FOCUS: High Rise Robbery?

Residential Living offersResidential Living offersthe most expensive housingResidential Living offersthe most expensive housingof all Ivy League institutions. Everyone knows the University's basketball and football teams are at the top of the Ivy League, but the University beats its Ivy brethren hands down in another area as well -- the cost of living on campus. With the Department of Residential Living's recent efforts to recruit more students to live on campus, the department has boasted reasonable rents for the residences, announcing a zero percent increase in average rent between last year and this one. But, in actuality, the University charges higher rents for on-campus residences than any other Ivy League school. Although each university uses different factors for determining rent, the average rents charged by the seven other Ivy League schools are lower than those charged at the University. And because the University is in session for the least amount of days per year, the rent differences are even more dramatic. But Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said the University's housing system itself, along with the multitude of services offered, makes living on campus well-worth the price and incomparable to other Ivy League schools. This year, the University's average rent is approximately $4,580 -- or almost $30 per day. Coming in at a close second, Dartmouth College's average rent for 1995-1996 is $4,536, or just over $20 per day. Unlike the University, which charges various prices depending on the size, building and contents of available rooms, other members of the Ivy League use different pricing criteria. And at the University, rents are based on the total expenditures of Residential Living. Other Ivy League schools may pay for their residences and residential services with money from other sources, University officials have said. According to Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta, Residential Living's entire budget is covered by rent fees. "That's what makes us fair," Moneta said. "We don't hide some of the costs of residences and there is no dispute about what goes into the rent and where that money is." The University's rent prices may be higher than other schools because they must go toward more services and costs, he added. Moneta said 20 percent of Residential Living's budget is devoted to "debt service." When residences are built, money is borrowed. The "debt service" section of the budget goes toward paying those debts. Another 10 percent of the budget goes toward paying Allied Security Inc. for 24-hour security service in each residence, Moneta added. Both of these examples may not apply to every Ivy League School, he said. Princeton University has the least expensive average rent in the Ivy League -- one generic price of $2,790. Princeton also has two co-ops that charge $2,850. On average, Princeton's rent is approximately $13 per day. Despite the University's comparatively high cost of living, Simeone said she has never compared rent costs with her other Ivy League colleagues, adding that peer institution costs should not be true factors in analyzing the University's rents. "It's our goal to keep our rents as low as possible for our students," she said. "I would be very surprised if we made those decisions based on what other institutions [do]." Last week, Simeone attended an annual conference of housing directors from every Ivy League school and Stanford University. There, she said, administrators discuss programming, services and the physical housing structures. "We deliberately do not discuss [rents] when we meet," she said. "We never, ever, ever talk about rents." Simeone said she and other Ivy League administrators do make other comparisons with regard to residences. Discussion with her colleagues is particularly helpful, Simeone said, when considering the 21st Century Undergraduate Education Initiative and its affect on residences, possible college house plans and technology. "It's very, very useful for me to talk with our peer institutions about issues our students are facing and programs being offered," she said. "But we have to make budget decisions based on our situation here at Penn and I am not sure how useful it would be to talk in depth with other schools [about rents]." Although Simeone said comparing Ivy League institutions is analogous to comparing "apples and oranges," she did offer several reasons as to why the University's on-campus housing is the most expensive in the Ivy League. She cited the twenty-four hour security at every entrance to every residence as a main reason for high rent fees. Allied Security Inc. adds a "very high cost," Simeone said, adding that some schools do not have guards at every entrance of every residence. Only Columbia University has an equivalent system to the University's, with guards stationed at every residential entrance 24 hours a day. But the average cost of rent at Columbia is significantly lower than at the University. Dartmouth has roving guards who walk through every floor of every residence four times a night. Harvard University has security guards stationed in each residence during the night and early morning. Every other Ivy League school has some form of residential security that does not involve guards. ResNet access and general programming, services and facilities are also areas in which the University excels above the other schools, Simeone said. ResNet, which provides cable television access and Internet connections, has made the University "more advanced than most of the others," Simeone said. Although other schools cannot boast the same features as the University, they generally have some of the same room types and choices as the University does. Harvard's average rent is $3,510 -- $15 per day. Like at the University, its prices vary depending on the number of people in the room. Choices range from singles to quads. Although representatives from Columbia's housing office could not pinpoint an exact average rent, they said prices ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 -- an approximate average of $3,500. Since Columbia is in session for 207 days, students pay $16 per day. Located in the crime-ridden environs of New York City, Columbia's environment is most similar to the University's. Columbia also employs constant security guards in the residences, and has surrounding city conditions that resemble the University's. Some of the University's Ivy League counterparts have yet to publish rent information for the 1995-1996 school year. According to on-campus housing representatives from these schools, however, the prices from the 1994-1995 year would increase by 5 percent at the most -- allowing for the calculation of the highest possible 1995-1996 totals. Several Ivy League officials said the percentage could be much lower than this figure, however. But using the percentage as a guideline, the University still comes out as the most expensive landlord. Cornell University has varying prices based on many more factors than the University uses, including location, room arrangement, recreational information, faculty programs and facility information. Cornell's average rent for last year was $3,806. A five percent increase would bring that figure to $3,996. Per day, Cornell students would pay almost $18. Some residences at Cornell charge an additional yearly program fee ranging from $25 to $40. "We do work on the assumption that there is a lot of value to living on campus," said Margaret Dwyer, the manager of Cornell's Housing Department. "We provide many services and that's where the cost is." Last year, Yale University charged a generic rent of $3,470. The five percent increase brings this cost to almost $3,644, or $18 per day. Unlike its peer institutions, however, Yale also requires those students living on campus to contract with its Dining Services. Last year, this added $3,040 to each of the resident's expenditures. For the 1994-1995 academic year, Brown University charged an average price of $3,574. Increasing that number by 5 percent would bring rent to $3,753, or $18 per day. Despite these numbers, Simeone said students should simply look at the University's multitude of housing options instead of other school's prices. "Our housing stock is very different from the other Ivies," Simeone said. "It would be very unusual for other Ivies to have apartments like we have in the High Rises because they have more traditional residences. "Some of the amenities we offer would be different at Penn than at other schools," she added. But some University students said these "perks" do not make living on campus worth the money. "I don't think it's worth it at all," Wharton sophomore Joyce Fung said. "I get ResNet and I guess safety, but not much else. "I have friends living off campus who also have cable TV and pay less," the High Rise North resident added. Administrators said the general environment of a school and its surroundings contributes to the cost of rent for on-campus residences. "You pay for what you get," Moneta said, adding that labor costs are high in this area and are another contributing factor to the University's comparatively high rents. And Fung said apartments in the area -- both on-campus and off-campus -- "are quite expensive," adding that this could contribute to the "really expensive" rents offered by Residential Living. Simeone and Moneta said Residential Living will continue to keep rents as low as possible, while attempting to provide the best services possible. Within this mission, however, the University's peer institutions do not and will not play a role.