Dear Graduate Housing Residents,

We’re writing on behalf of the Graduate Student Senate and the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO-UAW 2322) with the hope and intention of forming an association for the residents of Graduate and Family Housing. We know this is not a new effort, but feel a strong tenants group needs to be formed to play an important role in the evolution of graduate housing on campus.

As you know there have been many changes to Family Housing in recent years, and most of these have been made with very little input from residents. Eddie Hull just announced plans to phase out Lincoln Apartments as a graduate housing option (leaving only the North Village), the most recent example in an ongoing trend of diminishing support for adequate and affordable housing options for graduate students at UMass. [And last month, the administration announced its intention to raise North Village rents 6.5%. GSS and GEO were able to reduce the rent increase to 3%, but the administration has warned us that it sees continued increases in the future.] By forming and maintaining a strong Tenants Association, residents will be afforded greater input on the operations and future of Family and Graduate Housing.

Current goals we see for a Tenants Association:

• Working with management to create a solution to the vacancy problem
• Developing a hierarchy of maintenance issues
• Working with management to find efficiencies in the system to reduce costs

We’re sure there are many other goals you as residents will have, and creating a Tenants Association will help us determine the best path forward to achieve these shared goals.
Please join us for a meeting to determine the next step in creating a Tenants Association:

Monday, March 5th 6:00-8:00 Campus Center 162-75

Best,

Garth Schwellenbach Vice-President, Graduate Student Senate

Matthew Ferrari, GEO Family Issues Coordinator