The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 3
Regents approve THE 'VISIBLE' CHILDREN
housing rate hikes
Rate increases help
pay for high utility
costs, employee benefit
programs
By Kelly Fraser
DailyNews Editor
Students moving into a residence
hall this fall can expect to leave
with their wallets a little lighter
than last year.
The University's Board of Regents
approved an average increase of 5.9
percent in the 2006-07 residence
hall rates last month.
A standard double room and a
weekly 13-meal plan will now cost
$7,808 - an increase of $434 from
last year.
According to E. Royster Harper,
vice president for student affairs,
the main reason for the rate hike lies
in heating and utility costs rising
beyond expenses originally allowed
for in the budget.
Although Harper said the major-
ity of the rate increase is in direct
response to high heat and electric
costs, the 1.7 percent raise for utility
costs is not the largest fraction of the
increase - 2.2 percent is a general
increase which contributes to ben-
efits and salaries for employees.
University President Mary Sue
Coleman's Residential Life Initiative
project, which includes renovations
in Oxford Housing, Mosher-Jordan
and Bursley halls and construction of
the Hill Dining Center, also accounts
for two percent of the increase.
Rate increases are lower for the
University's apartment style living
options because utilities make up a
large portion of overall cost than at
the residence halls.
Harper said the increase for
Northwood Community Apartment
residents - roughly 3.5 percent - is
almost exclusively utility costs.
Engineering senior Miesha Wil-
liamson, a Northwood resident, said
she was frustrated by the University's
high heating costs.
Residents have difficulty adjusting
their heat, which prevents them from
cutting their utility costs, she said.
LSA senior Meenakshi Shelat,
who will live in the University's
Cambridge House next year, said
the increase would impact her due
to the already high cost of living in
the dorm.
This year's rate jump follows a
similar average hike of 5 percent
last year.
Last year's increase, which also
funded safety improvements in many
of the residence halls - including
updating the fire system in West
Quadrangle - resulted from higher
operating costs as well.
The University's rate increase
is comparable to other Michigan
schools. Last month, Michigan
State University's Board of Trustees
approved a 5.25 percent rate increase
for 2006-07.
The Board of Regents also gave
final approval to the Mosher-Jordan
Renovation and Hill Dining Center
construction projects by authorizing
the University to award construction
contracts. In total, the project's esti-
mated cost is $65.1 million.
- Emilia Boffi contributed to
this report.
islation that would criminalize illegal the same," said Calderon, who came
immigrants and fortify the U.S-Mexico from Mexico and gained his citizen-
Continued from page 2 border. The event split the burgeoning ship more than a decade ago. "We
movement, however - some advocated are here for the same reasons."
The White House reacted coolly. attending school and work but rallying None of the 175 seasonal laborers
"The president is not a fan of boy- after business hours. who normally work Mike Collins's 500
cotts'" said press secretary Scott Ernest Calderon, a 38-year-old con- acres of Vidalia onion fields in south-
McClellan. "People have the right to crete worker, came to the Chicago rally eastern Georgia showed up yesterday.
peacefully express their views, but the with a sign listing the names of his "We need to be going wide open
president wants to see comprehensive heroes: Abraham Lincoln, John F. Ken- this time of year to get these onions
reform pass the Congress so that he can nedy and Pancho Villa. out of the field," he said. "We've got
sign it into law." "Our heroes understood that orders to fill. Losing a day in this part
The boycott was organized by immi- they had to fight for freedom and of the season causes a tremendous
grant activists angered by federal leg- democracy, and we are here doing amount of problems."
r u ~' 1
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CORRECTIONS
A story in the April 14 edition of the
Daily (Fire destroys PTO Thrift Store)
and a caption on the photo accompanying
the story incorrectly stated the origin of
the fire within the store. It actually started
in a back room. The story also also pro-
vided erroneous information on students'
wages. Students at the store earn $7 an
hour. Finally, the story misidentified
the board of directors, which actually
consists of current and former teachers,
parents and community members.
Please report any error in the Daily
to corrections@michigandaily.com.
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