College
Expands Property, Costs Rise
by Gregory Walters
152
Woodland Street, a light-yellow house with wood floors and a painted-tile
kitchen, is one of nine off-campus student housing facilities currently
owned by Oberlin College. Hardly a minutes walk from Wilder
or the Science Center, the house turned out to be a hot sell for
students hoping to move off campus next year, even at the rate of
$360 dollars a month a price that would later seem too good
to be true.
We knew it was a little expensive, said Megan Lowery,
a college junior whod been on the wait list for the house
since the beginning of this year. But we thought it would
be really convenient. And besides, its a beautiful house.
But when Lowery and her would-be house mates returned to Oberlin
after spring break to sign the lease, she learned that the price
tag had jumped from $360 to $515 a month, a rise of 40 percent.
We just couldnt afford it anymore, Lowery said.
It was too expensive. And there was absolutely no warning,
no reason to think this would happen.
Although the College eventually lowered the rent to $460 a month
for those students who have not lived in College-owned off-campus
housing before, and $400 for returnees, Lowerys group decided
to take their business elsewhere.
We immediately started looking for another house, she
said. Fortunately, we found one.
But for Lowery, the issue is about more than houses and dollars.
I had to trust them, she said. And now Ive
lost my trust,
I think everyone was pretty upset, said Rebecca Byard,
a college junior who, along with 18 other students now living in
Oberlin off-campus housing and planning to return next year, sent
a letter of protest to the administration over the rate change.
We would have had to find other housing, most likely. It was
pretty late for that kind of thing.
The sudden price hike, Oberlin officials explain, is largely a reaction
to the Colleges present financial dire straights. But its
also symptomatic of a broader change in Oberlin student housing
policy.
Besides acquiring the Firelands apartment building as dorm space,
the College will likely announce this Monday or Tuesday the purchase
of up to seven new houses (mostly on Woodland Street and East and
West Lorain) to be made available to rising juniors who have been
waitlisted for off-campus housing.
Its a revolution of sorts. As Kim LaFond, Associate Dean and
Director of Residential Life and Services, explained, Its
really a new system. As of next year, were moving full fledged
into the apartment business.
The traditional residence halls, with communal bathrooms,
thats a bygone era, LaFond added. Theyre
still important, but wed never build another one like that.
Eventually, Oberlin plans to incorporate the College-owned off-campus
housing into a lottery system, with juniors and seniors getting
precedence, although theres no word yet as to exactly how
this will work.
As the College expands its housing options, fewer juniors will be
granted off-campus status, LaFond said.
For now, there are no other concrete plans to purchase or build
new housing. The Board has talked about building a new housing
facility, maybe seven to 10 years down the road. That would be apartment-style,
too.
LaFond also defended the rising price of the off-campus housing,
arguing the expense is worth the value.
I think the space in those apartments is large, larger than
regular dorm singles. And the rent includes the cost of electricity,
heat and trash pickup. In older homes, which all of these are, your
utility costs are going to be high. Besides, someones gonna
be there to scrape your sidewalk in the morning, he said.
Even so, LaFond admits, the timing of the price change is a
valid concern.
These houses are a work in progress, he said. Weve
only had them two years. In February and March we started to evaluate
our concerns for revenue due to the Colleges financial woes
and in considering the space in these apartments, we thought they
should be equal to a super single. But that price was really too
high, so we moved it back down.
Junior Rebecca Byard, for the most part, approves. For us,
[the returning tenants], I think [the revised rate] is a good compromise,
she said. Im not thrilled, but its reasonable.
If they have to change prices, then they have to change prices.
But I still dont think its fair
that the new tenants have to pay so much more than we do.
There will likely be more price changes in the future, administration
officials said, although its too early to tell by exactly
how much. Traditionally, housing costs increase three or four percent
a year. With the introduction of more College-owned off-campus housing
as well as apartment-style single, double and efficiency rooms in
the Firelands building, Well probably be looking at
a whole new pricing system, LaFond said. But, again,
its too early to tell.
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