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February 12, 2001 To: The Campus Community From: M.R.C. Greenwood, Chancellor Re: Update on student housing at the Holiday Inn Dear Colleagues, I am writing to give you an update on expansion of student housing at the Holiday Inn. As many of you are aware from reports in the local news media, the lease of the Holiday Inn has generated considerable public response. I greatly appreciate the many expressions of support for this effort to house our students, but I also am troubled by the sharp negative reaction from representatives of the City of Santa Cruz. I sincerely regret that the University's actions to secure urgently needed student housing have been interpreted as deliberately thoughtless, and I am eager to renew the cordial relations that we have worked hard to develop between the City and the University. In particular, I want to join in thoughtful and constructive discussion with the Mayor and other community leaders to address the housing issues that face both the University and the local community. Toward that end, in the last week, I have spoken individually with several members of the City Council to express my personal concern and commitment to renewing positive working relationships. Other campus members also have reached out to City colleagues. I will meet with the Mayor and City representatives next week, and I am confident that our discussion will lead to a mutually agreeable solution. While I very much want to work as partners with the City in resolving the Holiday Inn issue, it is important that we do so with a broad perspective informed by a thorough analysis of the facts. To that end, I have asked the Mayor to ensure that any measure of negative economic impact of the University on the City be viewed in the context of the University's positive contributions -- the positive economic impact plus the value that the University brings to this community through education, research, and service, including significant volunteerism. I also have insisted that we examine the anticipated loss of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) in light of verifiable data. The tax loss figures that have been projected publicly are not supported by any facts of which I am aware. When the actual facts are known, they will form the foundation for thoughtful discussion. The futures of UC Santa Cruz and our local community are intertwined. I am committed to fostering a climate of trust and mutual understanding that will characterize the partnership with the community, as we create our shared future together. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we work collaboratively to address our mutual challenges and opportunities. This is particularly true as we wrestle with the problem of providing the housing that is essential both to UCSC and to the community. Only by working together, as the City, the community, and the University have done many times in the past, will we be able to find solutions to this difficult problem. I am optimistic that our efforts ultimately will serve as a model for how a community and a university can work together.
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