Living in dorm will cost more at UNLV

Jennifer Knight

Friday, March 21, 2003 | 9:47 a.m.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas students will pay more to live on campus next semester under a new plan approved by the Board of Regents Thursday.

The cost to live in a dormitory will go up 25 percent starting in fall 2003. A typical meal plan will also rise 36 percent. Health fees are also set to increase slightly as well, causing a total of $820 more in additional costs for students each semester.

Regents approved the fee hikes 9-2 during their meeting in Carson City. Regents Steve Sisolak and Linda Howard disagreed with the increases. Regent Mark Alden was absent and Regent Tom Kirkpatrick abstained.

"I think a $1,000 a semester increase for people that are going back to school this September is outrageous," Sisolak said. "This is an enormous amount for me."

University officials said dormitory costs had to be raised to replenish a depleted reserve account typically used to pay for repairs or buy new equipment and furniture.

UNLV has almost depleted its reserve account because fees have not kept with repair costs and other expenses, Sisolak said.

"We should have had regular increases, but somebody dropped the ball," Sisolak said. "They are essentially making next year's students pay for the seniors that are graduating and didn't pay the fees they should have paid."

Other regents said they were reluctant to raise the fees but agreed to them out of necessity.

"It was the only way we could get the thing to work out," Regent Howard Rosenberg said. "You need a certain amount of money so that dorms are operating properly. Kids are awful hard on dorms."

Next semester:

Those increases are on top of a planned 9 percent tuition increase that will raise the cost of a credit hour to $85.

Regents did, however, hold off on a proposed student fee increase from $58 in 2003 to $155 in $2006.