December 18, 2004
Trustees approve residence hall rates, renovation plan
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's Board of Trustees today (Saturday, Dec. 18) approved fall 2005 residence hall rates for the West Lafayette and Fort Wayne campuses and agreed to begin renovations to the university's oldest halls housing women.
Students living in university housing at the West Lafayette campus next fall will pay an average of 5 percent more than in 2004-2005. The predominant room and board rate, including 15 meals a week, will be $6,642, an increase of $318, said John A. Sautter, vice president for housing and food services.
At the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne campus, monthly rent for apartments in the Waterfield Campus Student Housing Complex will increase an average of 2.9 percent, said Walter Branson, IPFW's vice chancellor for financial affairs. Rates per person for the apartments will range from $630 a month for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment to $415 a month for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. This fall will be the second year that student housing is available on the Fort Wayne campus.
"Two percent of the overall rate increase at West Lafayette will go toward the funding of major projects in the campus housing facilities master plan, such as the soon-to-be completed Cary Quadrangle renovation, the Windsor Halls renovation set to begin in the summer of 2006 and the 10-year plan for the installation of sprinklers in all residence halls by 2010," said Morgan R. Olsen, executive vice president and treasurer.
The other 3 percent of the 5 percent rate increase at West Lafayette will cover higher costs the university is paying for food and other supplies, utilities, routine hall renovations and repairs, and medical insurance for staff.
Purdue residence hall room-and-board rates include furnished living space, utilities, cable television with 42 channels, phone service with voice mail and call waiting, flexible meal plans, dining services 18 hours a day, high-speed Internet, free music downloads while on campus through Cdigix, staff support, and building access monitored for security.
University Residences is financially self-supporting. No state funds or general student fees are used to build or maintain university housing.
Purdue's housing and food service rates currently rank fifth among Big Ten universities, and are slightly under the group mean. Olsen said he expects the ranking will not change with the rate increase.
The West Lafayette campus can house about 11,400 students. The Fort Wayne campus capacity is 568 students.
The trustees also gave approval to move forward with a $46 million renovation of Windsor Halls, the oldest housing facilities for women on the West Lafayette campus.
The five Tudor-style buildings – Duhme, Shealy, Warren, Wood and Vawter halls – were opened between 1934 and 1951. The five-year renovation plan will upgrade all the buildings to current code and will include the replacement of all elevators, plumbing systems, electrical systems, heating systems and adding air-conditioning to occupied areas, Sautter said. The buildings' historical architecture will be maintained.
Writer: J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371, jmwillis@purdue.edu
Sources: Morgan R. Olsen, (765) 494-9705, mrolsen@purdue.edu
John R. Sautter, (765) 494-1022, jasautter@purdue.edu
Walter J. Branson, (260) 481-6804; branson@ipfw.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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