Inflation rates and capital projects drive housing and dining costs up each year.

Students living on campus will pay 6.25 percent more for housing and dining in the fall, the smallest increase since fiscal year 2004.

“Of that increase, 3 percent is specifically designated for capital improvements,” said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs. “The other 3.5 percent covers inflation rates.”

Capital improvements include bathroom renovations, updates to dining centers and the installation of new sprinkler systems in residence halls.

“Each time we have to install a fire sprinkler system we’re looking at $1 million,” Nadler said. “We look at a two-year cycle in major renovation, it takes a lot of capital to do those kinds of renovations.”

Housing and dining is working off of a 10-year plan for improvements that was developed through student satisfaction surveys.

“The housing staff came up with a 10-year master plan of sorts addressing the concerns students consistently share about each residence hall,” Nadler said. “There’s about $100 million in deferred maintenance in the residence halls, the (Student) Recreation Center, the (Martin Luther King Jr. University) Union and part of Lantz (Arena), the majority of which is in the residence halls.”

Rising food and energy costs are also contributors to the increases.

“An 8 percent increase in food costs is about what we plan for, but you never quite know,” Nadler said. “We try to watch the market as closely as possible and try to not purchase much high market level foods.”

The university also participates in a consortium called the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative to keep costs down.

“Every public institution in the state of Illinois can participate in group purchasing of certain commodities, products, services and the like,” Nadler said. “We purchase the majority of our food through IPHEC and realize substantial savings. There’s more cost savings when there is more to purchase; it’s more buying power.”

The university also purchases coal for the steam plant through the consortium.

Bill Weber, vice president for business affairs, said rising utility costs also contribute to housing rate increases.

“We’re forecasting some increased utility costs, as this will be before our new renewable energy center comes online,” Weber said. “Some of the energy savings we get from the new Renewable Energy Center will have to go to paying off the bond we got for that project, so I can’t promise the rates will go down.”

Before the rate increase was presented to the Board of Trustees for approval, a group of six students who form the bond revenue committee help develop the rates.

“We were going into the board meeting with a great deal of support from students,’ Nadler said.

Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining, said “I think it is unique on our campus that the first to approve room and board rates is a group of six students who live in room and board environments.”

Campus Editor Jason Hardimon contributed to this report.

Sarah Ruholl can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].