The Residential Life and Housing and Dining Services staff gave a presentation Wednesday, at the E.E. Oberholtzer Residence Hall, concerning the fee changes to be implemented in 2012 and 2013.
Upcoming projects for the Residential Life and Housing Department, which will include the modifications of all residential buildings and the construction of two more buildings, will result in a five-percent increase in rates, said Don Yackley, executive director of RLH.
“We try to keep our costs low while maintaining the best outcomes for our students,” Yackley said.
Plumbing repairs and elevator upgrades are planned for Moody Towers. If all goes well, hallway carpets will also be installed.
Calhoun Lofts will have easier termination agreements for graduating seniors, exchange students and transfer students, Yackley said.
The Lofts’ utility and electrical fees will also be included in the housing fees without surprise additions.
All residential buildings can expect increased security, improved paperless applications and laundry services with new machines that offer text and email notifications, Yackley said.
Cougar Village II and the sophomore housing, are currently under construction, Yackley said.
Geoff Herbert, director of operations for UH Dining Services, introduced the All Access Meal Plan. This meal plan allows unlimited access to UH dining facilities without restrictions on the number of times the card is swiped.
The new meal plan is split into two options, All Access 5 and All Access 7, referring to the number of days per week it can be used. There will also be a 4.7-5.6-percent price increase to current meal plans.
For more information, students can go to www.housing.uh.edu/ and www.uh.edu/auxiliaryservices/.
Talk about changes for the worse. If it wasn't already pricey enough.
Maybe they wouldn't have to do these ridiculous fee increases if they wouldn't have added ridiculous 'security' features like at Moody that do so little for security when there are such easy loopholes. Combining the utility and electrical fees is another dumb thing. Making it a flat fee means anyone can waste as much power or water as they want, and all other residents have to cover their costs as well.
What's with the rate increase for dining? The price of food isn't rising at that much of rate, and I don't see it within the upcoming year either. Plus these "All Access" plans are even less flexible. If you pick the 5 option, you are stuck with figuring which days you'd want to do that. Also, how do the Cougar Cash supplements work out?
I feel this article didn't touch on everything, and it'd be nice if they could've grabbed a copy of those PowerPoint slides and posted it here.
what's with the rate increase for dining? – basically the school wants as much of your money as it can get, and if it thinks it can get away with charging more for something it will, while assuring you they are keeping the prices as low as possible and they are very intelligent professionals who know what they are doing and go coogs don't question us go away.
I think the prices are a bit high compared to other universities in texas we should try to lower down prices to get more students to live on campus instead of commuting.