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Changes proposed for housing costs, dining plans
▶ CHANDLER BOESE
@Chandler_Boese
n-campus housing residents could see anywhere from a
2. 2 to a 16 percent increase in their housing costs next school year, as well as a reformulated dining plan.
Student Housing is currently putting together its proposal for housing and dining plans for the 2017- 18 school year. The Student Housing Advisory Board has passed most of the proposal, though there are a few rates that have to be determined through a special process before the proposal goes before the Board of Regents for approval.
For most residents, the increase is around 3 percent, or between $100 and $300 per year, according to a rates sheet provided by Diana Robertson, the director of Student Housing. Robertson said most of the increase is due to utilities and personnel costs.
"A general rule of thumb is that our cost of operating goes up about three percent each year, but we try to watch it pretty closely to see what areas are going to affect us as we go on," she said. "As an auxiliary service, all we're seeking to do is cover all the operating costs plus any debt load and be able to put enough money aside to do upkeep on the buildings."
Student Housing began the process of establishing these rates last spring by talking to their utility providers about what kinds of costs they might see. Robertson
said predicting costs a year and a half into the future is not an easy job.
In fact, the newer facilities of Self, Oswald and McCarthy Halls are seeing some adjustment this year because the costs and issues of fairness are becoming more clear, Robertson said. Certain types of rooms are going to see a larger increase with the proposed rates.
We felt like a lot of students are getting caught in the middle of campus and can't either get back to the north side,the south side,or the west side to get something to eat for lunch."
Mark Petrino Director of dining services
She said size differentials in rooms in Oswald, Self and McCarthy Halls caused Student Housing to re-evaluate some of the rates to better fit with the new room styles the halls offer.
"We proposed this one-time adjustment because we just didn't get it right the first time and the students at [the Association of United Residence Halls] were really understanding about that," she said.
Part of the plan that will also be presented to the Regents is a new set of dining plans for students to select
Some of the proposed dining plans now include meals for parents or guardians and retail passes, according to a document provided by Mark Petrino, director of Dining Services.
from.
The retail passes make it possible for students with the unlimited meal plan to visit one of KU Dining's retail locations, like The Underground or The Market, and get a "meal equivalent" once a day.
"We felt like a lot of students are getting caught in the middle of campus and can't either get back to the north side, the south side or the west side to get something to eat for lunch," he said. "So, as an added convenience, if they're stuck near The Underground or Wescoe, they can just go downstairs and get a combo meal for lunch."
The plans are also a little simplified from previous years, Petrino said. There is only one unlimited meal plan, a new 14-meal weekly plan, a relatively unchanged 10-meal weekly plan and a reworked off-campus 50meal semester plan.
All of the meal plans for the residence halls (the unlimited, 14-week and 10-week plans) would also include two parent/guardian meals a month, Petrino said.
"We feel that we do such a good job in the residence halls and parents and guardians, in a lot of cases, are paying for the meal plans, and we want to showcase to them what we're serving to students," he said. "We think it's
The University is releasing its housing rates for next semester. Historically, rates have increased over time. Aaron Goldstein/KANSAN
Aaron Goldstein/KANSAN
Proposed housing rates for the 2017-18 school year
Room type/location Annual cost Increase from 16-17
Miller/Watkins Scholarship Halls* $2,776 2.2%
Suite-Style Scholarship Halls $4,510 3%
Traditional Scholarship Halls $4,090 2.8%
Scholarship Hall Meal Plan $2,202 3%
Traditional Double Room $4,616 2.8%
Renovated Double Room $5,910 3%
Renovated 4-Person Suite $6,246 3%
4-Person Double Suite (Self, Oswald) $8,454 16%
2-Person Single Semi-Suite $9,516 3%
(Self, Oswald, new residence hall)
4-and 2-Person Double Semi-Suite $7,518 3%
(Self, Oswald, new residence hall)
4-Person, 4-Bedroom, 2 Bathroom Suite $9,870 N/A
(new residence hall)
4-Person, 2-Bedroom, 2-Bathroom Suite $8,850 N/A
(new residence hall)
Jayhawker Towers 4-Person Apartment $3,766 2.8%
Jayhawker Towers 2-Person Apartment $6,442 2.8%
Jayhawker Towers $4,864 3%
4-Person Renovated Apartment
Jayhawker Towers $8,388 3%
2-Person Renovated Apartment
*Carthy Hall 4-Person Apartment $10,484 3%
*Carthy Hall 2-Person Apartment $11,422 12.5%
Information courtesy of Diana Robertson, student housing director *Miller and Watkins Halls have a slightly different rate review process that is not yet completed, so their rates are more tentative than the other facilities.
Information courtesy of Diana Robertson, student housing directo
important that we let them in for free. The last thing you
want to do in August is move your student in all day long
and then have to go pay for a meal."
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