This year, 5,979 students submitted a Statement of Intent to Register to UC Berkeley — 614 more students than last year. RSSP spokesperson Marty Takimoto said that although the number could fluctuate, he anticipates that there will be 50 more students looking for on-campus housing this year than the typical occupancy in the residence halls allows.

To address the possible scarcity this year, like it has done in the past few years, RSSP has said that it may need to convert study lounges to four-person rooms and turn some double rooms into triples. With UC Berkeley having one of the costliest room and board rates in the nation, this possibility just isn’t up to the standards, considering students pay thousands of dollars each semester to live on campus. Because this is also not the first year RSSP has resorted to converting student lounges to make more room for students — albeit temporarily — the program needs to come up with a more permanent solution to handle an increase in student occupancy.

For example, the recently opened Maximino Martinez Commons could give priority to freshmen instead of second-year students or upperclassmen, like it currently does. Freshmen are often new to campus and don’t have the time or experience to explore off-campus housing options and should be given every chance possible to live on campus if they choose.

The campus admissions office should also work with RSSP to ensure that the program adheres to its policy ensuring housing for freshmen, transfer and extension students. The sooner the office communicates fluctuations in the student body to RSSP, the better.

If on-campus housing is not available, the campus should also work with off-campus private housing alternatives to provide incoming students with a variety of quality off-campus options. Having the campus vet and endorse other housing options could make students feel safer if they choose to forgo the crowded residence halls and live off-campus the first year they come to UC Berkeley.

RSSP says that converting floor lounges for students to live in is a temporary solution and that almost all students would be moved out of the lounges when regular rooms become available in the spring. This cannot even be a last-resort option, as it is not conducive to a comfortable living environment.

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Simone Anne Lang/File

In the wake of record-high freshman admissions numbers to UC Berkeley this year, the Units 1, 2, and 3 residence halls may see some student floor lounges turned into quads and some doubles turned into triples.

This year, 5,979 freshmen submitted a Statement of Intent to Register at UC Berkeley — an increase of 614, or 11.4 percent, over last year’s numbers, according to data released by the UC Office of the President. These numbers put next year’s freshman class on track to be the largest the campus has ever had.

While UC Berkeley has seen its fair share of housing reconfigurations to fit an increasing student population, the coming influx could be one of the biggest, said Marty Takimoto, director of marketing and communications for Residential and Student Service Programs.

“Over the past two to three years, we have averaged between 100 percent and 97 percent occupancy for all university housing,” Takimoto said. “For the upcoming fall, we’ll definitely start at more than 100 percent occupancy.”

In past years, floor lounges were used for temporary student housing to accommodate additional students at the beginning of the school year or while individual residence halls were closed for renovations.

RSSP currently anticipates about 50 more students than the current total occupancy, but according to Takimoto, that number will change moving in the fall, as some students receive late admissions offers — resulting in late housing applications — and some defer their enrollment during the summer. This makes it difficult for RSSP to accurately assess how many beds it will need.

Despite an increasing student population, campus housing guarantees have always been met for entering freshmen, transfer and extension students, Takimoto said.

“While we have additional students to house for the 2013-14 year, the numbers have not become unmanageable, and we anticipate being able to house them all comfortably and safely,” he said.

The growing student population may have also led to a spike in housing applications for private residence halls. Josh Ferrari, community manager at The Berk, one such residence, describes Berkeley as a late market, with potential tenants rushing to find housing around the end of July and early August. This year, however, the rush to grab spots began between May and June.

“There’s definitely an increase of people getting their housing secured early,” Ferrari said. He described both private dorms his company manages, The Berk and Wesley House, as being near capacity.

Students who applied for housing on time have been receiving their permanent housing contracts, while those who applied late will most likely be placed into overflow housing. According to Takimoto, RSSP is working to fill existing triples first in order to make lounge quads a last resort.

Ilaf Esuf, an incoming freshman who plans to live in either Unit 1, 2 or 3, said she would be disappointed if there were any last-minute changes but that her housing situation is secondary to the overall UC Berkeley experience.

“I care more about going to Cal than I do about my living arrangements,” she said in a Facebook message.

