The cost of traditional housing will increase 7 percent and meal plans will increase by about 2 percent under a plan approved by the Otterbein Board of Trustees in their March 8 meeting.
The traditional arrangement of two residents per room and a basic meal plan at Otterbein will cost $9,460 for 2014-15, $422 more than the current rate. The increases are driven by rising food prices and planned renovations. The increase will take effect this summer for students who have signed a summer housing agreement.
The cost of room and board has steadily risen over the past few years. Tracy Benner, director of residence life, said, “We have been going up a slightly higher percentage in our traditional halls than other schools in the past few years but that is because we were actually lower” than other schools.
Grace Pratt, a junior psychology major, will not live on campus next year. She said that she understands that the prices have to increase, but it wouldn't bother her if she didn’t have to live on campus for three years.
Some of the residence life budget will go toward renovations. Benner said Hanby Hall's fourth floor and first floor wheelchair-accessible bathroom will be finished. Benner also said she hopes the budget will allow for the second and third floor lounges of Hanby to be completed as well.
Students who want to live in the residence halls will need to register for fall housing before April 29. Currently students have to live on campus through their junior year unless they commute from their parents' home or meet one of four other criteria, which include being at least 22 years old prior to the start of the fall term.
The trustees cited the rising cost of food as the reason for a 2 percent increase in board, so students will pay more at the OtterDen, Roost Express and Cardinal’s Nest.
Despite the rising food prices, Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings, vice president for business affairs, said that Otterbein's dining services costs came in $100,000 under budget at a March 31 open forum meeting.
Cheryl Lyman, Otterbein’s budget director, said the university had budgeted the same amount of money for dining, and fewer students used the dining services than were expected.
“Food costs have been horrendous these past three years, specifically protein: beef, chicken, eggs and pork,” Debbie Robinson, general manager of Bon Appetit, said.
Robinson said they have very specific items they have to order. Corporate Bon Appetit lines up what Bon Appetit at Otterbein can buy and from what vendors they can purchase. Bon Appetit requires that all beef and chicken are purchased from vendors that humanely kill the animals. By 2015, pork will also be added to the humane-kill list.
An article by the Columbus Dispatch reported that the rising wholesale cost of meat, poultry and produce would soon show up as higher prices of groceries for consumers. Wholesale prices are the prices that stores pay suppliers for the items, and retail prices are the prices that stores set for consumers to pay. Retailers, such as Kroger and Meijer, won’t be able to continue to absorb the rising cost of food without passing more of the increase onto shoppers.
Anna Schiffbauer contributed to this article.
