Bollinger: More residence halls needed

By Lisa Hoffman

Daily Staff Reporter

University President Lee Bollinger spoke to the faculty Senate Assembly yesterday about connecting the University to other universities, to the non-educational sector and to itself.

In effort to contribute to the intellectual environment, Bollinger brought up possible advancements in the undergraduate experience, including upgrading residence halls.

The University has not built a residence hall since 1969, despite the growing number of students and escalating off-campus housing prices that force upperclass students to live further away from campus.

"It would contribute to the intellectual environment" to have upperclass students live on campus, Bollinger said. "We benefit from having a close proximate relation."

The housing refurbishing and construction is estimated to be a decade-long project.

"We need a better framework to resolve a number of issues that have evolved," Bollinger said, including keeping the cost of higher education down.

The average tuition rate for an education of this university's quality is $20,000, Bollinger said, but the University only charges $6,000 for in-state tuition.

"I believe that what the state gets is an incredible bargain," Bollinger said.

Last year, the University's average in-state tuition increase was 3.3 percent, which helped make the lowest four-year average increase in decades.

"The increase is just keeping with inflation," LSA junior Jay Champley said. "We do have a higher tuition than other Big Ten schools, but I don't see it as outrageous for how much is offered here."

The number of research endowments, research awards and private fundraising also continues to rise as the University prepares for another capital campaign.

"It is the best organizational structure we know of for people who care about higher education," Bollinger said.

Following a weekend of fueled rivalry between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, Bollinger reminded faculty, "We must take a more cooperative stand with other universities, especially MSU."

With the yearly state appropriations to the University for the Life Science Corridor totaling $50 million for the next 20 years, Bollinger said he hopes to work together with other universities involved, including Michigan State and Wayne State.

"We need to combine all of our strengths and complement each other," Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs member John Gobetti said. "Some things we can do better, some things they can do better. It's a waste of money."

The Life Science Corridor is the third section to the life sciences component being added to the University, which includes the Life Sciences Institute and the Life Sciences Initiative.

"The money should not be used simply for non-peer reviewed science," Bollinger said, stressing LSI's goals for team research and teaching. "That is the main thing we don't want."

Along with a cooperative alliance with other universities, Bollinger said he hopes the Life Sciences Institute will provide a great intellectual life for the University community and undergraduate teaching.

"A lot of time, I think undergraduate students feel left out of the loop," Gobetti said. "We need to integrate the whole campus into life sciences."