Contact Andrew Dickey at adickey@dailycal.org.

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Sean Conners/Staff

Construction of a new ecologically friendly UC Berkeley early-childhood education center has begun on Dwight Way, with hopes of earning a Silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The center is being built in an effort to replace an existing center at Girton Hall, which is slated to be taken over by the Haas School of Business for its own expansion. With a total estimated cost of $4.2 million, the center was designed to use recycled materials and avoid chemical contamination during construction.

The new center is designed to serve 40 preschool children and 10 staff members and will include four program rooms as well as an outdoor play area, totaling 6,500 square feet. It will also use high-efficiency appliances, such as low-flow sinks and fountains.

“We tried to scale it and envision it in a way that would be thoughtful of the age group,” said Susi Marzuola, an architect who was involved with the design. “The University of California worked with a program specialist that helped think about it from the point of view of a child, making sure that the (center) yields the space that a child needs.”

The building site was previously used by the campus Office of Parking & Transportation but has been vacant for a number of years. In preparation for building to begin, the site underwent remediation work in which contaminated soil was removed and replaced.

According to Chris Harvey, director of capital projects for the UC Berkeley, the site has been determined completely safe despite initial concerns with contaminated soil.

To expedite the building process, the center will be made of premanufactured sections that will be assembled on the building site. It is expected to be completed by summer 2014.

“We’re glad that we were able to work out an arrangement so we didn’t lose any child care space,” said Marty Takimoto, director of marketing communications for Residential and Student Service Programs. “We’re appreciative of the fact that we had this old site that wasn’t being used by the university and are able to put it to good use.”

Contact Simon Greenhill at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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Andrew Kuo/Senior Staff

An April inspection into the seismic safety levels of Units 1, 2 and 3 found four high-rise buildings in each residence hall complex to be below safety standards held by the University of California.

The buildings are rated between a IV and a V on the university’s scale for seismic safety, according to Christine Shaff, director of communications for UC Berkeley’s Facilities Services department. Those ratings imply a risk to life between “small” and “serious,” according to UC seismic safety policy.

Evaluations of the housing units in 1997 indicated that the high-rise buildings met the university’s standards. The goal of construction this summer, Shaff said, is to bring the residence halls to an acceptable rating of III.

Construction began on the high-rises — which do not include newer mini-suites — on May 19 and is scheduled to finish before fall residents begin to move in on Aug. 24. Exterior work, however, will continue through the fall semester.

The construction will cost $9.2 million for Unit 3, while Unit 1 and Unit 2 will each cost $8.8 million, according to Marty Takimoto, director of communications and marketing for the Residential and Student Service Programs, which oversees the residence halls. Only RSSP funds were used for the retrofitting.

“All our revenue comes from room and board and the rent students pay,” Takimoto said. “We use that revenue to fund projects like this, and we had this money in reserve.”

Takimoto said that the retrofitting is important in preserving the longevity of the buildings but that the seismic retrofit will also affect future plans to improve housing for students.

Some of these future plans include a major renovation of Unit 3, currently budgeted at $76.9 million for 2016-17, according to the University of California Capital Financial Plan for 2012-22. $23.1 million of the project is slated to come from auxiliary services like housing, according to the report.

“With this additional strengthening this summer, we will likely postpone any major renovation to Unit 3 for a while longer,” Takimoto said in an email.

After the inspection in April, plans were made to begin construction as soon as students moved out for the summer. Students were notified on April 30 that construction was planned, and fall 2013 residents were notified on May 29 that some exterior work will continue during the fall semester.

“We kind of lucked out,” Takimoto said. “We weren’t given an edict to do the construction right away — just as quickly as possible. We were able to make it happen quickly because there was time.”

The units have had seismic retrofitting before, which added cross bracing on the exterior of some buildings. High-rises in Units 1, 2 and 3 were each renovated between 1986 and 1996.

One of RSSP’s goals during construction has been to reduce the impact on residents, Takimoto said.

Students who would have otherwise used the units during the summer have already been reassigned to other residential halls on campus. Summer session students will live at Clark Kerr Campus, and CalSO students will stay in Bowles and Stern halls, Takimoto said.

