As one of the most respected public research universities both nationally and internationally, UC Santa Cruz offers world-class facilities on one of the most visually spectacular settings in higher education. But this distinction is not without its own challenges. The desirability of our beautiful campus is matched by the attraction of the city and county of Santa Cruz itself, which in turn has lately drawn new residents commuting to nearby Silicon Valley.

These factors have created an environment in which finding an appropriate rental can be both difficult and costly–a reality that each and every person on our campus understands. It is a crisis that is complex, systemic and requires the serious attention of our whole community to solve.

Unfortunately, however, rather than working hand in hand to address the underlying fundamentals, our graduate teaching assistants have engaged in a grade strike which has recently evolved–for some–into a full teaching strike, unsanctioned by their own union.