IUPUI seeks housing increases

The Board of Trustees Finance and Audit Committee struck down an increase in housing costs Thursday for an enhanced freshman learning community at IU-Purdue University-Indianapolis but gave preliminary approval to raising rates to cope with higher living costs.\nIUPUI Vice Chancellor of Student Life and Diversity Karen Whitney proposed an 8 percent increase for students living in Ball Residence Hall next year, a dorm exclusive to freshmen, to pay for the "Living the Freshman Experience" initiative. The plan would have been part of an overall 4.25 percent housing increase for the campus.\n"It's not needed from a marketing standpoint," she said. "It's not needed to sell out Ball Hall. We just want to provide a reasonable living and learning experience for students who live there."\nThe hall itself is also scheduled for refurbishment in the near future, which will close it down for a year. There is also a possibility that it may close all together as a residence hall, Whitney said.\nIUPUI Chancellor Charles Bantz said the increase was necessary to improve student retention rates at the campus.\nThe current learning community at Ball Hall has a higher retention rate, but it was still not acceptable, Whitney said.\nIU President Adam Herbert also endorsed the proposal.\n"I'm for the general proposal, but I think it's important we phase out increases over time," he said.\nWithout the added price of improving the learning community, housing costs at Ball Hall would only increase by 3.67 percent. Trustees wondered what the extra money would go towards.\n"It seems a little sketchy to me what this extra 4 percent is going to be," Trustee Patrick Shoulders said.\nOthers expressed worries that the increase would keep some students from living in Ball.\n"I understand the reasons behind it, but I think with the economy the way it is, students without the money would be very opposed to that large of an increase," Trustee Cora Breckenridge said.\nEventually, Whitney conceded that IUPUI could work with a smaller housing increase.\n"If the board believes, it should be along the lines of four percent, or 4.25 percent, we can work with that."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.