Rep. Carol Ode’s recent VTDigger commentary extolled UVM’s beneficial relationship with Burlington. Yes, in many ways UVM’s relationship with Burlington is rich and mutually beneficial. And UVM is not a good neighbor when it comes to housing the students it enrolls.
UVM and Rep. Ode consistently misrepresent UVM’s huge negative impact on Burlington housing. Rep. Ode describes UVM’s Trinity housing proposal as a way to ease Burlington’s housing crunch.
In reality, the proposal would greatly exacerbate our housing problems. The 400 additional freshmen and sophomores proposed will become 400 additional juniors and seniors who will need to find off-campus housing.
The Trinity proposal is a Trojan horse — it’s depicted as a gift that will help address our housing problems when in reality it will make these problems far, far worse.
Burlington simply does not have the capacity to house 400 additional students. It is not in Burlington’s interests to approve the Trinity proposal that involves 400 additional students until UVM develops a plan for housing them throughout their time at UVM.
It’s time for UVM to step up and work with the city to develop creative ways to provide student housing. Many other progressive universities have done so. Until this happens, the state and city must cap UVM enrollment; it is already at a level that is not at all sustainable.
Cynthia Cook
Burlington