Housing officials and students successfully worked together last
year to ensure no students would be living in a study lounge during
the 2002-2003 school year, but two major decisions ““ the
enactment of housing’s “consolidation policy” and
a raise in room and board fees ““ were made with little or no
student input.
Both Housing officials and the chair of this year’s
student On-Campus Housing Council, however, said they expect
students and Housing administrators will work well together in the
coming year to avoid such decisions happening again.
Director of Housing Michael Foraker said if consolidation
““ requiring students living in rooms with a vacancy to either
upgrade their housing contract, find a new roommate, or switch
rooms ““ happens again, it will be done after student leaders
are consulted.
Currently Housing officials and OCHC are working on a policy
regarding how consolidation would occur and who would be informed
of its implementation.
Additionally, Foraker and Office of Residential Life Director
Alan Hanson said they are working with students to involve them
earlier on in the budget process so they have more input and
informed opinions regarding housing services and possible room and
board fee hikes.
“We’ve started the dialogue about these things
before students actually move in,” Foraker said.
Michelle Sivert, a third-year political science student, who was
chosen last week as the OCHC chair for this year, said students and
Housing administrators will begin a process of “opening up
the budget” Sept. 23.
Sivert hopes doing so will allow OCHC students to make
recommendations on cost-cutting and help big increases in room and
board fees.
Sivert said late decisions made last year have made students
“more aware of what can happen” and expects student
input regarding housing to be greater this year.
Last year, as winter quarter finals drew near, Housing officials
enacted the consolidation policy, which has been around for a
while. It was necessary to do so, Foraker said, because when the
final buildings of De Neve Plaza opened, many students moved out of
their original rooms into De Neve ““ leaving many students
with vacancies. Students paying for triples were living in doubles;
students who paid for a double, were living in singles. Thus,
housing opted for consolidation and did not consult student
leadership before doing so.
Some found the timing of the move suspect, as if Housing
officials tried to sneak the decision by OCHC without them taking
much notice. Foraker and Hanson said such suspicions are
unfounded.
Both Hanson and Foraker said that, looking back, they realize
they should have consulted students.
“There was a learning curve there for us,” Hanson
said.
Then, toward the end of the year, Housing officials made another
decision that will impact students greatly this year ““ they
raised room and board fees 7.5 percent. Once again, student leaders
had little to say about the decision.
Members of last year’s OCHC, which can offer input, but
have no real policy-making power, said they got news of the fee
hike too late to make any viable recommendations and essentially
rubber-stamped the administrators recommendation.
“Nobody on OCHC felt that we had much to say to change
(the) next year’s budget,” said Adam Harmetz, last
year’s OCHC chair and current Undergraduate Students
Association Council general representative.
Foraker said the Housing administration gave OCHC its
recommendations on room and board fees as soon as they were
ready.
This year, administrators hope to involve students more in the
budget process early on so “they will be in position to do
good clarifying and question-asking as the year progresses as well
as when they do get the budget information in its more finalized
form,” Hanson said.
When considering a hike in the room and board fee Housing
administrators have to take hundreds of variables into
consideration ““ pay raises for unionized workers, increases
in utility costs, debt payments and housing programming costs are
just a few.
Because housing has auxiliary funding status, it does not
qualify for state funding. When there is an energy crisis, Housing
officials can’t request tax-payer funds, they just have to
pay the bills.
This way, housing fee hikes have more to do with economics and
less to do with politics than potential student fee increases,
which go through administrations, legislations and the
governor’s office.
While the administration will not budge on some costs ““
paying the utilities or funds for programs designed to keep
students safe ““ others are “discretionary.”
Students can have significant input on things like how long
dining facilities stay open, or what sort of food they serve,
Foraker said.
“One could choose to serve prime rib four nights a week,
or not,” he said.