University Hopes Housing Creates Sense of Community

Carrying three surfboards, a wetsuit and his George Foreman grill, Eddie Solt arrived at Cal State Channel Islands ready for the ultimate California college experience.

The 21-year-old English major, a junior transfer from Torrance, was among the first to move into new student housing over the weekend at the Ventura County campus. Solt said he was stoked about his new apartment, but with the nearby beaches and a full academic load, he wasn’t planning to spend a lot of time there.

“I chose this school because of the surf,” said Solt, unloading the last of his belongings from his 1959 Ford Galaxie. “I’m like a jellyfish, I go where the tide takes me.”

At a time when college campuses across California are scrambling to address housing shortages, the new student complex officially opened its doors Sunday, providing much-needed shelter in a region where the median home price now tops half a million dollars and the apartment vacancy rate is nearly nonexistent.

The project, known as Anacapa Village, cost $17.6 million and took a year to build. It will house about 330 students in state-of-the-art suites with separate bedrooms and full kitchens with dishwashers, stoves and microwave ovens.

Set on a corner of the 670-acre campus, the complex consists of a trio of three-story buildings and a common area with a recreation room, pool and spa. Students will pay $6,300 per school year for the housing. And they will form the first, full-time community of students at the university, an important step in transforming the campus into a full-fledged, four-year institution.

“We’re still in the days where everything we do is a first, so this is another milestone for the campus,” said university President Richard Rush, who presided Sunday over a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “By having residents here 24/7, the campus culture will definitely change.”

With school set to start today, the change was palpable as parents and students began swarming the residence halls over the weekend. They lugged computers, guitars and cases of bottled water. They brought blankets and laundry baskets brimming with such dorm-room staples as chips and crackers.

Freshman math major Kristen Calvin of Santa Barbara brought a giant box of macaroni and cheese, a bundle of clothes and enough other belongings to fill two cars. Luckily, her mom, Theresa, and 15-year-old sister, Melissa, were on hand to help.

“I’m excited for her, and she’s only an hour away,” Theresa Calvin said. “She wanted a small campus close to home. I think it will be a good experience.”

Each room was supplied with a gift basket containing apples, chocolate chip cookies and Top Ramen noodles. In many cases, roommates already knew each other, having met after they were paired over the summer .

That was the case for 17-year-old Renee Nurse of San Diego, who moved into her top-floor apartment on Friday with help from her mother, Elsa, and father, Rene. A freshman biology major, Renee had her choice of five colleges but chose Channel Islands because of its intimate atmosphere. Because she was moving away from home, she said it was important to her that the university have student housing.

“I definitely needed a place where I could make friends, because I don’t know anybody,” said Renee, whose new space offers a view of rolling hills and a sun-kissed cornfield. “I like this room a lot.”

Mom and dad liked the room too. But by the end of the day Friday, they weren’t quite ready to leave their daughter behind. They planned to stay through the weekend, to shop for new clothes and supplies.

“I’m sending my daughter away, but I feel so comfortable, even though I want to cry a little bit,” said Elsa Nurse, sporting a T-shirt identifying her as a Cal State Channel Islands mom. “She’s ready to leave the house. So if she has to leave, this is the perfect place to send her.”