Wednesday, March 25, 2015 // The Statement
4B
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 // The Statement
5B
Cost of the Experience:
Students’ spending
habits at the ‘U’
A
recent survey conducted by The
Michigan Daily examined the social
spending habits of undergraduate
students, looking at what people do for fun
and how much they’re paying for it.
Whether going to the football or basket-
ball games, taking a road trip with friends
over a break, or scheduling a weekly meet-
ing at a favorite bar, a variety of experiences
were shown to shape a student’s love of
their college experience.
As found in previous Daily surveys about
the school, the University is largely com-
prised of students who come from more
affluent socioeconomic backgrounds. Over
half of respondents come from households
earning at least $100,000.
Despite high family incomes, only 20 per-
cent receive their primary money for “fun”
from their parents. A large majority, 73 per-
cent, earn their spending money themselves
— with 37 percent making the money at an
on or off-campus job and 36 percent saving
money from previous jobs.
The data show a wide range of favorite
activities and spending habits, but in the
end, one thing is clear: a large majority of
students are happy with their social lives at
the University.
Out on the town
Drinking is a major social outlet for many
students. Over a quarter of students go to a
party at least once a week, with 12 percent
of students going out to parties two to three
times a week and 17 percent reporting just
once a week. Around a fifth of campus, 21
percent, goes to parties just two-to-three
times a month. Twenty percent responded
that they never go to parties.
Bars are less popular than parties, with
15 percent going out once a week and only
7 percent going out two to three times a
week. About half of students responded that
they never go out to bars. However, among
upper-classmen, who are more likely to be
of age to go out to bars, 21 percent go once a
week and 13 percent go two-to-three times
a week.
Public Policy senior Bobby Dishell, presi-
dent of Central Student Government, said
he and his friends enjoy going out to bars
and restaurants. Dishell has spent a great
deal of his four years working with CSG but
has also enjoyed the campus social life. He
said what he most enjoys is having a large
friendship circle, most of whom are frater-
nity brothers of his.
Dishell said he is fortunate enough to
not have to worry much about being able to
afford going out and that his friends tend to
trade-off covering each other’s bills. While
he said he and his friends were a “fiscally
responsible” group, he added that he was a
bit surprised by how quickly the expenses
added up as he estimated his weekly spend-
ing.
“If people are going out two-to-three
nights a week, you’re usually paying cover
twice so that’s $10,” he said, counting the
cost of bringing along a friend or signifi-
cant other. “Cabbing to-and-from is about
two bucks a person. You call it two bucks a
person each way, three nights — that’s $22.
I mean, it’s warmer out, people are walking
more, but call it twenty bucks a week before
you even walk in the door.”
On average, students spend about $39 per
week on smaller social expenses. Going out
to eat is the largest cost, with people spend-
ing about $18 per week. On average, alco-
hol costs students about $5.77 per week on
campus; cover for bars and clubs costs $2.59
on average. Another $3.43 per week goes
toward ingredients for homemade meals
and baked goods while another $3.33 per
week is spent on gas to drive places.
Dishell said his circle tends to go out to
the bars more often than most, and, while
he can’t speak for everyone, the group is
generally able to keep up with their habits.
Still, he recognizes that many in his group
come from a “place of privilege” and noted
that many also have jobs lined up already
for next year that could make up the costs
later.
“Something my parents always taught
me was everyone spends their money dif-
ferently,” he said. “There’s some people who
may choose to go out way more frequently
but when it comes to going to formal, which
costs more money, or going to the bigger
ticket items they might not do that.”
Pay to play
LSA sophomore Martha McKinnon
joined Delta Gamma sorority early in her
freshman year. McKinnon already feels
connected with the women in her sorority,
saying these are the best friends she’s ever
had. Along with a love for Michigan football
and going out to eat, McKinnon and her sis-
ters share something else in common: pay-
ing around $890 in dues for their sorority.
Sorority dues, which go toward a chap-
ter’s social events and activities, are widely
acknowledged as one of the most burden-
some fees for joining an organization on
campus.
According to the University’s Greek life
website, the median dues owed for the first
semester after joining a sorority is $370,
with costs ranging for subsequent semes-
ters and additional payments often required
for larger events. Fraternities have compa-
rable dues, though the numbers were not
listed on the Greek Life website.
While non-Greek life organizations
often also have dues, the University’s Office
for Student Life, which oversees student
activities including clubs, does not track the
amounts each group charges.
According to the survey, a majority of
students participate in clubs — 63 percent
at least once a week and only 21 percent
participate less than once a month to never.
Additionally, students spend an average of
$220.96 on larger expenses per semester. Of
that, about $77 goes towards dues or fees for
clubs. Other large expenses include about
$62 for Michigan sporting events and about
$37 for overnight trips.
For McKinnon, the money to pay her
dues freshman year came out of her own
pocket — though this year her parents cov-
ered the costs when they paid housing fees
for her to live in the Delta Gamma house.
$6,406. On top of tuition, books, and everyday living
expenses, an average student will spend this amount on social
expenses during their four years here. $6,406. That’s the
amount it costs to truly experience social life at the University.
See EXPENSES, Page 7B
By Will Greenberg, Daily News Editor
This spring break, my family and I traveled to Beaver
Creek, Colorado to take advantage of the fifty-five inch
base of snow and the varied terrain that make Beaver
Creek and its surrounding mountain resorts sought after
by amateur and professional skiers and snowboarders
alike. Yet not even twenty minutes outside of the lavish
environment of Beaver Creek exists a different Colorado,
one that exists in its own pocket of time. Colorado has
still held on to its quaint mining towns that were once
the primary allure in the region, before the winter sports
industry. On one of the less than optimal skiing days, I
took a drive through three of these historic towns: Red
Cliff, Leadville, and Georgetown.
Accessed by a slim service road off of Highway-24,
Red Cliff — with a population of 289 as of the 2000
census — is a town reminiscent of Twin Peaks. It
embodies a different kind of culture, one which is
separated from the bustling world and probably likes to
keep it that way. At an elevation of 10,152 feet, Leadville
is a bit more “modern” than Red Cliff but still a far cry
from its winter resort neighbors. Leadville is the kind of
town where its most popular restaurant is “The Golden
Burro,” with a sister location called “The Brass Ass.”
Leadville’s historic neighborhood is an art piece itself.
It’s buildings revel in the unique, from fences made of
pre-1970 skis to homes painted in four different shades
of purple and a sign that reads, “hippies use side door.”
Lastly, Georgetown exists off of the freeway that takes
you to the Denver airport. Because of this, many of its
shops have turned into quaint touristy gift shops, but its
historical charm can still be seen in places like Hotel de
Paris and the original public school house.
Beaver Creek will always be one of my favorite
vacation spots. For a skier, the kind of experience it
offers is something that few other mountains can
compare to. But Colorado is so much more than that.
Colorado is filled with a rich history that can be found
tucked away in the shadows of its Rocky Mountains.
VISUAL STATEMENT: HIDDEN GEMS OF COLORADO’S PAST
Buildings aren’t the only vintage icons of Georgetown.
Past the public school and Hotel de Paris, the Buckley Garage represents the vintage feel of Georgetown.
Red Cliff Bridge is a very popular photo for drivers on Highway-24, and is
one piece of Red Cliff’s historic atmosphere.
Leadville’s homes revel in uniqueness. The town thrived in the
60’s and this is evident in the architecture.
Photo Essay by Zach Moore
Just outside of Leadville, Rancho Escondido has since been
abandoned but still maintains its John Wayne feeling of the Old
West.