University Daily Kansan / Monday, April 13, 1992
5
KU scholarship hall costs will increase in Fall 1992
By Erik Bauer
Kansan staff writer
Scholarship hall rates rise
Like all students who plan to live in University housing next fall, scholarship hall residents face an increase in living costs.
Housing rates have increased an average of 3.7 percent in the past eight years (3.2 percent in Miller and Watkins). Proposed rates for next year show a 6.0-percent increase (5.1 percent in Miller and Watkins).
While the price hike is not as steep as those at KU residence halls, scholarship hall residents have expressed interest and some concern about the increase since it was announced in the fall.
Rates will increase by 6 percent at six of the University's eight scholarship halls, said Ken Stoner, director of student housing. At the other two halls, Watkins and Miller, which are partly financed by endowment funds, rates will increase 5.1 percent.
Rates are lower at Watkins and Miller, which are all-female scholarship halls, because residents have to buy their food.
Shan Schwartz, former president of the All Scholarship Hall Council, said some scholarship hall residents were unhappy about the increase.
"People had the impression that they weren't going up anymore, so people were kind of upset about that," said Schwartz, Topeka senior.
Source: KU Student Housing Department
The average increase per year during the past eight years has been 3.7 percent for six of the scholarship halls. The average annual increase for Miller and Watkins has been 3.2 percent...
Schwartz said some residents did not express as much concern because the rate increases were not as drastic the residence increase in the fall at KU residence halls.
"We didn't want our rates to go up as much as their rates, so they were concerned."
But he said that residents who lived in halls that had not been renovated recently — particularly Sellards and Stephenson halls — had complained that the upkeep was not satisfactory. Pearson, Battenfeld, Watkins and Miller have been renovated in the past six years. Pearson's renovation was completed in January.
Schwartz said the ASHC had proposed an idea in the fall to the student housing department to use money from increased rates to establish an endowment fund for all scholarship halls. The fund would have covered the costs of maintenance and unkeep.
He said the plan was designed to
Michael Gier. Daily Kansan
allow residents to decide how the endowment funds would be used, but the plan was not supported by scholarships. The university warrants to be raised even higher.
"Those endowment funds also help pay for some of the renovation, so the halls that have not been renovated are the newer halls that have not built up endowment funds," Schwartz said. "Basically, what we are trying to do now is try to keep maintenance fair and equal between the halls."
Schwartz said that despite some complaints about maintenance and rate increases, finding occupants for scholarship halls was not a problem and that waiting lists had grown in the past two years.
Kim Ramsey, president of the ASHC, said the endowment funds for Watkins and Miller helped brace the impact of the rate increases for those residents.
But she said that most residents had expressed disapproval of the rate increases, although the increases were not a bit issue anymore.
"No one wants their rates to go up," said Ramsey. Concord junior.
Jeff Burdett, president of Stephenson Hall, said the upkeep of the hall was not on par with the other scholarship halls.
Burdett, Casper, Wyo., senior, said the furniture and lack of air conditioning were the main concerns of Stephenson residents.
But he said the daily maintenance of broken-down facilities in the hall was
satisfactory
Fred McElhenie, associate director of student housing, said the department first had to raise enough money to make comprehensive improvements.
"I think it is unwise to refurbish a building by bit," he said.
But McElhenei said that it was a catch-22 because consistent maintenance was required, which drains the refurbishing fund.
"We always want to stay above the red line," he said. "We have to maintain a reasonable amount of resources and, at the same time, we have to meet inflationary pressures, continued maintenance, materials, labor and other factors that can go wrong with buildings of their age.
McElhenie said the increased rates were designed to keep the halls out of financial difficulty.
He said that the housing department had plans to renovate Sellards, Stephenson, Douthart and Grace Pearson but that the time frame for the renovations was still unknown.
"When buildings are not endowed properly over a long period of time, it is difficult to hold the course of some of those buildings."
It is a matter of time and money,he said.
McEllenli said the construction of a new men's scholarship hall, Amiwi, would be complete by the fall. He said that the hall was one of the first construction of another women's hall.
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