Assignment 7A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

Assignment 7A- Testing the Hypothesis

1. My opportunity was identified back in exercise 5A. I strongly believe there should be more affordable, close to campus student housing, and especially for low-income and first generation students. Finding affordable, available housing somewhat close to the UF campus that is decent enough for students to live is nearly impossible due to one or two main companies dominating the housing market in the Gainesville area
2. Who: low-income students attending college in Gainesville
   What: cannot find affordable housing near campus that is decent enough to live in
   Why: companies have a monopoly on the housing market in Gainesville
3. Testing the Who: Students in the Gainesville area are not the only ones facing this problem. While Gainesville is one of the cities in Florida with the highest rent rates, I am aware this problem affects low-income students all over the state and even across the country. For out-of-state students already in debt, this can pose as a bigger problem since they have other, higher expenses to worry about
   Testing the What: There may be some hidden housing units that are currently being occupied by residents that are comfortable enough to live in and affordable. Furthermore, the rent of houses are far less than the rent in student apartment complexes. More run-down units are less expensive as well, but low-income students shouldn't be forced to resort to barely functioning units just because it's all that's available in the area. Housing very far from campus cost less as well, however it is inconvenient for students who cannot afford to have a car/scooter with them in college
   Testing the Why: Capitalism is the main culprit of the problem. Companies that run student housing like to prey off low-income and first-generation students because they dont know better, and are easier targets to profit off of. Landlords of the local houses do similar schemes, and also like to profit off of students by charging them crazy high rates, and utilities/parking/amenities on top of the rent price
4. Interview 1: My first interviewee is one of my roommates, a theatre major in her 20's that is also a person of color and low-income, first-generation college student. Since we are not living in the same place next year, she has also found it difficult to search for affordable and decent housing near campus. While it has been frustrating for her, she recognized she is fortunate enough to have transportation (her own car) and therefore can settle for an affordable and furnished apartment complex about 20 minutes from campus. This is still frustrating for her because the bus rides are ~40 minutes long, but she is willing to make the sacrifice to live comfortably
   Interview 2: My second interviewee is a female senior living in a luxury-style apartment complex across the street from campus. While hunting for apartments in her freshman year, she informed me price wasn't an issue for her but rather the amenities offered and how comfortable she felt living in the apartment. Money hasn't been an issue for her in the past, and therefore wasn't an issue for her when finding her housing. She didn't care much about the monopoly in the housing market, and has been living in her current apartment since her freshman year
   Interview 3: My third interviewee is a 20 year old Argentinian male who is a first-generation college student in the U.S who lives with his family in Gainesville. He stated he is living at home because he cannot afford housing, and his problem is that since he lives at home and must commute to campus, parking is impossible to find. He believes finding good housing and parking go hand-in-hand, and for those who are searching for housing and must resort to far, off-campus housing should also have parking decals to commute to school.
   Interview 4: My fourth interviewee is a second-year first generation Mexican female living off campus in an apartment. She stated she just found the cheapest one (apartment) online, toured it, and liked it. Her apartment is an upgraded unit, and finds it inconvenient to commute to campus when her bus app isn't working, but takes the bus whenever she needs to get to campus anyways. Housing near campus is WAY too expensive and due to the circumstances, she is fairly comfortable with where she's at.
   Interview 5: My last interviewee is a male college freshman living on campus, non first-gen. He stated his parents had attended UF and had great recommendations for his living situation going into college. He hasn't experienced the struggle of searching for affordable housing yet, and he already knows what apartment complex he is living at next year. He said that many of his friends have experienced this frustration, and many of them live in housing owned by the same company. The rent rates HIGHLY differ depending on location, and he finds that his friends living close to campus have nicer, more upgraded units but it's a costly price.
5. Summary:
   I learned that this opportunity does have a very specific target audience. It mainly affects low-income students who are of different ethnic backgrounds, mainly those students who are first-generation. While this may not be a huge problem for all students (such as those with dorms, cars, living with their parents, etc.), it does pose as a big frustration for students who are going into the house hunting process blind and with no knowledge of what proper student housing should look like. It is unfortunate that college students must give up either money or proper living conditions in order to comfortable live, and its an issue work trying to fix for the community that's affected.