Students living on Eastern Michigan University’s campus in September can expect slightly higher room and board charges for the new school year. The Board of Regents recently approved an aggregate increase of 2.15 percent for the fall 2011 and winter 2012 semesters.
“The increase only applies to the standard double occupancy rooms and closes the gap between singles and doubles,” Associate Director of Housing Brian Fitzgerald said in a release. “The standard 18-meal, double-occupancy room will increase from $7,785 to $7,895, a $110 increase or 1.41 percent.”
There will also be a 3 percent increase in all on-campus apartments.
“I believe this was the best decision we could make, while still attempting to make higher
education affordable,” EMU President Sue Martin said.
Not including meal plans, room costs for fall and winter are as follows: double rooms in the Valley Halls—Best, Buell, Downing, Walton, Putnam, Phelps, and Sellers— are $3,766 per academic year; single rooms in the Valley Halls cost $5,818; rooms in Wise Hall will cost $3,096; Pittman $5,416; Hill $5,416; while students living in the Village Complex will pay $6,236.
As far as meal plan prices go, students enrolled in the Platinum 18 plan will pay $4,103 per
academic year; Gold 13 meal plan members can expect to pay $3,888; the Silver 8 meal plan will cost $3,646; the Super Flex $4,130; Basic Flex $3,094; and the Village Flex $1,000.
“Supply costs are up and food prices are higher, making it difficult for us to not increase these costs,” Martin said. “After talking to several other universities, although none of them have released their 2011-2012 budget information, it appears we still are expected to
have the smallest increase.”
Based on the rates listed on other state university websites, some of the other institutions have much higher room and board rates even after the 2.15 percent increase at EMU.
Students living on campus in both the apartments and residence halls seemed to disapprove of the new increase.
“Many of the students are struggling to pay for college, so room and board should be how it was this year or less,” EMU freshman Courtney Massie said.
“As a student who is an on campus resident, I feel that the increase in room in board rates and apartment rates are outrageous,” EMU junior DeMario Browning said. “These 2.15 percent and 3 percent increases are detrimental to students’ personal budgets and future finances.
“Many students that live on campus have taken out loans such as subsidized Stafford, unsubsidized Stafford, and parent loans to do so,” Browning said. “These loans already accrue great amounts of interest and this room and board rate increase will force students and parents to borrow more monies than before.”
“I don’t think that it’s reasonable for the rates to be raised,” EMU senior Autumn Rivera said. “That is one of the reasons I’m moving out. It’s getting to be too much for me to handle by myself. There are a number of improvements that could and should be made.”
Rivera, a tenant of the Westview apartment complex, shared an account about her time living in the complex.
“There have been a number of times that I have gone without hot water,” she said. “The heating system is a mess and sometimes I went without heat during the winter months. My refrigerator and toilet had to be replaced.”
The increase is said to assist housing and dining services with meeting its budgeted occupancy goals and continued renovations. One of the expected renovations will be the expansion of card access in the residence halls and the potential renovation of Hoyt Hall upon completion of Pray-Harrold.
