The election for the University of Iowa Student Government is around the corner, and the bid for office between the independent Yes Party and the BLOC Party. Each party needs to prove its competency in running UISG affairs in ways that best benefit the student population while maneuvering the plethora of real-world obstacles facing the often lofty pie-in-the-sky campaign proposals.
While the Yes remains committed to the importance of working with UI President Bruce Harreld, BLOC has set its cross hairs on two issues: securing the quality and prestige of a UI education while offsetting the hefty cost of living that comes with pursuing a degree in Iowa City.
We all know the state of the majority off-campus housing available to students. Where there was once a sound structure, maybe close to a century ago, composed almost entirely of 90 degree angles, is now reminiscent of Dadaist architecture: each right angle skewed obtuse or acute from decades of age and neglect.
Though there is a degree of intrinsic charm to the idea of a creaky Midwestern home: cracked white paint, a slanted porch, drafts welcomed each summer and loathed each winter, the steep rental pricing for Iowa City housing is undoubtedly inflated. This allows landlords leeway to charge more money than what such housing ought to be worth. According to city-data.com, the median gross rent for Iowa City sits at $824, pushing students farther from campus to find affordable housing or forcing students who wish for manageable commutes to take out heftier loans.
Things don’t seem likely to level out for students anytime soon, either. The flow of new housing made available to students is struggling to keep pace as student enrollment steadily increases. This, when coupled with the unfortunate reality of a single company owning a large majority of the rental property within a reasonable commuting distance of campus, paints a bleak picture for fiscally strained students trying to live on the cheap.
The UI has dropped from 71st to 82nd in national rankings last year. In an effort to secure distinguished professors, who may be offered more lucrative positions at competing universities, the BLOC members believe negotiations with the state Board of Regents is necessary navigate rising tuition and ensure quality pay for quality faculty. This subsequently would mean an inevitable spike in UI tuition, a prospect perhaps sour to most students.
How they plan to handle this is clever, to say the least. While a spike in tuition could ensure the funds necessary to pay the faculty, the students would see the return in their endeavors to offset their cost of living. Clever, but ambitious. How exactly their proposed student-led Housing Task Force would achieve these goals has yet to come to fruition.
BLOC has not only displayed a certain wit in handling the complexities of a university economic landscape, it has also conducted itself with an undeniable integrity. BLOC presidential candidate Rachel Zuckerman has a record of advocating for members of queer and trans communities, serving on the Committee for Gender Inclusive Policies and Practices. This has earned the party an official endorsement by TRANS Alliance and Spectrum.
Yes leaders Jon Langel and Elliott Smith have said they would donate their $8,000 salaries to student organizations if elected, noble indeed, but while their intentions seem good, they have yet to show the same confidence in action.
The Daily Iowan Editorial Board would like to see the housing hypotheticals become a tangible, bank-account-relieving reality and UI to having a steady climb in national rankings. Their tactful plan, partnered with the values BLOC members hold, has given us confidence in their capability and intentions and earned our endorsement.
