In her first meeting as interim president, Lou Anna Simon and the MSU Board of Trustees met Friday to discuss new housing rates, the stadium seating scholarship program and changes to academic programs.
Starting in the fall, on-campus housing costs will increase by 6 percent for double room residents with 15 meals a week. The increase will shift costs from $4932 to $5230 for the 2003-2004 academic year.
The added 6 percent will aid University Housing with inflation costs, maintenance fees, Internet and bus services, said Charles Gagliano, assistant vice president for University Housing and Food Services.
"(The increase) guarantees other students won't see peaks as specific maintenance projects occur," he said, adding there are plans to renovate Snyder and Phillips halls as well as add a seventh dorm to the Brody Complex. These projects are scheduled to begin sometime between 2004-2006.
Even with the increase, MSU housing rates are still the lowest among Michigan's universities, as well as in the Big Ten.
The board also approved the scholarship seating plan, which would allow the Athletics Department to pay for $6 million worth of scholarships per year.
Athletics Director Ron Mason said the program allows football patrons to contribute to the Ralph Young Fund when tickets are purchased. The program will start in the fall of 2004.
The board also addressed changes in academic programs. A new name will grace the diplomas of students in the Department of Telecommunication. The board approved a memorandum changing the name to the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media. The change is effective in July.
"The consensus was we had modified our curriculum but not our name," said Dean James Spaniolo. "It didn't reflect what we're teaching and what our research is."
Spaniolo said students in the program were receptive to the name change because it better describes the wide range of issues and topics studied in the department.
The Department of American Thought and Language also modified its name. It will return under the new title Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures.
Undergraduate students can now major in professional writing or American studies in the department.
"This brings stature and significance to this writing program," Simon said.
