MORE DORMITORIES FOR STATE UNIVERSITIES

The story about the UP Diliman student who was found sleeping in a bus stop inside the UP campus bothers me up to now, not only because I am a UP alumnus, but also because I stayed in a campus dorm during most of my college days. I think that the problem of dormitory spaces in the campus is two-fold. One side is affordability, and the other side is availability. Believe it or not, even if the tuition fees in the state universities are practically free, there are still many students who could not afford to pay for their board and lodging, even in the low-priced campus dorms. The solution perhaps, is not only to make more dorm space available, the solution is also to make them more affordable. Mr. Jorge Malig is a social entrepreneur who has been successful in repurposing used shipping container vans by converting them into affordable residential homes and commercial offices. After learning about the shortages of dorm spaces in the state colleges and universities, he is now offering his technologies and services that would need these. I on the other hand, have offered to help him so that he could connect with these school officials. Mr. Malig says that he is open to any business arrangement, as long as it will solve the problem and help the schools. Aside from students, he could also build housing for faculty members and non-academic personnel. IKE SENERES/12-29-2023