The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents today set room and board rates effective with the fall 2020 semester.

The Regents approved an average room and board rate increase of 1.94%. Dr. Debbie Below, vice president for enrollment management and student success, noted that room and board rate increases have averaged just 1.9% over the past five years.

Room Rates

The room rate increase for FY21will help fund annual operating expenses while holding room rate increases to a minimum, she said. To contain costs for students, double occupancy room rates for six of Southeasts nine residence halls will remain steady. These include LaFerla, Merick, Myers, Towers North, Towers West and Vandiver. Students living in the Kenneth and Jeanine Dobbins River Campus Center, Towers East, Towers South and Group/Greek Housing will experience a modest increase.

In addition, beginning next fall, both Towers East and Towers South will offer single rooms, which continue to be an attractive option for students. The rates approved today reflect an adjustment to the rate for single rooms in these two buildings to bring these rates in line with rooms with similar features in other residence halls. Private room rates are 1.5 times the rate of a double-occupancy room, Below said. She notes that additional private rooms will be available to new and continuing students through the housing system.

Funding facility maintenance and repair will remain a priority in the coming year, she said, and safety issues will continue to be prioritized. This summer, the Towers East fire alarm system will be updated, and the Towers North and West elevators will be upgraded. The Towers South fire alarm system was updated last summer. These improvements were identified as the two most critical safety needs in a Residence Life facility audit completed in July 2016, Below said.

Board Rates

Meanwhile, the board rate increase will be used to offset operational expenses associated with the Universitys dining contract with Chartwells Educational Dining Services and expenses incurred by the University to maintain dining facilities and equipment. Southeast offers a number of dining facilities, including Starbucks, Subway, Panda Express, Redhawk Market, Towers Caf, Rowdys, Scully Caf, Skylight Terrace, St. Vincent Commons and Houck Place, among others.

We are fortunate to have outstanding dining facilities at Southeast that offer a wide variety of options and meal plans for all students, Below said.

Students can choose between eight traditional meal plans, including four classic and four premium plans, and a block plan.

For more information regarding on-campus living at Southeast, visit semo.edu/residencelife or call (573) 651-2274.

The full FY21 room and board rate schedule is available at https://semo.edu/residencelife/halls/index.html.