Most community colleges, just like De Anza College, don’t have dorms. But, over the years, the face of the campus has been changing. More and more international students are choosing De Anza to further their academic and career goals. After their admission to the college, they are faced with finding a place to live. And with housing being so expensive in the Bay Area, students don’t have many cost-effective choices.
Shirley Wong, an international student from Hong Kong, said that finding an apartment is difficult and expensive in the Cupertino area and that students have to spend a lot of time searching.
She said if De Anza had dorms, students would not have to worry about their meals and would save time. Since the parents of international students are often concerned about their child’s safety, they would likely support the idea of dorms, as well.
Amy Wong and Sabrina Kudos, also international students, said that dorms limit one’s freedom because some dorms on campuses have curfews. Although one can understand their concerns, we should remember that it’s worth it to give up a little bit of freedom for the sake of safety.
John Swensson, dean of language arts, said that not many community colleges have dorms and those that do have very limited housing. But he said that he recognizes that it is an issue for international students and it’s worth looking into.
Donna Jones-Dulin, who is in charge of facilities at De Anza, thinks we should explore if there is a need to build dorms for the campus. The need for affordable student housing is growing every year.
The convenience dorms would offer students would help them not only have a place to live, but be better able to concentrate on school. Consequently, fewer students would drop out.
If there were dorms available, De Anza could attract talent from anywhere in the world. Many students living in the Bay Area would likely choose De Anza over their local community college, if we could offer them the luxury of nearby, affordable housing.
But there is one main issue – space. Much of the Oaks shopping center across the street has been lying vacant for a while. It could be expensive for the college to build there. But if De Anza decides to devote resources to this cause, like-minded and motivated donors could be attracted from the community.
The long-term benefits to the campus would greatly outweigh the short-term costs.
Not many community colleges have dorms. But De Anza should make it a goal to be one of the first few progressive colleges to pave the way.
