University of California, Berkeley student housing
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The University of California, Berkeley has various student housing facilities, some run by the office of Residential and Student Service Programs, and others by off-campus entities.
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[edit] UCB Housing and Dining facilities
When first built in the 1950s and 1960s, the "high rise" buildings of Units 1, 2, and 3 consisted of four buildings surrounding a common ground-level dining area above a mail room, recreation room, and office structure.
Each nine-story building is named after alumni or faculty and were originally designed for single-sex occupancy and configured with a ground floor lobby and recreation room. Each of the eight floors have approximately 15 14x14 ft. rooms, plus a single large bathroom with lockers, sinks, toilet stalls, and shower stalls. Each room on the floor was a double, except for the rooms at the buildings' corners, which were triples. Even numbered floors had laundry rooms, and odd numbered floors had floor lounges(essentially two adjoining rooms with the wall removed).
Units 1, 2, and 3 have since become co-ed, and all of the bathrooms have had their stalls renovated to improve privacy. Other changes from the original 1950's configuration of Units 1 and 2 include:
- 4th floor lacks a laundry room (converted instead into a study lounge)
- Most courtyard-facing rooms are double-occupancy, outward-facing rooms are generally triples
- except rooms for hall staff (housed on even-numbered floors) and those modified for potential disabled persons use (found on odd-numbered floors)
- The individual dining commons for Units 1 and 2 were replaced by a new larger one located on the block separating the two Units
- As a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, additional cross bracing was added to the exteriors of the high rise Unit 1 and 2 buildings.
All units usually has an unannounced fire drill some time during the first few weeks. While the administration has stated that the drill is intentionally unannounced in order to test the readiness of students, it has been criticized that the unannounced fire drills can disrupt student activities.[citation needed]
The residential dining commons are operated by Cal Dining.
[edit] Unit 1
The main buildings of Unit 1 are located at 2650 Durant Avenue, but the facility includes a few satellite locations as well (denoted in italics).
- Channing-Bowditch Apartments
- Cheney Hall
- Christian Hall (opened 2005)
- College-Durant Apartments
- Deutsch Hall
- Freeborn Hall
- Ida L. Jackson House
- Putnam Hall
- Shorb House, 2547 Channing Way
- Slottman Hall (opened 2005)
Crossroads is the dining facility serving Units 1 and 2.
[edit] Unit 2
Unit 2 is located at 2650 Haste Street.
- Cunningham Hall
- Davidson Hall
- Ehrman Hall
- Griffiths Hall
- Towle Hall (opened 2005)
- Wada Hall (opened 2005)
Crossroads is the dining facility serving Units 1 and 2.
[edit] Unit 3
The main buildings of Unit 3 are located at 2400 Durant Avenue.
- Beverly Cleary Hall (opened early 1990s, formerly Haste-Channing)
- Ida Sproul Hall
- Norton Hall
- Manville Apartments
- Priestley Hall
- Spens-Black Hall
Until 1994, Manville Hall was a part of Unit 4 and was the only residence hall directly on the main Berkeley campus. It primarily housed law, graduate, and upper division students and, as such, was known for being relatively quiet, the occupants of the 1992-1993 academic year being a notable exception. It has since been renamed Simon Hall and converted to office use for Boalt Law School. A new "Manville Apartments" building was built near the corner of Channing Way and Shattuck Avenue. Like its predecessor, housing priority for this facility is given to law students.
Café 3 is the dining facility serving Unit 3, and recently received major renovations.[1]
[edit] Bowles/Stern/Foothill/La Loma (Unit 4)
- Bowles Hall is the all-male residence hall on campus. It is well known as the first state-owned dormitory and for that fact that it lies directly over the Hayward Fault Zone. Recently, it has been labeled as one of the worst places to live on campus and may soon be converted to other purposes.[citation needed]
- Stern Hall is the all-female residence hall on campus.
- Foothill was completed in 1990, and consists of the Hillside and La Loma complexes.
Due to its variety of accommodations, Foothill dorms are the most expensive to live in. Unit 4 is the only unit to not be certified ADA accessible.[citation needed]
Unit 4's dining facility is named after Foothill.
[edit] Clark Kerr Campus (Unit 5)
Clark Kerr Campus is a Spanish mission style residential complex located less than 1 mile southeast of the main UC Berkeley campus.
[edit] History
Clark Kerr Campus was constructed in 1869 as the State Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind. It was used by the California Schools for the Deaf and Blind until 1980, when it was forced to relocate after the complex was declared seismically unsafe.Another issue which involving the closing of the Clark Kerr Campus as the Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind was the death of a mentally ill boy who wandered into the tunnels which run under the campus buildings. After the boy was missing for several weeks, many believed he was kidnapped until one cold winter day a campus nurse turned on the heating system in building 2 of the campus. She reported smelling a propane-like smell leading campus maintenance workers to believe there was a leak in the heating system of that building. When a maintenance worker went into the tunnel, he found the boy, hung from the ceiling of the tunnel. Officials believe the cause of death was strangulation. After the death of the boy many campus officials reported weird occurrences taking place with some of the patients boarding in building 2 and asked to relocate these patients from this building. Following the school's relocation, a large debate occurred between the City of Berkeley and UC Berkeley. The city wanted to continue the tradition of using the site as a location for affordable housing for the needy, while the university wanted to expand its residential housing. A court decided on the issue, giving the majority of the site to the university, and granting 3 acres to the city for nonprofit use. UC Berkeley opened the site as a residential complex in 1986 and named it Clark Kerr Campus, after the first chancellor of the university, Clark Kerr. In the same year, the city of Berkeley founded Redwood Gardens, a home for financially needy elderly people. On September 21, 1981, Clark Kerr Campus was designated a Berkeley Landmark (#42) and in 1982, Clark Kerr Campus was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (#82000962).
[edit] Clark Kerr Campus today
Clark Kerr Campus commonly houses over 700 UC students during school months. It features several residential buildings that contain dormitory style rooms and suites. Along with the residence halls, the campus also has a pool, a sand volleyball area, tennis/basketball courts, a track and a dining commons. The campus is commonly regarded as one of the finest dormitories at UC Berkeley, because of its large rooms and homey atmosphere.
The campus also serves as the primary conference site for the university, housing conference attendees during summer months and serving as the site for conferences and meetings during the school year.
Clark Kerr's dining facility is named after itself.
[edit] Family housing
[edit] University Village
University Village is a housing community for married students. It is located within the city limits of Albany about two miles northwest of the main Berkeley campus.
[edit] Theme housing
Theme housing caters to different ethnic groups. For example, the Casa Mora theme house caters to latino students.
[edit] International House
The International House (or I-House) is located along Piedmont Avenue, right where Bancroft Way ends. It is home to many of the university's international students.
[edit] USCA Co-ops
The University Students' Cooperative Association is an independently-run student housing cooperative with 20 houses and apartment buildings housing over 1300 students. Some of the USCA's houses are leased from the University. Housing costs are kept low by requiring workshifts (usually 5 hours a week) from residents. The houses and the system are run by the students. Students in the co-op system may remain in the system, and in the same room if they wish, as long as they maintain student status at UC.
[edit] External links
- Cal Housing official website
- History of the Residence Halls, on freebornhall.com
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