Administrators have finalized plans to partially compensate students who may be put at a financial disadvantage under the new undergraduate residential life plan. However, some students say greater compensation is needed.
Currently, the University only awards enough housing financial aid to pay for a non-air-conditioned double. Next year, when all sophomores will live on West Campus, those who receive financial aid and block with their freshman-year dormmates in air-conditioned West Campus housing will be given an additional $846. The change is intended to remove financial disincentives to living in linked housing.
"If a student is a need-based aid recipient and is moved without recourse into an air-conditioned room on West Campus, then their financial aid will reflect that additional cost," said Jim Belvin, director of financial aid. "We're trying to be supportive of this [residential plan], and I think this well help a lot."
Still, some students think the University could do more to ease the transition to the new housing plan, under which students, beginning with the Class of 2004, must also live on campus for a total of three years. About 185 sophomores this year live in Central Campus apartments, which under next year's proposed housing rates will cost $798 less than a non-air-conditioned double. Students have also pointed to the higher costs of meal plans and parking on West as burdens those who would choose Central or off-campus housing for financial reasons.
"If you want financial aid students on West, you need to provide something that's affordable to them cost-wise," said junior Sam Hummel, who organized a meeting on the issue last week that drew about 20 students. "There should be incentives to move students to West."
It is unclear exactly how many students will have their finances significantly affected by the new requirements, but the number could be as high as 100, said Sean Young, Duke Student Government residential life liaison. He and fellow senior Vik Devisetty, Campus Council president, said they are working with the administration to find potential solutions.
Belvin and other administrators noted, however, that West housing will still be fully covered for eligible students.
The University provides students enough aid to pay for a non-air-conditioned double, and so choosing a Central apartment has allowed students to keep leftover money in both housing and meal subsidies. Although Hummel and other students said such money is worth allotting to students, administrators said it is contrary to the idea of financial aid.
"The low-cost option is not an issue in the financial aid award. What we do is provide a standard aid allowance," Belvin said. "The student aid budget is designed to cover cost. It is not designed for students to make money, if you will."
He also noted that parking costs are not covered under financial aid at all.
In the short term, administrators reiterated that the three-year on-campus requirement will be loosely enforced with the Class of 2004 and more strictly enforced thereafter. They still have not determined how to ensure that students comply, said Bill Burig, assistant dean of student development.
Beyond next year, administrators said they are considering plans to equalize costs for all residence halls so that students can choose rooms without regard to price. Whether such a plan would include Central will be determined by conversations with students over the next several months, said Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs.
"Our long-range plan is to revisit our pricing system to make it more consistent with financial aid needs," Moneta said. "People should decide where they want to live based on the quality of the programming and not necessarily the price."
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