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CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

basic needs

Axios: How the Affordable Housing Crunch is Hitting College Students

August 22, 2023 By Lilly McKibbin

CSUDH housing complex.

Source: Axios

The affordable housing crunch has not spared students in college towns.

Why it matters: Students would need to earn about $72,000 a year to afford rent in America’s most expensive college towns, per a new report from InMyArea.

  • Rent costs range from about $250 per month in some rural towns to more than $1,800 in the priciest California county, the report found.

By the numbers: California is home to 16 of the country’s 25 most expensive college towns, with the three priciest cities all in Santa Clara County.

  • The most affordable off-campus housing is found in the southern and midwestern parts of the U.S., with the two cheapest in Kentucky.

What they’re saying: “Affordability and food and housing insecurities, if not addressed, have a direct impact on student success and retention rates,” said Deborah Wallace, vice president of administration and finance at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

  • There, 32.5% of the students there are under-represented, Pell-eligible and first generation – a group that is particularly vulnerable to housing and food insecurity, Wallace said.
  • “Housing affordability is essential to helping to ensure that the most vulnerable students are on campus and immersed for the highest chance of success,” Wallace told Axios.

What’s happening: College attendance increased with millennials, driving up demand for housing at and around universities, said Gary Painter, academic director of University of Cincinnati’s real estate program.

  • “What you didn’t see,” he said, “is the building of housing in those communities.”
  • This has become an issue that universities have been grappling with much more in the last five years, Painter added.
  • Many top-ranked colleges and universities are situated in places where housing supply is already constrained, Painter said. So when there’s an increase in the number of students and additional housing isn’t added quickly, prices soar.

Of note: College enrollment has been on the decline over the last few years but the drop may be slowing after reaching historic levels during the pandemic.

Zoom in: The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), which borders Beverly Hills, has reached its goal of guaranteeing four-year housing for undergraduates who come in as freshmen.

  • The university received grant funding from the state to add about 540 more beds at a rate of $600 per month, according to Pete Angelis, assistant vice chancellor of UCLA Housing & Hospitality.
  • Housing options that the university offers on-campus or in neighboring areas cost anywhere from 13-42% less than other nearby options.
  • The university capped room and board rates at increases of 2.5% for undergraduate students and 3% for graduate students per year.

The bottom line: While it’s not necessarily the responsibility of the schools to guarantee affordable housing, Painter said, they need to be transparent about the cost and the quality of housing to students who are choosing where to go.

Staff Spotlight: Morgan Kirk

June 7, 2022 By Kandis Newman

For Morgan Kirk, serving as coordinator of the CSUDH Basic Needs Program is the best job on campus. “I love what I do!” she declares. “It gives me joy that our services are helping students in need. I enjoy knowing that I am making a difference in their lives.”

Kirk’s position at CSUDH involves supporting students who face food and/or housing insecurities on campus. She provides case management for housing insecure students, and supports students with temporary emergency housing. Kirk also manages and facilitates monthly food distribution events, partnering with EveryTable and the CSUDH farmers’ market to provide fresh, nutritious meals for Toro students in need.

“I am really proud of the food distribution events,” says Kirk. “We’ve been hosting them since March, 2020, and have supported over 3,500 students so far. It feels great to see students’ smiles!”

Kirk graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and human communications from Utah’s Dixie State University, then attained a master’s degree in higher education from CSU Fullerton in 2018. She has always wanted to work in a field in which she could be a part of students’ personal and educational journeys.

“I connect with the transformational educational experiences that take place on our campus,” she says. “Basic Needs has a huge impact on students. As a department, we try to provide educational workshops that teach students skills like cooking that will benefit them when they leave DH.”

When she’s not working, Kirk says she’s a “homebody” who likes hanging out at home with family and friends, going to the movies, or watching sports–especially NFL games featuring her brother, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk.

Overall, Kirk finds working at CSUDH to be uniquely rewarding. “The students and staff I have encountered on campus make working here special,” she says. “I can honestly say that I’ve built a real sense of community and support on campus that goes a long way!”

Fun Facts About Morgan Kirk
Favorite movie:
Just Wright

Favorite book:
All About Love, by bell hooks

Favorite song:
Dear Silas, “I Ain’t Stressin’ Today”

First concert/last concert/best concert:
Marsha Ambrosius/H.E.R./Xavier Omar

Cats or dogs?
Dogs

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you?
Morgan Freeman

Favorite food:
Seafood

Least favorite:
Anything with coconut

Favorite childhood memory:
Getting my first dog

One thing you could not live without:
My family and friends

Describe yourself in three words:
Funny, Charismatic, Supportive

Submit Your Own Spotlight Entry

Students Share Achievements and Struggles with U.S. Under Secretary of Education

April 8, 2022 By Lilly McKibbin

Roundtable discussion
U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal (far right) at a roundtable with students.

Marking the Biden-Harris administration’s first visit to California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal came to campus on April 7 to engage with students, learn how the university supports historically underserved and underrepresented college students, and discuss how the government can enact similar best practices on a national level.

Kvaal meeting with administrators
Kvaal meeting with CSUDH administrators.

Kvaal first met with CSUDH administrators, who provided the under secretary with an overview of CSUDH’s unique student population–the university has some of the highest rates of underrepresented, Pell-eligible, and first-generation students in the CSU. Kvaal shared his excitement about the university’s strides in student success, adding that he’d been wanting to visit CSUDH “for years.”

The group also discussed the impact of federal and state funding, the university’s status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and CSUDH’s progress with Graduation Initiative 2025, the CSU’s ambitious effort to ensure all students, regardless of background, have an equal opportunity to earn a college degree.

