richasardanaWhat does a University Apartments’ Resident think about the future of Brackenridge Tract?
Posted by richasardana on October 6, 2009
Why is there so much speculation about the fate of the coveted Brackenridge tract? To the uninitiated, it is a part of the land that Col. George Washington Brackenridge donated to the University of Texas in 1910 for educational purposes, hoping that it would become the site for a new main campus. His wish never materialized, and the ‘educational’ use to which the university put the land was a Biological Field Laboratory and housing for graduate and married students. However, as the city of Austin grew, so did the potential of this picturesque stretch of land as a revenue source. The focus of the Regents and the Brackenridge task force for use of the land has shifted from ‘educational purposes’ to ‘furthering the university’s mission’. The property will no doubt be a hot commodity in the real estate market. In 2006, the Board of Regents formed a task force that determined that the 74 acres that currently house the Colorado and Brackenridge Apartments did not meet the standard of “best and highest use” of the land.
The University Apartments Tenant Advisory Board conducted a survey that showed hundreds of students who live in these apartments beg to differ with the task force’s conclusion. Of the 244 respondents who participated in the survey, 95% were residents and reflected the direct effect the Regents’ actions will have on the students who live there.
As a rare example of affordable housing in an increasingly unaffordable city, University Apartments provide an incalculable value to UT as a recruitment tool. A clear 91% of the respondents rated affordable housing as essential to university housing. Other characteristics that students deemed important to their vision of university housing included proximity to the campus and consumer resources, located on a dedicated UT shuttle route, and in a safe and family-friendly environment. It is worth noting that the University has no expenses related to University Apartments. The apartments are self-financed; they have been built and paid for, and are maintained, with student rental payments.
On a ratings scale from “not important” to “essential,” about 78% of the respondents rated proximity to the campus as either important or essential, and another 79% considered being close to consumer resources such as affordable groceries as an essential or important factor. The proximity of University Apartments to shopping, schools, parks, and other amenities, as well as good bus service, and hike and bike trails, makes it possible to live and raise a family without the expense of a car. More than 90% of respondents considered it essential that university housing be located on a dedicated UT shuttle bus route.
About 70% of apartment residents are international graduate students, many with spouses and children who benefit from the unique set of support services that have developed to serve this diverse community. More than half of respondents considered it important or essential to live within a school district equivalent to Mathews Elementary, the primary school serving children living in University Apartments. Mathews has assembled staff and programs to specially serve the community. These services are critical in helping these children transition to the US educational system – and these services cannot be developed quickly.
The international community at University Apartments has developed a vibrant network. Over the years, residents have nurtured a supportive community that provides a rich array of educational, language, and cultural services for students and their families. This environment cannot be replicated with voucher programs, which notably can be changed or eliminated, thus offering no assurances to these students; neither can the proximity to campus, the strong sense of community or many of the amenities enjoyed by this unique, diverse, and highly educated population.
More than half of respondents are not optimistic that, should the apartments be relocated to another part of Austin that “an equally satisfactory relationship with another elementary school [could be established] within a reasonable period of time.” Residents feel that in addition to providing a community of peers, the apartments are located in a good neighborhood appropriate for raising children. Neighborhoods closer to the university, where many single undergraduate students live, are not compatible with family needs. More than 85% of respondents rated a safe, family-friendly environment, as essential to the graduate housing. When asked if they would be satisfied if the University Apartments moved to a different location if that location met other requirements, such as affordable, convenient, and safe, more than half felt they would be only partly or not satisfied at all.
Residents did appreciate the need for upgraded apartments that reflect values of environmental sustainability and stewardship. Also, more than half of respondents favored an increased number of housing units to accommodate unmet demand.
Many respondents wrote heart-felt comments. For example, one respondent wrote, “I am no longer just another student, but I am also a father who is also working and getting an education, but I am a father first, and whether it be the long walks at night in the safety of the apartments or just a morning jog to Town Lake, I feel there will never be another place that can provide the same quality of life than what The University of Texas at Austin has provided me with till now. Thank you UT.”
The demographics of the university housing consist of a vibrant network of international community. Over the years, residents have developed a supportive community providing a rich array of educational, language, and cultural services for international students and their families. This environment cannot be replicated with voucher programs, which notably can be changed or eliminated thus offering no assurances to these students; neither can the proximity to campus, the strong sense of community, nor many of the amenities enjoyed by this unique, diverse, and highly educated population.
The reputation of a university is a reflection of the quality of the work of its graduate students. Meeting a need for affordable housing, the apartments provide a worry-free place for students to live so that they can focus on their studies and research. These factors are critical to the advancement of the mission of the University of Texas.
