Democratic National Convention turns down UNC-C’s housing offer

When the Democratic National Convention comes to Charlotte in 2012, it will need a place to house its personnel.

As a possible solution, UNC-Charlotte had offered the use of dormitory beds for the duration of the convention, which will take place during the first week of September.

But due to potential high costs associated with the proposal and an unwillingness to disrupt the academic calendar, the convention turned down the offer Wednesday.

The Democratic Convention is a gathering of Democratic presidential candidates and their supporters.

“If they had come, it would have delayed the opening of the school for us by 24 days,” said Jacklyn Simpson, associate vice chancellor and director of housing and residential life for UNC-C.

“The whole academic calendar would have had to be re-adjusted,” she said.

Tax dollars or student fees could not have been used to cover the costs incurred from housing people, Simpson said.

“We cannot subsidize any political convention,” she said.

The convention would have had to pick up the costs — a reason they decided against UNC-C’s proposal, Simpson said.

The university had planned to charge $500 a bed per night, she said.

Will Miller, acting executive director of Charlotte in 2012, host committee for the Democratic convention, said they did not want to disrupt UNC-C’s academic year.

“That situation would be too disruptive to their calendar and we didn’t want them to go through that much trouble on our behalf,” he said in a statement.

While the committee was reluctant to disrupt the school year, university administrators were not.

There was already a plan in place to make up for the delay of the academic year, Simpson said.

And they had been looking into the details.

“It had been suggested we house enforcement,” she said.

Simpson said there had not been a particularly vocal reaction from students when the proposal was being discussed, but administrators did receive some feedback.

“There’s a lot of people who are relieved it’s not happening, but I’d imagine there’s a lot of people disappointed too,” she said.

UNC-C sophomore Taylor Glazebrook said she was glad the proposal has been thrown out.

“It would have been weird if the year lasted longer,” she said.

The convention has not yet decided on a new location for housing.

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