Brokk Nyberg
Staff Writer
Residence life is something that almost every student has to go through when they first arrive at college. For some people, this can be one of the best experiences of their life. Students are given an opportunity to meet other students, get involved with campus activities and all together submerge themselves within the atmosphere of your school.
For others, however, life in the dorms can feel like more of a burden than a benefit. This feeling of distaste with residence life is often amplified when the hefty and mandatory, costs of room and board are added onto the bill.
Some students noticed the presence of an HBO Go membership made available to students as a part of their mandatory fees, but they did not know why.
“We are at about 95 percent occupancy, with 40 percent of students also being a part of a [Freshman Interest Group (FIG)],” said Rian Rabideau, associate director of Residence Life and Residence Education at the UW.
Freshman interest groups are small freshman ensembles that bring together students with similar majors living in the dorms with the intent of offering those students a place to expand their interests and seek collective academic support.
“Room costs cover not only the cost of renting out a dorm room, but also the costs of maintenance, custodial services, and utilities.The HBO Go membership comes in a bundle as part of the University’s agreement with DirecTV,” Rabideau said.
While this explained where the membership came from, it conjured yet another question from some students. Some students believe the memberships are worth the extra costs, but others have claimed they would rather not add onto their near $500,000 cost for cable in the dorms. With fewer and fewer students tuning into cable television, it seems as though this particular utility may be more of a drain on student funding than an entertainment outlet.
Rian said he was open to making changes with the utilities made available to students. He said he would soon be presenting a survey to students asking them what they would like to see incorporated as part of their campus experience. For those currently living, or who will continue to live in the dorms, students can take the time to take the survey so they’re voices may be heard.
