BG Reports

By: Simone Jackson

BGSU Board of Trustees approved an increase in room rates for the 2013 fiscal year at their meeting Friday.  The meeting was held on the third floor of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union on BGSU’s campus.

Room rates will be raised an average of 6.94 percent. For residence halls without technology and laundry fees, the rates will be raised an average of 2.04 percent, said the trustees’ board book.

According to the trustees’ plan, students who will live in Centennial and Falcon Heights halls this fall will be most affected by room rate increases.  The increases for these halls will be up to $90 per student.

Most students can expect to pay an additional $40-$55 in room fees starting this fall. Students planning to live in a single room will pay more.

According to the trustees’ board book, rates will be increased to provide the resources necessary to ensure a quality and safe living environment for students. The profits from increased rates will be an investment in the facilities necessary for future students.

The increases will enable the university to meet its mission and continue on-going efforts to address our students’ needs, said a BGSU trustee.

 “We are doing our best to keep rates as low as possible,” said trustee David Levey, a 1971 graduate of BGSU and the executive vice president of Forest City Enterprises Inc.

Also high on the agenda was the approval of a $9.3 million renovation to McDonald residence hall.

According to the Board of Trustees’ Residence Hall Master plan, most of the funds are projected to be used for upgrades to the east wing of McDonald, which includes courtyard landscaping and renovations to the entrance and kitchen.

Elevators will be upgraded beginning next month, said the master plan.

Between May and August, lounges on the first floor of the west wing will be renovated into 22 new student dorm rooms, increasing McDonald’s east and west wing bed count from 736 to 762.

Changes to BGSU’s dining services were discussed at the meeting.

The board approved a $4 million proposal to renovate the Falcon’s Nest, located in BGSU’s Student Union, for more efficient service. 

A substantial change will be the ending of the 10 year contract between Wendy’s and Chartwells, said the board book. Wendy’s will be replaced with another food brand.

The Falcon’s Nest will introduce other new food brand choices to students beginning in the fall semester of 2012.  Those brands will be determined by a campus wide survey, said trustee board book.

From the renovation, the board estimates a $340,000 increase in sales and 5.8 years in payback.

“We have to always be thinking of how to increase revenues and become more efficient,” said BGSU president, Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph. D.

Most renovations should be finished by the fall semester of 2012, said the board book.

In other actions, the board:

1. Approved personnel changes
2. Approved honorary degrees
3. Approved a distinguished research professor
4. Approved a degree name change to Bachelors of Science in engineering technology
5. Approved safety upgrades to Kreisher residence hall
6. Approved a six year capital plan for fiscal years 2013-2018
7. Approved  academic special course fee revisions for the 2013 fiscal year

Tags: BGSU Board of Trustees, Campus Renovations, falcon's nest, McDonald Residence Hall, room rates

This entry was posted on Monday, February 27th, 2012 at 3:45 pm and is filed under BGSU Board of Trustees, Spring 2012, Student Contributor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.