HERSHEY -- An average student earning the minimum wage will have to work about 40 more hours than he or she did last summer to pay next year's room and board charges.

The price of a standard double room increased $40 per semester, as did the cost of the average student's meal plan. That means most students will pay an extra $160 per year for room and board services.

The University's Board of Trustees adopted the changes at its meeting in Hershey on Saturday.

With the changes, the average on-campus student will pay $3,530 in room and board charges next year -- an increase of 4.7 percent over this year's bill of $3,370.

The cost of tuition next year is uncertain pending the state's decision on how much funding Penn State will receive. Gov. Robert P. Casey has proposed to restore the funds that were cut this year from the University's allocation, but he has suggested no increase over Penn State's 1990-91 appropriation. A "zero increase," as it has been called, would probably mean a substantial jump in tuition.

Although $40 will be the average per-semester per-room increase, the amount will vary depending on the size of the room. A single room will cost $110 more per year, while temporary accommodations will increase by $60 a year.

Monthly rents for family housing will increase by $10 to $20, depending on apartment size and utility arrangements.

The increase in room and board charges will help the Housing and Food Services meet its need of $60,560,918 for operations next year. That represents a $4 million increase over last year's figure of about $56.5 million.

Edward P. Junker, chairman of the Committee on Finance, told the trustees, "We think that we've come with a proposal that is well thought out, within the consumer price index and inflationary considerations."

In addition to the $2.5 million generated by the room and board increases, Housing and Food Services expects to receive more than $1 million from new housing at Commonwealth campuses and about $182,000 more from conferences and other sales.

Housing and Food Services is self-supporting. Its funding will not be affected by the state's appropriation to higher education.

William McKinnon, vice president of business and operations, said the $4 million increase in the department's budget will offset increases in food costs, utility costs and overhead, as well as employees' salaries, wages and fringe benefits.

Junker commended McKinnon for his work on the budget. He said about 70 percent of Housing and Food Services employees are covered by a contract that requires Penn State to meet a 5 percent salary and wage increase.

"So I think the fact that we're coming in with a 4.7 percent increase overall is a real tribute to (McKinnon) and his staff for the job that they have done in tightening this thing down just about as tight as we can get it," Junker said.

Obie Snider, a trustee and agricultural expert, questioned McKinnon on why the price of food would rise next year.

"For those of us in agriculture," he said, "it's hard for us to understand, with the extreme price deficiencies that we are getting for our products, why the food budget would increase as much as it has -- over half-a-million dollars."

McKinnon said that, among other reasons, the price of foods is uncertain because of a severe water shortage in California that may hamper that state's growing season.

Snider said, "It's time for the University to learn that all they need to use is produced right here in Pennsylvania."