ACUHO-I News Blog

Colleges and universities hoping to save a few pennies (or a few hundred thousand) can read an article in last week’s New York Times’ Education section for inspiration: For Colleges, Small Cuts Add Up to Big Savings.

Schools are finding savings through attrition of products and services that are no longer popular (phone lines and voicemail), letting the cleaning slide a bit or providing fewer cushy services to students. Some of the money-saving changes might have been made anyway– cutting orientation by one day, challenging students to an energy-saving competition, eliminating cafeteria trays or providing admissions materials online–but they’re also saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Some of the money-saving ideas are more quirky than others. The article mentions a “virtual swim meet” between Dickinson College and Bryn Mawr College. The teams swam in their home pools, then compared times. Not meeting face-to-face saved $900.

A selection of college housing and student affairs headlines from InsideHigherEd.com. Look for these on a weekly basis in the ACUHO-I news blog.

THE FUTURE OF STUDENT LOANS: House hearing elicits widespread agreement that big changes are coming, and that a single federal loan program would make sense. But left unanswered: Is administration’s plan clearly the best option?:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/22/loans

CREDIT LIMIT: Congress passes legislation that will help shield students from credit card companies’ aggressive tactics, but not everyone is cheering:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/21/credit

LOST MEN ON CAMPUS: Scholars at national conference link issues of identity and masculinity to gender gaps in academic performance.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/22/men

TEST PREP, TO WHAT END? New analysis from admissions group suggests that SAT coaching improves scores, but modestly. But study also finds that modest increases make a difference at many institutions:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/20/testprep

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s current issue offers an article that’s unfortunately timely and appros. Debt Bomb is Ticking discusses an unfortunate confluence of events: higher education institutions borrowed a lot of money to build and renovate structures (including residence halls). Thanks to the lackluster economy, the value of the assets held by the institutions have plummeted, leaving the institutions with a risky debt-to-assets ratio. An unbalanced ratio may violate the terms of the institution’s agreement (or covenant) with the bond holder or bank. In these circumstances, the loaning institution can demand repayment of all or part of the loan.

As with other elements of the declining economy, the effects can cascade. The US Department of Education uses financial data to determine institutions’ eligibility for federal student aid. Some of the debt swaps institutions made to hedge against rising interest rates on their debts have now become problematic, and unless interest rates change considerably by June, these transactions will have to be labeled liabilities in year-end financial statements.

This story, provided to National Public Radio by Youth Radio, illustrates the challenges some students have when facing colleges. For some young people, college is assumed, expected and anticipated. For them, it’s a place to get away from watchful parents and a time to explore careers and interests. But for others, such as Mayra Jimenez , higher education is an opportunity and a risk not to be taken lightly. On one hand, there’s the chance to make a better life for herself and her family. On the other hand, higher education is expensive, and she fears being forced to leave school for financial reasons, without a degree.

In an uncomfortable contrast, this New York Times story points out that in order to financially assist some students, colleges and universities have to get that money from wealthier applicants whose families can pay the full cost of higher education. As a result, applicants who can pay tuition outright are given closer consideration for admission.

Hard times make for greater interest in RA positions. So says a story in the The New York Times. According to the article, applications for 30 RA positions at Seton Hall University, in South Orange, NJ, jumped to 168 this year, from 104 two years ago. Other schools the Times mentioned saw similar increases.  Of course, the compensation–often free room and board, or a combination of discounts on both–is alluring, especially to students who need to cover their own expenses.

But the housing professionals quoted in the article, including ACUHO-I’s president, Norb Dunkel, stress that the job has more long-term benefits, and these outweigh the monetary gains. Given the multiple skills and long hours, RAs earn more in problem-solving, conflict resolution and crisis management than they do in money.

The question of how to recruit and compensate RAs is often on the minds of ACUHO-I members. Discuss the topic with your colleagues in our forums.

So you’ve probably heard something about a stimulus package that Congress is concocting, and you might have also gathered that some parts of it benefit higher education, specifically renovation of facilities (not new-build) in higher education.

But how can you educate yourself on how this legislation could benefit you and take advantage of these opportunities?  First, pay attention to ACUHO-I’s announcements and e-mails in the coming weeks.  Second, check out these Web sites, which make the legalease a bit easier to digest.

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities NCEF has put together a great site on how the stimulus package affects school facilities. They neatly explain how the funds are allowed to be used.

Shovel Ready SCUP’s site’s title refers to the tight turnaround required by recipients of federal funds for renovation. Projects you wish to fund must be planned and “shovel-ready,” with only a few last-minute preparations to go. This is not the time to look for a new project. Instead, go through your list of renovation to-dos: energy-efficient windows to replace old, leaky ones; modernizing a building with new technology; or replacing an old roof. The major restrictions won’t affect residence halls much: monies cannot be used for sports facilites that charge admission or for a building in which worship services are held. The money also comes with use-it-or-lose-it time restrictions.

Keep an eye on the Chronicle of Higher Education, for stories such as this: The $7-Billion Patch for Campus Maintenance.

Also, talk to your colleagues through the ACUHO-I Social Network, and share tips and ideas on how to identify projects and get the money to make them happen.

We don’t need to tell you that it’s “that time of year.” At least in North America, the Sunday newspaper circulars are filled with ads from stores like Target and Bed Bath and Beyond touting the just right bed spreads, chairs, lamps, posters, rugs, shower caddies, and more for the college student heading out on his or her own. (And we didn’t even mention the computers, music players, televisions, etc.) Plus, plug “dorm” into the Google news alerts and you will find an endless stream of stories offering advice on what students need to bring to campus.

This time last year we saw stories about the sheer amount of stuff students bring to campus. And while we’re sure the mini-vans that drop the kids off this year will still be overflowing, the National Retail Federation reported that the struggling economy caused back-to-college spending to drop seven percent in the last year, down to an average of $599.38.

In a press release, the group explained that spending in most categories will drop or remain flat except for electronics like computers and cell phones. This year, parents will spend $151.61 on electronics purchases during the back-to-school timeframe, up from $129.24 last year.

Survey results also showed that it looked like the traditional college bookstore will suffer the greatest hit, as only 41 percent planned to buy from those stores, compared to 57 percent in 2007.

For more about move-in programs and trends, check out the cover story from the May+June 2008 issue of the Talking Stick magazine, available online in a convenient digital format.