Colleges and universities across the country are looking to cut spending and increase revenue in any way possible as the economy continues to struggle and uncertainties about state and federal aid circulate.

With staffing quotas on educational departments and holds on non-safety related maintenance, like the hiring of janitorial staffs to save money, and increased marketing to entice more students to enroll to make money, entire campuses are involved in pinching pennies. This is no different for Housing and Dining services.

“Marketing” is the primary plan to increase revenue for University Housing and Dining Services, said Mark Hudson, director of University Housing and Dining Services.

“The goal is to show students that the services we provide are quality services that make them want to stay in on-campus living,” he explained.

However, many campuses are committing to more serious moves.

Northern Illinois University in DeKalb has suspended their free on-campus summer living for those who work for housing and dining. Positions that include resident assistants and dining hall workers must now pay regular residence hall rates for their summer sessions.

Arizona State University is raising their housing and dining rates up to 15 percent in order to cover fiscal holes. According to a news release from the university, the administration said the money raised in revenue would aid much needed renovations for residence and dining halls.

Several California state schools have also considered allowing non-student residents to reside in on-campus dwellings, according to an article from Insidehighered.com.

But at Eastern, Hudson said fiscal issues have not required such drastic measures. He explains that there has been an emphasis on marketing campaigns to make on-campus living the most appealing option to a college student.

“We need to show students the opportunities, the experiences and the benefits to living on campus so that we can continue to have stable revenue to support the things students want in on-campus living,” he said. “Essentially, everything we do, we do to break even. That is maintaining revenue for us.”

Hudson said according to staff testimonials and filings, on-campus living has seen a decrease in the percentage of students remaining on-campus from year to year. However, they also have an increase in off-campus meal plan sales and students returning to live on campus from taking a year or semester to live in rentals.

“I think those students who return or still partake in parts of housing and dining know how we want to take care of our students,” Hudson said. “We just published our survey results that describe what students like and don’t like about on-campus living, and we take that very seriously.”

Hudson credits the higher number of students moving off campus to the increased number of options for off-campus living.

“There are more and more apartments being opened out there, and the price of living in them, because of traditional supply and demand, remains low,” he said. “We stay competitive in our prices and continue to stress our services, which students value. When they don’t have those things off-campus, I think that is why they come back.”

Hudson said in order to cut spending the university has doubled its efforts in transforming residence and dining halls into green halls. Lighting replacements, efficient washing machines, handing out washable to-go bottles and other items over the last six years have been incorporated to save energy costs, he said.

Overall, Hudson and his team in Housing and Dining Services have said they will continue to push the benefits of living on campus and keep the rates competitive and affordable.

“We want to serve our students the best way possible,” he said. “I think that is why we haven’t planned for such drastic measures to create more revenue or save money.”

Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].