Students living on campus at Dixie State University will have to shell out a little more money for their rooms next semester.
While most price increases in on-campus housing are $25-30 each semester for the 2016-2017 academic year, rooms in Campus View Suites will have their prices rising the most. In the fall, a shared room in Campus View Suites will cost $49 more than it did before, and for a private room in Campus View Suites, it’ll cost $199 more. The price for family housing at Dixie View Apartments will increase by $25, and at Morgan Apartments, it’ll increase by $50.
Seth Gubler, director of housing and resident life, said money from the increases will go toward the Campus View Suites’ bond payment for construction of the building. Rising expenses and planned renovations in student housing will also be paid for by the rising housing prices, Gubler said.
“We also look closely at the local student housing rental market to stay competitive and affordable for students,” Gubler said. “Even with the increases, I believe students, both in family student housing and single student housing, will find that we have very reasonable rates when compared to what’s available in the community.”
Compared to what’s available in the community, Campus View Suites isn’t the cheapest option. A shared room at Campus View Suites will cost $1,499 next semester. A similar student room at Vintage at Canyonlands would cost $1,100. At Red Rock Ridge Student Housing, it would be $1,570.
Gubler said the first renovations that will be completed using funds from the rent rate increase will be replacing cabinets, countertops, sinks, appliances and light fixtures in Abby Apartments. The housing department has plans for similar renovations for the Chancellor and Morgan apartments in future years, he said.
No renovations are planned at Nisson Towers or Shiloh Hall because there are plans to replace the buildings with new dorms in upcoming years, Gubler said.
While a $25 price increase may not seem like much, some students are not happy with the change.
Ollalekan Alebiosu, a sophomore biology major from Lagos, Nigeria, said if prices rise too much, he may think about looking off campus for housing.
Carolyn Hernandez, a junior business administration major from Orange County, California, worked as a resident assistant at Campus View Suites last semester and said the price increases will negatively affect all students in on-campus housing. Although she no longer lives in student housing, she said the price increases came to her as a surprise, even as a housing employee.
“Especially if [students are] paying for college by themselves like I am, [the increase] will hurt,” Hernandez said. “It affects every student in the dorms.”
Specific prices for on-campus for the 2017-2018 academic year can be found at housing.dixie.edu.