PHOTO: The Daily Barometer "Renters Guide 2016" Apr. 15, 2016 -- this is the annual, special 24-page issue of the Oregon State University student newspaper that features advertisements for many of the rental properties in Corvallis, Oregon, along with a few articles by students giving their opinions of how to survive finding housing in a town with a very low vacancy rate during the school year. Perhaps I overlooked it due to my low vision blindness, but I was surprised that this year there was no mention of Oregon's antidiscrimination in housing laws, or any references to housing for gay students in the dorms. Hopefully, some student will write on this topic next year. The typical student apartment costs about $500 to $600 per bedroom per month, or about $5,000 per 9-month school year, not including any food. Most students view this as much cheaper than the dorm costs mentioned on p. 5 and 19. A dorm room and meals for the nine-month school year will cost, for example, $11,103 next year, compared with $1500 in 1975 for the best room on campus. Clearly, this increase has outpaced inflation.
See previous posts:
- OSU co-ed versus gender inclusive dorms today (8/2/11)
- OSU mixed gender dorms *4/6/08)
- OSU gender-inclusive dorms (2/17/07)
- OSU digital library, Steven Leider, Larry Roper, Diversity Alliance, Bloss Hall costs (3/26/11)
- OSU costs outpace inflation due to Republican tax cuts (4/18/11) -- includes a copy of Thomas Kraemer, "Letter: Students are being short-changed compared to a generation ago," Gazette-Times, Apr. 18, 2011
- OSU Pride Center board - OSU costs outpace inflation (4/6/11)
One issue with student housing is the party nuisance problem: See the following recent coverage of how this is being handled at Oregon State University:
- Jim Day, "OSU, city to add 5 officers in party crackdown," gazettetimes.com posted Apr. 12, 2016
- Sean Bassinger, "Forum: We cannot afford this," Barometer, Apr. 13, 2016, p. 7 posted online as "Students, university cannot afford instant police, trooper increase plan" - a student's editorial response in the student newspaper doesn't get it. The future value of his degree is enhanced by OSU maintaining its serious student reputation and his current educational opportunities are enhanced if students are able to live amongst the faculty and staff -- this won't happen if they are driven out of town because living conditions become so bad due to student misconduct
- Riley Youngman, "Strategic advances: 5 new community officers, Osu paying $2 million over next four years, City of Corvallis paying $400 thounsand," Barometer, Apr. 13, 2016, posted online as "OSU implementing new strategies promoting education, enforcement, accountability"
- James Day, "The ups and downs of city-OSU relations," gazettetimes.com posted Apr. 16, 2016
Finally, on a totally unrelated note, see the articles by Bennett Hall, "Norovirus cases waning at OSU, not spreading off campus," gazettetimes.com posted Apr. 15, 2016 and Cheyenne Lever, "Norovirus cases on the decline at OSU," Barometer, Apr. 18, 2016, p. 3 -- I was out only once and I got infected and suffered for a week!
