January 30, 2015 | The Miami Student

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The Miami Student Established 1826

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015

VOLUME 142 NO. 30

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Residence renovations lead to price hike Administrators acknowledge room and board increase may limit students’ options when picking LLCs MONEY ALISON TREEN STAFF WRITER

Renovations have taken over Miami, replacing open fields on Western Campus with modern LEED-certified residence halls and draping the old dorms of East Quad in construction sheets. However, the progression in residence and dining hall development comes at a price for both students who choose to live in renovated halls and those who do not. According to the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 4, 2014, all but one residence hall will experience a price hike. A double room in a traditional, non-renovated hall increased 8.14 percent from $2,702 in the 2014

We’ll see a much more difficult situation as we look to the future.” DAVID CREAMER

VP FOR FINANCE AND BUSINESS SERVICES

fall semester to $2,924 in the 2015 spring semester. Non-renovated residence halls rates will also increase said Vice President for Finance and Business Services David Creamer. The only on-campus residence hall that will not experience a price shift is Heritage Commons, which will remain at its $4,982 semesterly cost. However, the same double occupancy in a renovated hall will increase from $2,989 to $3,150, a 5.38 percent increase. In newly constructed halls, the cost of a double will rise from

$3,538 to $3,724, a 5.26 percent change. Single, triple and quad rates will also experience similar proportionate increases. The idea to raise residence hall fees was first proposed in 2009 and approved by the Board of Trustees in 2010, Creamer said. Each year since, prices have slowly risen. “We’re roughly five years [into] a 15 to 20-year plan of improving residence and dining halls,” Creamer said. The reason Miami has chosen to focus on renovating its residence halls is mainly due to complaints received in previous years. Many students lived in small rooms with limited amenities, such as a lack of temperature control, and wanted improved living conditions. “It seems logical,” first-year Marykate McCarthy said of the price increase. “It would definitely be a contributing factor to my choice [of where to live], but you do have to spend a whole academic year here so you may as well be comfortable.” However, Creamer acknowledged potential issues with the new policy. First-years and sophomores may choose to live in Living Learning Communities (LLCs), which groups students based on common interests — both academic or extracurricular — in the same residence halls. But the varying costs between residence halls may influence a student’s LLC choice. Creamer said the university is aware of this issue and is trying to ensure that students are not excluded from certain LLCs because of affordability. “Any time we go through this

Looking forward New and upcoming in Oxford

Double Occupancy Room Cost: No Renovation $2,702

8.14 percent

$2,924

increase

Previous School Years

2015-2016 School Year

Double Occupancy Room Cost: Renovated $2,989

5.38 percent

$3,150

increase

Previous School Years

2015-2016 School Year

Double Occupancy Room Cost: In a New Dorm $3,724 $3,538

5.26 percent increase

Previous School Years

2015-2016 School Year

Room and Board Total Cost Increase $9,458

3.47 percent

$9,786

increase

Previous School Years

big [of a] change, there’s always some risk that there will be some unintended outcomes,” he said. For now, Creamer said he anticipated most students will still have a variety of choices regarding type of residence hall. However, as the 10-year process of renovating all residence halls nears, the options available

2015-2016 School Year

will become more expensive across the board. “We’ll see a much more difficult situation as we look toward the future,” Creamer said. To counter the rising living costs, Creamer said there might be an increase in triples. Although space would be more limited with three people in a room versus one

or two, the price would be more affordable. In order to determine these prices, the university used a consultant. “We did a lot of modeling of how the new rooms would interface with the existing beds and how that would affect things financially,” Creamer said. Besides a consultant’s expertise, room rates are also determined by the costs needed to recover the renovations and market comparison with other universities. The university looks at room size, type of room and relative newness, as well as amenities available. Another important factor is Miami’s standing with the state of Ohio. “We’re an entity of the state. We’re not here to make a profit; the state doesn’t pay toward room and board,” Creamer said, adding that Miami is trying to keep the cost as low as possible for students. Sophomore Althea Perley said she recognizes that such price changes may be necessary, but thinks the university needs to be forthcoming with the cost differences between each residence hall, as well as the quality difference. “I think it’s smart on the school’s part because [Hillcrest Hall] versus Dennison should cost more, I guess,” Perley said. “I think they should have pictures and explain exactly what you’re getting, though, like what the difference is. When you go on a tour they can’t show you all types of dorms, and if you’re paying more you should know why.” As more dorms are renovated, students may consider location, amenities, room size and occupancy — and, underlying all, cost.

’Hawks picked for USA University team

The Rec will be open until midnight for a trial period, Mondays through Thursdays, from next week until March 19 Lane Library will feature a drive-thru book pickup and reading garden when renovations are complete, August 2015 University introduces 38 academic courses and three new degrees New ‘Corq’ app features events, groups and opportunities around campus

Seven members of the Miami University women’s hockey team were selected to participate on the USA Hockey squad for the World University games. Junior defenseman Morgan McGrath, junior forward Haley

Williams, junior defenseman Jessie Gould, sophomore forward Katie Augustine, sophomore forward Katie Booth, sophomore forward Kaley Mooney and freshman defenseman Becca Senden will rep-

resent Team USA. Miami head coach Scott Hicks will be an assistant coach when the team travels to Spain to compete from Feb. 4-14. Miami has more representatives than any other two universities combined. ANGELO GELFUSO THE MIAMI STUDENT

TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY

In 1990, The Miami Student reported 20 members of the rugby club team were facing charges of physical and psychological sexual harassment after incidents were reported following a match against Eastern Kentucky University. The club was suspended from campus until an investigation could be held.

UNIVERSITY

COMMUNITY

CULTURE

OPINION

SPORTS

CANVAS COMES TO CAMPUS

LANE LIBRARY LOOKS AHEAD

REVIEW OF “SELMA”

MALE EATING DISORDERS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

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