The Oklahoma State University Board of Regents approved residence hall rate increases and increases in freshmen and transfer admission standards during their meeting on Friday.
Michael Heintze, OSU vice president for enrollment management and marketing, told regents that the new standards will be phased in over a three-year period beginning in the summer of 2005. He said this will give high school students, guidance counselors and other constituents ample time to adjust, and will give OSU staff the ability to measure and analyze the results of the changes.
OSU’s total enrollment is growing while state appropriations are decreasing, according to the OSU News Bureau.
“As a result, we have been challenged to provide sufficient faculty to teach an ever growing number of students,” Heintze said. “Because of recent budget cuts, we currently have more than 90 percent vacant faculty positions that we are unable to fill.”
Heintze said the growing disparity between the size of OSU’s student body and the faculty poses problems for the continued quality of academic programs, as well as the continued academic success of OSU’s students.
“We must carefully manage our enrollment to ensure that our students receive a first-class education once they are admitted to OSU,” Heintze said.
Heintze said OSU is still committed to providing access to OSU.
“Our partnership with Northern Oklahoma College is structured so that students who do not qualify for immediate admission can complete their freshman level courses in Stillwater with NOC, then transfer to OSU to complete their education,” Heintze said.
Heintze said this is a one-time change that will increase the minimum cumulative GPA requirements and ensure that students are prepared to handle the coursework at OSU.
“Our purpose is to thoughtfully manage our enrollment so that our faculty and student resources match the size of our student body,” Heintze said. “In doing so, we will promote student success and preserve the quality academic experience that has made OSU so popular among students and families across Oklahoma.”
The Oklahoma State University Board of Regents also approved resident hall rate increases that will average 5.5 percent and will go into effect in Fall 2004. However, OSU will still stay within mid-range of the Big 12 in housing costs, according to the OSU News Bureau.
Bob Huss, OSU director of Residential Life, said students will see monthly increases that range from $15 a month for traditional residence hall rooms to $30 a month for new furnished apartments with private bedrooms.
Under the new rates, monthly housing costs at OSU will range from under $300 a month for a shared room in a traditional residence hall to $579 a month for a new, two-bedroom, two-bath furnished apartment. The rates include utilities, local phone, Internet connections and free cable television, according to OSU News Bureau.
“We continue to offer accommodations that suit a wide range of budgets for students and their families,” Huss said. “Our prices are very comparable to off-campus rates and we offer more amenities in many cases.”
Huss said rate increases are necessary because Residential Life faces significant cost increases for 2004 due to debt service costs for new residence halls, labor and fringe benefit expenses and rising utility rates.
The department is considering a 3-percent pay increase for staff if OSU approves a general salary program for the next fiscal year, according to OSU News Bureau.
“We are having a very difficult time keeping our best staff because our wages are low and we have not given them a pay increase for more than three years,” Huss said.
“This is a break-even budget that also provides for about $200,000 in major repair and renovation from our traditional residence halls. We have a long list of projects that range from replacing mattresses, to painting, refurbishing and renovating.”
Huss said the Residential Life budget has been discussed with student leaders in he Residence Halls Association for several months.
“Our staff and students could see no other way to balance the budget except by raising our rates,” Huss said.
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