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Various
living arrangements offered
By
Michelle Spalter
Daily Forty-Niner
The
decision of whether to live in the dorms
or in an apartment is a difficult one for
Cal State Long Beach, as both options have
their own pros and cons.
The
dorms are a wonderful place to live if you
want a very social living situation and
if you want to continuously be on campus.
The dorms are oriented towards students
who are very involved with school activities
and for students who want to get to know
more of their peers.
However,
according to Stan Olin, Director of housing
and residential life, the prices for the
dorms are increasing.
"Prices
go up gradually over the years, it happens
with everything," Olin said. "This
is a very large increase, we tried to keep
it low when tuition was rising, but we couldn't
keep it any longer."
This
summer, the price for the dorms is rising
again. It will be $6,255 per semester, which
is a $600 increase from last year, Olin
said. This past year, each payment went
up by $10, which is small compared to the
$90 that the payments are rising this year.
"Due
to government changes this year, we have
an extra $750,000 worth of expenses that
we didn't have in past years," Olin
said.
There
are many reasons why prices had to be raised,
but according to students, the dorms are
getting too expensive for what they include.
On campus housing offers many features for
its residents. The utilities that are provided
include cable television and internet, electricity,
trash, maintenance and water. Also $1,900
of the overall price to live in the dorms
is for food.
Resident
assistants and dorm coordinators continuously
plan events throughout the eight months
that school is in session. Some of these
events include movie nights and going to
theme parks and musicals. These events are
optional for all residents to attend. A
ten dollar "social fee" is included
in the overall price for the dorms and allows
the staff to provide these extra events.
"Each
year we charge enough so that we make a
little extra money. This allows us to continue
maintenance on our facilities and to do
projects over the breaks," Olin said.
This
overall price does not include those residents
who choose to stay in their rooms over winter
or spring break. Winter break is an extra
charge of $150 with a "no guest policy"
due to the lack of security during the holidays
and does not include food. Spring break
is an extra $90 again with a "no guest
policy" and also does not include food.
"The
payments cover the 32 weeks of instruction
and do not include breaks," Olin said.
So,
although it appears to some students that
they are paying twice in the same month
to spend their spring break in the dorms,
they actually have not paid for the break
time yet.
Telephone
service and parking are a couple of things
that are not included in the cost of living
in the dorms. Those residents who drive
first purchase a parking permit for the
school and then housing will issue them
a resident permit, which will allow them
to leave their car overnight in assigned
parking lots. These resident permits are
not valid during the day.
For
students that choose to live in apartments,
each apartment facility has its own leasing
program. Some offer one year leases or monthly
leases, and some offer individual leasing
if the prospective resident does not have
roommates and does not want to live alone.
Depending
upon the facility, the utilities that are
included will differ. The Bay Crest Apartments,
located off of Ximeno, can provide all utilities
for an extra $50. "In addition to the
utilities, we also offer an internet lab
in the clubhouse with free internet access
and a fitness center," said Sarah Tatum,
agent for Bay Crest Apartments.
Bay
Crest Apartments also offer individual leases,
which is an option for residents who can't
afford their own apartment and want to share
a room.
These apartments run $375 for an individual
room, $999 for a one-bedroom apartment,
and $1,325 for a two-bedroom apartment.
Approximately 80 percent of residents are
students at CSULB.
A
little further away from campus are the
Ocean Breeze Villas, located off of Warner
and Edwards in Huntington Beach. These apartments
include gas, water and trash. Two parking
spots are given for each apartment. "We
have about 60 percent college students living
in our facilities," said Kim Eastbourn,
agent for the Huntington Villas.
Apartments
at the Huntington Villas vary from $1,025
to $1,075 for a one bedroom, $1,175 to $1,250
for a two-bedroom and $1,600- to $1,650
for a three-bedroom.
The
Ocean Breeze Villas, however, do not provide
electric, phone and cable. The Bay Crest
Apartments can provide all utilities for
an extra $50 per month.
"I really like how convenient the dorms
are, but aside from that, there really aren't
many reasons to live on campus more than
one year," said Jineane Moore, a former
dorm resident.
Many
residents feel that living on campus is
a good idea for freshman or students new
to the area.
"I
definitely wouldn't know as many people
as I do now if I had not moved into the
dorms," Moore said. "In fact,
the two girls I'm moving into an apartment
with I met in the dorms."
Many
CSULB students live in apartments around
Long Beach and in surrounding areas. Some
of the beach cities that surround the campus
are rumored to have very expensive property.
Although this is true for some areas, there
are apartments to be found that are not
outrageous.
"I
pay $412 a month and I have my own room
in a three bedroom townhouse in Huntington
Beach," said Sean Emery, a CSULB graduate.
"That amount doesn't include food,
electric and cable, but even with those
extra costs, my monthly payment doesn't
come close to the $710 to $790 that the
dorms charge."
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