Vista del Campo

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Vista del Campo (VDC), also known as East Campus Apartments, is a student apartment community built on University of California, Irvine(UCI) land, and managed by American Campus Communities (ACC). It is one of the pride and joys of the University's campus. It is owned by EAH-East Campus Apartments, LLC, which is controlled by EAH University Properties, Inc., an affiliate of EAH. It has 488 units with 1,488 beds (1,234 for undergraduates and 254 for graduate students) and is currently the most recent property developed and managed by ACC. A second phase, Vista del Campo Norte, owned by the Collegiate Housing Foundation was opened in Fall 2006, and a third phase, intended solely for graduate students, is in the planning stages.

Combined, the developments are among the largest private-public student housing partnerships. In this case, as in many others, private nonprofits take title to the property so that the projects may benefit from state-issued bonds (with non-taxable interest). Here the bonds were issued by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority in three series. The development and management of the complexes, however, is handled by a private for-profit company, in this case ACC.

Vista del Campo is operated exclusively for the furtherance of the public purposes of the University of California and must comply with the Policies of the Regents of the University of California, UCI Campus Implementation.

After forty years, title to Vista del Campo is scheduled to return to UCI.

[edit] Student Experience

Vista del Campo and Vista del Campo Norte have been cited in the Los Angeles Times as catering to students as "sophisticated consumers" marketing them as fashionable apartments rather than dorms. Bill Bayless, chief executive of American Campus Communities explains, "When you build them a Class A community like they expect today, and you maintain it impeccably, they take great care of the facility". Vista del Campo appeals to wealthy students. Online availability of Vista del Campo's residents television viewing and consumer habits reveals that the income and consumer patterns reflect relative exclusivity and wealth, with 34% of viewers having an income of above $90,000 a year and 76% displaying high end/upscale consumer patterns.

Opposing this argument, many students view Vista del Campo apartments as impersonal and non-conducive to social interaction. Students complain about the lack of opportunity to meet neighbors and make friends, which is relatively easy to do in the freshman dorms (Middle Earth and Mesa Court) and in other complexes such as Arroyo Vista.

Complaints about facilities are also common. Common issues include low water pressure, as the shower and sink faucets are made to restrict water. This can be remedied by removing restriction rings, although this violates lease agreements. Another common complaint is the size difference between VDC and VDCN: VDC apartments are larger with full beds instead of VDCN's extra-long twins, yet VDCN is actually more expensive. Cell phone reception service is relatively poor in the area as well. Lastly, the most common complaint is that the internet is extremely slow. The low speeds have been in place since the opening of Vista del Campo, with no signs of future improvement.

Furthermore, students complain about poor customer service and adhering to students individual needs. For example, some students who request for September to September leases end up receiving June-June leases, which makes these prospective VDC residents, who have completed the regular school term (ending mid-june) and have already made summer plans, pay for a vacant apartment. Vista del Campo does not allow these prospective students to sublease their apartments until they have lived their long enough "to be on good terms with them". Instances such as this give students reason to complain about Vista del Campo's lack of flexibility in adhering to students' wants and concerns.