UM seems to have it all: a location in paradise, a prestigious academic reputation, state-of-the-art research facilities, a highly-ranked football team and a slew of celebrity alumni. However, for graduate students, one crucial element is missing: a bed.

The University does not currently offer any dedicated-on campus housing options for graduate students. When asked why, the University replied with the following statement: “Graduate student housing is not offered because the University’s focus is on meeting the developmental needs of our younger, undergraduate student population who are less prepared than graduate students in terms of maturity and independence to be living on their own in off campus housing.”

While I understand the need to foster the growth and development of undergraduate students, it seems unfair to assume that graduate students would not benefit from the same love and care being offered to younger students.

When asked if there were any future plans to accommodate these often-forgotten students, the University said, “In terms of future plans, the University is currently in phase two of a multi-year, three phase housing facilities strategic plan to update and increase our current housing inventory. This plan does not currently include graduate student housing, but this is constantly under review.”

I, for one, was elated when I received my acceptance letter to study for a Master of Arts in Communication studies. I was excited about the academics and to experience ’Cane culture, but  was most excited to finally leave my childhood bedroom behind. At the geriatric age of 29, I figured it was time. 

When I discovered there were no on campus housing options for graduate students, the wind was knocked out of my sails. I tried to find solace in the fact that other graduate students were encountering the same issues at different schools, such as the University of Central Florida. However, of the top 5 universities in Florida (University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida International University, University of Miami, University of South Florida) as ranked by Newsweek, UM is the only one that doesn’t offer any designated housing options for graduate students.

As a graduate student, I can say that at many times I feel disconnected from the University and my fellow ’Canes. It often feels as if all the focus is on the undergraduate experience, leaving many grad students to feel unsupported. There is minimal financial assistance outside of loans, most graduate focused events take place while a lot of us are working or in class, and to this the university offers minimal housing assistance to grad students. This issue can be made all the more stressful when you are not a local who is familiar with the area.

Manasvi Maheshwari, a Ph.D candidate in the School of Communications, is a transplant from India. 

When asked about the graduate housing situation, she replied, “stressful? Yes. As an international student, it is not easy to get housing outside. We have a webpage on UM which gives us off campus housing, but very few options and too much cost.” Compared to India, where many universities have connections with local hostels and offer students housing at reduced rates, UM’s graduate housing falls short. 

UM’s database is essentially an interactive map that displays available rentals. You can filter by price, bed/bathrooms, etc. If you have ever doom-scrolled on Zillow looking at multi-million dollar homes while eating ramen your parents sent you in a care package, then you are already familiar with how it works. 

Currently there are over 600 listings in the U’s database, but not all options are created equal. If you don’t own a car, you may not have reliable transportation, meaning you need to be close to campus. Assuming you limit your search to the immediate area around Coral Gables, the options fall dramatically to a little more than 50. Many units in the database also include rooms in homes owned by families. Should you desire to rent an entire unit, versus a room, to avoid awkward 3 A.M. run-ins with the homeowners as you crawl to your room after exploring all Miami has to offer, that brings the previously plentiful list to 40 available rentals. 

The University estimated graduate cost of attendance shows an estimated housing budget of  $ 25,492. If you look for housing that matches this estimate then you should look to spend about 2,125 dollars in rent (lower than the average monthly rent in the city, $2,570), which you can’t pay for with your ’Cane card. All these filters combined leaves you with 13 options.  

It can be argued that students don’t have to use University tools. This could mean going into the Miami housing market, in which case, good luck. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava declared an affordable housing crisis two years ago and it is still going strong. 

“Miami-Dade County is short more than 90,000 affordable units,” said Katherine Kallergis, senior reporter at The Real Deal. In short, people making less than $75,000 a year are having a tough time securing housing. This is even harder for students who want to use traditional rentals that often require you to have a gross monthly income of three times the rent. 

Older generations would beg us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and get a job, or even two. I would inform them that I can’t afford boots or even the straps that come with them. It is a well-known fact that it is difficult to find a job these days. The fastest growing jobs in Miami-Dade County typically pay less than $19 an hour. Anne Ray, manager of the Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse, has reported that the people in these lower paying industries such as healthcare and hospitality “can afford housing that costs $650 to $1,000 per month, which is nearly impossible to find in one of the country’s most expensive housing markets.” 

Ryan S.C. Wong and Bayleigh Smith state in their article Creating Community Among Grad Students that “it is hard to feel a sense of belonging when there isn’t a place you can comfortably occupy.” While the article is not specific to dorms for grad students, the words are still true. Graduate students, their talents, stories, research, and overall success is integral to the wellbeing of our school. Graduate housing would remove one more barrier to entry as well as undue stress. 

Graduate students are students and as such deserve the opportunity for access to on campus housing. We should be able to truly call the ‘U’ home.