Camper Park residents received an announcement to relocate on Feb. 27. However, the university has since rescinded their initial notice and is allowing students to remain for the duration of the academic year. Following student backlash, residents and administrators met on March 6, where administrators apologized for miscommunication and discussed further steps.
Residents of the park listen while Serena Dern (far right) voices her concern to the UC Santa Cruz administrative staff.
Nestled among the redwood trees behind Kresge College sits a unique residential community cherished by students and community members since its creation in 1984. The UC Santa Cruz Camper Park has been known as a vibrant counter-cultural space throughout its lifespan. However, below the surface, it’s been the hub of a decades-old battle between residents and administrators.
In a meeting on Feb. 27, Dave Keller, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) for Colleges, Housing and Educational Services (CHES), announced to Camper Park residents that the Camper Park would be closing for the remainder of the year. Inspections related to maintenance requests, the presence of mold, and potential fire risk were reasons attributed to the temporary closing.
The decision, which required all 41 camper residents to relocate by the end of spring break, was reversed only two days later in an email sent to Camper Park residents. However, the new decision required maintenance to disconnect propane tanks, meaning residents could no longer cook in their trailers. Residents would receive a free meal plan for the remainder of the academic year. Though residents can now remain in their current living situation, frustration remains.
“If they could’ve provided an immediate reason that we need to move, that would have made a little more sense,” said Sadie Krier, a Camper Park resident of three years. “The fact that it was so random and it was just all these tiny things and the maintenance tickets, […] that’s not a good reason to kick us out.”
In an email, Keller wrote that the decision to relocate residents was made late in the week of Feb 19.
He told City on a Hill Press, “After the decision was made, we wanted to move pretty quickly to engage with the students and let them know what’s up. A lot of it was driven by the fact that the housing application period was opening, and wanting to let students know that the Camper Park is not going to be available to apply to and to explain why.”
Throughout the Feb. 27 meeting, residents felt there was no open dialogue between them and the administration to explore alternative solutions, stating the discussion felt one-sided.
“There was a lot of emotional distress and student needs were not addressed. It was kind of just insane how [administration] carried themselves throughout the whole meeting without even feeling bad for us,” said Mery Ter-Avetisyan, a camper park resident. “[People] were crying and there were no condolences from the admin.”
(bottom right) Mery Ter-Avetisyan engages in a discussion with the administration staff about ways to make the trailer parks more sustainable. Topics included purchasing new trailers, revamping the shared kitchen space, and educating residents on camper maintenance.
In response to the announcement, residents took to public comment at a UC Divest walk-out at Kerr Hall on Feb. 29 where they outlined five official demands. On the same day, Natalie Twilegar, a Camper Park resident, made a change.org petition to demand transparency, open dialogue, and fair treatment from UCSC. As of March 13, it has 1,065 signatures.
During the walk-out, Camper Park residents received an email informing them that they could stay for the remainder of the academic year without propane. Four days later, maintenance shut off the propane from all trailers without notifying residents.
The following week, residents of Camper Park and Bill Taylor, Director of Facilities, Dave Keller, interim AVC of CHES, Jim Grove, CHES Chief of Staff, and Ryan Macleod, Assistant Director of Affiliated Residential Community Housing (ARCH) met on March 6. Residents led the direction of this meeting, asking for student representation in deciding the future of Camper Park, and proposing multiple solutions to mold, moisture, and fire hazards.
Administrators expressed they were open to the solutions, but voiced concerns about financial viability and current budget deficits. They addressed the previous move-out date and the propane being disconnected by maintenance without warning.
UCSC officials Jim Grove, the Chief of Staff CHES, and Dave Keller, the interim Vice Chancellor of CHES (pictured in left photo from left to right) as well as Bill Taylor, the Director of Facilities (middle photo below), and Ryan Macleod Assistant Director of ARCH (right photo below) met with the campers to apologize and figure out a way forward.
Jim Grove said at the March 6 meeting, “I want to apologize again for the timeline. We were bumping up against that [housing] application period and realized we blindsided you. That was hurtful and unfair.”
Students said they felt disconnected from the university, and proposed student representation in future decisions about the park, which the administrative staff agreed to.
“Anything will help, it’s better than what it’s been,” Krier said. “I think we have some good ideas and I’m hoping we can work together […] to find a solution that’s more reasonable.”
Dave Keller stated due to the early stages of research and assessment of the situation at Camper Park, no alternatives for Camper Park are currently proposed if it is shut down.
This is not the first time that the Camper Park residents and housing administration have disagreed. In 2016, students protested against the university removing student-owned trailers and replacing them with university-owned trailers. Despite proposing a student-operated Tiny Homes plan that would be more cost- and space-efficient, CHES went forward with the camper removal.
In 2021, administration emailed students on a Friday that their refrigerators and stoves would be taken away the next Monday due to fire hazards. When staff came, students blocked the driveway and demanded a meeting to negotiate compromises.
In an email to City on a Hill Press, Dave Keller wrote, “While it is always our aim to include residents in decision-making processes, the confluence of these safety concerns with the housing application period prompted an urgent decision that did not allow time to include current residents in the process.”
“This is a continuous pattern,” Krier said. “It would have helped with a lot of these decisions if students got to at least express their voices so [administrators] knew what they were dealing with, rather than just walking in blindly and thinking everything they’re doing is what’s best for us, without understanding where we are.”
Additional Reporting by Ira Gupta.
