 student increase from last year's freshman class.
To accommodate all freshmen on campus, SJSU nudged these hotel students — who are all returning — out of their previously confirmed campus housing into the Clarion Hotel over the summer. Some students considered it an unwelcome surprise.
"I was annoyed when I found out I'd be moving, mainly because I'm from San Diego, and it's already inconvenient to live around here," said Hector Liang, a sophomore international business major. He has a car that he'll use to make the 10-minute, three-mile drive back and forth, but since he has an on-campus afternoon and evening job as a building assistant, getting bumped off campus made his days more complicated."The room in itself is better — bigger beds, a fridge, bathroom," he said. "My only complaint is the distance from campus."
Other students found the hotel's perks to their liking.
"The amenities outweigh any inconvenience," said Nick Matejovsky, a sophomore, pointing to the cable television and Jacuzzi.
All the students are located in one wing, with two resident assistants and one senior staff member who will also live in the hotel. Students' rooms were stripped of towels and linens — meaning some students, accustomed to the dorms' twin beds, had to buy new sheets for the full hotel beds. The hotel art and room Bibles were removed.
SJSU residential programs that welcome all students are being sure to include the hotel students, Harris said. SJSU students were bused to the nearby Target on Sunday night after the store's regular closing to stock up on dorm gear, leading to what Harris guessed is "a whole lot of Target" in the hotel rooms, which students are already decorating.Matejovsky, who plays on the school's hockey team, is pairing his James Bond posters with signed photos from hockey games that will line the walls as he watches movies on his PlayStation 3.
"It already has a college feel to it," he said.
As to whether the hotel will have to be contracted for another year of student housing, "We're working on a different way of prioritizing housing assignments," Harris said.
Students had better enjoy the poolside living while they can.
Contact Ellen Huet at 408-920-5852.
Posted on August 4, 2011 by Pat Lopes Harris Campus
SJSU in the News: San Jose State Responds to Housing Shortfall With "Reservations" at Nearby Hotel
Mystery no more: SJSU students offered rooms at San Jose's Clarion Hotel
Originally published by the San Jose Mercury News August 3, 2011.
By Lisa M. Krieger
Evicted San Jose State students can cancel plans for couch-surfing — they've got reservations at the Clarion Hotel, with a pool, hot tub, spa, cable TVs and weekly maid service.
"Just three miles from campus, the Clarion Hotel is a resort-style property," according to a long-awaited letter from SJSU's housing office, emailed Wednesday to the 100 former dorm residents whose housing was in limbo.
The university ran out of space in its dorms when 4,000 freshmen opted to enroll this fall, up from 2,760 freshmen last year — so older students, told to leave, suddenly found themselves homeless, with an offer to shack up at a mystery hotel. School starts in three weeks. The university has been scrambling since July to find a willing hotel — but needed a commitment from students ahead of time.
At their new home on North Fourth Street, students will face the inconvenience of a commute that interferes with campus social life and library hours.
And while each room has a mini refrigerator, there's no cafeteria. Instead, the Clarion, a "business class" hotel, offers The Island Grill ("steak and seafood with an island twist") or tropical drinks in front of 42-inch plasma TVs at The Bamboo Lounge. But neither one is included in the university's meal plan.
"They're welcome here, absolutely," as long as they are over 21, said Martin Garcia, a bartender at the The Bamboo Lounge, adding that disc jockeys spin records on the weekends.
Students, however, won't have the same privileges as other hotel guests. For instance, room service won't deliver icy daiquiris or fresh towels.But the announcement will come as a relief to those who feared sleepless nights at the Roach Motel. Will the news be so welcomed by Clarion guests? The hotel manager did not return calls for comment Thursday.
It's an economic marriage: The hotel's average occupancy rates between 40 and 60 percent.
Leasing motel space is a creative solution to a problem posed by the university's decision to require all freshmen to live in dorms, except those from local families. Studies show the new students do better when they live on campus, forming lifelong bonds with fewer worldly distractions.Stanford, with lots of space and money, guarantees a room all four years. Santa Clara University doesn't promise a room, although it has recently been able to accommodate everyone.
But most urban schools, such as San Francisco State, don't guarantee campus-sponsored housing for all returning students. UC Berkeley promises only two years for new students and one year for transfers. The popular San Diego State has merely 3,700 beds for more than 30,000 students, with freshmen and transfers getting first dibs.
But SJSU's last-minute change angered some families, who said the school shouldn't have required on-campus housing when there wasn't enough space to accommodate everyone — even those who reserved dorm rooms months ago. Parents also preferred the convenience and safety of dorms with security systems, regulations and tight oversight.
Other families were upset by the school's request to commit before the school had a commitment from a hotel. Meanwhile, San Jose's off-campus housing market is tight, with rents rising — and time was short.
The last time SJSU faced a housing crunch was a decade ago, when there weren't enough dorms and the tech bubble caused off-campus rents to skyrocket. But back then, local hotels were too full with business travelers. So the school instead appealed to alumni to rent out rooms.
Things eased up with the 2005 construction of the Campus Village housing complex, adding thousands of beds and transforming the school from a commuter to residential campus. Then enrollment dropped, and some rooms gathered dust.
When UC Santa Cruz ran out of space, it took a similar approach, renting out rooms in a downtown Holiday Inn, near the beach and bustling Pacific Avenue. This strategy was problem-free, except for one cross-dressed male student who took a dip in a bikini in the hotel's hot tub.
Since then, UC Santa Cruz converted the hotel into its own University Town Center, offering students 108 beds on the fourth and fifth floors of the building.
Increasingly, universities are striving to keep students near campus. At UC Berkeley, more than 1,300 new beds have been added in the past decade, including an off-campus Craftsman-style student apartment building in 2002. "Over the years, we've tried to build more and more housing to accommodate as many students as possible," said UC Berkeley spokesman Bob Sanders.
But new dorm construction at SJSU during such tight fiscal times is impractical.
Instead, students are invited to a hotel "open house," planned this month. "We will look forward to seeing you at the Clarion Hotel," said SJSU's email.
Posted on August 4, 2011 by Pat Lopes Harris SJSU in the News
SJSU in the News: San Jose State Responds to Housing Shortfall With "Reservations" at Nearby Hotel