<p>Just returned from a program at Michigan. It was great, but found out a rather disturbing piece of information.</p>
<p>The adcom stated that, due to renovations being done on various dorms over the next 10 years, they are unable to guarantee housing to incoming freshman. The adcom said chances are very high that you will get housing, but they just can't guarantee it.</p>
<p>While listening to this announcement, I picked up the Detroit paper and read a front page story about the $260MM renovation to Michigan Stadium.</p>
<p>Hey, here's an idea. How about spending some of that money on dorms?</p>
<p>CCRunner: This is not a policy for this year. I doubt it's a policy for ANY year, but this would not effect you in any way as a freshman. Waitlist or not. </p>
<p>Speaking more generally, unless the Director of Housing makes that statement, I wouldn't believe it. </p>
<p>I don't have a crystal ball for the next 10 years, but honestly, it sounds like crap to me. I'm sorry to contradict the adcom, but this doesn't sound like accurate information. U-M has a lot of housing capacity. If they got so squeezed for room, they'd push out upperclassmen before they'd start denying housing to freshmen. They wouldn't want to do that, but I think they would if it came to that. There are a lot of reasons why Michigan wants its freshmen on campus and if they're going to change that policy I think it would happen on the Regent level of decision-making.</p>
<p>As for the stadium renovation, and using some of that money for dorms, it would be hard to imagine the Athletics Dept building a residence hall unless it was for athletes only. I am not sure how good a policy that would be. My point is, the Stadium is on the athletics budget--which is self-funding (including their capital projects). The stadium will funded by through private donations and Athletic Department resources, primarily the revenues generated by the new seating. The paper got the number a bit off--it's about $226 million, last thing the Regents saw.</p>
<p>Did the adcom talk about the North Quad project? I am not sure how much coverage it's gotten in the Detroit paper you were reading, but that will represent brand-new residence hall space.</p>
<p>Unfortunately most reporters and the public think all of a college's money is in one big pot they can use any way they wish. State schools hear this all the time-"if you can spend XXXX on XXXX you don't need more funding from the state.</p>
<p>"I don't have a crystal ball for the next 10 years, but honestly, it sounds like crap to me"</p>
<p>If you think so, call the housing office. They will tell you that it is now their "policy" not to guarantee housing to incoming freshman. They did talk about the North Quad project, but they stated that due to rooms taken off line for renovation over the next ten years, there would be no additional capacity even with the addition of North Quad.</p>
<p>With regard to the Athletics Department being self-funded, I agree. I was just trying to be a facetious, which is sometimes difficult in a forum - at least for me. It just highligts my one beef with Michigan, the sacred cow that is football. Maybe a major fund raising effort could be made to build dorms, just like it was for skyboxes. But that's really more a function of ease in raising money for football and difficulty in raising money for academics. It says quite a bit about our societal priorities.</p>
<p>Dorms like other revenue producers are self-funding--the fees go to payoff the construction and operation of the dorms. It usually comes down to estimating future demand. In some years dorms went unfilled at some schools and that makes paying off the bonds a problem. These days more kids seem to prefer dorms so they are over-filled. Tomorrow who knows.</p>
<p>I agree that dorms operate on their own budget, but I would not exactly call them "self-funding". At least at Michigan, there is no "set aside" in the incoming dorm revenues to fund future construction. This construction is usually funded via bonds floated to the general public. These bonds are supported by the full faith and credit of the University as a whole and, therefore, compete with other projects which require bonds floated by the University.</p>
<p>Unless you have specfic data for Michigan to the contrary, I really don't think it's a supply/demand issue.</p>
<p>There has been a recognized shortage of housing at Michigan for decades and there has been a lottery for rooms for many years. In addition, off-site housing is extremely expensive.</p>
<p>The last new residence hall built at Michigan was in 1968 (Bursley).</p>
<p>It's just not been a priority to the University to build additional room capacity.</p>
<p>The new North Quad had been pushed back to 2010, which probably means 2011, 12 or 13.</p>
<p>Hoedown- I, too, was recently told by senior admissions counselor that effective immediately, UM does NOT guarantee housing to incoming freshman!!! You really should talk to admissions if you doubt this...we have all been told of this new policy. I have no doubt that it is, in fact, true. On a "positive" note, the adcoms have been told that should dorm rooms fill, there will be housing staff to assist with alternative housing for next year's freshman.</p>
<p>Well, in order for Michigan to have more rooms available for freshmen, they have to renovate in order to keep their dorms safe and up to date. They're renovating MoJo this year and definitely have the plans for a future North Quad. They are trying to make it so that all freshman can remain on campus so there isn't a reason to start yelling foul yet. They probably just stated that so that they won't be in the wrong if (heaven forbid) something does happen where they can no longer offer housing to all incoming freshmen. Heck, Dance Marathon made a similar statement at the beginning of this year because they weren't sure if they would be able to house all of the potential dancers in the IM Building. However, they (thankfully) ended up not having to do a lottery at all, and everyone who raised at least $250 dollars for the pediatric rehabilitation programs at Mott and Beaument Hospitals could dance. The Housing Office may never have to take up the lottery at all in the end.</p>
<p>Regarding the lottery system... It's not really a lottery in the true sense. Basically, if you want a room in your same dorm the following year, you sign up at the main desk in the dorm. The earlier you sign up, the higher your chance is of getting the room that you want. For my dorm, names were drawn in packs of fifty. The first fifty names would be drawn together first, then the next fifty names, and down the line. The created list of names from these groups would make the order in which people would be able to choose the room that they wanted. However, if you want to keep your same room, you can pretty much have it. If you want to switch dorms, you need to register with that dorm's front desk, but you'll lose preference for being a returning "dormer." I'm in one of the smallest dorms on Central Campus, was approximately the 20th name or so on that list, and still ended up getting a single for next year.</p>
<p>Two comments:
1. My son just accepted a place from the wait list. To put it mildly, he and we will be shocked if UMich were to say: "find a place off campus." To live off campus would be a terrible way to start school for a freshman.
