Room and Board Rates for 2011-12 Set by Board of Trustee Members

Quick Facts

The full cost of attendance will be decided at the June 3 board meeting when members set tuition and academic fees.

For the 2011-12 academic year, room and board rates will increase around 5 percent for traditional and suite-style residence hall rooms.

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J.P. McKee

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Winthrop University students will pay around 5 percent higher room and board rates beginning in the fall, the university’s Board of Trustees decided at their quarterly board meeting on April 15.

The full cost of attendance will be decided at the June 3 board meeting when members set tuition and academic fees. Those fees are dependent on the state budget, which has not been determined by state lawmakers.

With food costs going up, students will see meal plans increase by 8.6 percent during the next school year from $1,225 to $1,330. To help offset that, residential room rates will only increase 1.9 percent for traditional and suite-style residence hall rooms.

Federal economic reports indicate food prices soared 3.9 percent last month, the biggest gain since November 1974, which Vice President for Finance and Business J.P. McKee said led to the need for the increase. “The rapid increase in fuel costs are now being reflected in food prices, and both are expected to continue increasing in coming months,” McKee added.

Semester rates for a double room, suite style, will increase $42 to $2,230, while a double room, hall bath style, will increase $41 to $2,172. Students who chose single occupancy, suite style, will pay $84 more, or $4,438, and those in single occupancy, hall bath style, will pay $82 more, or $4,322. One-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment room fees in Roddey Apartments now will cost $1,631 and $1,019, respectively. Click here for a complete list of current room and board rates.

University officials also will add a new fee, a $25 safety charge, to help offset costs to secure the campus.

President Anthony DiGiorgio noted that campus-wide installation of almost 100 “ALERTUS” beacons that display situation alerts and specific safety instructions in times of emergencies, plus implementation of a cell phone text alert system, have all been well-received by students and parents in recent years.

“There are on-going costs associated with maintaining those general campus systems, as well as our residence hall security systems, however, and none of these costs has been or will be covered by state funding,” he said. “This fee will help ensure we continue to have the safest campus possible.”

All Winthrop first- and second-year students who aren’t living with parents within 50 miles of campus live on campus. Students will have access to different types of living/learning communities and special programming created to be “progressively developmental” for traditional-age students. The housing policy is a key part of an educational plan designed by Winthrop to help students acclimate themselves to college while developing the inter-personal skills and judgment necessary to succeed in today’s world.

In other action, the board:

• Approved the lease/purchase of $2 million in science equipment for the chemistry and biology departments to help in fulfilling the INBRE II grants for biochemistry research. Winthrop is among 10 colleges and universities in the state to receive five years of funding for SC INBRE (the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence).

• Agreed to begin a capital fundraising campaign this fall in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of the founding of Winthrop. University officials said the $50 million campaign, Distinction: The Campaign for Winthrop,” will be an appropriate milestone for celebrating the history and future of Winthrop.

• Approved international exchange agreements with the State of Rhineland-Palatinate/Rhineland Pfalz in Germany, the State of Thuringen in Germany, the State of Brandenburg in Germany, the State of Queensland in Australia, and the Province of Taiwan in Republic of China to encourage educational opportunities.

For more information, contact Rebecca Masters in the Office of the President at 803/323-2225.

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