Regents ready to vote on higher charges

Students would pay an average of $5,366 in room and board charges to live on the Southeast Missouri State University campus next academic year if the school's board of regents approves proposed fee increases today.

The fee increases include a 4 percent increase in the campus housing fees and a 3 percent increase in meal charges.

The highest-priced housing would be the new Henderson Avenue residence hall where students would pay $4,463 just in room charges, an increase of $173 over the current school year. Coupled with average charges of $1,794 for meals, a $60 cable television fee and a $40 Internet connection fee, students in the new residence hall would pay over $6,300 to eat and sleep on campus for 10 months, a total increase of $248.

'Just happens'

Students living in the new hall, which opened last fall, took the proposed fee increases in stride on Tuesday.

Keri Rader, 18, a freshman from Waterloo, Ill., said fee increases at colleges are just a fact of life. "It just happens," she said.

Even with the proposed increases, students would be paying less than their counterparts at many other schools, she said. "SEMO is still one of the cheaper schools," she said.

Jo Burg, 18, a freshman from Springfield, Ill., said there's no point in complaining. "It's not like we control it anyway," she said.

The cable television fee would increase from $40 for the 10-month school year to $60. The fee for Internet connection would remain at $40 for the school year.

The university administration also wants to increase rental charges at its two Washington Street apartment buildings by 3.5 percent. With the increase, the monthly rent would range from $278.51 for a one-bedroom efficiency apartment to $369.56 for a two-bedroom, top-floor apartment with balcony. The apartments are rented to students who are either married, have children or are 25 years of age or older, school officials said.

School officials say the proposed fee increases have nothing to do with the university's efforts to cope with tight state funding because the state doesn't fund residence hall operations. The proposed increases will fund continued repairs and improvements to residence halls as well as food service upgrades, said Dr. Ken Dobbins, university president. Student charges pay for all residence hall operations, budgeted at $13.8 million for fiscal 2004 which begins July 1.

10-year plan

Jim Settle, director of residence life at Southeast, said the university is proceeding with a 10-year plan that began two years ago to improve campus housing. The university has proposed rate increases annually to pay for those improvements and rising operating costs including property insurance costs, he said.

"It is a very aggressive plan to keep our residence halls safe, renovated and up to date for our students," Settle said. About 2,300 students live in campus housing.

Southeast proposes to spend $714,107 on university housing improvements this year including replacing the roof on the high-rise Towers West residence hall, and replacing mattresses, beds and chairs in the Dearmont Hall.

Settle said Southeast isn't alone in trying to refurbish aging residence halls. "Most of the schools in Missouri are facing some of the same challenges we are," he said. "Everybody has residence halls that are 40 years old."

The proposed increase in food service charges will pay for increased operating costs and extended dining hours, school officials said.

The University Center's Skylight Terrace dining area will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays while the adjacent University Center Cafe Court will maintain its existing hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Skylight Terrace also will be open from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays. The University Center currently doesn't have food services on Saturday, so students living on the south side of campus have to go to the Towers cafeteria on the north side of the university if they want to eat campus meals, Settle said.

Students requested the expanded dining hours, he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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