Housing Prices Climb

According to the Office of Housing and Residence Life website, prices for the 2009-
2010 school year have increased in all housing areas. For incoming freshmen living in Presidents Park and University Commons, the cost of a double occupancy room will be $2,250 - $150 more than this year.

Upperclassmen who choose to live on campus will face even higher housing price increases than freshmen. Currently, students who live in the townhouses and student apartment housing pay $2,850 for a single room. Next year the rate will be $3,075, a $225 increase. For double occupancy rooms, depending on how many bedrooms are in the apartment, students pay between $2,340 - 2,850. Next year, there will be a flat rate of $2,850 for a double room.

The same holds true in Northern Neck. Students currently pay $3,370 for a single
room. Next year, this same room will cost $3,925. Such increases have left students wondering about the reasons behind the price change.

“I’m really upset that the prices have increased,” said junior communication major
Megan Byrnes. “The economy is so bad right now that it doesn’t seem fair to raise the prices for poor college kids when tuition and other expenses are already increasing.”

According to Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life Jana Hurley, many factors are considered when determining housing rates for a new school year.

“The average increase is approximately six percent and we do our best to keep increases reasonable. The amount of an increase in any year is typically a function of what it costs us to comprehensively manage Housing and Residence Life,” said Hurley. “We did a lot of analysis of the housing rates at other universities and also local off-campus apartments to make sure what we were proposing was competitive and grounded in good data.”

Beyond prices, the ways in which each housing area’s rates are determined have also seen changes. In the Chesapeake dorm area, there are many different configurations for a housing unit. Some rooms have three bedrooms, one double and
two singles, and one bathroom. Other configurations include four single rooms and one or two bathrooms.

Instead of the price depending on the set-up of the unit, prices will be flat rates for
singles and doubles in each housing area. “We used to have a lot more rates and have simplified our structure. Pricing next year is connected to facility type, occupancy level and amenities,” said Hurley.

The apartment rates are the same for single and double occupancy rooms in Northern Neck, Liberty Square and Potomac Heights. Singles will cost $3,925 and doubles will be $3,550 per semester.

Rooms described as suites on the price list have a shared or private bathroom and are located in Commonwealth, Dominion or the Chesapeake area, excluding Northern Neck. The flat rate for this configuration is $3,075 for singles, $2,975 for doubles and $2,525 for triples.

Freshman sociology major Megan Moore said that she may have to take a job as a Resident Advisor to help afford housing because of the price increases. “I thought dorms were supposed to be affordable,” said Moore.

Details on the Room Assignment Process: Mason’s procedure for students to select their on-campus housing.

Deadline: March 6

1. Students fill out the online application for RAP 2009, and
make a non-refundable $300 deposit to the Office of Housing
and Residence Life. This can be done online at housing.
gmu.edu/studentweb. Click on “accounting,” then “make
payments” on the left side of the screen to make your deposit.

2. Students then receive a lottery number, sent to their Mason
e-mail account. Lottery number are based on the number
of credits completed. Upperclassmen with the most credits
will choose housing assignments first. Students will be given
access to the room selection process based on their lottery numbers.

3. On the assigned day and time of selection, students should
log on to housing.gmu.edu/studentweb and go to “self assignment.”
Students can assign themselves, according to the
availability of remaining rooms.

4. Students have the option to pull in a roommate, if the
roommate is scheduled to register at a later time. They
must decide on a pull-in password before the room selection
time and add it to their profiles on StudentWeb.

TIPS

The housing website tends to be slow during room selection time,
so it may take a while for pages to load. It is important to be patient,
and do not refresh your pages on your internet browser, because
you may lose your claim on a room if you are in the middle
of the process.

STUDENT POLL: Will you still be able to afford to live on campus if the rates increase?

Yes: 23

If I get enough financial aid: 48

No: 20

*90 students polled

What do you think of the housing price increase? Share your thoughts in the comments.