Posted on: Monday, April 22, 2002

EDITORIAL
New UH dorms fees must stay 'at home'

It's almost certain that the new dormitory room rates being imposed at the University of Hawai'i will generate some protest from students at Manoa and Hilo.

And the complaints will be understandable. A large percentage of UH students are working to pay part or all of their college costs. So any increase in housing expenses will come right out of their pockets.

But looked at from a larger perspective, the increases (between 15 and 20 percent over the next three years) appear reasonable. Hilo's dorm rates have not changed since 1996 while Manoa's have been steady since 1998.

The new rates appear comparable with what is charged at Mainland public universities such as the University of Colorado, the University of Wyoming, Washington State University and the like.

There may be some better "bargains" out there, but there are also similar schools that charge considerably more.

What must not happen in all this, however, is any move to use dorm charges as a way of shoring up the university's overall budget.

UH says the extra money will be used for improvements and higher utility and personnel costs.

One high priority must be to bring the dormitories up to 21st-century standards when it comes to communication facilities, particularly the Internet. College campuses are becoming increasingly "wired" these days, and UH cannot afford to fall behind the pace. And wiring a campus with abundant broadband access for communication and research cannot be restricted to classrooms and labs.

The dorms must be part of that picture.

If Manoa and Hilo expect to evolve into more of a true, 24-hour academic community, then these kinds of improvement are essential.