UConn facing housing crunch

1,000 students rejected for housing as enrollment drops

Even as it grapples with an enrollment dropoff this fall, the University of Connecticut is telling almost 1,000 students who want campus housing that they must either find a place to live on their own or they can’t return to classes.

The reason: Under the coronavirus guidelines, university-owned housing stock can accommodate no more than 8,100 students — and 9,000 have requested it.

“We’re optimistic we’re not going to disappoint many, but we are still working that out,” said Elly Daugherty, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Connecticut, in an informational hearing Tuesday before a legislative committee.

It’s a problem other colleges and universities face this fall, as they manage a financial burden of many students not returning to classes — especially foreign students, whose status has whipsawed with federal rules changes.

At UConn, about 65 percent of the school’s 19,000 undergraduate students typically live in dorms or other housing that’s owned, operated or affiliated with the university. Many have already informed the school they won’t be returning or will live at home but a gap still remains.

All of the state colleges and universities have reduced housing to avoid crowding and virus spread, especially in shared bathrooms. They have also had to make room for isolation units where students who do test positive for the virus can move

while they recover.

About 10 percent of the housing at residential campuses will be reserved for students affected by the virus.

Representatives from the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system and the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges also participated in the three-hour, online panel discussion with the General Assembly’s higher education committee.

They answered questions about the difficult process of reopening schools to students, even if only for a few months.

In the fall, classrooms will operate at reduced capacity to help students and faculty maintain social distancing, resulting in many courses moving online permanently. All of the higher education institutions have also made substantial investments in

personal protective equipment to keep those on campus safe, including purchasing masks and hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer.

And most universities in the state have already informed students, staff and faculty that they won’t return to campus after Thanksgiving in November, as part of the efforts to avoid outbreaks of the virus on campus. There are plans for testing, for monitoring the health and well-being of students and contingency plans for outbreaks, all covered in the three hour informational forum.

While the logistics of operating colleges and universities in the midst of a global pandemic are complicated, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system President Mark Ojakian said he’s confident campuses will be able to open safely beginning next month.

“There are some challenges that we are going to

face but we are committed to offering instruction on our campuses,” he said.

Connecticut colleges and universities are facing massive budget deficits over the next year — the result of refunding students for the spring semester, which was abruptly canceled or moved online after spring break, and many students choosing not to return next year due to the pandemic.

In a best case scenario, UConn faces a $47 million deficit. In the worst case, a $130 million deficit, said Scott Jordan, the executive vice president and chief financial officer.

UConn began sending notices this week to students enrolled for the fall, telling them whether they had housing on campus or had to fend for themselves, according to emails obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media.

Ben Barnes, the chief financial officer for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System,

painted an equally bleak financial picture for those universities and community colleges. For the upcoming fiscal year, he said, the system has a budget plan that would use $48 million in reserves.

“This is by far the largest drawdown in reserves in CSCU that I can remember over the last dozen years or so,” said Barnes, who was the top state budget official for eight years under former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. “This I think reflects the board of regents’ appreciation of the emergency nature of what we’re doing. It is so critical that we continue to serve our students and continue to maintain viable institutions that they have accepted losses over $30 million in the CSCUs and $15 million in the Connecticut community colleges simply to be able to operate at a baseline level.”