Increased fee to usher in new housing options

Students looking for housing after their freshman year might have several new options, including suite-style rooms and a new apartment complex, to consider in the coming years.\nAn average increase of 3.22 percent in housing fees approved by the board of trustees Friday is aimed at renovating both Briscoe and Forest residence halls into suite-style living as well as building new on-campus apartments at Ashton Center. The new housing options are part of an effort to encourage students to live on campus for more than one year.\n"There is a lot of research that indicates that students who live on campus for four years perform better academically than those who do not," said Pat Connor, executive director of Residential Programs and Services. "In our market research, we have found that there are many students who would stay on campus if there were more suite-style and apartment-style options available."\nThis new rate includes the additional $100 fee for first-year residents that was approved by the trustees Thursday as an alternate to the current system in which all residents are charged a one percent fee. \n"Most students are paying about $25-$50 per year (in capital fees)," said Bruce Jacobs, vice chancellor for auxiliary services and affairs. "What we want is a one-time fee." \nUnder the current plan, a student who lived on campus for four years might wind up paying about $200 in capital fees. The new one-time fee aims at encouraging students to live on campus longer by paying less.\nIU is trying to keep housing prices low while still upgrading the residence halls and adding more options, Jacobs said. Currently, IU ranks fourth in the Big Ten for cheapest housing.\nIn the past, the money from the one percent surcharge has gone to projects such as the reconstruction of Eigenmann Hall from small single rooms to large double and triple rooms as well as the $22 million Campus View Apartments renovations, Connor said. \nRPS hopes that with the profits from the increased fee, the new housing options will make living on campus more appealing to a wide variety of students in the long term.\n"The biggest effect on students short and long term will be the creation of new types of living spaces on campus that will be attractive to entering students and provide more choices for students who would like to stay on campus beyond their first or second year," Connor said. \nStudents who have spoken with RPS have been positive about the fee if it brings new choices in student housing to the Bloomington campus, Connor said.\nFreshman Maureen Faller said she likes living in the dorms and agrees the new fee will be beneficial in providing alternative housing options for students.\n"If you like the dorm life, you should stay in the dorm life," Faller said. "Students can stay with friends and live in a community. It's a good option for people who don't want to rush."\nAside from new projects, which will begin in the coming years, the profits from this increase will also go toward upkeep of current facilities.\n"Long-term maintenance of the facilities is an important part of any increase, as well as trying to provide other services," said Stephen Ferguson, president of the board of trustees.