H&D closes colleges, savings less than predicted

By Ellen Liu     1/13/11 6:00pm

Closing the residential colleges for the second year in a row in an effort to save money, Housing and Dining once again offered alternative winter housing for the 23 days of the break the colleges were closed, this time at a Holiday Inn, to any students who could not go home. Twenty-seven students, both international and regular, utilized this option. H&D estimated that utility savings alone were around $40,000. In addition, Rice did not subsidize the hotel stay this year, increasing expected savings.

Housing Operations Manager Mark Chaszar said H&D measured anticipated utility savings by using a software program called Incuity to track utilities by analyzing the history of usage from previous years while compensating for bad weather. The program allowed H&D to observe utility usage trends during the year to make an accurate prediction about money saved during winter break.

However, Chaszar noted that H&D is still calculating the actual amount saved.

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According to Contract Manager Carol Claverie, last year, H&D used the money saved from closing the residential colleges to cover a portion of the cost of subsidizing winter housing. This year, the utility savings and additional funds gained from not providing subsidies will be put to other uses.

"The savings can be spent in a number of different ways to benefit current students and those who will join the Rice community in the next several years," Claverie said.

Before finalizing the alternative housing option, H&D conducted discussions with the Student Association's Student Life Committee. Committee Chair Ben Chou said he began meeting with H&D in October and saw that the only winter lodging statement they had made was one line in a contract stating that there would be no such housing provided.

Chou, a Martel College sophomore, met with both Chaszar and Claverie to talk about the residential college closings and stayed connected with them while gathering student opinions.

Chou said that H&D had appeared strongly against subsidizing the hotel stay for those who needed alternative housing. According to a presentation about alternative winter housing Chou made at a senate meeting, H&D estimated total savings of $81,136.95 this year, including the $46,136.95 spent on subsidizing housing and the $35,000 of energy savings from last year.

Claverie said H&D had originally closed the colleges during winter break last year for three primary reasons: student safety, since fewer staff members would be on campus for support in case of an emergency, better allocation and use of funds and resources, and facilitation of maintenance without disturbing others.

Claverie mentioned several examples of improvements which were made to the colleges over the break and said that H&D will apply the savings from closing the colleges toward increasing the quality of student life through matching funds made available for student events, providing up to $5,000 of funding for ambiance projects, and supporting initiatives like campus recycling bins and the Community Gardens.

Martel freshman Meagan John, who went home for winter break, said she agreed with H&D's decision to close the colleges down to save money because the closing gave students who didn't want to go home an opportunity to explore the world during the vacation rather than just remaining at Rice. In addition, John said she approved of the winter closing because it provided more safety for any belongings left behind.

"I wouldn't have to worry that anyone who was just walking around could get into my room," John said.

After learning H&D's stance on winter housing, Chou said he investigated various other options for students staying in town over the holidays. According to Chou's research, anyone in this situation would have to pay at least $129 per night to live in a double occupancy hotel room.

The committee debated the housing issue multiple times and then formally asked H&D to negotiate with hotels to secure the cheapest price possible. H&D acted accordingly and was able to finalize a price of $49 per person per night for 23 nights or a flat rate of $626 per person for two people in a double-occupancy room. This room included two full- or queen-size beds, two televisions and a fully furnished kitchenette.

According to Chou, that price amounted to a savings of $80 per night, not including taxes.

"Our end result is a safety net for those who were not able to find a better and cheaper place to live," Chou said. "If we didn't get involved, then those students who could not get a place in time would have been left in the cold and paying thousands of dollars for a three-week stay."

Exchange student Matti Gralka stayed in the alternative housing at the Holiday Inn for a period of time because his parents had come to Houston for the holidays.

However, Gralka didn't live in the hotel for the entire break and thus did not qualify for the room-pricing plan H&D had initially instituted. However, Gralka said H&D still helped him get a double room at $45 per night, albeit without a kitchen.

Overall, Gralka said that he was appreciative of the hotel's amenities and the shuttle services and cultural activities Rice organized for those in alternative housing.

However, he said that, had his parents not come to visit, he would still have chosen to go home for the break because the cost of a flight back would have been less than the $626 spent on winter housing.

"I believe we all would have liked it more to just stay on campus and enjoy glorious servery food everyday like we are used to, but I guess that is not to be, understandably," Gralka said. "So I think that it is really nice of H&D to care about students staying in Houston for the break at all, and even striking a bargain for us."

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