For the third year in a row, the Residence Halls and Apartments will raise rents in all of the on-campus apartment complexes. While the university may have a legitimate claim that utility rates have increased and the costs must be passed on to students, the way these increases have been dealt with are misleading and unfair to students.
If the university believes and can prove that rents must rise to pay for expensive heat, electricity or water bills, then the university should separate those bills from the rent and force each student to pay for his or her own utilities.
When students are paying a flat rate, it has become clear that they will abuse their privileges. If there are no repercussions, students will leave their computers and lights on at all hours, keep the temperature at tropical levels and take hour-long showers. Not out of any malicious desire to deplete the energy resources of our nation, of course, but many are unaware of the cost of their utility expenditures. Increasing rents yearly will only lead to resentment on the part of the students, who will then want to "get their money's worth," which they will do by leaving more appliances on and being more wasteful.
If utility costs are forcing the university to ask more from the students, perhaps they should no longer be included in a flat rate. To suggest that all students use the same amount in utilities is ridiculous. If students were forced to pay by how much they use, then they would not only be able to save money through conservation, but also adjust to the way real life works.
In this way, the university would be able to act as a learning tool for students who will have to pay bills when they get their own apartments. If students become accustomed to a certain lifestyle, they will be unpleasantly surprised when they are forced to pay for their actions.
Since a separation would be very difficult to enforce, as water cannot be shut off if one student in a four-person apartment does not pay, the rates should be catalogued monthly but collection should take place either at the beginning or end of a semester. Punishment for lack of payment could be a checkstop, so that if one student does not pay it will not hurt other residents. Students will learn responsibility or else face the results in their schoolwork, as they will not be able to register for classes without paying their bills.
The university will soon discover that if prices continue to rise every year, student interest will inevitable peak and then decline. If utilities continue to be included and rates continue to rise, students will be forced to find less expensive housing elsewhere. As it is now, the rate of approximately $2,000 per month (approximately $500 per person) for a four-bedroom apartment is borderline exorbitant. Students who can commute to campus can find much cheaper rates, even factoring in all utilities.
While students may be taking advantage of seemingly unlimited utilities, the university is taking advantage of the astronomical student demand for convenient housing. But while students may be willing to pay for convenience, they should remember not to allow the expected bureaucratic shortcomings of the university to overshadow the rights they are guaranteed as tenants.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
