While many departments have been forced to increase fees and cut benefits, UNM Residence Life and Student Housing is providing more to students for less. UNM’s Resident Life and Student Housing (ResLife) completed $4.5 million of renovations this year, and managed to cut housing rates in the process, Operations Manager Bobby Childers said.
ResLife spent most of the money on renovations in the Laguna DeVargas dorms, where $2.5 million dollars went to updating structures built in the 1960s.
“We did a complete remodel down to the door knobs,” Childers said. “We re-carpeted everything, gutted the rooms and refinished. We knocked down walls on the third floors and made some really nice open study areas as well.”
Childers said renovations also included stereo surround sound installation, a game room and classroom update in the Hokona dorm, $400,000 of cleaning, carpeting and $1.3 million of improvements in student family housing.
“We had about $4-5 million last year and this year that we appropriated toward new projects and updates out of a total operating budget of $14 million,” said Brian Ward, interim director of ResLife.
Childers said part of the organization’s success stems from its survival after budget cuts. Childers said Housing’s budget is derived independently through rent, and not through University funding. He said community and residence hall associations receive student fees, but were treated just like other UNM organizations and these amounts are determined by the Student Fee Review Board.
The amount given to residence hall associations was not large enough to appear in the breakdown of student fees provided by the budget office.
American Campus Communities (ACC), the independent housing company that owns the Lobo Village apartment complex on south campus, tore down Santa Ana Hall over the summer to make way for four new dorms. The dorms, owned and operated by ACC, will be able to house a total of 1,027 students. The project is slated for completion in August 2012.
Childers said competition with ACC might force housing to cut back in the future.
“We have a partner on campus, and we don’t know if all the housing will sell now that we have 1,026 new beds, and that could lead to less rent money for us,” he said.
The project will cost an estimated $39.4 million, but ACC covers construction costs and pays UNM to rent the land.
Student Elizabeth Fullbright said she was pleased with the $3.5 million renovation to Hokona last year and looks forward to seeing the new improvements when she moves back in this week.
“Hokona is really nice,” she said. “The brand new furniture, large vanity mirrors, open closets, and new drawers are nice and more appealing than the original faux wood closets and drawers.”
Student housing rates remained the same for Hokona and Santa Clara, but dropped by $68 and $100 per year respectively for double-occupancy and single-occupancy rooms in Laguna DeVargas and by $344 per year in the SRCs and Redondo.
“It’s not a ton, but it’s pretty crazy that they spent $4.5 million plus all that money last year and still dropped prices instead of raising them,” student Justin Chavez said. “You aren’t going to see anything like that for tuition, are you?”
Traditional double-occupancy dorms, the least expensive option for on-campus living, cost students $530 a month with utilities included. Lobo Village costs students $499 plus utilities every month.
“That’s why I live off campus,” Chavez said. “I can live eight minutes away from UNM with two roommates for $315 plus utilities and it’s pretty nice. And I don’t have to share a room with anyone.”
ResLife spent most of the money on renovations in the Laguna DeVargas dorms, where $2.5 million dollars went to updating structures built in the 1960s.
“We did a complete remodel down to the door knobs,” Childers said. “We re-carpeted everything, gutted the rooms and refinished. We knocked down walls on the third floors and made some really nice open study areas as well.”
Childers said renovations also included stereo surround sound installation, a game room and classroom update in the Hokona dorm, $400,000 of cleaning, carpeting and $1.3 million of improvements in student family housing.
“We had about $4-5 million last year and this year that we appropriated toward new projects and updates out of a total operating budget of $14 million,” said Brian Ward, interim director of ResLife.
Childers said part of the organization’s success stems from its survival after budget cuts. Childers said Housing’s budget is derived independently through rent, and not through University funding. He said community and residence hall associations receive student fees, but were treated just like other UNM organizations and these amounts are determined by the Student Fee Review Board.
The amount given to residence hall associations was not large enough to appear in the breakdown of student fees provided by the budget office.
American Campus Communities (ACC), the independent housing company that owns the Lobo Village apartment complex on south campus, tore down Santa Ana Hall over the summer to make way for four new dorms. The dorms, owned and operated by ACC, will be able to house a total of 1,027 students. The project is slated for completion in August 2012.
Childers said competition with ACC might force housing to cut back in the future.
“We have a partner on campus, and we don’t know if all the housing will sell now that we have 1,026 new beds, and that could lead to less rent money for us,” he said.
The project will cost an estimated $39.4 million, but ACC covers construction costs and pays UNM to rent the land.
Student Elizabeth Fullbright said she was pleased with the $3.5 million renovation to Hokona last year and looks forward to seeing the new improvements when she moves back in this week.
“Hokona is really nice,” she said. “The brand new furniture, large vanity mirrors, open closets, and new drawers are nice and more appealing than the original faux wood closets and drawers.”
Student housing rates remained the same for Hokona and Santa Clara, but dropped by $68 and $100 per year respectively for double-occupancy and single-occupancy rooms in Laguna DeVargas and by $344 per year in the SRCs and Redondo.
“It’s not a ton, but it’s pretty crazy that they spent $4.5 million plus all that money last year and still dropped prices instead of raising them,” student Justin Chavez said. “You aren’t going to see anything like that for tuition, are you?”
Traditional double-occupancy dorms, the least expensive option for on-campus living, cost students $530 a month with utilities included. Lobo Village costs students $499 plus utilities every month.
“That’s why I live off campus,” Chavez said. “I can live eight minutes away from UNM with two roommates for $315 plus utilities and it’s pretty nice. And I don’t have to share a room with anyone.”
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