By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Bowling Green State University set the room rates and dining charges for the incoming class of Falcons, Friday.
Those students, and any juniors and seniors who still live in residence halls, will pay on average 2.5 percent more than students paid this year. The cost of a standard double room, the rate that must be reported to the state, is going up 2.8 percent.
The lowest charge will be for a standard double in a Tier 1 residence hall (Kreischer, Kohl, and McDonald) will be $2,945 per semester.
The most expensive would be super single, or one occupant in a double room, in a Tier 3 residence hall (Centennial, Falcon Heights, Greek Village, or apartments) at $4,230. There will be no increase in Greek Village parlor fees assessed fraternity and sorority members who do not live in the village. Residence halls are categorized based on amenities.
The cost of meal plans will increase 1.5 percent for the incoming class. A basic Bronze food plan will be $1,745 a semester, or an increase of $1.67 a week.
These increases, said Sheri Stoll chief financial officer, will keep BGSU as the fifth least expensive of the state’s pubic four-year institutions, with an estimated total annual cost of $20,388.
The incoming class will be the second covered by the Falcon Tuition Guarantee. Under that system, students are guaranteed that their costs will in large part stay the same for four years.
The university is allowed to raise certain course fees that pay for an enhancement that adds value to the class or materials, Stoll explained. Those include, for example, certain lab materials in forensic science course.
The university is also allowed to pass along increases in fees paid by students to third party providers. Those pass-through charges are billed through the university so students can pay them with financial aid money, Stoll said.
The largest of those fees are in the aviation program where students pay thousands for various flight instruction.
The university’s first winter session was declared a success with 1,062 students, 983 of them undergraduates, taking classes on campus, online and abroad. Online was the most popular.
Seniors were most likely to take courses, followed by juniors. Only 66 first year students took courses.
Trustee Marilyn Eisele related that in talking with students she heard concerns about having to pay for room and board being a deterrent for some first and second year students participating in Winter Session. Older students largely live off-campus, so they incur minimal additional living expenses if they take classes on campus.
Provost Joe Whitehead said the administration is looking into that matter.
Only 229 undergraduates took face-to-face classes.
Enrollment was on target for what the university expected. Whitehead said given it was the first winter session “we were pleasantly surprised that we had such good participation.”
President Rodney Rogers said the session offered students a chance to take course to get ahead, catch up, or enhance their studies.
This year 45 percent of enrolled students took classes to get ahead, while 28 percent took courses, including traveling abroad, to enhance their experiences, and 27 percent took courses to catch up.
John Fischer, who was acting provost when the winter session was planned, said there was some discussion over what classes could be fit into the three-week semester.
One success, he said, was with Math Emporium offerings.
The study abroad opportunities were a strong point, and even more are being planned for next year.
Rogers said based on the experience of another Ohio university that has a winter session, BGSU could look to having 30 percent of its students involved. That will take several years to accomplish.
