Housing at Florida Gulf
Coast University
Lyndsey Barna, Jennifer Jernigan,
Katie Johnson, Levi Pancake, Andrea Voss
Overview of Presentation
• Why we chose this topic
– Issues and Survey
• Video
• Past
– What Housing was like before this year
• Present
– Waiting List
– Student’s Perspective
– Economics of Housing
• Future
– South Campus Housing
– Master Plan
• Conclusion
• Solutions
The Issues
• Overpopulation of Housing in August 2006
• High cost for on-campus living
• Population vs. beds next year?
Housing Survey
• Interviewed 100 students at FGCU
• 44% said Housing was overcrowded
– All Juniors or Above
• All said they liked Apartment-Style Living
• 62% said Housing was Affordable
The Past
North Lake Village
1998-2005
The Early Stages
• Plans to build a new university on a 760-acre
piece of land were started in 1991*
• In 1996, FGCU set aside approximately 10 acres
for housing and another 22 acres for future oncampus housing
• The need for on-campus housing was due to:
• The nearest colleges, USF and FIU, were some 150miles
away
• 18-25-year-olds are one of the fastest growing age groups in
SWFL
• Housing at FGCU would attract students who want to leave
home but remain in the area
Where would the Residence Halls
go?
• Two locations were proposed
– The parcel adjacent to the lakefront
– The parcel southeast of the academic core
• Option #1 was chosen; campus broke ground on
December 17, 1997
• August 1998, Phase I of housing completed:
– 6 buildings (A, B, C, D, E, F)
– 250 beds
– 200 students to live in Phase I
What style of housing?
• FGCU wanted to build a community in
both classroom and living arrangements*
• Apartment-style housing, “would allow for
the adaptation to be new freedom of
college living with the responsibility of
cooking and housekeeping. Additionally, it
promotes group interaction and
supervision by the residence life” (FGCU
Housing Proposal).
Phases I-VII and beyond…
• By 2000, Phases I and II were completed:
– “538 beds, representing approximately 15% of the Year
2000-2001 headcount enrollment (3,666 students)”
(Master Plan, 2000-2010).
• Phases III (M, N, O) – completed in 2001
• Phase IV (P) – completed in 2002
• Phase V (S, T, Honors) – completed in 2003
• Phase VI (Cypress, Oak, Mangrove) – completed in 2004
• Phase VII (Falcon, Sandpiper, Pelican, Egret) – completed in
2005
• Today, North Lake Village consists of Phases I-VII, with over
1900 students as residents.
• As the pattern continues, FGCU will again break ground to
expand its need for more on-campus housing.
FGCU Master Plan for OnCampus Housing
Background
2000-2010 Campus Master Plan
•
Introduction
–
Review and
comparison of other
universities
•
8.6%
Opening year
10 years
2008
20 years
2018
Projected head
count
1800
8100
16200
Total beds at
8.6% headcount
155 beds
697 beds
1393 beds
Current Conditions
2005-2015 Campus Master Plan
Projected Housing Need
Year
Projected
enrollment
Total on campus
housing need
Increment
2006-2007
8,237
1958 existing beds
2008-2009
10,986
2637
678
2010-2011
13,274
3186
549
2015-2016
18,017
4324
1138
Percentage of other university
housing
• Florida Atlantic University
Students: 26,000
Beds in housing: 1400
% of students being housed: 5%
• University of South Florida
Students: 41,392
Beds in housing: 4100
% of students being housed: 9%
The Present
North Lake Village
2006-2007
Housing Mission:
“To provide students with a successful oncampus living/learning residential
experience.”
Housing Styles
• Single Bedroom
Apartment
–
–
–
–
–
–
4 Residents
4 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
Living Room
Kitchen
$2355 per Semester
• Double Bedroom
Apartment
–
–
–
–
–
–
4 Residents
2 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
Living Room
Kitchen
$1955 per Semester
Current Housing Options
•
•
•
•
Regular
Honors Building
Wellness Hall
Nursing Hall
Waiting List?
• 500 person waiting list in
Fall 2006
– Largest in School History
– Many Upset Students 
• What was done about it?
– Release contract with
current students
– Let waiting list student
know other options
– No Show Roster
What Makes On-Campus Living
Successful?
•
•
•
•
•
Programming
Apartment Style Living
Hiring Well-Trained Staff
Convenient and No Where Else to Live
Tram System
From interview with Sholando Campbell
Economics of FGCU Student Housing
• Economics aspect of
housing is a complicated
process
• Housing does not work
alone- many people involved
• Students believe housing
fees are too expensive and
housing makes huge profit
• Many payments and
expenses housing is
responsible for
• Housing goal is to provide a
comfortable and safe living
environment
Economics of FGCU Student Housing
• Housing receives no funding from the university or from
the state (considered an auxiliary)
• Housing must rely on other sources for money
• Borrows money from a Finance Corporation, which is a
nonprofit company
• This corporation uses investors to provide large amounts
of money to housing
• Money is used to build residential halls and help them
operate along with other expenses
• Housing will eventually have to pay the Corporation back
plus interest using the revenue made
• A payment schedule is set up where big portions of the
loan are paid for example every two years
Overview of Expenses
17%
34%
5%
3%
Operating
Account
Debt Service
Maintenance
Reserve
Overhead
Capitol
Improvement
41%
Overview of Expenses
1.
Operating Account: most important part; has many pools
that need to be taken care of financially
•
Full time staff pool & temporary staff pool: pays all housing
•
•
•
•
employees and includes income, retirement, social security, benefits,
etc.
