Ohio University students might pay more for their housing and dining next year if the requests of both departments come to fruition.
Residential Housing recommended increasing its fees 3.5 percent, and Culinary Services asked for a 1.5 percent increase during a Budget Planning Council meeting last week. The hike in fees would cover residence-hall and dining-hall renovations as well as rising food, health care, insurance and labor costs.
If the fee increases are approved by the council and OU’s Board of Trustees, a traditional double dorm room with air conditioning would go from $5,457 to $5,648 per year, and the cost of a traditional 14-meal plan would rise from $4,023 to $4,083 per year.
The council is awaiting additional information before deciding whether to recommend the increases to the Board of Trustees.
“We’re going to wait to get the other pieces before we take a vote on the recommendations,” said John Day, associate provost for academic budget and planning. “We’ll still want to see what tuition increase proposals are going to be, what the various cost increases are going to be on health care and utilities.”
Residential Housing is starting a major overhaul of residence halls on South Green, and Culinary Services is planning to renovate Boyd and Jefferson dining halls. The renovation of Nelson Dining Hall is already underway.
“Our cost of goods have gone up hugely over the past two years,” said Gwyn Scott, associate vice president for auxiliaries. “We take into consideration what that is going to do over the next fiscal year.”
Culinary Services didn’t raise fees for the 2011–12 academic year, but fees did jump 2 percent the previous year. Food costs are rising about 4 to 5 percent nationally, Day said.
Residential Housing’s fees increased by 2.5 percent for this academic year. The department is requesting another increase to cover upcoming renovations and rising utility costs, among other expenses.
“Affordability was another factor that strongly informed our recommendation,” said Christine Sheets, executive director of Residential Housing, in a statement.
“We make extensive efforts to benchmark our peer institutions to ensure that we have a competitive rate while still maintaining quality facilities.”
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