“Our students overcome historic, systemic barriers to pursue their education,” said Michael E. Spagna, CSUDH Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Under Secretary Kvaal’s visit was an honor and an opportunity to shine a light on the unique challenges our student population faces.”

Kvaal also met with CSUDH students representing a variety of campus resources, including the McNair Scholars Program, TRIO Student Support Services, Basic Needs Initiative, Toro Dreamers Success Center, STEM Scholars, and the Educational Opportunity Program to hear firsthand about their experiences. Students discussed how the tailored support they receive–mentoring, advising, and networking–enables them to connect to resources and make concrete steps toward their goals.

Group photo of students and Kvaal
Kvaal (center) with CSUDH students and Provost Spagna.

Challenges such as food and housing insecurity, long commutes, and balancing parenting and jobs with schooling, among other issues that face CSUDH’s population, also came to the forefront. Students were grateful and enthusiastic for the help they get from CSUDH faculty and staff, but also emphasized the need for more government support.

“Dominguez Hills does not waste its resources,” one student said. “Everything is used perfectly–to a T. Whether it’s a private resource or state or federal funding, it is used correctly and wisely.”

Kvaal thanked the students for speaking up about the issues impacting them, saying that “it’s really important that we hear from the people that we’re trying to help.”

“This time has been very valuable for me,” he added. “I want to say how impressed I am by this group of students. I think you have some very bright futures ahead of you, and it makes me feel good about the future of the country and the L.A. region here.”

View all photos from Kvaal’s visit on SmugMug. 

CSUDH Students Advocate for Basic Needs with Congressmembers

March 10, 2022 By Lilly McKibbin

Congressmembers with CSUDH Students
Congressmembers Schiff and Barragán with CSUDH staff and students.

Students’ basic needs must be met in order for them to thrive.

That was the central message Toros conveyed to Congressmembers Adam Schiff and Nanette Barragán during a visit to the CSUDH Urban Farm on March 4. Schiff and Barragán, who represent California’s 28th and 44th districts respectively, met with students to discuss food and housing insecurity, as well as what can be done to meet their basic needs.

The visit came a day after the representatives introduced the Food for Thought Act of 2022–a bill which would provide free meal programs to community colleges and minority-serving institutions to help end food insecurity among college students.

Before Schiff and Barragán sat down to talk to students, CSUDH Sustainability Manager Ellie Perry led them on a tour of the CSUDH Urban Farm. Perry explained that the farm has provided the campus with a living laboratory and fresh food for distribution to students since 2018. During the pandemic, the farm even expanded its offerings by producing soaps made from garden herbs for Toros needing hygiene products.

“Everything we produce goes back to our students,” Perry said.

Following the tour, the congressmembers joined CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham, Manager of Student Support Bianca Bisi, and nine Toro students for a conversation about their experiences. Many of them shared stories about running out of food, facing eviction during the pandemic, and trying to piece together limited social services that cannot keep up with demand. Others explained that a lack of family financial support means they have no safety net.

Group discussion at table.
Rep. Schiff discussing food insecurity with students.

One of the students, for whom it has taken 10 years to earn his degree, said: “Sometimes you have to decide ”˜Do I want to eat?’ or ”˜Do I want to be able to pay for gas to go to work?’ and it becomes this vicious cycle. Sometimes you have to stop going to school because of stuff like that.”

Barragán, whose district includes CSUDH and Carson, empathized with students–a first-generation college student herself, she had struggled with food insecurity and trying to source loans.

“We need our students to be able to focus on studying and not worrying about their next meal,” she said.

Parham also shared the challenges facing the campus, and how the university administration is competing for funds in order to try to provide for students. He implored the congressmembers to remember CSUDH students’ stories.

Schiff thanked the students for opening up about their experiences, and commended them for their tenacity in pursuing higher education.

“It shouldn’t be so hard,” he said. “It is an extraordinary tribute to all of you that you have persevered against really phenomenal odds–and some of you, without the support or encouragement of your parents. I have tremendous respect for what you’ve accomplished already by being here.”

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Press Releases

Installation view of “Personal, Small, Medium, Large, Family”

CSUDH University Art Gallery Presents “Personal, Small, Medium, Large, Family” by Mario Ybarra, Jr.

September 19, 2023

Student walking near Science and Innovation building on campus.

CSUDH Recognized as a Top Performer in the 2023 Sustainable Campus Index

September 15, 2023

Map showing geography of Southern California

Getty Foundation Awards CSUDH $180,000 for Brackish Water Los Angeles

May 9, 2023

See all Press Releases ›

CSUDH in the News

Students working on computers.

Daily Breeze: CSUDH Offers New Master Program for Incarcerated People for Fall 2023

September 11, 2023

Woman doing work on a computer.

KTLA: California Department of Corrections, CSU Dominguez Hills Unveils Graduate Program for Inmates

September 5, 2023

Exterior photograph of San Quentin State Prison

EdSource: A First for California’s Incarcerated Students – Now They Can Earn Master’s Degrees

September 5, 2023

See more In the News ›

Faculty Highlights

Headshot of Carolyn Caffrey.

Faculty Highlights: September 2023

Headshot of Jonathon Grasse

Faculty Highlights: August 2023

Rama Malladi

Faculty Highlights: July 2023

Staff Spotlight

Cesar Mejia Gomez

Staff Spotlight: Cesar Mejia Gomez

Staff Spotlight: Ludivina Snow

Staff Spotlight: Gilbert Hernandez

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