UNC Shuts Down Baity Hill for All Graduate Students, Offers No On-Campus Alternative

Earlier this year, residents of Baity Hill, the only on-campus living facility available to graduate students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, were told by administrators at the University that the facility would be closed to graduate students beginning in the Fall of 2028. Residents of Baity Hill, many of whom chose to attend UNC over other alternatives because of the availability of on-campus living facilities, will be forced to search for new homes in an increasingly unaffordable rental market. This disruption, which amounts to a bait-and-switch from the University, will destroy this neighborly community, negatively impact the quality of life of current residents, and further strain an already economically precarious population.

Wife, mother, and long time resident of Baity Hill Julia Edwards weighs in on the University’s decision: “There are many graduate student and married students who attend this university. We are a demographic that should not be ignored or ‘put away’. Living on campus, close to the graduate schools, has given my children more time with their father.”

Julia makes it clear that she and her family want to stay at Baity Hill and asks the University: “Don’t kick us out till new housing is provided”. The location, affordability and amenities provided by Baity Hill has enabled a strong community of graduate students and parents to blossom. Friend of Julia and fellow parent Clayton Ulm agrees: “We have a community there of parents where we are able to baby sit and provide support to other parents that is unique to Baity Hill. We won’t have access to that network anymore”.

Clayton, Julia and the many current residents share a deep frustration following the University’s choice to remove all graduate students in Fall 2028 and make Baity Hill exclusive to undergraduate students. The reasoning behind the change is attributed to the increase in undergraduate admissions in the coming academic year, as well as the unsafe living conditions of current undergraduate housing options. During the June 15th Housing Summit, Allan Blattner, Executive Director of Housing at UNC, offered  graduate students two solutions to the two-year gap in graduate housing:

1. Wait the projected four to five years (2030 or 2031) until new but off-campus housing built by an outside developer is complete in the Carolina North development.

2. Go to the Off-Campus Housing Office for support.

Patrick and Devin of the Off-Campus Housing Office are the only two staff members responsible for supporting all of UNC’s undergraduate and graduate students in search of off-campus housing options. Unfortunately for the high, and increasing, student need for off-campus housing the 'resources' on offer primarily consist of Apartments.com referrals [1].

The availability of affordable housing especially is not an infinite resource in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area. As it currently stands, even Baity Hill, which is widely considered the “affordable” option, eats up 85% (18k) of an average graduate student’s embarrassingly low 21.6k per year stipend. A graduate student, who prefers to remain anonymous, visited the UNC financial office for advice. Upon consultation, they were recommended to apply for FASFA or a high-interest loan (GRAD Plus). Reflecting on this disheartening experience, they said: 

“Each office at UNC, seemingly devoted to supporting students, shuttles us from office to office, providing no clear answers, because everything is always out of their hands. This endless chain of bureaucratic passivity stems from the university’s increasingly parasitic financial model [...] UNC’s model drives down the quality of the education making us question whether any of this is worth it.”

The University knows the graduate minimum stipend is not adjusted to the current cost of living and yet, instead of raising pay, they choose to refer students in financial need towards high-interest loans. Despite UNC’s stated mission to serve the growing needs of North Carolina by providing “access to learning” and an “unwavering commitment to excellence”, UNC’s decision-making actively works against the needs of current undergraduate or graduate students [2]. The Baity Hill closure is a clear example of this disregard, especially for graduate and professional students.

By cutting off Baity Hill from graduate students, and providing no on-campus alternative, UNC is offloading the need for housing on the town of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. This pressure further intensifies an already precarious housing market for students, and the wider local population. In the face of stacked odds however, the residents and tenant organizers of Baity Hill have not lost hope. There is a petition in support of reversing the decision, and pushing the University to consider alternative options. Rather than forcing graduate students out of the only on-campus housing available, perhaps the University should consider what these students are able to provide for the Carolina community. Many graduate students are not only students, but researchers and instructors who actively contribute to UNC’s success and national acclaim. It would behoove decision-makers at UNC to remember that the graduate students they 'serve' deserve better.

Looking to help in the effort to reverse the Baity Hill decision? Sign our petition and email your thoughts to the Executive Director for Carolina Housing Allan Blattner: allan_blattner@unc.edu.

Work Cited

1. https://offcampushousing.unc.edu/

2. https://www.unc.edu/about/mission/