A newsletter for alumni, students, parents and friends.
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President's Corner
By Tom Sutak
Barrington Hall, 1961-65
My stint as president of the USCA Alumni Association is about to end and it’s natural to look back over the past two years to review what has transpired. However, our association is about looking forward, not backward.
The USCA is about to embark on a major capital project to seismically retrofit and make our houses accessible. Within just a few months, work will begin on Central Office/Casa Zimbabwe (the old Ridge Project), and after that, major retrofits will begin at Cloyne Court. These two projects will cost millions of dollars. To finance them, the USCA will issue bonds, which will be paid back by future student rent increases. Despite this, the Co-op rates remain at roughly half of the dorms, and well below the private housing market. Every dollar that alumni raise reduces the burden on future students.
During the past several years, many scholarships were created, including the Pioneer Scholarship and the scholarships named in memory of long-time Co-op leaders Ted Johnston and June Tichinin. Our efforts have helped to fund scholarships for approximately 24 students each year; however more contributions are needed for these programs as tuition and the cost of living continues to skyrocket.
A little over a year ago, the renovated Hillegass-Parker House (formerly Le Chateau) reopened to graduate and re-entry students. The renovation and reopening provided a model for future boards that may need to resolve community conflicts to preserve and expand the USCA. Following our annual meeting in October, Hal Norton (General Manager, 1941-1966) and his family joined us for the naming of the North House property—now the Audrey and Hal Norton House.
Over the past eight years, I have never ceased to be amazed at how energetic and conscientious students rise to leadership positions on the student board. We need more alums to step up and volunteer so the USCA will continue to flourish. Your time commitment can be as much as you are able to offer. Together, we can make a difference for the USCA.