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Submitted by Mike on Tue, 02/05/2008 - 7:13am.
The college has a nice family housing section, but families residing on campus as young adult parents pursue degrees have dropped over the past 20 years and relatively few of the "family housing" units actually accommodate families today.
One of the families living on campus includes two of my grandchildren and I know firsthand how large a commitment it is for a young adult parent to choose full time education while parenting.
Regardless of the motivation of TESC in terminating family housing, I think it is clear that TESC is not living up to its social contract with the families currently in family housing. Shame on TESC for turning its back on families.
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TESC recently notified the families residing in family housing that the college would not be providing family housing after June 2008. 
The families who are residing on campus in family housing are pretty upset by this decision. These families chose Evergreen because of the college's commitment to social justice, fair treatment, and an apparent commitment to supporting the campus diversity that comes with families living on campus.
It seems likely that TESC can convert these family housing units to dorm style housing units housing 5 to 8 students paying a substantially higher "rent" than the families are paying for these units, and the revenue generation may be playing a part in TESC's decision. 
These families made substantial changes in their lives to move on campus and pursue higher education. TESC was chosen in part because of its apparent willingness to support these young adults with families. If TESC really needs to abandon family housing and the support that family housing creates, the conscientious way to have done this would have been to "grandfather" the families already on campus and transition the housing as these families complete their education.
You can send TESC pres Les
Submitted by Jade on Tue, 02/05/2008 - 8:44am.http://www.evergreen.edu/president/
Jade
Thanks for the link.
Submitted by Mike on Tue, 02/05/2008 - 1:00pm.The families, single moms (including my daughter) have been organizing, meeting with the admin staff, talking to the Olympian etc.
I offered to post it here on Olyblog and they said, yes, please do.
I will pass on the email to Prez Purce link to them also.
Thanks again
Please share any action
Submitted by Jade on Wed, 02/06/2008 - 12:24am.Jade
will do
Submitted by Mike on Wed, 02/06/2008 - 8:23am.I think the parents at TESC are in touch with Monica at POWER also.
Give your babies a hug for me, Jade.
M
Options
Submitted by Just another voice on Wed, 02/06/2008 - 3:52pm.I think more needs to be
Submitted by rainy gray on Wed, 02/06/2008 - 4:26pm.Nice pics in the Olympian today, Mike, although I thought the headline was sort of lame.
Supply and demand
Submitted by security_six on Wed, 02/06/2008 - 8:23pm.I think this is sad, but the demand for dorms is so high right now... I'm not sure what to do. Maybe they should put in some FEMA style trailers for the incoming class and put them on waiting lists for dorm space as it becomes available :-)
One loves to posess arms, though they hope to never have occassion for them.
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington 1796
I hear that TESC decided not to evict the families
Submitted by Mike on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 7:32pm.who came to the college with the understanding that the college had family housing for them. The families who are already there are going to be "grandfathered" (I don't think that means that I get to move in with my grandkids).
I am pleased TESC decided to act with integrity and phase out family housing in a way that lives up the values of the college. Hats off to the folks over on the West Side who made a good decision and pretty quickly.
I do think the college should retain family housing, show a commitment to the diversity of having responsible parents living on campus along with all of the other young folks who may have fewer or different responsibilities, but for today, it is enough that TESC acted with integrity with regard to the families already in residence.
Thanks again to the folks who made this right decision and thanks to all who made a call, wrote up the story, posted, supported and clamored for this decision.