Save the Davis Student Co-op from Closure

Dear Vice Chancellor Janet Gong, Vice Chancellor Fred Wood, Chancellor Linda Katehi, and Student Housing Director Emily Galindo,

I strongly urge you to reverse your recent decision to shut down Davis Student Co-op, an integral part of the on-campus cooperative community. I hope that you will actively work with the current residents to keep DSC open as part of the Tri-Coop community and allow it to continue to be an affordable, community-based learning experience as it has been for the past 40 years. I also urge you to further your support for the continued legacy of all co-op housing on campus, as they have been tremendous resources for not only the residents living there but also the student body and city of Davis at large. To close the house down is a serious mistake that can be avoided if you work with the current residents to address the underlying issues that have led to this decision. Cutting one house from the TriCoop community will not only close one of the only affordable housing options on campus (in a time when students are facing rising tuition fees) but contradicts the current University "Sustainability" theme as well as the UCD Student Housing "Sustainability Statement." 

The Tri-Cooperative Community

-Is the only affordable housing option offered by UC Davis in addition to the Domes

-Provides a lived learning opportunity for up 39 students--a unique community of diverse, ecologically minded, and politically active students.

-Maintains an extensive organic garden where the residents learn to grow their own food and educate others

-Has in many ways set in motion many of the sustainable efforts adopted on campus, including energy efficiency, zero waste, and local sustainable agriculture

-Plays an integral role in the campus and greater Davis community, playing a foundational role in establishing numerous on and off campus programs including: The Davis Food Co-op, Davis Farmers Market, Good Humus Farm, Solar Community Housing Association, ASUCD Project Compost and the Campus Center for the Environment, Environmental Sustainable Living Program, California Students for Sustainability Coalition, The Market Garden, Students for Sustainable Agriculture club, Davis Peoples Free School, and the Whole Earth Festival.

Current residents have been actively trying to establish a better relationship with Student Housing and to proactively address the underlying issues that led to this decision in a way that does not alienate either party but instead addresses both their grievances in a productive way. Residents feel confident that this approach will lead to better understanding, structure, and strength of the co-ops on campus. Cutting one house from the TriCoop community will not only close one of the only affordable housing options on campus (in a time when students are facing rising tuition fees) but also present a threat TriCoop community and the Domes, which see DSC as an integral part of the community. This should be the time of careful decision making and consideration that does not hurt students ultimately.

Again, I strongly urge you to keep this valuable Davis resource open and to allow future generations the opportunity to live in DSC.  I appreciate your willingness to work with the current residents and attention towards keeping DSC open.