Despite the increase in the cost of living on campus at The University of Memphis, preliminary enrollment figures show that many students still think it’s the best way to go.
“I live on campus because I like to be close to my classes,” said Andrea Mason, freshman interior design major. “I don’t have to mess with traffic either.”
Room and board at The U of M increased this year by about four percent from fall 2001. Despite the increase, dorms were at 84 percent capacity Thursday, with 2,100 dorm residents, according to Glenda Barton, residence life coordinator.
“Occupancy varies from year to year and will vary the first week,” Barton said. “Some people will cancel and there are still others who are moving in. The number we have now, 2,100, is a normal figure.”
Room and board rates are not fixed; they vary depending on the residence hall in which students live, whether or not they will have an extended stay and which type of room they have, according to the residence life Web site.
The room and board rate increase is separate from the 7.5 percent undergraduate tuition increase the University experienced this year because residence life receives no funding from the state. So a three to four percent increase is a normal one to expect from one year to the next, Barton said.
“All funding for residence life comes from rent charged to the students,” Barton said. “There is a slight increase each year because that’s the way we handle the change in cost for repairs.”
Barton said room and board rates vary slightly each year according to maintenance costs including renovations, physical plant rates and telecommunication rates.
Renovations to residence halls this year included new floors, refinished furniture and new beds at Rawls Hall and renovation to Mynders Hall living room. The University is also offering students free laundry this year.
Free laundry is one improvement that Barton said students find particularly attractive.
“With the free laundry, living in the dorm is still cheaper than living in an apartment,” said Jessica Sloan, senior criminal justice major. “I think it’s (the improvements) worth the additional cost.”
One student said despite the yearly increase in room and board rates, living on campus is still more cost effective than living off campus.
“As opposed to living in an apartment, the rate (The University) charges is good,” Mason said. “You get a free phone, caller ID and call waiting and cable, and it boils down to about $140 a month that my parents end up paying for.”
Barton added that residence life price increases are small when The University’s budget is taken into account.
“It’s a relatively small increase when you compare it to tuition,” she said.
