At Thursday’s Board of Regents meeting, the Regents approved the residence hall room and board rates for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Students living in residence halls will pay an average of 3.9 percent more for student housing next year than in the 2008-2009 school year.

E. Royster Harper, the vice president of the Office of Student Affairs, said that a 3.9-percent increase in room and board rates translates to an increase of approximately $334 a year per student for a double room with a standard meal plan.

The room and board rates are comprised of a projected increase in operating expenses and for the upkeep and repair of residential facilities for current and future students.

Operating expenses, like higher costs for utilities, food supplies and employee benefits, are responsible for a 1.9-percent increase. The upkeep and repair of residential facilities for current and future students, coined as the Residential Life Initiatives, will cost 2 percent more this year, leading to the total 3.9-percent increase.

The RLI, which is the Division of Student Affairs’ master planning process for student housing and dining, was established in 2003 and includes renovations such as upgraded fire alarm and suppression systems throughout residence halls, technology improvements and replacing deficient facilities infrastructure — electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation systems.

University President Mary Sue Coleman said that the increase in room and board rates is unavoidable due to the increasing cost of maintaining residence hall facilities each year.

“If you’re going to pay people and you’re going to have increases in your supplies, which you always do, and in your food costs, which you always do, then you have to manage that some way or you reduce the quality, lower services for students and lower food value for students, which I don’t think is a good bet,” she said. “We did a very good job, I think, of balancing all of those needs and coming up with those increases.”

Coleman added that she thought the cost increase was reasonable in a time when the most of the residence halls are in need of infrastructure renovation.

“I’m pretty comfortable with (the room and board rate increase) and I think we’ve done a very good job with trying to manage costs at a time when we’re trying to update some of our worst halls,” Coleman said. “We haven’t done a lot in the last 35 years, except for life safety, and so I think students are going to get a good value for their money.”

The University recently completed the renovation of Mosher-Jordan and the Hill Dining Center, which cost approximately $65.1 million, and is underway with the renovation of Stockwell, valued at about $39.6 million. In addition, the University is building North Quad, located at South State Street and East Washington Street, and has approved plans to start the renovation of Couzens Hall.

Coleman also said that the cost increase will go into a financial aid package for the cost of attendance so that students who need financial aid will be able to have room and board as part of their entire cost of attendance.

Residents of Northwood Community Apartments will pay an average increase of 1.9 percent more than last year for monthly rent, which represents an increase of approximately $21 a month for an unfurnished two bedroom unit, according to Harper.

The 1.9-percent increase for Northwood Community Apartments covers the projected general costs for maintaining the apartments for the 2009-2010 academic year.

University Housing developed the room and board rate increases for the 2009-2010 academic year in collaboration with the Residence Halls Association, the Northwood Community Apartments Rate Review Committees and University administrative staff.