EVERETT, Wash. – The Washington State University Board of Regents approved increases in the student housing and dining rates, effective this fall, and granted a conservation easement designed to aid in the development of an environmental field station near Olympia.
The Regents considered the measures during their regularly scheduled March meeting at the WSU Everett campus Friday.
Housing and Dining
The new rates are for the Pullman campus and are not to exceed 2.3 percent for residence halls and 2 percent for apartments. Using the weighted average of a double room and a mid‑tier level 2 dining plan, a 2.3 percent increase amounts to $259.
In a memo to the board, Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Jo Gonzales said the increases were unanimously approved by the Housing and Dining Advisory Board, which has representatives from the Resident Hall Association and the two major student associations, as well as representatives of the Budget Office, Finance & Administration, and Student Affairs.
“The rate recommendations increases are based upon student input, economic projections and system demands,” Gonzales wrote.
Conservation easement
In other action, the Regents granted a conservation easement to the Capitol Land Trust to aid in the creation of an environmental field station on WSU property at Meyer’s Point near Olympia. The easement will let the trust protect the conservation values of the 95‑acre site’s terrestrial, wetland and aquatic habitats. WSU, meanwhile, will retain the rights to make some improvements, including a new building, while elevating the Meyer family’s 1990 bequest to promote environmental education, research and arts.
In a memo to the Regents, Vice President for Finance and Administration Stacy Pearson said the trust will likely pay the University more than $500,000 for the easement.
Over the years, WSU has used the site for studies of shoreline native plants, marine invertebrates, butterflies, salt marshes and birds, water quality and ecosystem restoration, but mostly in uncoordinated, stand‑alone projects. With funding from the National Science Foundation, WSU plans to make the facility a regional environmental field station focused on studying Puget Sound’s fast‑changing urban/rural interface.
Media contact:
- Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communications, 509‑335‑4742, phil.weiler@wsu.edu
