As cost in housing, tuition and food increase, San Jose State students are finding it difficult to live in San Jose.
Daeton Dennert, information management systems junior, said he is used to the cost of living being expensive as a native from Los Angeles, but it was still shocking for him to move to San Jose.
“Honestly at this point it seems like SJSU isn’t an option due to the lack of housing,” Dennert said in a text.
Housing
Dennert said he had a hard time finding a place to live when he started to apply for housing at SJSU.
“The housing department has been nothing but a nightmare,” he said through text.
Dennert said he first tried to find housing from SJSU’s housing services, but was not able to book a dorm room because he signed up two days late after having medical issues.
“I honestly didn’t think two days would be that big of a deal,” Dennert said.
He said after being around the 800th person on the waitlist for housing at SJSU, he spent two months messaging “every Facebook group possible” to see if he could find a place to live that would cost under $1,600 a month.
“It’s really disappointing to see,” Dennert said through text.
In August 2023, San Jose had 1,434 rental units available at the average cost of $3,280 a month, according to a webpage from Zillow Rental Manager.
Dennert said he found an apartment around Aug. 15 for $1,000 and prepared to pay for it with 80% of his salary per month.
On top of being a full-time student, Dennert is also a lineman who earns $25 an hour climbing electrical poles to install fiber optic poles.
A few days after he moved into the apartment, Dennert said the rental was a financial scam after the landlord broke down the front door and kicked him and his roommates out.
“They fabricated a rental portal and everything,” Dennert said through text.
Dennert lost $100 dollars from the scam after paying for the first month.
“It’s just honestly quite a lot,” he said.
Kristen Weaver, SJSU Care’s interim student affairs case manager, said SJSU Cares can provide students with emergency housing.
SJSU Cares is a program that assists students when they are experiencing an unforeseen economic crisis, according to its website.
“We're happy to sit down with a student to talk about [their] options,” Weaver said.
However, she said SJSU Cares can only provide emergency housing for up to 28 days and students must meet with a case manager in order to see if they meet the program’s criteria.
“So it's not a one and done thing,” Weaver said. “It's really important to understand the complexity and nuance of each situation, which is why that case manager role is so important.”
She said students must also speak with a case manager to discuss possible ways to receive permanent housing outside of SJSU Cares.
“While we may not be providing the housing directly, we are working with that student to provide
indirect support, get them access to information and help them to be successful long term,” Weaver said.
Dennert said although his ability to do his school work has not been affected yet, his problems with housing has been giving him a lot of stress.
“I was very stressed daily with knowing if I could even attend the school,” he said. “Am I going to have to drop out [the] last second, or even, like, live in my car for a few weeks until I find a place?”
Dennert still did not receive a response from SJSU’s housing department by the time of his interview.
SJSU’s Housing Department did not respond back for comment in time of writing this article.
Tuition
Along with the high cost of rent in San Jose, the California State University’s (CSU) Board of Trustees proposed to increase tuition for all CSU students every year by 6%, during their July 12 meeting.
The CSU Board of Trustees is a group of 25 members that adopt regulations and policies governing the entire CSU system, according to its website.
75% of the money gathered from tuition increases will go to increasing pay and benefits for faculty and staff, according to notes from California’s State Student Association (CSSA) July Plenary provided by SJSU’s Associated Student Board.
The association is a non-profit student-led organization that advocates for student needs while engaging students in system-wide state and federal policy-making process, according to a webpage from Cal State East Bay.
Dennert said students may choose to enroll into other universities from the University of California (UC) system if tuition increases.
“It's honestly kind of destroying the point of the CSU system,” Dennert said.
Dennert said he thinks if the pricing between the two types of universities is too similar, most students will choose to go to a UC for the reputation and prestige.
“I just feel like Cal States are lacking in a lot of areas and they should stay cheap for that reason,” he said.
During the CSU meeting on July 12, Nathan S. Evans, the CSU’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, said 60% of students who are enrolled at a CSU have their tuition fully covered by financial aid.
Julia I. Lopez, a member of the CSU’s Board of Trustees, also said financial aid for students is a large component in the CSU system.
“Affordability is clearly one of our priorities, but I think it is also important to realize that financial aid is also an essential component of other priorities,” Lopez said.
Sophomore political science student and the Director of Legislative Affairs for SJSU’s Associated Students, Estevan Guzman said the CSU Board of Trustees still needs to consider how the 6% yearly increase in tuition will affect the other 40% of students who do not have their tuition fully covered by financial aid.
“They don't really bring up the 40%, which consists of middle class students who don't qualify for those grants or scholarships as well as international students or undocumented students,” Guzman said.
He also said the CSU Board of Trustees has been “radio silent” in acknowledging the concerns for students who are part of that 40%.
“They haven't really explained what they're going to be able to do to support those students,” he said.
Guzman said he personally identifies as a student who is part of that 40% of students who still have to pay at least part of their tuition.
“Well as an individual, I sympathize with a lot of students,” Guzman said. “I for one [am] part of that 40% that the CSU keeps pushing.”
Guzman said he is already in debt and is currently working eight hours a day.
“On top of that, having those extra restrictions just so we can get food, just so we can afford our tuition… I can start to feel the impact,” he said.
Food
Starting on July 1, students will also no longer receive temporary exceptions in order to be eligible for food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to a webpage from the Food and Nutrition Service from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
SNAP or CalFresh is a program that provides monthly financial aid for low-income individuals and families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford to buy produce, according to a webpage from the California Department of Social Services.
Dennert said he is planning to sign up for food stamps, but is disappointed to hear about the recent changes to the SNAP Program.
“I know a lot of friends that [are] literally surviving off of that money from CalFresh for their food,” he said. “So hearing that it's really disappointing.”
Kristen Weaver said students should not look at CalFresh and the changes to the program in a broad perspective.
“It's not really helpful to necessarily talk about the eligibility really broadly because it's very nuanced,” Weaver said.
She also said SJSU does have a separate program called the Spartan Food Pantry.
The Spartan Food Pantry is a walk-in food assistance program for students on campus, according to a webpage from the university website.
Weaver said students are eligible if they are enrolled with the university and have a household income less than $34,000.
“We intentionally make the Spartan Food Pantry as accessible as possible,” Weaver said. “So the eligibility criteria for that, I'm happy to say, is something that a lot of students qualify for.”
She also said students do not need documentation to prove they meet the criteria.
Estevan Guzman said students are concerned about the high cost of food, housing and overall living.
“A lot of students are already living paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “And if this increase results in them having to cut back on either medication or food.”
