UVA Email #6 - Updates: 2nd Townhall, hotels/Airbnb through Friday night

Dear UVA residents,

We are continuing to share updates as we have them about the recent theft of a UVA key box containing master keys to the entire Village. 

We again wish to recognize and apologize for the stress and disruption this incident has caused everyone. We also realize the proximity to finals only compounds this stress. We’ve heard your distress about the safety of you and your families, and we empathize with these very real concerns. We will have more information for you soon, including a timeline to replace all key/cores, after we confirm the details with our equipment vendor (BEST).

Second Town Hall Meeting: Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday for our first town hall about this matter. We realize that we need more time to hear your voices and continue this important conversation. As a result, we’re planning a second, 1 ½ hour virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday, May 11 at 10am to allow more time to connect with you and answer your questions. 

We will share Zoom meeting details in the coming days, and we look forward to meeting with you again. In advance, please know this meeting will require a Berkeley Zoom login. 

Hotels/lodging options: We are extending the reimbursement offer for stays through Friday night (May 13, 2022). We will reimburse you up to $250 per night for accommodations including a hotel, Airbnb, or other lodging accommodation. Please keep all receipts, and note you will be reimbursed for hotel/lodging costs up to $250 per night until your lock change is complete. For example, if you have a locksmith perform work on Monday, you can submit reimbursements for hotel stays over the weekend. You may refer to a recent message with additional details.

Locksmiths: We recognize the up-front costs of utilizing a locksmith for a temporary solution may present difficulty for some residents. If you need assistance with obtaining a locksmith due to cost concerns, please come to the Village Office and our staff can assist. (As a reminder, we will reimburse you for locksmith or supply costs up to $250 per door, i.e., apartment units with two doors will be eligible for up to $500).

Updates: We’ve heard reports of some locksmiths soliciting business at UVA, claiming to have been sent by the university. To be clear, these locksmiths have not been summoned by the campus, nor can we vouch for their services. However, members of the UVA community have anecdotally reported positive experiences and/or reasonable prices with the following locksmiths but we cannot confirm their availability or pricing.

• Tommy’s Locksmith - 510-882-0434 (under $200
• 24/7 Locksmith Solutions - 510-610-5938 or 510-309-1234 ($200)
• Hero Locksmith - 510-603-6744
• Locksmith Bay Area - 510-996-4108 (approximately $200)
• One Locksmith Company - 415-342-7314
• Cheap Locksmith Bay Area Inc - 503-891-4032

Also be aware that RSSP staff may be coming to UVA units to install door chains (see below). These workers are campus staff, and will be wearing RSSP/campus-branded clothing with their names on them. If they come to your unit to install door chains, you can always ask them to verify with their staff I.D.s. 

Door chains: As a reminder, if you don’t currently have a door chain, please submit a work order: emergency maintenance contact (510) 642-2828 or maintenance.housing.berkeley.edu. We’ve heard some students may have experienced issues with the maintenance website. If you have, please come to the Village Office for support or use our dedicated Google Form. 

Increased patrols: We noted your concerns in the recent town hall about security patrols, and we want to share that UCPD has increased their patrols of both UCPD Police Officers and Security Patrol Officers. Right now, Security Patrol Officers are onsite at UVA 24 hours a day. We are discussing staffing with UCPD and may engage private security as well.

Thank you again for your continued patience and understanding. We will continue to share important updates with you via your Berkeley email account. Please use our dedicated Google Form to submit additional questions/concerns you may have about this matter. We also are trying to keep updated information and a running list of recent communications on our UVA FAQs webpage.
 

Sincerely,
 

Stephen C. Sutton, Ed.D. (he/him/his)

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Jo Mackness (she/her/hers)
Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, Student Affairs

Samuel Santos Jr. (he/him/his)
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Engagement, Office of the Dean of Students 

Makoto (Mako) Ushihara (he/him/his)

Executive Director, RSSP Housing Facilities