On Thursday, June 4th, the ASUCD Senate passed a resolution in support of the Davis Innovation and Sustainability Campus (DISC), citing the limited amount of housing and jobs for undergraduates in Davis. ASUCD President Kyle Kruger stated, “I can not know the needs of every UC Davis undergraduate, but something everyone has told me is how hard it is to find housing in Davis.”
DISC proposes to build 850 units of workforce housing with the addition of 153 units of Affordable housing units. Davis continues to have one of the tightest housing markets in the region, with a vacancy rate between 0% and 1% for half a decade. “Additional housing relieves pressure on the housing market in Davis” added Kruger. “We recognize that housing at DISC is not designed for students, but student leaders know that all people in Davis face a housing shortage.”
Despite UC Davis being an elite university, only 42% of UC Davis undergraduate receive secure full-time jobs one year after graduation. Startups created in Davis often must leave since there are few locations for them to grow. Developing a technology hub in Davis, would allow far more UC Davis student access to internships and entry-level jobs in the community. Currently, only 23% of UC Davis 
students stay in the greater Sacramento region after graduating, harming economic development throughout the area.
“Internships and summer jobs are an important part of undergraduate education to prepare ourselves for careers after graduation,” noted ASUCD External Vice President Maria Martinez. “However, Davis has very few opportunities outside of the campus, meaning most of us need to commute to other cities and leave Davis during the summer, even though we still have to pay rent during summer.”
An estimated 69.1% of Davis residents commute outside of Davis, and providing additional jobs in Davis would reduce travel times for residents.
The resolution specifically noted the environmental benefits of the proposed projects. The project would achieve LEED Gold equivalency and use energy-efficiency standards from the City of Davis. DISC proposes to purchase 100% clean energy power from local and renewable sources such as the Valley Clean Energy.
“The ASUCD Environmental Policy and Planning Commission, which I was the immediate past chair of, reviewed the SEIR two weeks ago. We found that the environmental impacts were minimal in comparison to the benefits such as mixed-used development, providing high tech jobs in Davis, and adding Affordable housing,” said Kruger.
“We look forward to ensuring the students of the Davis community voice is heard on this project through November and continue to be on other projects as fellow members of the Davis community.”
Both of the UC Davis student governments have endorsed DISC with the UC Davis Graduate Student Association (GSA) endorsing DISC in late May.
Full resolution: ASUCD Resolution DISC
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