Supply & event pool: pays for equipment that needs funding for
maintenance of the apartments like tools, parts & supplies; also pays
for materials used in housing programs or events
Chargeback pool: pays the university back for services they perform
for housing like telephone lines
Utilities pool: pays for all the bills that keep housing up and running,
for example electricity, light, internet connections, etc.
Travel pool: finances air fare or travel expenses for any housing
employees that are required to take trips to conferences or anything
else job related
Overview of Expenses
2.
3.
4.
5.
Debt Service: largest portion of the pie; responsible for
paying the mortgage of the residential halls and is used to
pay back the Finance Corporation
Capitol Improvement: is used to fix any minor
problems that occur with any of the residential halls like
paint jobs, new furniture, wall repair, lighting, etc.
Overhead: pays for services that are not handled by
housing directly like providing additional money to the
income of campus police officers
Maintenance Reserve: resembles a bank account where
money is put away and saved for emergency situations
like hurricane damage
Increasing Rental Rates
Year
Single Double
Room Room
1998-1999
$1,937
$1,604
1999-2000
$1,937
$1,604
2000-2001
$2,000
$1,650
2001-2002
$2,000
$1,650
2002-2003
$2,100
$1,700
2003-2004
$2,100
$1,700
2004-2005
$2,200
$1,800
2005-2006
$2,200
$1,800
2006-2007
$2,345
$1,919
• Every two years housing costs
are increased
• Completely necessary due to
inflation and competition
between other neighboring
universities
• Increase number of bed spaces
 increase operating prices
(directly proportional)
• Operating expenses direct
whether or not housing fees will
be increased
• Additional revenue is not
pocketed by housing – goes
directly to operating account
Increases in Operating Expenses
2003-2004
(Actual)
2004-2005
(Actual)
Capacity
1378
1662
% increase from
previous year
N/A
20.10%
Electric
$379,427.56
$522,668.93
Electric
Per bed space
$275.35
$314.48
Water/Sewage
$143,066.39
$208,125.34
Water/Sewage
Per bed space
$103.82
$125.23
Garbage Removal
$41,486.65
$55,323.08
Garbage Removal
Per bed space
$30.11
$33.28
Rental Rate Comparisons
Institution
Occupancy
2005-2006 Rates
UNF
Double
$1,555
UWF
Single
$2,270
Double
$1,955
UF
Single
$2,182
FGCU
Single
$2,210
Double
$1,810
Single
$2,458
Double
$1,880
FSU
Single
$2,470
UCF
Single
$2,525
FIU
Single
$3,162
Double
$2,028
USF
Rental Rate Comparisons
FGCU
9-month
contract
Coastal Village
9-month
contract
College Club
9-month
contract
Rent
$4,400
$5,400
$5,310
Nonrefundable
Fees
$20 (RHA)
$185
$250
Housing increases are necessary because if they were to dip into
other sections of the pie to help pay for the increasing operating
expenses, there wouldn’t be enough money for emergencies or for
the mortgage since it was used for something else
The Future
South Lake Village
South Campus Housing
• Developed in 2 - 3 years
• After Completion – Between 3,000 and 5,000
Beds
• Suite Style
– 4 Residents
– 4 Bedrooms
– No Living Room or Kitchen Area
• Desire for a Strong Upper Classman Population
Southern District of Campus
•
Single Suites
–
–
•
4-6 students sharing bathroom and living space
May be targeted towards sophomores and incoming transfer students
but will be available to everyone.
First Year experience halls
–
Single occupancy bedrooms and semi-private bathrooms (1:4 ratio)
but will be without living room area.
Proposed Phasing of Southeast
District of campus
Year
Beds Added
Housing Type
Total Campus
Housing
Capacity
Fall 2008
600
Single suites
2,558
Fall 2010
600
First Year
3,158
Fall 2012
600
Single Suites
3,758
Fall 2014
600
First Year
4, 358
Fall 2009 Dining Center Phase 1
Fall 2013 Dining Center Phase 2
• http://www.fgcu.edu/MasterPlan/Files/FGC
U2005CMPdiagrams2-1.pdf
So what really is the issue?
• Lack of Knowledge
• False Assumptions
• Hearsay
So what can we do?
1. Research the growth of Florida Gulf Coast
2. Ask the questions and find answers:
http://studentservices.fgcu.edu/Housing/
Dr. Pam Schreiber – Director of Housing
Anita Spohr, Office Manager
E-mail: aspohr@fgcu.edu
3. Attend or join RHA
What is RHA?
“RHA is the Resident Housing Association
comprised of the students who live
in North Lake Village at Florida Gulf Coast
University. RHA is funded separately through
housing fees that allow the organization to
develop social, educational, and leadership programs
for residents opening
doors to infinite opportunities.”
http://rhaclub.fgcu.edu/RHA%20Rap.MPG
References
•
•
•
•
Comprehensive Campus Master Plan, 2000-2010: Data Inventory and
Facility Needs
Analysis (Vol. 1). (December 2000). Florida Gulf
Coast University.
Florida Gulf Coast University Student Residences Groundbreaking
Ceremony. (December 1997). Moments in History.
McKinney, Charles. (September 1994). Student Housing: A Discussion
Paper.
Student Residence Project: Request for Proposal 97P-006. (November
1996). Florida
Gulf Coast University.
•
Andrade, Andres. Personal Interview. 23 Oct. 2006.
•
Campbell, Sholondo. Personal Interview. 20 Sep. 2006.
FGCU Master Plan 2005-2015