Students can expect to pay up to nearly 28 percent more over the next five years for dorm rooms at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa and Hilo campuses.
On Thursday the Board of Regents authorized the chancellors of the campuses to raise annual student housing rates by up to 5 percent per year from July 1 (fiscal year 2013) through fiscal year 2017. No one testified against the proposals at the regents’ monthly meeting, held at Windward Community College in Kaneohe.
DORM COSTS
The current rate for a freshman dorm room for one academic year at UH-Manoa is $4,899. Should the Manoa chancellor approve a Student Services request for a maximum 5 percent increase each year, rates would rise to:
| Fiscal Year |
Rate |
| 2013 |
$5,144 |
| 2014 |
$5,401 |
| 2015 |
$5,671 |
| 2016 |
$5,954 |
| 2017 |
$6,252 |
|
"Personally, I’m not for it, but at the same time I understand where the housing department is coming from," said freshman Heather Schulz, one of a handful of UH-Manoa students who attended the meeting.
"If I want to dorm at the university, I’m going to have to pay the higher price, but I’m sure no one is going to be happy about it," said Schulz, who works at an ice cream shop to help with costs but whose parents pay for the bulk of her educational expenses.
Vice Chancellor for Students at Manoa Francisco Hernandez sought housing fee increases to compensate for increases in materials, utilities, services and salaries, maintaining the infrastructure and grounds of new and renovated buildings and replacing or repairing deteriorating structures.
He told the regents, "My biggest worry right now is utilities," which make up 18 percent of this year’s budget.
Hernandez said the plan is to focus on the 40 percent of buildings badly in need of repairs or replacement. Plans to rebuild all low-rise apartments are expected to be completed by 2017.
Maintenance costs will leap by $750,000 a year, the university said. It also will increase debt service payments by $3 million a year starting in the fall of 2015 to borrow funds to pay for rebuilding the Hale Noelani complex.
Personnel costs will rise by 3 percent annually. Costs of materials, supplies and services will go up by 2.8 percent per year, and require an increase in spending by an estimated $2.6 million a year by fall 2016.
The current dorm capacity at UH-Manoa is 3,700 students, with 11 student halls and annual revenues of $21 million.
The proposal for UH-Manoa passed with an overwhelming majority of votes, with just two regents opposing the proposal. Regent Artemio Baxa, a former Maui circuit judge, questioned whether the increases could hurt disadvantaged students.
And regent Dennis Hirota, an engineer, said, "I believe the numbers are too low. My concern is that the effectual subsidy of these 3,700 students may affect the academic education of the rest of the Manoa students." He said he thought the projected maintenance costs were too low and that regents were not seeing what it costs to run student housing.
Hernandez explained that the housing program is self-sustaining, which is why rates were increased over the last five years.
Taxpayer dollars have funded some UH-Manoa buildings in the past and also funded the new Frear Hall through government obligation bonds. But taxpayers are not paying for the repairs, maintenance and utilities of the dorms, he explained during a break in the meeting.
"We do not get a budget amount from the state or the university. It’s all income-based," he said. "We want to make sure we maintain the quality of the buildings and the services that we have now. That would require investments. Windows need to be replaced, buildings need painting, beds need to be replaced."
Hernandez also showed that UH-Manoa rates were at the bottom of housing rates compared with other state universities.
UH-Hilo Student Association Senator Robyn Taniguchi said most students responded favorably when surveyed about the rate hikes and understood the reasons. "We do need to better upkeep the housing and make sure it’s affordable," she said.
Anna Koethe, president for the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii, said the housing director gave a thorough presentation, but ASUH did not take a stand on the increases.
"As a student who will be feeling those increases, we’re not completely opposed to it," she said, adding that tremendous improvements have been made to the residence halls.
Koethe said she is somewhat concerned that not enough students had heard about the proposed increases. But UH-Manoa did hold public forums on the proposal, a UH spokesman said.
The Manoa campus also got the nod to raise the current U-PASS/student transportation fee by $10, to $30 a semester, which is included in mandatory student fees paid by undergraduate and graduate students. The pass allows for unlimited city bus service, and the increase will go into effect Aug. 1.
