Life in a Posh Tower: Not All Is <i> Dolce Vita</i>
The whimsical and clumsy relationship between the management of the Promenade Towers and the USC housing services office has resulted in those students residing in the towers fearing they will soon be asked to leave, with only a seven-day notice.
Each student was told we would be housed in two bedroom/two bathroom apartments and parking was available for a price. At the time officials at the housing services also stated that it was 90% certain USC would provide a free tram service to and from campus.
After sending a $200 deposit ($100 of which is non-refundable), we were informed of a shortage in two bedroom/two bathroom apartments. Approximately 60 students would be assigned to two bedroom/one bathroom apartments. This is an inconvenience when four students share an apartment. There was a $17 per month/student rent adjustment.
Last week, Promenade Towers management announced that over 60 students would not receive any parking, due to construction on the parking garage which was scheduled for completion last January. The management has promised that adequate parking will become available in October.
In the meantime, students are having to park on downtown streets and other parking facilities in the downtown area.
A tram service is still not in service. USC operates trams to Westwood and the beach for students’ shopping and recreation but it will not run a tram four miles to USC-operated housing for students to get to and from school.
Perhaps most importantly, each student signed a six-month lease with USC; however, we were under the impression that we would remain in the Towers for the duration of that time. Although there is a clause in the lease stating USC has the right to consolidate students to empty housing, given a seven-day notice, students were not informed that the Towers were leased with the notion that it would be temporary housing. In fact, both Promenade Towers and USC had that in mind.
Aside from the treatment of students as second-class citizens of the Towers and criticism from many of the professional residents, most of the students would like to remain living at the Towers at least through the semester, preferably indefinitely. USC is planning to relocate as many as half the residents to university-owned apartments closer to campus. This move could come with only a seven-day notice anytime from now until the end of the semester.
The decision to lease from the Towers was not made until July, and students moved in during August. Perhaps the deal should have been a little more thoroughly thought out. Promenade Towers was thinking mostly with its pocketbooks.
JOEL GROVES
Los Angeles