Only the high-rise buildings are being retrofitted this summer. They include Cheney, Deutsch, Freeborn and Putnam halls in Unit 1; Cunningham, Davidson, Ehrman and Griffiths halls in Unit 2; and Ida Sproul, Norton, Priestley and Spens-Black Halls in Unit 3. The remaining halls, referred to as infill buildings, are newer and do not require retrofitting.

The seismic retrofitting project falls in line with the goals of UC Berkeley’s SAFER program, implemented in 1997 to address structurally unsafe buildings on campus. The high rises and Unit 3 were given a rating of “good” that same year, which is roughly equivalent to a III on the new UC scale.

Of the total square footage identified by SAFER as needing an upgrade, 60 percent has been completed or is in progress. Another 10 percent is scheduled to be strengthened by 2014.

Contact Jose Hernandez at jhernandez@dailycal.org.

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The senate unanimously passed legislation on Nov. 28 claiming that the Salvation Army, a nonprofit charity organization, discriminates against homosexuals. The bill — SB 175 — calls for the removal of Salvation Army donation boxes and urges campus administration to replace the boxes with bins from another charitable organization.

“It’s the holiday season, (and) the Salvation Army gets a lot of attention at this time of the year,” said CalSERVE Senator Nolan Pack, who introduced the bill to the ASUC. “And many from the (LGBT) community were disappointed with that choice.”

The bill cited research published by gay rights activist Dan Savage, which claimed that Salvation Army soup kitchens and shelters discriminate against homosexuals. CalSERVE Communications Director Matthew Enger, who authored the bill, also said some money generated by the Salvation Army goes toward anti-LGBT lobbying.

Salvation Army donation boxes the have been placed in residence halls for a number of years, according to Marty Takimoto, director of communications and marketing for Residential and Student Services Programs. Takimoto said RSSP is looking into the ASUC’s claims and is waiting to hear back from the Salvation Army on the matter.

“Any claims regarding discriminatory behavior we take very seriously,” Takimoto said. “If the allegations do prove to be true and we have questions about supporting such an organization, we would remove the boxes before spring semester.”

According to George Hood, the national community relations secretary for the Salvation Army, the allegations of discrimination are untrue and poorly researched. He said proceeds from resold donations go directly to Salvation Army rehabilitation centers, not to government lobbying.

“Our whole history, the foundation of the Salvation Army … is to meet human need without discrimination,” Hood said. “We may not always agree on some of these topics … but if you’re not willing to respect the fact that there can be a difference of opinion on core values … then it’s very difficult to work through the issues.”

The bill was co-sponsored by more than 20 student representatives and groups, including the Cal Berkeley Democrats and Queer Alliance and Resource Center.

“I knew that it would be a bill that would help unify the queer community behind this issue,” Enger said.

SB 175 calls for ASUC President Connor Landgraf and Executive Vice President Justin Sayarath to send a letter to Chancellor Birgeneau and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry Le Grande requesting the removal of Salvation Army donation bins and the discontinuation of business with the organization. The bill also urges the student leaders to email the student body about the ASUC’s decision.

The campus could not be reached for comment on this issue.

“What I’m hoping for is an agreement from the administration to choose a different organization in the future,” Pack said. “We are pretty late into the holiday season and the semester … but what I am hoping is that this bill will set a precedent and make the administration aware (of this issue).”

Contact Libby Rainey at lrainey@dailycal.org.

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The department received reports of a possible stabbing at approximately 1:56 p.m on the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue, according to spokesperson Officer Jennifer Coats. The victim was in an argument with two men, one of whom may have had a knife, Coats said in an email.

Both the suspects and the victim left the scene prior to the arrival of police, Coats said in the email.

Officers later located the victim, who was transported to a local hospital, according to Coats. The victim is reportedly in stable condition at this time. Officers were unable to locate the suspects, but students near the scene of the incident said they saw two people running away from the scene.

Following the incident, the victim — a man not affiliated with the campus — traveled up Channing Way, leaving a trail of blood droplets on the sidewalk next to Martinez Commons, a campus housing facility, according to Marty Takimoto, director of marketing communications for Residential and Student Service Programs.

