By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Inflation’s bite is being felt in the room and board costs for incoming BGSU students.
The university’s Board of Trustees Friday (March 4) voted to raise the cost for meal plans to 4.6 percent. Because of the Falcon tuition guarantee program, these increasing will only be paid by first year students who will arrive next fall.
The bronze plan, which is the figure that the university reports to the state, will be $1,945 per semester, an $85 increase. All plans are rising at the same 4.6 percent rate.
Chief Financial Officer Sheri Stoll said during the Financial Affairs and Facilities Committee meeting Friday morning that it’s the highest increase in her 15 years at BGSU. This contrasts with three of the last nine years when the cost of a meal plan did not increase.
That was done “in order to be affordable and give us some competitive advantages,” she said.
“Now along comes inflation, and it’s coming pretty hard, hitting food costs and commodity prices,” she said. “The price of a pound of bacon is ridiculous, and college students eat a lot of bacon.”
Trustees Drew Forhan and Ava Harter questioned Stoll on whether that increase is enough to account for inflation.
“The increase is the maximum we’re permitted to propose,” she responded.
As people do at home, she said, Chartwells is adjusting menu options to try to “keep a lid” on costs.
Chartwells is also exploring using robotics for some food prep tasks to address labor costs.
The university’s food provider also makes a point of sourcing its fresh produce from 60-75 miles away. That helps keep the transportation costs down, Stoll said.
The trustees also approved an increase in room rates, again for incoming students.
On average the rates will go up 2.3 percent over what students who entered in fall, 2021 are paying. The cost of rooms varies depending on occupancy and amenities.
The cost of a standard double, which is the rate reported to the state, will be $3,180 per semester, an increase of $95, or 3 percent. The most expensive room is a super single which will cost $4,450 a semester, a $50 or 1.1 percent increase.
Both residence halls and dining services are auxiliary operations and must be self-sufficient. They are not subsidized by the general fund.
The increases will not change BGSU’s ranking as the fifth least expensive of the state universities, and least expensive among the four corner universities that include University Akron, Kent State, and Ohio University as well as BGSU.
“We work so hard to make sure that Bowling Green that is in totality a real value proposition,” she said. “It is a balancing act.”
Trustees also approved increases in special course fees.
Most of these fees, Stoll said, are “pass-through” fees going to outside entities that provide software, exams, and additional instruction.
Running them through the bursar, she said, is a convenience to students and it allows them to use scholarship money to pay for them.
Most of the fees are for the aviation program and go to the BG Flight Center operated by North Star Aviation. Those include the cost of flight instruction.
The number of fees is “limited,” Stoll said.
