Board OKs room, board hike

HERSHEY -- There's no such thing as a free lunch.

For on-campus students, the cost of lunch, dinner and breakfast will increase slightly next year.

Students who live in the standard double room with one roommate and choose Meal Plan 3, the most common plan, will see an increase of $170 for the year, or about 3.9 percent, according to the increases approved by the University Board of Trustees at its meeting Friday.

Because housing and food services are self-supporting, the increases are determined by rates of inflation and costs of services offered, said Tom Gibson, assistant vice president for auxiliary services.

"University housing and dining is state-wide in scope," Gibson said.

The increases apply to all University campuses and locations that have on-campus housing. Rates for graduate apartments, Nittany Apartments at University Park, apartments at Penn State Harrisburg and Penn State Erie and family apartments at Penn State Harrisburg increased as well.

The Residence Hall Newspaper Readership Program, which University President Graham Spanier said was already increasing readership among students, will cost students slightly more -- from about $5 per semester this year to about $10 per semester next year.

The cost is nominal compared to the advantages the service brings to the in- and out-of-class experience, Gibson said.

"It's a small percentage of the overall budget," he said. "It really sets us apart."

The program's cost is included in the charge for general services, which includes the cost of television and cable in all dorm rooms.

Gibson also discussed the updates and remodeling of some of the dining commons, such as Waring Commons in West Halls. Of the 15 dining commons at University Park, 14 have been or will be remodeled soon, he said.

"It's going to be a lot of stations," he said. "We're moving away from the cafeteria-feel."