Police closed the sidewalk next to Martinez Commons for about an hour to gather evidence, Takimoto said. He added that the bloodstains in the Martinez Commons courtyard are currently being cleaned according to appropriate haz mat protocols by RSSP staff.

Chloe Hunt covers crime. Contact her at cthunt@dailycal.org.

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CalTime – an Operational Excellence program – is a response to complaints from various departments about the inefficiencies of paper timekeeping, which was still in place in departments at the beginning of the academic year. The system is designed to improve efficiency and ensure staff and faculty are fully paid for their hours.

“More than 100 different timekeeping processes are currently used across campus, most relying on manual processes and paper time sheets and considerable effort on the part of staff, supervisors and employees,” said Caryl Miller, communications manager for Operational Excellence, in an email. “Supporting multiple systems across campus may also lead to inconsistencies and increase the potential for error.”

The program was first implemented in late September in three campus departments – the Residential and Student Services Program, Student Affairs Information Technologies and the office of the assistant vice chancellor for human resources – following planning and design in early 2011.

“Overall, the conversion to CalTime has been very positive,” said Marty Takimoto, director of communications and marketing for the Residential and Student Services Program, in an email. “It’s much more efficient than the former paper time sheets, and we’ve made the transition smoothly thanks to the preparations and training of our payroll staff.”

The project began with an investment of $2.9 million from the Operational Excellence initiative – which aims to reorganize campus programs to cut costs – and projected annual savings of $3.2 million. It utilizes software from the timekeeping technology company Kronos, which was chosen after about 18 months of reviewing available options and consulting with other universities, according to the CalTime website.

The new system will align the campus with the UC Office of the President’s UCPath project, which will introduce a systemwide timekeeping system to the University of California and avoid significant changes to timekeeping in the future, Miller said in the email.

CalTime is one of the 19 approved projects currently included in the Operational Excellence initiative. Others, such as the project BearBuy, are aimed at restructuring procurement systems within individual departments, while other programs like CultureCal seek to garner campus employee input in redefining the guiding principles of the campus workplace.

The next round of deployment for CalTime will take place Oct. 25 in a number of campus departments, including the Office of the Chancellor and the College of Engineering. Officials expect deployment of the system to be largely completed by late November, according to the website.

Sara Khan covers academics and administration. Contact Sara Khan at skhan@dailycal.org.

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Derek Remsburg/Senior Staff

A car crashed into a UC Berkeley dormitory building early Wednesday morning, rupturing a natural gas pipe in the building and forcing about 250 students to evacuate.

At around 3 a.m. Wednesday, the car hit the southeast corner of Putnam Hall, an eight-story residence hall at Unit 1 located near the corner of Channing Way and College Avenue, according to Marty Takimoto, director of marketing communications for campus Residential and Student Service Programs. No injuries were reported.

The collision set off the building’s fire alarm, and the building’s entire resident population of more than 250 students was evacuated, Takimoto said.

“There were a lot of people crowding around,” said UC Berkeley freshman Sharon Scarlat, who witnessed the crash. “About three minutes later, the smell of gas was evident, then a few minutes later the police came and started telling people to leave because of the gas.”

Because the incident affected the outlet side of the meter, which the property owner is responsible for, PG&E is only able to repair the gas service once a licensed plumber properly inspects the damage to the pipe, according to PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian.

Students were let back into the building by 4:30 a.m. but were expected to be without hot water or heat for the majority of the day.

“We’re doing an analysis of when everything will be fixed,” Takimoto said. “We’re hoping everything will be fixed by the time it gets dark.”

The campus has made arrangements for these students to use bathroom and shower facilities at other residence hall buildings in Unit 1, Takimoto said.

According to UCPD Operations Division Capt. Stephen Roderick, the suspect has been identified as 22-year-old UC Berkeley student Douglas Perez. Perez was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

Amruta Trivedi is the assistant university news editor.

Correction(s):
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that about 400 students were evacuated. Though officials originally estimated that 400 students had to leave the building, in fact about 250 students were evacuated. Also, a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that 25 students were forced to evacuate the building. In fact it was about 250.

