Closure of colleges saving green

By Diane Ramirez     1/14/10 6:00pm

In keeping with its recent efforts to go green, the university has also attempted to stay in the black. The university decided to close the residential colleges over winter break with the hopes of reducing its carbon footprint with the aim of saving an estimated $100,000 in utility bills. Although Housing and Dining is in the process of computing more accurate data and numbers, it is clear that the university saved at least $35,000 by closing the colleges, Housing Operations Manager Mark Chaszar said. This figure is a preliminary number, but is expected to be much higher once all the calculations are complete.

Rice was able to cut its costs due to the fact that the residential colleges had limited power, water and air conditioning running over break. Although these utilities were not completely cut off in any college, the reduction was significant in terms of costs. But the reduction in costs is not nearly as high as it could have been, mostly due to the fact that temperatures in Houston dropped so low. Chaszar said that due to this abnormally cold weather, Rice had to keep some utilities running, such as heating and hot water circulation, to prevent damage to the university's water pipes.

During the time that the colleges closed, a total of 23 days, 69 Rice students stayed at the Holiday Inn and Suites Houston Medical Center, 1.5 miles from campus. The university subsidized costs so that each student paid $275 to stay.

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The accommodations included transportation via bus during move-in and move-out days, transportation to Target and Fiesta, and organized trips to museums and athletic events.

While the rooms had kitchenettes, a variety of meals were also provided to the students. One of the first dinners upon arriving at the hotel also included a chocolate fountain.

McMurtry College freshman Ani Ristovska, who stayed at the Holiday Inn, said that although she did not go home to Macedonia, she had an enjoyable break, mainly due to the living situation she experienced.

"The rooms were wonderful and the hotel personnel worked hard to make sure [the students] were happy," she said.

Chaszar said student safety was paramount. Also, unlike last year, there were no significant problems with vandalism or damages to the empty colleges.

Evaluating the policy in a positive light, Chaszar said that the money saved this year with the process likely means that H&D will close the colleges again next winter break.

"We had good results, we haven't received any complaints, and we have made sure [the students] were safe," he said.

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