2. This year should be the easiest year in recent memory to house freshman. In prior years, they wanted 5,200 and got around 6,000 yesses. Now, they have gone to the wait list, so there should not a problem having enough housing. </p>
<p>Let's hope this is all hypothetical and they do, indeed, house all freshman.</p>
<p>Remarkable. I will ask admissions, although I think Housing are the people to talk to. </p>
<p>There are a number of reasons this would surprise me. Beyond the actual numbers of housing supply (which aren't overly problematic--even with renovations we can accommodate a normal class) I cannot imagine why, why, why, Michigan would ever want to contemplate pushing 17- and 18-year olds into the Ann Arbor off-campus rental system, having to negotiate contracts with landlords, etc. They talk a lot about the "residential life" system and what those support services have to offer freshmen. This is a major departure from U priorities. Two years ago the incoming housing director noted ""The University has an historic and unwavering commitment to house all first-year students in on-campus housing."</p>
<p>Admittedly they're going to be in tough shape when it comes time to renovate a hall as big as Markley or West Quad, but there are ways to do it that still house all freshmen.</p>
<p>I'll be interested to hear more about this.</p>
<p>I honestly dont really care. The dorm rooms are ridiculously small anyway. IF they kick the freshmen out, they have to arrange some kinda approved reasonable priced appartments for us. </p>
<p>I got my housing app in a long time ago...so it probably won't affect me.</p>
<p>It's like a message board law--the more confident and vociferous you are, the most likely you are going to have to eat crow. I'm floored by this news.</p>
<p>But new frosh this year should rest easy. </p>
<p>I may be wrong about this new policy for the future (I remain grumpy about it, think it's a bad move, and an alarmist thing to tell students calling now, and wonder at what level these conversations have taken place, but I digress....) but, for all that, I feel confident about Fall 2006. </p>
<p>Re-up from upperclassmen for next fall was lighter than expected, and as of last week they had more than enough room for the freshman class that has been planned for. Even with MoJo renovations being underway. Even with students being accepted off the waitlist (who are, after all, designed to meet the numbers that have been planned for all along).</p>
<p>SB you are correct, Mich is one of the few state U's that can issue its own GO bonds. Most public and private schools do revenue bonds for such facilities as they are somewaht easier to do and allowed by more states. Nevertheless I doubt they would issue bonds without a close analysis of the revenue from the dorms given how pinched UM is these days. There's probably a good reason no dorms were built in nearly 40 years.</p>
<p>I'm not aware of any change in Michigan's guarantee to house freshmen. At one time, there was a debate about a guarantee only for those students who got housing application in by some date in May - but this was not implemented to my knowledge. In any case, there will be plenty of room in the dorms this fall. Last year, there were 600 more freshmen than anticipated - and all freshmen were accomodated. This year, there are 600 fewer freshmen than last year, and a 480 bed hall is coming offline. So...as you can see, there's plenty of room. There is a lottery for freshmen who apply by a certain date -- and then after that, it's first come, first served.</p>
<p>Oh - relating to the money discussion - the dorms are self-funding - like the athletic department. Building a dorm in Ann Arbor is very expensive, as is renovating a building like MoJo. There will be quite a bit of activity in terms of fixing up and building dorms and dining halls for the next five years. There is lots more work to do but, as far as I understand, no money past these first five years. Need to find a Steven Ross for dorms.</p>
<p>"All new freshman are highly likely to receive space in the residence halls provided deadlines in the "Application and Room Overview Guidelines" are followed. On-campus housing is not guaranteed beyond the first year for incoming freshman, although the possibility of returning is very high."</p>
<p>I emailed the Housing Department and got the following response. Now do you believe it?</p>
<p>"It is true that we do not guarantee housing to incoming freshmen but it is highly likely that there will be housing available. As long as you commit to the University early and submit the housing form early, there should not be a problem."</p>
<p>Carle</p>
<p>Carle F. Svitil
Asst. to the Communications Director
Public Affairs & Information
Asst. to Off-Campus Housing Advisor
University of Michigan
University Housing
1011 SAB
515 E. Jefferson St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316
734-763-3168 or 3205</p>
<p>Yeah, I believed it after several of you said they were all saying it! I was (and remain) stunned. Good thing I'm gifted at crow-eating.</p>
<p>What I (still) can't believe is that there hasn't been some discussion of this on any of the several committees I'd normally expect to hash this over. They musta run it up some other flagpole.</p>
<p>I believe they have, in the past, denied or threaten to deny housing to new freshmen who sat on their contacts way past deadlines, or who applied very late under unusual circumstances. But to tell students who haven't even applied yet, who are still considering the U, that it's no longer guaranteed (even with the assurances that this probably won't be an issue)....it's a pretty big change!</p>