[ Golden Gater Online - September 18, 1997 ]
Susan Wilkolawski wakes up each school day in SF State's Lot 20 Parking Garage. She climbs out of her van and takes her dog, Wolfe, for his morning walk at Maloney Field. She hopes the bathroom behind the field is unlocked.
Wilkolawski, 38, a junior in the English department, just moved up from Santa Monica to attend classes at SF State. Because of Wolfe and the citywide housing crunch, she's been unable to find an apartment and has resorted to living in her van.
"It really makes you crazy," Wilkolawski said. "I have money, I can pay for a place, but when I look in the paper, ad after ad says 'no dogs'."
Things that most students take for granted are hardships for Wilkolawski. Studying is difficult because dogs aren't allowed in the library and she doesn't like to leave him alone in the van for long periods of time.
"I wouldn't want him to get taken," she said. "He's the most important thing in the world to me."
During the week she has access to the showers in the school gymnasium, but on weekends they're closed. She washes up in public sinks wherever she can find one, or not at all.
A particular hardship can be finding a bathroom at night when most of the buildings on campus are locked.
"Sometimes I use a milk carton and then throw it away," she said.
Wilkolawski said SF State should have let her know about the housing crunch.
"In all the literature I received from them, in the 'right to know' parts of the Class Schedule and the Bulletin, I didn't find anything about trouble finding a place to live. It's SF State's dirty little secret."
But Wilkolawski is not giving up any time soon.
"Sometimes, I'd like to get in my van and take the 101 South back to Santa Monica. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm hanging in there. I'm not a quitter, at least I'm going to finish the semester."
[ Golden Gater - September 18, 1997 ]