The University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where Dr. Daniel McKeown works, is ranked 9th in the world's prestigious university rankings.

“Hi everyone! I’m Daniel, a professor of astrophysics at UCLA. I only made $70,000 this year,” McKeown said in the video.

McKeown, who is a lecturer at UCLA, said he had to move out of his apartment because he could no longer afford the rent, according to the UCLA website.

“I am actually homeless. Right now, I don't own a house, and I'm not on any lease," the lecturer shared.

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In a video posted on social media, Dr. Daniel McKeown, a lecturer at UCLA, complained that his low salary had made him homeless. Photo: TikTok/@danielastrophysics

McKeown said his rent is $2,500 a month. According to a survey from a real estate website, the average rent in Westwood (a neighborhood in the west of Los Angeles, USA) is currently up to $3,700 a month.

To continue living close to campus and commuting to work, McKeown appealed for support on social media. “I’m asking for $100,000 to help pay my rent so I can live in Los Angeles, close to Westwood, and go to school every day,” Dr. McKeown said in an interview with KTLA .

This person also said that he asked for a raise but was refused by the head of department.

KTLA has reached out to UCLA multiple times for comment on McKeown's status but has not received a response.

Since moving out of his apartment, McKeown has been staying with a friend and trying to find a way to be closer to campus. He now lives hours away from UCLA and has moved his classes online.

In the comments section of Dr. McKeown's social media video, many people wondered where the high tuition fees for UCLA students were spent if not to pay fair salaries to faculty.

“I love teaching at UCLA! I hope you get through this soon. You are kind, dedicated, and compassionate. UCLA is lucky to have you,” one commenter wrote.

Another viewer shared: “I took his class this summer, he is very flexible and understanding of students!”

Many also questioned why the university did not provide accommodation for lecturers. One shared his own experience: “I was a lecturer on a one-year contract, but I realized I might end up homeless so I had to give it up.”

According to UCLA's website, the total cost for an in-state student is about $34,667 (equivalent to more than VND 861 million) per year, of which tuition and other expenses account for $13,225 (about nearly VND 329 million).

When asked why he did not teach elsewhere, Dr. McKeown replied: “I could not give up teaching. It is my greatest passion. UCLA is one of the top schools for physics.”

McKeown, who has a doctorate in astrophysics, said he teaches six classes a year full-time but is paid half the average salary of other physics instructors in California. “It’s not fair,” he told KTLA.

UCLA has faced criticism for high housing prices in the area, and in 2023, The Daily Bruin published an editorial calling on the school to address the issue.

According to the Los Angeles Homeless Initiative, Los Angeles will be short nearly 500,000 units of affordable housing by 2022. That same year, UCLA became the first University of California school to commit to housing guarantees for students, but the policy does not apply to faculty.

Dr. McKeown's video was posted just weeks after the University of California Board of Regents voted to raise presidents' salaries, with an average increase of 30 percent, according to the Los Angeles Times .

“Ideally, every faculty member in my situation would get a raise. My goal is to help everyone in my situation, whether they speak up or not,” Dr. McKeown said.

He said he is a member of the American Federation of Teachers and is working with the organization to find a solution.

'The lecturer's salary is not enough to live on, I painfully hid it from my family and quit my job' On the day I left my teaching job, I didn't dare tell anyone. I was afraid of making my parents sad, afraid of disappointing my teachers, and painful for myself when I had to admit that I had given up.