Regents Approve Fees, Projects
A summer study program in Ireland, progress
on projects totaling almost $15 million, agreements with two community colleges,
and room and board increases were approved Friday by Sam Houston State University's
board of regents.
The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved the recommendations
of James F. Gaertner, Sam Houston State University president, during a regular
quarterly meeting on the campus of Southwest Texas State University.
Room rates for the 2003-2004 fall and spring semesters will increase from
4.3 percent to 7.8 percent. Beginning in the fall semester 25 of the least
expensive resident halls will be $1,056 per semester, rising to $1,696 for
the recently renovated White Hall.
Increased costs of operations, utilities, post office service, renovations
and repairs, and computer cabling of all residence life facilities were cited
as the reasons for the increases.
Meal plans were increased 2.6 percent to 2.8 percent, with a 20 meal plan
costing $1,024 per semester. The $28 increase over the current plan is the
result of cost of living increases and increased costs of operations and
inflation. Rate increases will become effective with the 2003 fall semester.
The regents also authorized SHSU to enter agreements with Blinn College
and North Harris Montgomery Community College to improve communication and
interaction between the institutions. While details with each community college
are yet to be worked out, it is expected that their students will receive
SHSU e-mail accounts and be eligible to participate in many SHSU campus activities.
Preliminary plans for an addition to the Smith-Hutson Business Building,
with an estimated cost of $8.3 million, were approved. College of Business
Administration operations are now in three different locations. The college
has grown 40 percent in the past five years and expects an additional growth
of 4 percent per year for the next 10 years.
Also approved were two projects expected to cost $2 million each--the renovation
of Jackson Shaver Hall and construction of a 5,000 square feet dining facility
on the south end of the university campus.
Jackson Shaver Hall was built in 1938 and last renovated in 1989. The building
will be out of service from the 2003 summer terms through the 2003 fall semester,
and back in use for the 2004 spring semester.
The dining facility contract was awarded to Stephen's Construction Services
of Texas City. The new facility will offer meal plans as well as franchised
fast foods on the south side of the campus, which now has no food service
facility.
The board also authorized a process in which bids could be taken and a
low bid awarded for a $1.45 million renovation project on the eight cooperative
residence halls on what is known as Sorority Hill, without a full vote of
the board. The accelerated schedule will enable the work to be done this
summer and completed in time for the 2003 fall semester.
Two smaller projects, a $600,000 renovation of the second and third floors
of the Estill Classroom Building for use by the purchasing, human resources,
registrar's and payroll offices, and $545,000 in repairs to the roofs of
five campus buildings, were also approved. The roof work will be done on
the Evans Building, Academic Buildings 1 and III, East Central Plant, and
Smith-Hutson Business Building.
The Estill project was awarded to J&M Constructing Co. of Huntsville
and the roof work to A. D. Willis Company, Inc. of Austin.
Two summer classes in Ireland will be taught by English professor and Irish
folklorist Christie Fox. The expected 10-12 students will pay $2,700 plus
tuition for 21 days in Ireland, July 9-30, and six hours of academic credit.
Fox said the class will attend seminars and study literary and cultural
history, assist with a street theatre production for the Galway Arts Festival,
and attend plays, readings, concerts and art exhibitions. Registration deadline
for the trip is April 1.
Sam Houston students this summer and next fall will also study in Mexico,
Spain, China, England, Poland and Italy.
The Texas State University System regents govern the campuses of Angelo,
Lamar, Sam Houston, Southwest Texas and Sul Ross state universities.
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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Feb. 28, 2003
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