Angi Olson

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 7:16 p.m.

I would gladly take a shoe-box with a mattress if tuition were more affordable. When so many people are struggling in this economy, aestheitcs should not be a priority.

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 5:02 p.m.

Love all of the carping about the money being spent. Of course, in a state that is ground zero for the economic downturn, that $400 million has put to work construction workers who would not otherwise be employed. It has kept afloat construction companies and suppliers who otherwise likely would be struggling. And all of that spending has filtered down to the community in terms of money spent at local businesses, homes bought or (more likely) not going into foreclosure, etc..... hut hut's comment above is dead on: Contrary to teapartyist nonsense, this is a perfect example of how the the government creates jobs. As for the comments about the homeless shelter being short money: Sorry--that's not the U's problem. It is clear to me that the U does not pay its fair share to the city for the services it uses, but that is a different issue. Good Night and Good Luck

Steve

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 4:31 p.m.

In general renovating is going to be more expensive than building new. That would be especially true of buildings as old and out of date as many of these buildings are. The point is, comparing cost of a new build to cost of a rennovation is essentially comparing apples to oranges. @AAgradstudent Couldn't let this one go. You are not impressed with the quality of your education, yet you have managed to put in 7 years worth of time at the U. If it's so substandard why are you still there? Surely there are other graduate schools in the country.

Suzi

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 4:14 p.m.

Who knew taking away lunch trays would be this beneficial..

Plubius

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.

Did anyone stop and read the actual dollar amounts spent? These numbers are staggering. UM has spent half a BILLION dollars on, not building but simply, renovating dorms. Has anyone asked, for example, how this level of spending compares to the Varsity high rise which will be able to house more than 400 people?

A2comments

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 12:40 p.m.

After visiting many schools in 2004 with our son, it was very clear that U of M's student housing was vastly inferior to most other schools. Our son lived for two years in Markley, and our younger son lived for one year in Markley, and now resides in Couzens. The renovated Couzens is markedly better than Markley was. If nothing else, brand new clean mattresses that are plastic wrapped for cleanliness (and with one side marked firm and the other less firm). Central heating and cooling instead of radiators belching heat most of the year. Clean carpets, renovated bathrooms, all very nice. Elevator lights of course didn't work on move-in. Also, the new Hill dining facility "Marketplace" is much nicer than what existed prior, although it wasn't designed to go trayless which seems a big miss as the U goes trayless and finds itself having to modify facilities including Marketplace. These improvements are long, long overdue. I cannot comment on whether the projects are done in an economical way, or who gets awarded the work, but the outcome is good, the timing is done well (they close after school ends in April and open a year later before school starts).

cinnabar7071

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 12:16 p.m.

The masses get to pay for the U, while only the weathy get an education from the U. We need to defund the U until the average Joe tax payer can afford an education there.

Stuart Brown

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 6:29 a.m.

This spending is grotesque! How many palms are being greased with these contracts? How much of this money will end up in overseas accounts? Somebody is raiding the cookie jar right under the public's noses and nobody is saying no. The Regents are asleep at the switch or worse, in on the con. The grifters running UofM must be in hog heaven. Compare the cost of UofM's rehabs with the current cost of the private luxury housing currently being built around the UofM campus; UofM spends way more to rehab than what the private developers are spending to build new per bed. When UofM built North Quad, the cost of the building was $485/sq-ft; private developers are spending around $200/sq-ft to build luxury dorms in Ann Arbor. The annual cost of undergraduate housing at UofM has well exceeded inflation in the last 29 years. Compare the cost of a dorm room in 1982 with the cost of ICC co-op housing then and now. The dorm's inflation rate runs at well above the CPI inflation rate while the ICC's cost increases are in line with CPI inflation; why? This money is public money which is being squandered. UofM penny pinches its nurses, its instructors and its students then turns around and blows huge sums of money on construction projects that have to be making the contractors insanely wealthy.

Sparty

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 4:02 a.m.

