Residence hall room prices will gradually increase by about $2,000 more a year if Cal State Long Beach’s housing expansion plan passes, according to the Housing & Residential Life Office.
The room rates will increase by one-third over several years, said Stan Olin, director of Housing & Residential Life.
Student reaction to the proposed increase has been mixed.
“Though life in the dorms is a priceless experience and the convenience enjoyed by on-campus residents is great, I feel that the increased price is unfair and not a prudent business decision,” said Sita Yetasook, who has lived in the dorms for three years. “Housing prices in Long Beach are competitive, and college students looking for housing are likely to find a better deal off-campus.”
Yetasook, who is also a President’s Scholar, also said that because President’s Scholars either get full housing cost scholarships or partial ones, the fee increase would likely affect the President’s Scholar program because the program would then have to come up with more money. According to fall 2006 housing records, 219 President’s Scholars live in the dorms.
“What if this means they start to not be able to admit as many scholars? They either have to find a way to raise [more money], or admit fewer kids,” Yetasook said.
Junior Connie Leal said that she wouldn’t mind the price increase if more students are able to remain on campus.
“If more people are able to stay on campus and stay close to school, then that’s a good thing, even if they have to pay more,”Leal said.
Mike Hoover, a resident assistant, said that although the students would have to pay more, it would be worth it. “Despite the fact that this school isn’t the cheapest school around, in the long run, it’s pretty good.”
Olin said the room rate increase was a hard decision to make, and that he had to find a reasonable price for both the Housing Office and the students.
“I’ve got to be thinking about, ‘Well, I’ve got to charge enough money to make this work,'” Olin said. “At the same time, I’ve got to charge as little as I can, because I’ve got to have a regard for the students who have to live here.”
If executed, the plan would also tear down the Parkside Commons dining hall and office and replace them with one long, five-story building. The new building would contain both the dining hall and the office.
Hoover said he was concerned that the noise from the construction in Parkside Commons would irritate residents.
“The only concern I have would be the pressure on current students if the construction’s going to interfere with living on campus,” Hoover said.
According to Olin, the noise from construction shouldn’t be a problem.
“[After] talking with peers around the country and two developers, they claim they’ve mastered those problems over the years,” Olin said. “And this is commonly done on campuses all across America and I should not have a concern there.”
Several committees must approve the plan before it is executed. First, the Student Fee Advisory Committee, chaired by Vice President of Student Services Doug Robinson, must approve the plan. Second, the plan will be sent to the Campus Planning Committee and to the Housing Proposal Review Committee. Finally, the board of trustees must approve the plan.
Olin said the Housing & Residential Life Office would send the proposal to the Student Fee Advisory Committee within the next several months.
According to Olin, the Student Fee Advisory Committee meets once a semester. The committee consists of Associated Students Inc. members and other directors of finance and administrative services.
The housing expansion plan will double the number of beds for on-campus housing if it passes, Olin said. The plan contains five phases and is to be executed over many years.
Olin said that although the price increase was scary, if the housing costs were raised according to the plan, CSULB room rates would still be lower than some housing prices at other California State Universities.
“If we were to raise our rates a third today, we would not be the highest in the CSU system,” Olin said.
Bradley Zint contributed to this report.
