Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: News

Media Credit: File Photo Starting this Fall semester, Campus Village housing rates will go up 6 percent to 10 percent, depending on the size of the living quarters and the building that it is in.

Students expecting to return to their on-campus abodes next Fall can now expect something else: an increase in living costs.

An exact dollar amount wasn't readily available, said Kevina Brown, community relations coordinator for University Housing Services, but prices for all residence halls are expected to go up 6 percent to 10 percent, depending on which living-space option a resident chooses.

The Campus Village apartments offer varying floor plans: studio, single bedrooms in an apartment shared with two to five other roommates, or doubles - two to a room, the apartment shared among six. In Joe West Hall and Hoover, Washburn and Royce halls, two roommates typically share rooms.

A double-occupancy residence in Campus Village Building B, without a meal but with a parking reservation, is $3,633 for the semester, according to the University Housing Web site.

Whereas double occupancy in the Classics, also known as the bricks, will cost $4,374 for the semester -- although that cost includes the required meal plan.

In an e-mail, Brown wrote, "The increase in our rents was related to the cost of operations, supplies and services and upkeep of the buildings."

The increased cost of students' rent, Brown wrote, "covers room, room furniture, basic utilities, i.e., electricity, Internet, 24-hour staff and services, security, programs (events and activities), academic support, water, basic cable, maintenance and repairs to units and common areas."

Nevertheless, the increased rent is forcing some students to look elsewhere in order to find cheaper housing and is leaving others incredulous.

"I think it is ridiculous," said Bekah Beatie, a junior liberal studies major who also said she is searching for an apartment off campus with friends because she refuses to live in campus housing again. "I don't understand the reasoning behind it. It is student housing, and it is supposed to be an affordable place to live."

But Susan Hansen, director of student housing and services, said, "We try to keep our rates at 80 percent of the market. Every year we do a market study that checks all of the different units and amenities in the area, so we create our rates based on the local market and also based on our budget."

Continued...

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