Summer is a great time to move in to USCA co-op housing. Because many of the policies and procedures are different than during the Academic Year, this page will answer your questions. However, most of the questions asked in the Academic Year FAQ are still applicable.
The summer waiting list is currently very long.
- Who is eligible for summer housing?
- What kind of documentation do I need to send to verify my co-op eligibility?
- When should I expect to hear from you? How will you contact me?
- What should I consider before making my housing preferences?
- When is the summer contract?
- Can I cancel a contract once I sign? What will it cost?
- Can I come late? Can I leave early?
- Will there be food?
- Can I stay for Fall?
- What are my chances of being assigned?
- What is the Summer Workshift requirement?
- Will I get a single room?
- What if I want to live with someone specific?
- Will my room be furnished?
- How much will Summer housing cost?
- What are the contract dates?
Who is eligible for summer housing?
You only need to be in ONE of the following categories to be eligible for Summer 2008 housing in our co-ops:
- You are a full-time student at a college or university (UCB or another) during Spring 2008, working toward a recognized academic goal
- You will be a full-time student at a College/University (UCB or another) for Fall 2008
- You will be taking classes at UC Berkeley for Summer 2008
- You are a former USCA member who lived in a USCA co-op and left the organization in good standing
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What kind of documentation do I need to send to verify my summer eligibility?
Acceptable verification includes ONE of the following (note that all verification documents must include your name and the College/University name AND if you are applying for Convent or Hillegass/Parker, the document should clearly show that you are a Grad/Re-entry student)):
- a copy of your Spring 2008 registration with a current date OR
- a copy of your Fall 2008 acceptance letter OR
- a copy of your UCB Summer 2008 school confirmed class schedule
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When should I expect to hear from you? How will you contact me?
We will be making the first round of summer contract offers by the second week of April. This first set of offers will be made by mail and prospective members will have two weeks to return the contracts with payment to reserve their space for summer. Some people will accept their offers and some will not. Then, to speed up the summer assignment process, we will start making contract offers by phone/email. We usually contact people in the afternoon and give them approximately 24 hours to get back to us before we offer the space to someone else. So be sure to give us a reliable phone number and/or email address on the Reservation Request.
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What should I consider before making my housing preferences?
- Sherman Hall will be co-ed during the Summer.
- Hoyt Hall will be open for women only.
- See the list of the Summer Construction Projects
- Andress Castro Arms will be having a kitchen remodel this summer. This means that Castro residents will not have access to a kitchen and thus will receive a 1/3 rent rebate at the end of summer.
- During the summer only, you don't need to be a UC Berkeley student to live in Rochdale, Fenwick, or Convent, as long as you are otherwise eligible.
- To live in Cloyne Court, you must be a UC Berkeley student during summer or the academic year, and you must provide verification of this (unless we are able to verify you on the Spring UC Rolls)
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When is the summer contract?
The full Summer 2008 contract period will be May 26-August 16 (move-in May 25). Our contract period is based on the UC Berkeley calendar and is subject to change.
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Can I cancel a contract once I sign? What will it cost?
Once you have signed a contract, you can cancel the contract in its entirety without penalty by giving written notice on or before May 7, 2008.
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Can I come late? Can I leave early?
It is possible to have a contract for only part of the summer under specific guidelines, which are delineated below. These guidelines can get quite confusing, so feel free to call us for more explanation.
If you want to stay only for the first part of summer, you should know that the minimum contract period for summer is 28 days. This means that anyone who moves into the co-op may be held to 28 days of rent, even if they cancel during the first week of the contract period. As long as you meet the 28 day minimum, anytime after you sign a contract, you will be able to give us two weeks written notice to move out early as long as the move out will happen on or before July 16, 2008. This means that the last day to give 2 weeks notice will be July 2, 2008.
If you want housing later than the beginning of the contract period this is possible too. We will not hold any spaces for people until they start paying for them. Normally, enough people leave early in order for us to accommodate people who want to come later. We advise people who want to arrive late to apply as soon as possible and note the preferred start date of summer housing on your reservation request.
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Will there be food?
For Summer 2008, the houses which will be open for Room AND Board are Kingman, Lothlorien, Wilde, and Hillegass/Parker. Other houses frequently decide to charge a small fee to keep staples on hand for all. You will have kitchen privileges in a communal kitchen in your house or an individual kitchen in your apartment.
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Can I stay for Fall?
Summer residents who live in the co-ops for at least 6 weeks will have priority on the fall waiting list. However, summer residents are not guaranteed a spot in the co-op for fall. You should also be aware that if you do receive a fall assignment, it will not necessarily be for the same house or apartment you are assigned to for summer. You must be a full-time registered college student to live in the co-op during the academic year. See our Academic Year eligibility requirements. Spaces for Fall are assigned from a separate waiting list, so if you are also interested in Fall, make sure you put yourself on the Fall waiting list too. (No additional fee)
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What are my chances of being assigned?
For the Summer contract period, it is usually easier to get an assignment to an apartment than an assignment to a house. We recommend numbering as many places as you are willing to live in as the more preferences you have, the more likely it is that we will assign you.
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What is the Summer Workshift requirement?
The workshift requirement will be approximately two hours a week for room-only houses and approximately eight hours total for the summer for the apartments. Houses which provide food will have a greater workshift requirement ( 5 hours/weeks). Read more about workshifts.
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Will I get a single room?
You are guaranteed a single only in the Convent, Rochdale Village and Fenwick Village (except Fenwick one-bedroom apartments which may be shared by two people). You are not guaranteed a single in the houses for Summer, but it is extremely likely that you will get one.
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What if I want to live with someone specific?
If you wish to be placed in a co-op house or apartment with a particular person (or persons), you may require that you be placed with them. This means that we will not place you in a co-op unless we can place both (or all) of you together. You will indicate this on your summer reservation request form. Be aware that we can only honor reciprocal pairs (or groups). You may require only one other person for the Fall semester.
For those of you who desire to be placed with another person(s), but would still want to be placed if you cannot be placed together, then you can request to be placed with others on you Summer Reservation forms.
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Will my room be furnished?
Each resident is guaranteed a bed, desk, dresser and chair, if you want them. If any of these things are not there when you arrive, just ask! You are welcome to bring your own furnishings
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How much will Summer housing cost?
For the rates for Summer 2008, see the Summer Rates page.
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What are the contract dates?
The Summer contract is currently predicted to be May 26 - August 16th (move-in May 25). Our contract period is based on the UC Berkeley calendar and is subject to change.
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