Thank you for your article on lackluster landlords in SLO (“Cal Poly students demand rent control, accountability for substandard housing from SLO City Council,” June 22). That was great grassroots work by Cal Poly students; kudos to them. I wanted to also ask and implore for more pressure to be put on the university and not the city. The university is accepting far more students than it can support. As a result, the city is inundated by students. The university should be required to develop more student housing on and near campus with an emphasis on the proximity to the university—the college shouldn’t bleed so much into town.
The shortage of quality housing, at the root, is a result of too many students and too little housing. This is a direct consequence of Cal Poly irresponsibility. We as residents are already paying for Cal Poly’s lack of foresight; incredibly high rent, lack of quality housing, and major Poly events don’t just affect students. The city and its residents should not alone be responsible for solving this issue through the implementation of rent control and building high density housing.
Cal Poly needs to be held accountable for the students it enrolls. Currently, students are allowed a max of two years of campus living. This is unacceptable for a town of 45,000 and a university nearly half that in enrollment. What students experience in unacceptable housing conditions is not unique to them but a shared experience across the city. Once again, this is a result of too little housing and too many students. Cal Poly must be required to develop more housing immediately.
Troy Kutch
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 9, 2023.