The room-and-board operations across Iowa’s public universities lost tens of millions over the last year due to refunds, enrollment drops, contract cancellations and new expenses propelled by the pandemic, according to a new Board of Regents report cataloging the residence hall system woes and outlook.Although the universities expect some rebound, officials aren’t projecting a complete return to pre-COVID-19 norms, prompting changes across the campuses — including more single rooms, amped up efforts to keep second- and third-year students in campus housing and shuttered some residence halls.Iowa State University, for one, plans to temporarily closing four residence halls next academic year — eliminating 1,832 beds and saving $2.5 million.“If we tried to occupy all buildings for fall 2021, we would be projecting about 3,000 vacancies across the system and at least a $2 million shortfall,” according to a recent ISU update.At the University of Iowa, “refunds issued in spring 2020, the reduced occupancy of academic year 2020-21, the cancellation of summer camps and conferences for summer 2020 and likely summer 2021, the inability to cater events, and the closures/reduced volumes in the retail dining operations have all combined to deplete the residence system’s once-healthy reserve balances.”Dorm occupancy rates in fall 2020 dipped from 94 to 78 percent at the UI, amounting to 1,115 fewer students or 18 percent under the previous year.Rates fell from 94 to 82 percent at ISU, which reported 1,799 fewer students, a 17 percent drop.
Comment on Dorms at Iowa universities lose tens of million in pandemic
Vanessa Miller, The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)
Sun, 02/21/2021 - 9:04pm
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