FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REGENTS TO SET ROOM AND BOARD RATES FOR 2002-2003
Board to consider Facilities Master Plan for Residence Life

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., Feb. 22, 2002 – The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents will consider room and board rates for the 2002-2003 academic year and a Facilities Master Plan for Residence Life when the Board meets at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in the University Center Ballroom.

The Regents will consider a proposal to increase residence hall fees for fiscal 2003 by 3.03 to 3.05 percent, dependent upon the residence hall in which a student lives, and to raise board rates by 1.05 to 1.07 percent, dependent upon the type of meal plan purchased by the student. The Regents also are expected to set rental rates for non-traditional housing on Washington Street and to set the fiscal 2002 Residence Life budget. The Regents also will consider approving cable television rates of $20 a semester charged to residence hall students.

In a related matter, the Board will consider a 10-year Facility Master Plan that will serve as a guide for future physical improvements to Southeast's residence halls. The proposed plan focuses on preservation and maintenance of buildings, replacement cycles and renovations and repairs to provide improvements in the residence halls.

Also before the Regents will be a proposal to award a 10-year performance contract to Johnson Controls, Inc., for a comprehensive energy savings program, equipment replacement and renovation services for facilities on the campus. The proposed $13.4 million program calls for conservation initiatives, complete refurbishments of the central and south campus chilled water loops, including new chillers and pumping systems, and major improvements to the power plant systems that would allow it to again generate electricity for the campus.

Over the 10-year period of the performance contract, more than two-thirds of the cash flow to fund these improvements will come from energy reductions and operational changes that will accrue as a direct result of the energy conservation initiatives implemented under this project. The remainder of the cash flow will be provided by University funds, reflecting maintenance and replacement costs which would have been experienced during this period for the replacement of major equipment provided by this project.

In order to finance the project, the Board will consider two resolutions, one to reimburse certain project costs with proceeds of bonds or other long-term financing, and the other that would allow the University to make arrangements for structuring and issuing such bonds or financing.

The Regents also will consider approving a schedule of major capital projects and maintenance and repair items for fiscal 2003. The list of projects includes $617,376 in local maintenance and repair projects, a decrease of $1.46 million from fiscal 2002, and an estimated state maintenance and repair appropriation of $1.5 million, a decrease of $400,000 from fiscal 2002. No state capital appropriations are expected, according to University officials.

In other action, the Board will consider approving the third phase of a gender equity plan for Southeast's intercollegiate athletics program and an NCAA self-study report for Division I recertification.

The Regents also will consider a Faculty Senate bill that calls for the University to issue six-week interim grades beginning with the fall 2002 semester. The concept of an early warning system for students concerning their grades was introduced by the Professional Advising Team and is supported by Student Government.

The Board will consider a charter application from the St. Louis Charter Academy. The University's Charter School Evaluation Committee is recommending that the Regents approve the application with some revisions, which have been agreed upon by representatives of the charter school.

Also on the agenda are resolutions of honor for Doug McDermott of Desloge, Mo., the retiring student representative to the Board of Regents, and Bryan Johnson of Thayer, Mo., who received the Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Award for 2001-2002. Johnson is a four-year member of the Southeast golf team.

The Regents are expected to discuss the governor's recommendations on higher education appropriations for fiscal 2003 and a report of the Financial Aid/Scholarship Committee for the 2001-2002 academic year.

The Board also will hear the President's Report, which will include the announcement of Gov. Bob Holden's appointment of Laura Hockensmith, a Southeast sophomore from St. Louis, as the new student representative to the Board of Regents; a spring 2002 four-week census and preliminary fall 2002 enrollment reports; a progress report on contracts and Facilities Management projects; the Southeast Missouri University Foundation Annual Report; Results V, a report summarizing major achievements of the University over the past five years as guided by the Strategic Plan adopted in 1996; and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education Five-Year Mission Review Summary.

In addition, the Regents will receive a number of informational materials, including a report on six-year graduation rates, athletic team grade point averages and 4.0 athletes, evaluation guidelines for the Lift for Life Academy Charter School, and an update on the construction of the new residence hall.

A motion to go into a closed session for appropriation considerations will be the final item of business on the agenda. When the Board reconvenes in open session, the final item on the agenda will be consideration of a motion to adjourn.