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LIVING ON CAMPUS not distinguish between external surveillance and internal surveillance, but respondents did. They were more comfortable with outside systems that detected people going to and from residence halls than internal surveillance systems that showed who among the residents and visitors went room to room. That divide is defi nitely narrowing, with 67.5 percent of the projects providing external surveillance; 55 percent internal. Smaller residences do not tend to use internal surveillance and less than half install external systems. It may be that there is a campus system already in place, so the residence hall itself does not need to install one. The provision of carpeting in student rooms rose this year to 70 percent. None of the reporting colleges in Texas and Louisiana provide in-room carpet, which may be a cost-saver, or may just be the vagaries of the few colleges that provided information. HOW THE COSTS ARE DIVIDED While the bulk of the cost for any residence hall construction is for the building itself, a key question in analyzing projects is the additional amount paid for work beyond the actual construction, including fees, furnishings and furniture, site work, etc. This is not an easy breakdown to obtain. For one, many architects (who provide information on construction costs) are not involved in purchasing furniture and furnishings. Architects also have a handle on their fees, but not on Table the fees of attorneys, bond market experts, and other consultants the college may use. Moreover, some college's "other expenses" are far more encompassing than others, so even when full information is obtained, it may not be comparable. Despite all these obstacles, it is useful to try to determine how total cost of a residence hall project is divided. Table 3 (on page 26) looks at that. Respondents at only 11 colleges were able to provide their full and best possible information on how the total dollars were split at their institution. (Respondents at 15 other projects provided many details, but not all, while the other 14 provided total project cost but could not break down the components.) As Table 3 shows, the median spent almost 83 percent of the cost on construction itself. Another 4 percent went to furniture and furnishings, while 5.3 percent was allocated for fees. The catchall "other" (which should include site preparation but not the cost of purchasing a site) accounted for $6.20 of every $100 dollars spent. Even among these 11, there were differences about what should be counted where, and so Table 3 also shows the range of responses. Thus, construction accounted for as much as 93.3 percent of one college's costs and as little as 73.5 percent at another. Similar variations from the norm are shown for furniture and furnishings, fees, and other expenses. Somebody could do a significant service for college construction by creating standard defi nitions for the various categories of spending. What's in a Residence Hall? 2 Video Surveillance Rooms Assembly/ Internal External Carpeted Study Fitness Room Dining Hall ATM Computer Center Wireless Network Classrooms Card Access to Building Rooms (sample size 40) 35.0% 10.0% 17.5% 25.0% 95.0% 55.0% 90.0% 37.5% 55.0% 67.5% 70.0% 97.5% (sample size 7) 42.9% 0.0% 0.0% 28.6% 71.4% 28.6% 42.9% 14.3% 14.3% 28.6% 57.1% 85.7% (sample size 21) 33.3% 14.3% 23.8% 19.0% 95.2% 42.9% 95.2% 42.9% 47.6% 66.7% 71.4% 95.2% (sample size 12) 33.3% 8.3% 16.7% 33.3% 100.0% 83.3% 100.0% 33.3% 91.7% 91.7% 75.0% 100.0% (sample size 7) 28.6% 14.3% 14.3% 42.9% 85.7% 57.1% 71.4% 42.9% 42.9% 57.1% 85.7% 100.0% (sample size 14) 21.4% 0.0% 0.0% 14.3% 92.9% 28.6% 100.0% 28.6% 42.9% 57.1% 64.3% 100.0% (sample size 11) 36.4% 9.1% 18.2% 18.2% 100.0% 63.6% 81.8% 63.6% 72.7% 81.8% 90.9% (sample size 4) 75.0% 25.0% 50.0% 0.0% 100.0% 75.0% 100.0% 75.0% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0% 100.0% (sample size 4) 50.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 75.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0% 100.0% (sample size 32) 28.1% 12.5% 18.8% 28.1% 96.9% 62.5% 93.8% 40.6% 56.3% 68.8% 71.9% 96.9% (sample size 8) 62.5% 0.0% 12.5% 12.5% 87.5% 25.0% 75.0% 25.0% 50.0% 62.5% 62.5% 100.0% All Reporting Colleges <200 beds 251-500 beds >500 beds Midwest East Coast Southeast Southwest West Public Private 18.2% To read this table: Thirty-five percent of residence halls will contain fitness facilities. Smaller residence are more likely to have them than larger ones. Fewer East Coast residences include fitness facilities than in any other region. Private collges are far more likely to have them than public colleges. 24 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MAY 2013 WWW.PLANNING 4EDUCATION.COM