ICC trying to purchase Oxford

Officials look into possible sale of least-profitable 'U' housing unit

By Janet Adamy
Daily Staff Reporter

In an effort to revitalize one of the University's least profitable housing complexes, the Inter-Cooperative Council is trying to buy Oxford housing from the University.

VISHEN MOHANDAS LAKIANI/Daily The Inter-Cooperative Council is considering the possible acquisition of Oxford housing complex, the least profitable of all the University's residence halls.

ICC President Jim Jones met with representatives of University Housing earlier this month to discuss the possibility of acquiring Oxford to turn it into a student co-op.

"We feel that it is possible for us to buy this at a fair-market value and still provide housing at a much lower rate than is currently possible," Jones said.

Director of Housing William Zeller said that as a cost center, Oxford's "income has not exceeded its expenditures for the past few years."

Zeller said the University is currently in the preliminary stages of discussion and is not ready to make any decisions about selling Oxford.

"No concrete decisions have been made and no policies have been made for pursuing the sale of the complex," Zeller said. "We need to consider these issues very carefully and have as many constituencies within the University participate in these discussions."

Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford said the University is "not in the selling mode" right now, but is looking at how Oxford will fit into University President Lee Bollinger's master plan - an administrative effort to bring cohesion to the campus's many buildings.

"The whole creation takes some time," Hartford said. "This is probably something we're not going to see resolved this year."

Zeller said his office is addressing some of Oxford's long-term maintenance issues, including roof and siding repair, as well as health code and infrastructure renewal issues.

"(University Housing) is deciding whether to begin to infuse significant funds into the complex or look at other options," Zeller said.

Jones said ICC hopes to find ways of working with University officials to supplement their goals.

"We think that over time Bollinger and the administration will come to agree that it is in the University's best interest," Jones said.

LSA junior Isaac Kriegman, ICC's student president, said turning Oxford into a co-op would benefit the student body by providing more low-cost student housing and giving more students the chance to live in co-ops.

"I think that co-ops give students one of the few chances to live in a community with real issues," Kriegman said, adding that students who live in co-ops are responsible for their house's building maintenance, cooking and cleaning.

Built in the early 1960s, Oxford Housing was originally intended to be a co-op.

Hartford said Oxford was one of a few buildings built to accommodate the influx of baby boom students who came to the University during the 1960s.

"That era of building on campus didn't produce the most wonderful buildings, Hartford said. "They're not our greatest buildings, but at the same time, the property is fairly valuable."

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