Erin Bodin, a high school junior likely to receive TOPS, said she hoped to attend LSU throughout her high school years. As her senior year and college applications approach, financial issues have begun to weigh on her mind. The costs of tuition, required fees and – in some cases – required campus residency are forcing Bodin to reconsider her options. To Bodin and other students in her situation, LSU is closing its doors. Beginning in fall 2009, incoming freshmen will be required to live in the residence halls. Current campus housing rates range between $1,900 and $2,400 per semester. The fee includes utilities, local phone service, basic cable and high-speed Internet. On-campus freshmen are also required to purchase a meal plan, which cost upwards of $1,200. Director of Residential Life Steve Waller said future freshmen can expect about a 4.6 percent increase each year in residential fees. “It’s about a hundred dollars on average,” Waller said. Waller said, in some cases, students are able to offset the cost of living on campus with their scholarships. Some students find life on campus a financial burden. “I used to live on campus, and I moved away because of the expenses,” said Shea Gauthier, engineering freshman. Gauthier said he does not believe students with parents near campus should have to live in a residence hall. And they may not. Waller said though the policy is not yet finalized there may be an exemption provision applying to first-year students who are 21 or older, live with their parents, are married, have dependent children, are enrolled part-time or who have medical or financial needs. He said the policy “will have an appeals process” for students who want to claim exemption. Rent at Campus Crossings on Brightside is approximately $575 per person per month for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. The rent includes a washer and dryer, expanded basic cable and wireless Internet. Electricity costs about $100 per month. For each occupant at Campus Crossings, the apartment with amenities similar to a dorm would cost about $2,500 per semester. Rent at Burbank Commons is between $405 and $410 per person per month for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. The apartments are fully furnished and include expanded basic cable. Residents pay for their own Internet, if they choose to have it, and the electricity and water bills. Brent Crabb, University of Alabama freshman, is required to live on campus. “Looking around trying to find a house for next year – the rent is probably a little bit cheaper,” Crabb said. But he said the rent, coupled with bills, makes living off campus more expensive. Overall, Crabb said he has not enjoyed living on campus, and he has plans to move off campus after his freshman year. Steve Voohries, the media relations director at the University of Arkansas, said apartment prices near the school follow similar pricing trends. “The residence halls are considerably less expensive,” he said. “People complain about everything.” Aaron Theall, among the top high school seniors in Louisiana, boasts a 3.96 cumulative grade point average and scored a 30 on the ACT. He has been offered a “free ride” to many universities throughout the state. He said his first choice school is LSU. Theall said he has been accepted into the Honors College, and he has received a scholarship that, along with TOPs, will pay for tuition. Considered a part of the fall 2008 incoming class, Theall would not be required to live on campus, but his home is approximately an hour from the University so he would have few other choices. “The dorm is almost more than the tuition; on top of that you have to pay for the meal plan,” he said, noting that he would search for more scholarship opportunities before deciding to attend the University. “It’s almost not worth it,” he said. At the University of Arkansas in fall 2007, Voorhies said 41 freshmen were allowed to live off campus for personal reasons, and 310 freshmen were allowed to live with their parents or guardians. He said each claim for exemption is reviewed by two employees – one to review the paperwork and one to meet with the student claiming exemption. Voohries said he thinks the freshman residency requirement has not, in 20 years, been a burden. Waller echoed that opinion. “We do not anticipate needing additional staff to manage the freshmen residency requirement,” Waller said. Waller said incoming freshmen since 1979 have not been required to live on campus because of capacity issues. “It’s about the same time that they discontinued using the stadium,” he said. “That took a lot of capacity out of the system.”
—-Contact Lindsey Meaux at [email protected]
Residence hall prices, new requirement may affect admissions
February 28, 2008