University Park, Pa. -- Penn State students are continuing to enjoy enhancements to a growing number of on-campus living options, evidenced by ongoing improvements to existing housing and dining facilities and recently completed renovation projects at multiple campuses.
The University's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 4) received an update on the state of Housing and Food Services at Penn State, and approved a modest increase of less than 5 percent to Penn State's average room and board rates effective for the 2006-07 academic year at all nine of the University's residential campuses, including University Park.
The room and board schedule is part of the 2006-07 Housing and Food Services budget of $136.2 million authorized by the board. Housing and Food Services at Penn State are an auxiliary enterprise, operating independent of tuition and state subsidies received by the University.
"The Housing, Food Service and Residence Life programs are entirely self-sustaining enterprises of the University and receive no direct financial support from tuition or state funds," said Thomas Gibson, associate vice president for finance and business. "The room and board rate proposal supports normal increases in annual operating expenses, and subsidizes an ongoing program of updating existing facilities with new amenities and safety features, such as sprinklers."
Penn State operates the largest housing and dining system in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the entire nation, with 91 undergraduate and graduate residence halls accommodating 16,477 students and five apartment complexes with space for 1,672 students. Together with the food service, these facilities represent six million square feet of living and dining space.
Undergraduate residence halls are located at University Park, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Erie, Harrisburg, Hazleton, McKeesport and Mont Alto. Graduate housing is available at University Park, Erie, Harrisburg and Hershey.
Recent major residence hall renovations include Leete and Holmes Halls at University Park and Niagara, Lawrence and Perry Halls at Penn State Erie. Next year, renovations to Runkle Hall at University Park and Dobbins Dining Hall at Erie will be completed.
In addition, Penn State is currently conducting a study to determine the best long-term renovation solutions for South Halls at University Park, located along College Avenue just west of Eastview Terrace.
"Not only does Penn State operate one of the largest on-campus residence systems in higher education, it's one we're constantly working to improve," said Gibson. "More and more, students are seeking the comforts of home and a greater choice of amenities, and we are actively trying to address that demand while keeping costs down. The services offered are the most up-to-date and in keeping with contemporary trends in university housing and food services."
On average, room charges for an undergraduate student living on-campus in a standard double room -- the most typical living arrangement at the University -- will increase by $95 per semester, from $1,715 to $1,810. The cost for meal plan three -- the most common plan of 12 to 13 meals per week -- will increase by $65 per semester, from $1,550 to $1,615.
These increases bring next year's average annual room and board cost to $6,850, an increase of 4.9 percent or $320 over the previous year. The room and board rate proposal encompasses the normal changes in annual operating expenses as well as the cost of life safety initiatives and the expense of renovations and upgrades to existing facilities.
"Penn State is committed to cost-savings in all areas of the University, and our self-supporting housing and food service operations are a model for both quality and efficiency," added Gibson.
Other housing rate changes specific to various campus living units include the following (all rates include utilities):
⢠Room rates for Nittany Apartments at University Park will increase by $110 to $135 per person, for a range of $2,075 to $2,550 a semester, depending on the type of apartment selected.
⢠Monthly rates for the White Course graduate housing will increase by $20 to $30 a month, with one, two and three-bedroom family units costing $745, $855 and $965, respectively, while single graduate student housing will increase $30 to $575 a month per person for a four-bedroom apartment.
⢠At Penn State Erie, apartments will increase by $115 to a rate of $2,185 per person each semester for two-person garden units.
⢠At Penn State Harrisburg, four-bedroom apartments will increase $135 to a rate of $2,600 per person per semester.
⢠At the College of Medicine in Hershey, room rates for University Manor East Apartments will increase by $20 to $30 per month for a range of $710 to $939 a month per unit, depending on the number of bedrooms and included furnishings. Furnished four-bedroom apartments in University Manor West will increase by $44 a month to a rate of $1,656.