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University on-campus housing prices to increase  Annemarie Beede The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has approved a price hike affecting on-campus residents at eight public universities in Mississippi. Students living on Mississippi State's campus next year will experience a 14 percent price raise from last year's hike. The $150 increase will be put in a savings account and will be spent to better the living on campus, Marnie Volkenant, assistant director of housing, said. Freshmen in the 2001-2002 academic year will also experience a non-refundable $50 application fee, she said. "The prices are going up so that we can keep renovating the residence halls," Volkenant said. She also said every residence hall at MSU would undergo work of some sort in order to keep all of the plumbing and electrical work in good shape. Will this price increase keep some students off campus next year? "We're still the second lowest (priced) school in the SEC," Volkenant said, "and Auburn (who is the lowest) only beat us by $5." Although the price increase may not seem high, some residents are not willing to pull out the extra money. "When some of my residents found out about next year's prices, they began to say they would look for a new place to live," Stephanie Sage, a resident assistant, said. "But I do think that the renovations are important." How do the prices compare? Freshmen girls living in Rice Hall will pay $1,050 per semester next year instead of this year's $900. Basic cable, local phone service, a direct phone line to the University's Internet service, water and electricity are all included in the fee. Rent for the average off-campus apartment is around $275 per month. The initial setup fee for local phone services will cost around $50 and about $20 for a monthly fee. Basic cable will cost around $45 to set up and about $30 per month to use. Electricity will cost around $75 to set up and about $50 per person per month for basic usage. The average apartment leaser who has one roommate looks at the first month's bill to be around $500 and then around $375 per month afterward. Take a five-month semester and add it up. The total becomes $2,000 for the first semester and $1,875 for every semester thereafter. Despite the difference of housing prices, MSU students will opt for the living arrangements which best fit their needs. |
