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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1981)
y ' the Ten :fy in that will 'ted pub] Monday, ace a min >nal tax re- s and coin- ocal each e problem e the prob tution/'lif testified his depart. :ep crimii. eblemdir- UK I aptivity- am A. Gal’ Colo., in ob, 43, if onal Com ifficer, re- month ad e Midwest ashingtoi ipke,23,ii( rmmunica- s another ry McKee! lata Nasal was tve to said ^rook- press US ehran ed on at 65 tie me out o ary assign red. Hei irementin aeen, embas? rased afi* t was lata sclerosis- ) London . v V. Sidt o.,l<"' U iay retu™ ^ niarri^ consider his days® rift, 39, •( politic ishingto®. jutalist® itten” “ ngtosei maU- th, 38, assy po"' n the If* ith Loicf viand. Southed return [ a tour 700 eac Local THE BATTALION TUESDAY, APRIL 7. 1981 Page 5 Spring brings flowers, new apartments, more costs By DENISE RICHTER Battalion StafT A spring ritual at Texas A&M University has started again — de ciding where to live next semester. But before making a definite decision, students should be aware of all of the costs involved in both on- and off-campus housing. The obvious expenses involved include a dorm room and board fee or apartment rent. But other costs aren’t as obvious. Texas A&M students who live in dormitories next fall face a 20 percent increase in room rates, making the average cost of a dor mitory room $488 a semester or $122 a month. But off-campus students also face increases. According to fi gures supplied by the Off Campus Center, the average apartment rate will increase 12.9 percent in the fall. With this increase, the average cost of a one-bedroom fur nished apartment will be $277 a month, according to a center brochure. However, because off-campus housing costs are computed per unit as opposed to on-campus housing which is computed per person, the cost of living off cam pus will vary according to the number of apartment occupants. For example, with one roommate, the one-bedroom furnished apart ment would cost $138.50 a month per person. The increase in dormitory rates was recommended by the Com mittee for Academic Campuses last week and approved by the System Board of Regents. In a story published in The Bat talion last week, Howard Vestal, vice president for business affairs, was reported as saying that the dormitory increase can be attri buted to salary increases for resi dence halls’ staff and higher utili ties. Similarly, the 12.9 percent in crease in the average cost of apart ments is due to inflation and the rising cost of utilities, Louann Schulze, off-campus adviser, said. Board rates will increase 8.9 percent in the fall, from $462 to $503 for the five-day plan and $517 to $563 for the seven-day plan. Estimated living costs Housing Food Telephone—local service Telephone — long distance hook-up Telephone — Deposit Cable—TV and FM On-campus (per month) $122.00 $126.00 $7.92 (Fall, 1980) $5 N/A Commons $3.75 Others $2.63 Parking permit Activity fee Refrigerator rental (One semester) $3.75 (Two semester) $3.37 $1.90 (2 cu. ft.) $6.78 (3 cu. ft.) $8.07 Off-campus (per month) $138.50 Varies; students can expect a 12% increase next year. $8.65 N/A Varies $4.00 $3.75 $3.37 N/A N/A This makes the cost of food $126 a month for students on the five-day plan and $141 a month for the seven-day plan. There is no way to determine the average cost of food for off- campus students because they can economize by changing their eat ing habits. However, the U. S. Depart ment of Agriculture is predicting a 12 percent increase in the cost of food from September 1980 to Sep tember 1981, Carl Anderson, an economist with the agricultural economics department, said. Other fees will eat up more money. The University is billed by General Telephone of the Southwest for local telephone ser vice for on-campus students. This charge is passed on to students through room rates. There will be a 58.4 percent increase in this rate next fall, from $5 to $7.92, Bill Erwin, GTE division manager, said. This will be the first increase in this rate since 1967, he said. It now costs $20 for an on- campus student to get long dis tance service. Erwin predicted that this rate will decrease in the fall but said it would be impossible to give the exact rate until the statewide rate increase request is approved by the Public Utilities Commission. GTE filed this re quest Jan. 23. Off-campus students now pay $8.65 a month for local service plus an instrument charge for a one-party residence telephone. It is impossible to tell whether this rate will increase until the PUG rate case is settled, Erwin said. Off-campus telephone deposits are another factor students should consider. However, the deposits are based on local service and tolls and are not quoted until a service application is filled out, Lois Koontz, GTE customer service representative, said. Since de posits may differ, it is impossible to forecast an across-the-board in crease, she said. But television rates should stay about the same. Cathy Pledger, Community Cablevision office su pervisor, said cable hook-up rates for on- and off-campus students will not change. Cable rates for Commons resi dents will be $10 a semester for television or FM radio, or $15 for both while all other dorm resi dents will pay $5.50 for television or FM radio or $10.50 for both. On-campus students who want Home Box Office, a pay-television service that shows movies, variety shows, specials and sporting events, will pay $27 a semester plus a $25 refundable deposit. Cable rates for off-campus stu dents will be $4 a month for televi sion and FM radio and $6 a month for HBO. Both on- and off-campus stu dents face the same cost if they wish to park a car on campus at any time. But there will be no increase in the cost of parking permits next fall, Col. Thomas Parsons, dire ctor of University traffic and security, said. The rates will be: one semester — $15, two- semesters — $27 and for the en tire year — $36. However, there will be a 5 per cent increase in the cost of shuttle bus passes, from $38 to $40 for an individual student and $55 to $58 for a student and spouse. Other optional expenses facing dorm residents include activity fees and the cost of renting a re frigerator for the room. The average activity fee is $15 for two semesters. Payment of this fee entitles the resident to partici pate in any dorm-sponsored activity. Refrigerator rental rates are not expected to rise, Renee Ver- maelen, manager of University Refrigerators, said. Current rates are: two-cubic-foot refrigerator — $27.15, three-cubic-foot refriger ator — $32.30. Other expenses for off-campus students include the cost of laun dry services and the amount of gas used commuting to and from the campus if they do not ride the shuttle bus. However, these ex penses will vary for each student and it is impossible to determine the rate of increase. Peanl'a. fyiUn jbevel&piiKf. by Fox 1 day service on color rolls brought in by 1:00 p.m. 3837 Old College Rd. Monday-THlirS. across from the Triangle Bowi- S ^ ^,7« APRIL 8 LENTEN SERVICE 11:15-10:50 ALL FAITHS CHAPEL HOLY COMMUNION Michael Miller, UCM Campus Pastor Presbyterians — UCC — Disciples ACCOUNTING MAJORS GAAP IS HERE! Sponsored by Accounting Society and Beta Alpha Psi Greater Annual Accountant’s Playday ~ (and banquet) Thursday April 16, 1981 Events 5-K RUN TENNIS GOLF Students, compete with professors and professionals! Reception Awards Banquet Dance following More information available at the Ac counting Department at the Old Hospital Building. Tickets are on sale from 9:00 - 1:00 everyday. "COMPROMISING CTHICS IN COUCGC SPORTS" Don Devine Former Athletic Director, Notre Dome University Jock Gallagher Houston Post Sportsujritor Steve Morgan SUJC NCflR Representative 8:00 p.m. Wednesday Opril 8 Rudder Ruditorium $1.00 A&M Students, $1.50 Non-Students Tickets at MSC Box Office