By Kim Manahan (Whetstone Staff Writer)
Whetstone/Chochise Lucas
The more the merrier, right?
“Six person suites†will replace the “quads†on the second floor of Malmberg Hall next year.
“We wanted to make Malmberg more affordable,†said director of residence life, Kevin Hansbury.
Next year, the cost of Malmberg will go down.
Doubles will cost $7,500 rather than $8,500, and the “suites†will cost $3,250 per semester.
The suites will have three people in each room, rather than two.
Costs for the additional furniture needed to accommodate students will be about $26,000.
Zimmerman will have no price change for next year.
“We felt there should be a cost difference between Zimmerman and Malmberg,†he said.
Zimmerman has a furnished living room and a kitchen, while Malmberg has a kitchenette.
This isn’t the first time that this many students have shared a room.
In Williams and Gooding Halls, there have been six students sharing a room.
“There are some large rooms at the garden level,†Hansbury said.
Different meal plan options will also help make Malmberg more affordable, he said.
“There is a Malmberg meal plan for those eligible,†Hansbury said.
Students in Malmberg will now be eligible for a 10 meal a week plan, which will cost $1,650 a semester.
“We are adjusting the meal plans for Malmberg and Zimmerman building so that when combined with the housing costs, it doesn’t make those buildings so different than from the other traditional residence halls,†said Eric Nelson, vice president for finance.
The 19-meal-per-week plan for on-campus freshmen will cost $2,400 and the 14-meal-per-week plan will be $2,300.
“Our sole intention is to make Malmberg more affordable,†Hansbury said.
The school will not profit from this, he said. “We had to invest in the furniture.â€
This year, the more traditional dormitories Carpenter and Roe cost $5,000 for the year, while Zimmerman and Malmberg both cost $8,500.
