Last spring, hundreds of West Chester University students received emails informing them that their applications for university-owned housing were denied for the 2023-24 academic year. As the number of newly accepted students continues to increase. The university admitted over 3,000 students in the incoming Class of 2027, a significant increase from the 2,700 students admitted in the Class of 2026.
Despite this reality, West Chester University fails to acknowledge and address this consequential issue. Moreover, the notion of the university ignoring and worsening the housing crisis appears to be a widely accepted opinion throughout the student body; this discourse can be seen online and on campus. For instance, the official WCUPA Instagram posted a photo of the Class of 2027 group photo on Aug. 27, 2023. The top comment beneath this post reads, “We’ll be living in the streets at this rate with the housing crisis.” This comment has 58 likes. Additionally, I asked a fourth-year student Chloe what she thought about the work the university has done addressing the crisis. “They admitted the most students ever for this academic year’s freshman class. If anything, they’re making it worse,” she stated. Of course, we love a growing student population, but only if the university has the proper infrastructure to support it.
However, it is not only housing infrastructure that West Chester University lacks in order to support its growing population, but parking, too. Several of the parking garages, such as Sharpless and New Street Garages, are all sold out. What’s worse than being sold out? Selling more parking spaces than you have available, which is what seems to have happened with commuter parking this year. I have seen dozens of students attend class 25 minutes late because they spent the past 30 minutes trying to find an available space in the commuter lots. Because of the non-existent public parking, lack of available parking spots in commuter lots and costly garage fees, students are commonly forced to choose between being 25 minutes late to class or paying for a parking ticket.
The alarming continuation of this housing crisis has created panic regarding off-campus housing. As the demand for off-campus housing skyrocketed, so did the price of already costly privatized housing options. I was curious about this, so I looked at the price of an apartment that I lived in two years ago here in West Chester. In 2021-22, I paid $1,250 for a moderate 1-bedroom apartment on Magnolia St. Today, the same apartment costs $1,900. This was a 52% increase from what it cost me just two years ago. It is evident that the WCU housing crisis has led to sharp increases in renting costs, which affects not only students but also the borough. This crisis has had, and will continue to have, an abundance of outcomes for the students and residents of West Chester: homelessness will rise, the ability to afford necessities will lessen and student success will fall.
The same trends can be seen in England’s housing crisis. England is notorious for its lack of construction of new homes, which is even more prominently seen in London. As the population grows and the housing infrastructure stays the same, prices rise sharply. For instance, the current average rent in London is around £2,131.67 or $2,600, which is a 9.4% increase from 2020. However, this price is projected to jump 22% by 2026 if the change is made. The steep changes in housing costs have led to a cost-of-living crisis, which caused hundreds of working and Tube strikes within the past two years. Yet, these strikes have led to much effective discussion within the government to begin instilling change. I have seen the lack of available and affordable housing locally and internationally first-hand, having lived in London and West Chester myself, and witnessed the negative impact on countless people. It is thus important to keep pressure and discuss these issues before they get worse and irreversible. Even though the responsibility should not lie with them, students at West Chester University need to maintain pressure on those in charge in order for proper action to be taken. With all of the stressors that university life imposes on students, access to housing shouldn’t be one of them.
Sierra Williams is a fourth-year Political Science and English major. SW960048@wcupa.edu.