On-campus living costs remain constant into next academic year
Talks of increasing costs are nothing new when it comes to higher education.
While many universities are spiking the costs of tuition as well as room and board, University of Idaho Housing costs have remained virtually stable from the 2014-2015 school year.
The average cost of UI’s on-campus living options was $5,332 for the 2014-2015 school year. This year, the average is $5,346, according to data provided by University Housing Associate Director, Corey Ray.
“We’ve not raised costs much at all, we’ve remained relatively flat,” said Dee Dee Kanikkeberg, University Housing Director. “We believe in providing an exceptional value.”
In 2009-2010, the average rate for living in residence halls was $4,870, which, without adjusting for inflation, brings costs in at a 9 percent increase to date.
This school year, a 3.5 percent increase for undergraduate residents was implemented — the lowest tuition increase in more than a decade.
Daniel Ewart, UI vice president for Infrastructure and interim vice president for Finance, said the university-wide strategy when it comes to cost is to focus on efficiency.
He said the UI administration is looking to streamline processes, looking to the State Board of Education for guidance on initiatives and exploring technology functions to help keep costs down.
Kanikkeberg echoed Ewart’s streamlining tactic. She said University Housing is using a method called continuous process improvement to make decisions regarding cost.
This process includes accounting for and minimizing time and products wasted. For example, she said they are evaluating how to decrease time wasted by residents in processes such as room changes.
Part of the streamlining involves working on inventory management to purchase products at better prices and in appropriate amounts.
Ray said even though utility prices — such as water, sewer and garbage — increased last year, they were able to keep prices steady by making cuts elsewhere.
“If you look at the overall areas, sometimes you don’t need to raise costs to add services,” Kanikkeberg said. “If the students don’t find value in it anymore, you can redirect the funds somewhere the students do find value.”
One cut was the ResLife Cinema system, a system that played select movies for residents, Ray said.
“It’s kind of an outdated service,” Ray said.
The same reason ResLife Cinema was outdated is the reason why updated wireless is needed in residence halls — students are viewing content differently, and with more devices, Kanikkeberg said.
A priority for Kanikkeberg moving into the future was updating the wireless Internet in the Theophilus Tower, a project she said has already begun and returning residents should notice the difference.
“Hopefully, there will absolutely be an improved experienced,” Kanikkeberg said.
Kanikkeberg said University Housing watches its budget carefully, and at the end of the fiscal year, meets with other auxiliary services personnel — including Business Technologies, The Golf Course, Vandal Dining and the Vandal Store — to pick a project to spend any excess revenue.
She said the six completed floor renovations in Wallace Residence Center have been funded through this process. The renovations will continue, she said, with a floor renovation in both fall and spring term. Kanikkeberg said University Housing has strategically left one floor of Wallace unavailable at a time, which was possible with a 94-percent occupancy for Fall 2014.
When it comes to increasing the number of students attending UI, Ewart said the university will only continue to benefit more the closer they get to full occupancy in the residence halls. He said he does not anticipate a housing cost increase if enrollment numbers do increase, but predicts a perpetual increase over time.
“There are a lot of different options and ways to increase the number of different housing options we have on campus,” Ewart said. “As the university begins to grow and we’re actively looking at how we’re going to accommodate that growth, I think that’s going to bring a lot of exciting options to our campus.”
Katelyn Hilsenbeck can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @katelyn_mh