COLLEGE STUDENT COMMISSION DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 3PM AUSTIN CITY HALL, ROOM 1101 301 W. 2nd STREET, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701 CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Jeffrey Clemmons, Huston-Tillotson University (Chair) Todd Clayton, Huston-Tillotson University Lira Ramirez, University of Texas at Austin (Co-Chair) Tatum Owens, University of Texas at Austin (Secretary) Edwin Bautista, University of Texas at Austin AGENDA Justin Parker, Austin Community College Isaiah Smith, Austin Community College Pete Cervantes, St. Edwards University Esther Heymans, St. Edwards University Ethan Tobias, St. Edwards University CALL TO ORDER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion and Possible Action on Campus Accessibility Discussion of issues relating to accessibility and disability rights on Austin college campuses, with consideration of means to improve accessibility. 3. OLD BUSINESS a. Announcements & Campus Reports The commission’s staff liaison and commissioners will have the opportunity to share any pertinent announcements relevant to Commission business. Commissioners may share reports concerning any recent developments on their campus or discuss upcoming programs/events. b. Community and Municipal Involvement Discussion of how the Commission can engage with the local community, including outreach and partnerships, along with participating in other areas of municipal government. c. Working Group – Housing Update from the Housing Working Group on actions taken to research and promote student housing access, security, and affordability, with consideration of possible action. d. Working Group – Transportation Update from the Transportation Working Group on actions taken to research and promote student transportation, with consideration of possible action. e. Working Group - Campus Civic Life Update from the Campus Civic Life Working Group on actions taken to research and promote student voting rights in Austin and means of improving campus civic life, with consideration of possible action. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call David Alcorta at the Youth Initiatives Office, at (512-972-5042), for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more …
College Student Commission Recommendation 20211203-3c-1: In Support of the University of Texas Student Government’s Joint Resolutions 21-09 and 21-10 Authored By: Commissioner Edwin Bautista (UT) WHEREAS, on October 19th, 2021, the Student Government General Assembly at the University of Texas at Austin unanimously passed two resolutions to address the student housing affordability crisis by proposing significant expansion of affordable on- campus housing capacity at UT Austin; and, WHEREAS, two days later, the UT Austin Senate of College Councils unanimously passed the same resolutions; and, WHEREAS, JR 21-09 authorizes a petition for the expansion of affordable, on-campus housing options by encouraging the University to build new dorms at several sites identified in the 2015 University of Texas Student Life Master Plan; and, WHEREAS, JR 21-10 addresses the need to align housing cost structures to prioritize affordability, rather than incentivizing profit, in support of the institution's mission to “make UT more affordable to Texans”1; and, WHEREAS, on-campus housing options for students have a demonstrable impact on both engagement and academic performance, compared to their peers who live off- campus2; and, WHEREAS, 50% of students who live off-campus, in places like Pleasant Valley, are considered to be “rent-burdened,” spending more than 30% of their income on rental payments, hindering them from fully engaging in academic pursuits or campus life3; and, 1 From Texas Advance Commitment page, https://texasadvance.utexas.edu/ 2 Smith, E. L. (2021). Forward! On-Campus Housing Capacity Expansion as an Anticipatory Model for a post-Students for Fair Admissions Equity Commitment at The University of Texas (thesis). 3 Duff, Tori. “UT Student Living Becomes Less Affordable as Austin Housing Market Grows.” The Daily Texan, 5 Sept. 2021, https://thedailytexan.com/2021/09/05/ut-student-living-becomes-less-affordable-as- austin-housing-market-grows/. WHEREAS, rapidly increasing education and housing costs disproportionately impact marginalized students4; and, WHEREAS, the extreme price pressures on Austin as a whole are a serious threat to the overall future of higher education in Austin if higher education institutions are not able to attract, retain, and engage students due to the cost pressures; and, WHEREAS, an increase in the supply of affordable student housing, along with specifically earmarked student-oriented housing near other university campuses, has the power to influence the broader, supply-restricted housing market in Austin; and, WHEREAS, long-term, additional on-campus housing capacity is the most sustainable solution for current and future students. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the College Student Commission officially supports JR-09 and JR-10 of the UT Student Government; and, RESOLVED, that …
College Student Commission Recommendation 20211203-3c-2: Citywide Student Housing Needs Assessment Authored by: Chair Jeffrey Clemmons (H-T) WHEREAS, housing is a human right necessary for survival and for students to meet their fullest potential; and, WHEREAS, the well-documented and history of anti-Blackness and systemic discrimination in the City of Austin has created an uneven terrain of opportunity upon which new housing is built, worsening such inequities; and, WHEREAS, many marginalized who come from already underdeveloped communities are most severely impacted by the perpetuating of these longstanding inequities and, thus, find their educational and career prospects curtailed by the inability to find adequate and affordable housing allowing them to go to school in Austin; and, WHEREAS, the institutions under the purview of the College Student Commission each have a unique history that intersects with the greater history of land-use and housing development in Austin, having led to varied capacities for these institutions to provide sufficient housing for their students; and, WHEREAS, students who choose Austin as their home, from across the State of Texas and the world, are made to compete with other renters with greater buying-power and less restricted incomes in the same aggressive housing market; and, WHEREAS, students cannot achieve their fullest potential if they are not situated in environments conducive to their learning experience, especially with the occurrence of increasingly destructive environmental catastrophes influenced by climate change, as 2021 Winter Storm Uri placed students at every university in an unprecedently precarious situation and exacerbated the risk posed by poor housing infrastructure; and, WHEREAS, the City of Austin has never conducted a comprehensive survey of student housing needs and a full consideration of what policies should be put in place to protect student renters. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the College Student Commission recommends Austin City Council direct the Housing and Planning Department to conduct a comprehensive Citywide Student Housing Needs Assessment, addressing the availability of housing stock affordable to students, infrastructural needs of institutions on and off-campus across the city, and take all other appropriate and necessary action to determine the specific housing needs of current and prospective students; and, RESOLVED, that the City Council direct the Housing and Planning Department to produce individualized assessments for each major institution represented by the Commission providing data on the same metrics as those found in the above directed comprehensive assessment and delivered to each university’s equivalent to the Director of …
