Durham rent increases expected for 2008-’09

Callan DeCosta and Maggie Hanlon, UNH juniors, lay sprawled on the couches of their Davis Court apartment on a recent Sunday afternoon. The air outside was chilly, so the girls pulled the curtains closed and wrapped themselves in blankets as they relaxed and watched “Jerry McGuire.”
Hanlon went into the kitchen to get a glass of milk. There was a small dining room table and a bottle of wine sat on the counter next to the refrigerator. Their other roommate, Veronica Ventura, was getting ready for work in the privacy of her bedroom.

These three girls represent part of the 53 percent of UNH students who live off campus. For most of the students who do not live in university housing, rent will be affected by the property assessment Durham is conducting next year. Because landlords will be paying more in taxes on their properties, they will relay the cost to their tenants through rent increases.

Meghan Longley, of Varsity Place (Park Court and other properties) said rent in Durham usually increases by about 6 percent annually. This year, however, with the expected rise in taxes, some landlords are increasing rent by as much as 12 percent.
“Putting yourself through college is expensive,” Longley said.

Rob Watson, landlord of Davis Court Apartments on Madbury Road, explained that just because rent will increase does not mean his profit will increase.

“The money is not going in my pocket,” Watson said. “It goes to Durham.”

Rob Dixx, Durham’s town assessor, said that, under the N.H. Constitution, it is the job of the town to assess properties and update values every five years. Durham was last assessed in 2003, which means there will be another formal, town-wide assessment in 2008.

Each property is assessed according to its market value, Dixx said. In other words, rental properties will not be assessed in the same manner as single-family homes. Rental properties, such as fraternities and apartments, will be viewed from an investor standpoint, and the value of the property will be determined on a per-bed basis.

Previously, the value of each bed has been assessed at around $25,000 to $30,000. Recently, though, a few properties have sold at a price that made each bed worth $40,000 to $50,000. This price increase per bed will play a vital factor in next year’s assessment, Dixx said.

“The market tells us what to do,” he said.

As Hanlon and DeCosta cuddled on the couches in their Durham apartment, they knew they might be paying a little more for their freedom and comfort next year. But they appreciate living at the heart of campus.

“Higher rent won’t chase us away from Durham,” Hanlon said.

“Durham is home,” DeCosta said.

students hope to expand Arabic language program

You may or may not have heard buzz about the Arabic language courses being offered on campus, but the word is true. Arabic is currently one of the 11 existing languages students can choose to study at the University of New Hampshire.

According to associate dean Ted Kirkpatrick of the College of Liberal Arts, “As of right now, any student at UNH has the choice of taking French, German, Spanish, Latin, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Ancient Greek, Modern Greek and Arabic.”
Arabic is the most recent addition to the 11; however, its existence did not come without heavy persistence, and its future as a solid language program has not yet been secured.

On Oct. 30, 25 students who have been involved in the few Arabic courses that have been offered since the fall of 2006 signed two petitions. The first petition asked Kirkpatrick to add Arabic 504 to the slowly developing list of Arabic courses offered at UNH, which currently consists of Arabic 401, 402 (both elementary language studies) and 503 (an intermediate study). The other petition encouraged the university to add a full Arabic language program to its roster.

According to Kirkpatrick, a decision about the addition of an Arabic 504 class will be made in early December. Several faculty members on campus are interested in pursuing the creation of a Middle East Studies minor, which may include Arabic in its curriculum, Kirkpatrick added.

Political science professor Jeannie Sowers said, “There will be a meeting next week with the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and several professors in COLA to talk about the possibility of a minor in Middle East Studies, which will strongly encourage the study of Arabic.”

According to Kirkpatrick, “The ideal thing would be that (Arabic) could go on a two year cycle. The first year would include Arabic 401 and 402, and the second year would include 503 and 504. That way, no matter when you get to our university, you will have been able to complete four semesters of Arabic by the time you graduate.”

The petition signed on Oct. 30 said, “We cannot help but question our own future in studying Arabic based on the current Arabic 503 class … We would like to think that the university would wish to encourage the indulgence of true intellectual curiosity rather than simply creating another option for fulfilling a language requirement.”

“The likelihood of any 631 and/or 632 Arabic course popping up is probably zero,” Kirkpatrick conceded. “We would have to first focus on Chinese and Japanese, as they have been after the same things as these Arabic students for years now.”
Regarding the chances of an Arabic 504 course, Kirkpatrick said, “The odds for 504 are 50-50. The spirit and intent are there. But can we afford it? We’re all generally supportive, but there are many other committees who want other things, as well.”