by Noah Pond
Between cranking out assignments, having a social life, and enjoying living, most college students have enough on their plate. That’s why most colleges have off-campus housing offices. Humboldt had been without an off-campus housing liaison for over a month, but now one student has stepped up to the plate.
Iris Perla-Blanco is an engineering major currently working 10 hours a week at the Housing and Residence Life Center (HRLC). Since the liaison position has been empty, Perla-Blanco has assumed all of the position’s responsibilities.
“Students will contact the housing department and they will forward it to me and then I’ll send them resource emails, or more specific ones,” Perla-Blanco said. “If they are having legal issues with their landlords, I’ll direct them to sources I know or to the Student Legal Lounge.”
In addition, she handles all interactions, emails, phone calls, appointments, resources, and she writes a newsletter that gets sent out every Friday. Perla-Blanco enjoys writing the weekly newsletter because individual property owners can contact her, fill out a Google form, and then have all their information in one place for students.
“There are also the cases where a lot of people come from SoCal or the Bay Area and can’t get up here to look at a place, which is definitely something you want to do before committing to renting a property,” Perla-Blanco said. “We have 45-minute slots you can book and I will go look at the property and scout it out, ask any questions, take videos, get to know the [landlord], and then I’ll report back to them so they can have a better feel.”
Todd Larsen, Senior Director of Housing Ops and Auxiliary Services, oversees the program. Having a real estate license, he has his foot in the door with property owners. Larsen believes that the housing market is slow right now, but is ramping up for fall.
“The market is softer, so the volume of calls and inquiries has dropped significantly,” Larsen said. “Maybe one or two inquiries per day, but it’s picking up for fall.”
The HRLC is expecting a new employee starting Monday. Part of their duties will be working alongside Perla-Blanco by picking up some off-campus housing responsibilities. Larsen claims that as more housing buildings open, more stress will be taken off the off-campus housing team.
“As we build more buildings, like when Craftsman Mall opens in fall of 2025, we will need less and less off-campus housing support because that adds another 964 beds for upperclassmen,” Larsen said. “Then, we’re working on a new project – housing, dining, health, which is 305 beds, and that comes online fall of 2027. We are [also] being really intentional at pricing at the same price as College Creek on campus.”
Cal Poly Humboldt’s President Tom Jackson addressed the construction of Craftsman Mall in the Feb. 1 issue of the Eureka Times Standard.
“Once completed, this project will add nearly 50% more student housing,” Jackson stated. “It will help students today, and well into the future, be able to afford the Humboldt experience that our alumni value so highly.”
The program looks like it will always have a place for students.
“It will always be a student-assisted position because we want to employ students, and it’s great for resume building,” Larsen said.
One Comment
Perla-Blanco taking up all of the positions responsibilities is going to be extremely helpful to so many of the students living on campus. I only hope that when she eventually leaves the school can find someone else to fill the position. I wish we had a housing liaison whenever I lived on campus.