Smart strategy to invest with a plan over time, and even escalate it during poor economic times to help the local economy by driving job growth, construction and retail, etc., at prices that are probably more cost effective due to the ability to leverage negotiating power with the construction firms seeking work. The dorms are 75-85 years old in some case, people, surely they need infrastructure and remodeling periodically? Why not make them as comfortable as possible while doing so or should they make them of cement blocks with asbestos tile flooring?

Mr. Ed

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 3:52 a.m.

One thing I've learned is Couzens Hall was built in 1925.

grye

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 3:30 a.m.

There are economic issues in Ann Arbor? Not at the U.

grimmk

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 3:05 a.m.

Wow, at my old college they had so many people accept that they had to convert lounges into rooms. We have a thin plywood wall that wasn't attached to the ceiling. It moved a good few inches. There was no sound proofing. We heard everything in that hallway and vice vera. It SUCKED! Our closets were quickly put together boxes with a metal rod at the top to hand stuff on. We once got woken up by some washing dishes in the sink across the hall from us. Yeah. At 4am.

treetowncartel

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 2:18 a.m.

This article right now is sitting on one that says there isn't enough funding for the homeless to sleep. Maybe the University could make do with 439 million and help out the population it claims to want to help.

7718

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 1:17 a.m.

I'm so glad the U has so much money to spruce up the dorms! When is Coleman going lanSing again to ask for even more money? I hear the administrator's restrooms need a makeover.

LSA 2009

Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 12:56 a.m.

UM professors are the greatest in the world. The on-campus dorms, on the other hand: Not so much. This is absolutely a much-needed move for the university.

AAgradstudent

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 11:55 p.m.

As a student who has been going to the University of Michigan for 7 years, I can tell you I am not impressed by the university of Michigan's quality of teaching at all. The school needs to focus more on getting quality teachers and reducing tuition. Attract some people who really want to teach by giving them this money! These dorms are too nice and get trashed anyway. Just another way for Mary Sue Coleman and the administration to look good to the outside world without working on the inside problems.

hut hut

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 11:28 p.m.

Who says government doesn't create jobs?

ChunkyPastaSauce

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 10:47 p.m.

A representation of current dorms at umich from their website: <a href="http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/singles" rel='nofollow'>http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/singles</a> <a href="http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/doubles" rel='nofollow'>http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/doubles</a> <a href="http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/triples" rel='nofollow'>http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/triples</a> <a href="http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/quads" rel='nofollow'>http://www.housing.umich.edu/reshalls/gallery/quads</a> Looks not so great.

81wolverine

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 10:34 p.m.

I think this is a good investment by U-M. It's another way Michigan can stand out as a quality school. I've been at other schools where the dorms are really basic and having a nice living environment definitely improves the college experience. I know staying at Mosher-Jordan in the late 1970's was good, but the steam radiators were just one problem that made living there uncomfortable at times. I visited M-J a few years ago now that our daughter goes to U-M, and it was much nicer. I'm wondering when they are going to renovate Markley and Bursley.

Pete Larson

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 10:31 p.m.

If the University wants to attract good students, it should look to reducing tuition. From this, we would conclude that what the University really wants is wealthy students, or perhaps the University has confused wealth with capability. $440 million could have paid the entire tuition bill of every University of Michigan undergraduate.

Macabre Sunset

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 10:08 p.m.

In my day, they were adventing the &quot;converted triple,&quot; which was a two-person room with a bunk-bed, a cot, and three desks crammed so close you could barely breathe. Bathrooms were filthy and served at least 25 people. You really had no choice but to go to off-campus housing after freshman year. Of course, landlords knew that, so the off-campus houses were falling apart. It was still well worth it. Good to know that today's students might actually have reason to live on-campus.

Smart Logic

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 9:53 p.m.

I'm trying hard not to choke at the picture of the professionally decorated dorm room. Come on already. Where are the wooden lofts with Premium 2x4 Stud stamped on the lumber from Fingerle, mountains of beer cans, and textbooks strewn all over?