'Mini-dorm' has negative context

Associated Students is encouraging San Diego residents, city officials and the media not to use the term "mini-dorm" in discussing nuisance rental properties because of its negative connotation to San Diego State students. The A.S. council approved a resolution "in support of defining the use and meaning of the term 'mini-dorm'" on Dec. 5. Mini-dorm is not a legally defined term, but rather one that has grown out of a long history of housing problems in the College Area. Doug Case, president of the College Area Community Council, said it was coined in the '80s when SDSU was over-enrolled and there was not enough on campus housing so investors bought neighborhood homes and rented them out by the room. Because it was operated much like a residence hall, it was called a mini-dorm. But Case said today most of what is called a mini-dorm is not and there ought to be more appropriate terminology. Although it is not strictly applied to student-dwellings, the word is usually associated with students as well as building, parking, trash and noise violations. Development Services define mini-dorms as "single dwelling units occupied by multiple adults, which through unconventional development patterns and a variety of disturbance issues are adversely affecting local single dwelling unit neighborhoods," according to the San Diego City Web site. However A.S. Vice President of External Affairs Jeremy Ehrlich said everyone seems to have a different idea about what constitutes a mini-dorm and many people seem to include students in the definition. "(Mini-dorm) could apply to anyone," Ehrlich said, "but the word 'dorm' relates to students and since mini-dorm has a negative connotation it automatically creates an image of students causing negative effects (in the community). "I don't think that all students are perfect neighbors, but most aren't trying to upset anyone." The term can also have a negative affect on how students view their place in the community. When students see neighbors displaying "No Mini-Dorms" signs, they could interpret it as meaning they are not wanted in the community, Case said. The resolution, written by Ehrlich and A.S. member Ignacio Prado, states that the term "encourages discrimination and harassment in aspects of housing" and "represents discrimination against personal characteristics of tenants … not related to responsibility" which is "inconsistent with mandates established by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing." It has been sent to a number of city officials, including Mayor Jerry Sanders, all eight council members and San Diego Police Captain Guy Swanger of the Mid-City division. It has also been forwarded to Marianne Greene, the deputy district attorney who is writing the Rooming House Ordinance, the Neighborhood Code Compliance and city planning officials. Ehrlich said he has heard some feedback that it would be good to have a new term for nuisance rentals and is still waiting to see what happens. Case said there would be difficulty coining a different term because everyone - from the general public to city officials - uses it. "I don't think the term's going to go away, but if it does it would be amazing," Ehrlich said. "It's time that students got their moment in the game and had a say in what's going on."

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