Construction on IU’s new 158-unit graduate housing complex along East Seventh Street is pressing forward, rain or shine. The $81 million project is a collaboration with BPIU Partners LLC and has stirred concerns among graduate students who are concerned with the affordability of projected rents.
IU Vice President of Capital Planning and Facilities, Thomas Morrison, estimated rent to range between $1,315 and $1,834 per month depending on unit size at an IU Board of Trustees meeting in August of 2023.
It’s a figure that left many graduate students frustrated.
Lexi Gault, a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy, revealed the stark contrast between her assistant instructor salary and the high rent costs proposed by the university. After taxes and estimated rent, Gault says students are left with only a few hundred dollars to cover living expenses.
In the spring of 2022, Gault was among a group of graduate students who went on strike to set a new, liveable wage between graduate students and the university. Despite earning a modest wage increase in the strike, Gault believes the university continues to hinder students by contributing to Bloomington’s high cost of living.
–September 30th, 2024–IU graduate student Lexi Gault speaks on the take-home salary of assistant instructors and what can be done by IU to help combat inflated costs.
Graduate backlash arose after IU started promoting the complex as part of the university’s broader effort to provide accessible housing options. The 193,000-square-foot facility is intended as a replacement for older on-campus housing following the closure of facilities like Banta, Bicknell, and Hepburn apartments.
Still, graduate students are voicing that the new complex does not tackle the core issue of affordability, questioning whether it truly meets their needs.
“It is one step forward, and three steps back,” said IU psychology graduate student Lexi King. “How can the housing meet our needs when rent is that high and affordability is the issue?”
In her first year of graduate school, King has been forced to explore various strategies to manage the high cost of living while pursuing her degree. King acknowledges that without attending graduate school, securing a professional job would be unlikely. Yet to afford her current education, she must juggle three different jobs.
–September 30th, 2024–First-year IU graduate student Lexi King speaks on managing the cost of living, first-time loans, and fellow peer living situations.
According to the agenda, the project will offer beds in fully furnished studio one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments. After giving priority to graduate students, the complex will be open to house faculty, staff, and undergraduate students.
While the university emphasizes a commitment to accessible housing, the gap between these promises and the actual costs faced by students casts doubt on the effectiveness of the IU housing initiative. The construction project is scheduled for completion by March of 2026 with more details to be released by Morrison in December 2024.
