Year 1996-97

A meeting of the Faculty, Staff and Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Regents was held on Thursday, June 12, 1997, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 300, Morrill Hall.

Regents present: Patricia Spence, presiding; Robert Bergland, William Hogan, David Metzen, H. Bryan Neel, and Michael O'Keefe.

Staff present: Chancellor David Johnson; Provost W. Phillips Shively; Senior Vice President Marvin Marshak; Vice President McKinley Boston; and Executive Director Steven Bosacker.

Student Representatives present: Karl Thorson and Andrew Toftey.

Senior Vice President Marshak reviewed the Senior Vice President's Report which was included in the docket, and noted the following:

The appointment of William Robert Bucker as Dean of the School of Fine Arts, University of Minnesota, Duluth.

The committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Senior Vice President's Report.

Senior Vice President Marshak and Provost Shively presented information on the current status of residential academic program initiatives.

Shively noted that 70% of freshmen at the Twin Cities campus live in a residential hall or belong to a residential program. The residential academic programs vary, but the common theme is to provide an enriched program for all first-year students. Integrating academic programs into residential life creates bonds to the campus and a sense of community. Studies have shown that residential life on campus positively affects students' academic success.

In response to a question from Regent Neel, Marshak stated that residential housing has tremendous advantages for first-year students because there is a feeling of community. Most students coming to the University have never shared a room with a sibling and they are used to a certain amount of isolation. While first-year students may feel that they are the only ones going through particular problems, living in a residence hall with students going through the same situations help them to realize that they are not alone.

Marshak explained that the success of these programs results in a tremendous demand of students wanting to live in the residence halls. Because the University's Office of Housing and Residential Life has a guarantee of residential housing for all incoming freshmen who request it, Marshak projects a shortage of housing again this fall. Marshak reminded the committee that in 1995, several University students were placed in campus-area motels until residence hall space became available. Marshak asked for continued support of the housing guarantee noting that the problem is usually resolved in the first week or two of classes as a percentage of students who were registered do not show up or end up leaving.

In response to a question from Regent Metzen, Marshak stated that future plans to increase housing facilities on campus include the South Mall project beginning next spring, which will add 500 more bed spaces at an estimated cost of $20 million.

Vice President Boston presented information on the status of the University's off-campus housing. Boston was joined by Mary Ann Ryan, Director of the Office of Housing and Residential Life; June Nobbe, Director of the Campus Involvement Center; Sue Pilarski, Manager of Off-Campus Housing; Bill Dane, University Student Legal Services; and Ann O'Loughlin, Institutional Relations.

Ryan stated that 70% of freshman are housed in the University's eight residence halls, but the majority of students live off campus. The results of a University housing market study show that the most important factors in the selection of housing were convenience of location to campus and affordability.

Pilarski stated that the housing office annually serves approximately 15,000 students, staff and faculty looking for off-campus housing. Of the 15,000, approximately half are first-time users. The housing office receives 3,000 - 5,000 listings of rental vacancies per year. The housing office's income is generated by charging landlords a fee to list with them. Students are not charged to use this service. Properties that are not up to code are not knowingly listed. The housing office works with the Office of Community and State Relations, the city inspections office, the Office of Student Legal Services, and additionally, they rely on students to inform them when properties are in disrepair.

Dane stated that the office of student legal services is a student fee-funded operation. The staff of five full-time attorneys and two legal assistants spends approximately 25% of time devoted to housing matters. A tenant resource guide has been developed to prepare students before they go out to rent property. One of the office's goals is to litigate aggressively on housing code issues.

Nobbe stated that there are 11 sororities and 21 fraternities that have houses near campus. A common misperception is that these houses are a part of the University. The houses are privately owned and the maintenance and upkeep is dependent upon the individual fraternity and sorority housing corporations. In the past few years membership has declined for fraternities and sororities which has had an impact on their ability to raise revenue to keep the properties maintained. President Hasselmo has established a Greek Council to look at recruitment and housing maintenance issues.

O'Loughlin stated that the University works with neighborhood groups and the housing task forces put in place by the neighborhood revitalization program. Issues concerning neighborhoods that directly surround the campus include absentee landlords, transit, traffic, and safety.

Regent O'Keefe noted the importance of preserving the vitality of University neighborhoods, and suggested that the institution's urban planners be involved. O'Loughlin stated that the graduate students from the College of Architecture will be doing a study of the University corridor in the fall quarter.

Before adjourning, Chair Spence acknowledged that this would be the last committee meeting for Student Representatives Thorson and Toftey. Spence also thanked Senior Vice President Marshak for his service to the University and his leadership with the Faculty, Staff and Student Affairs Committee.

The meeting adjourned at 11:44 a.m.

STEVEN BOSACKER

Executive Director and

Corporate Secretary