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Jan Flatley-Feldman/Staff

After two years of construction rising above the Telegraph corridor, the newest student-housing option for UC Berkeley students is set to open its doors to new residents this month.

On Aug. 17, Maximino Martinez Commons will move 416 undergraduates  into its residence hall rooms, renting for $14,169, and multiple-bedroom apartments, renting for $9,916. Most new residents will be sophomores, who retain priority in applications and are guaranteed housing from the university.

Last February, more than 4,500 students applied to live in the building.

The popularity of Martinez Commons as a choice for second-year housing reflects an interest from students in apartment-style instead of residence hall-style living, according to Marty Takimoto, director of marketing communications for campus Residential and Student Service Programs.

“Through housing demand studies, we know that continuing students want access to university housing with a bit more space and privacy than the older high-rise residence halls can provide,” Takimoto said.

Sophomore Andres Sheikh, who will be living in Martinez, said a notice was given to students stating there would be construction noise throughout the fall semester. Although Martinez construction will finish by move-in day, construction adjacent to the building will continue for surge space affiliated with the Lower Sproul Project.

Located between Haste Street and Channing Way, Martinez Commons sits on the site of a former campus parking lot — which, Takimoto said, is the only place to which campus housing could expand, given the “very, very limited space for new construction on campus.”

The building sits adjacent to Telegraph Avenue and People’s Park, nestled within one of Berkeley’s most historic communities. For Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who represents that community, Martinez is a welcome addition.

“When the proposal came up to build housing across from People’s Park, I thought it was a fantastic idea because it’s close to campus in a heavily underutilized area,” Worthington said. “It will create a community for residents in the area.”

Another community member, a People’s Park resident known as “Hate Man,” was more skeptical about the campus’s housing expansion.

“I understand that the university wants to build dorms as the main reason (for constructing Martinez), but I feel that part of the motivation was to tighten the screws around the park where students will be safe and feel safe,” Hate Man said. “And use that as an excuse to sanitize or gentrify the park and try to stabilize it and make it more acceptable for other people.”

Student safety for the residence hall, including around People’s Park, is an ongoing concern, according to Takimoto. Like other university housing, Takimoto said Martinez will be equipped with security features such as blue-light phones, cameras and overnight security monitors.

“We will keep an eye on People’s Park,” said UCPD spokesperson Capt. Margo Bennett. “Once we go online at Martinez, we will have a better idea if proximity to the park is an issue.”

Students interviewed about the park said safety was not an issue for them.

“Some people are definitely worried about People’s Park,” said sophomore and future Martinez resident Yvon Brousseau. “They ask me if I’m sketched out by it. I’m fine with it. I think people over-exaggerate what goes on in the park.”

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The mountain lion and her cubs have been sighted multiple times near the Switching Station #6 construction site just west of Stern Hall in recent weeks, according to a UCPD Safety Alert.

“Our clerks do rounds at 11 p.m. every night, so we are watching out for (mountain lions) more than before,” said Saya Wai, a senior clerk for Unit 4 Residence Hall, which includes Foothill, Stern and Bowles Halls.

Mountain lions were sighted several times last year in the hills above campus, according to the alert, and other indications of their presence included the discovery of animal carcasses.

“You know, the mountain lions were (in Berkeley) first, so we posted warnings in all of our residence halls for our summer guests,” said Marty Takimoto, director of marketing communications for campus Residential and Student Services Programs. “Our priority is to make sure that people are as aware as possible.”

However, the chances of an attack actually occurring are fairly slim, according to Conrad Jones, senior environmental scientist at the California Department of Fish and Game.

“It’s pretty low likelihood that anybody would be attacked by a mountain lion,” Jones said. “And the fact of the matter is they are, they have been, and they will continue to be in amongst those of us who live in semi-urban, semi-rural types of areas.”

Between 80 and 90 percent of reported mountain lion sightings turn out to be false, according to Zara McDonald, founder and executive director of the Felidae Conservation Fund, which specializes in wildcat research and conservation.

“If it becomes a public safety issue and people have been threatened by things like stalking behavior, then we or any law enforcement agency could declare them a public safety issue,” Jones said. “There is no relocation that goes on with a public safety (hazard) animal; you don’t relocate something with that behavior.”

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