Stephens College Addresses Changes
Shaped by the Current Economic Climate
Latest News:
Letter to Parents of Stephens College Students (March 6, 2009)
Press release (March 5, 2009)
Message from President Libby to Stephens Faculty and Staff (March 5, 2009)
Faculty Meeting – President’s Update (Feb. 17, 2009)
Student Forums – President’s Update (Feb. 16 & 17, 2009)
Staff Coffee – President’s Update (Feb.16, 2009)
Message from President Libby to Stephens Students (Jan. 21, 2009)
Letter from President Libby to Stephens Faculty and Staff (Jan. 21, 2009)
Quick Facts about Stephens’ housing and meal plan policies
(including recent changes announced for 2009-10):
Vice President of Student Services Deb Duren and the Student Services staff
are available to address questions and work with students individually.
- The national economic downturn is affecting institutions of higher education and businesses everywhere. Colleges and universities are responding by tightening their operations in order to deliver on their mission and educate students.
- Stephens is fortunate that its academic core remains intact, with all degree programs and full-time faculty positions in place for 2009-10. Tightening the course schedule will not affect a student’s ability to graduate on time.
- Changes have been made across the board at Stephens, and in housing and meal plans, that offer less expensive options to families. Stephens has increased its financial aid budget for next year to help meet families’ needs.
- Most of our incoming freshmen will have a roommate in Roblee or Pillsbury hall, which translates to decreased costs for families. The housing situation is fluid, and students have first-come, first-served access to single rooms in the housing lottery process as upperclasswomen.
- Stephens remains stronger than it has ever been in recent years, despite the changes in the economy. In addition to expense reductions, Stephens is also investing in growth – including three new master’s programs and online summer courses for residential students – that will help increase revenue.
On-campus residency requirement. Stephens requires students to live on campus throughout their time here. This has been the policy shared with all entering students since Fall 2004. Students are told that single rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis based on deposit date and never guaranteed.
Living off-campus policy. Students must petition Student Services to live off campus. The stated policy allows students to live off campus if they are married, over the age of 23, have children, or are Boone County residents living at home with their parent or guardian. Through the Student Services’ housing sign-up process, Student Services staff is available to discuss individual cases and special circumstances with students.
Reasons for the residency requirement. With eight residence halls, Stephens is designed as a residential campus (and for double occupancy). Many residential campuses exist nationwide. Stephens is a living/learning community for undergraduate women. With all classes living on campus, new students quickly become acclimated to college life and upper-class students serve as mentors and role models. Research shows that students who live on campus complete more credit hours, have higher GPAs, are more involved in campus life, benefit from campus resources, are more likely to persist and graduate, show greater gains in student development and interpersonal self-esteem, and have greater satisfaction with their undergraduate experience.
All students, currently living on campus or off campus, still need to participate in the housing and meal plan sign-up process during the week of March 16 in order for Stephens to update student information.
Upper-class students and freshmen will not be forced to room together. Single-room options do exist for upper-class students in Hillcrest, Wood and Columbia. Incoming freshmen will be allowed to select their roommates (other freshmen) and will live in Pillsbury and Roblee halls.
Previous student forums. Student forums were held on two occasions in February, and SGA sent information out to all students recapping the forums. During those sessions, President Libby shared information about the College’s budget for 2009-10 and how Stephens, like so many other institutions and businesses including Mizzou, are addressing this national economic downturn. Stephens is much stronger than it has been in more than a decade. Namely, President Libby shared that there were to be tuition, lab, room and board increases; that the more-than-18-credit-hours overload policy charge would be enforced; that staff position reductions would occur; and that no academic programs would be discontinued. The purpose of the March 4 student meeting was to provide in person (rather than by letter, since there were several changes this year) the College’s 2009-10 tuition, room and board plans and have staff available for questions.
The importance of requiring meal plans. Students have always been required to select a meal plan; this keeps overall costs down for everyone. It’s important to Stephens as a living/learning community that we make available nutritious eating options for our students and that we provide a setting for community building and interaction. Convenient access is also important in light of busy schedules.
Meal plans for 2009-10. This year, we’ve been able to add greater flexibility in dining options to address concerns about access to meals and having more affordable options. These include meals-per-semester plans (instead of meals-per-week), longer dining hall hours, and the Grab-n-Go’s move to Columbia Foyer. We also offer vegetarian and other options to help students with specific dietary needs. The 75-meals-per-semester block plan averages to just five meals a week in the dining hall or Grab-n-Go; so students in Columbia Hall’s apartments, for example, have greater leeway in how they choose and purchase other food choices to supplement the plan.
Again, please don't hesitate to contact the Student Services office directly if you have any questions or concerns.
