A midday trip to The Deck’s waffle stall was clearly a welcome distraction from Sri Balasubramanian’s thesis writing. While standing in queue for a blueberry waffle, she said, “Did you know I used to work at a waffle stall once?"

“It was terrible!” she continued. “I had shifts until 2 in the morning, though I guess it was a great way to meet people and make waffles for them.” The job was necessary, she said, because of the $15 increase in her weekly room fees at the on-campus residence, Prince George’s Park Residences, in 2008.

“Because of the increase in the housing fee, my loan amount went up. That means that in the future, I’m going to have to pay more,” said Balasubramanian, a fourth-year communicatiokns and new media student from India.

Implemented in academic year 2008-2009, the increase was the first in a series of annual hostel fee hikes to continue until 2012. While the NUS administration deferred the hike last academic year due to the global financial crisis, Provost and Academic Affairs Deputy President Tan Eng Chye announced in a March 18 circular that the next phase of the hike will take effect in academic year 2010-2011 due to “rising operational and maintenance costs.”

A Balancing Act

International students, many of whom stay on campus, are likely to be the ones most affected by the hike. Responses among the group, however, are varied.

Eunice Tan, a third-year CNM student from Malaysia and resident assistant at Kuok Foundation House, said needy students must perform a balancing act to continue staying in campus housing.

“The struggle in keeping one's accommodation on campus is certainly managing one's time,” said Tan. “If you are a student who is already finding it hard to make ends meet, then certainly you will work part-time for that extra income.”

Provost Tan, however, said in the March 18 circular that the various loans, bursaries and work-study schemes are available to international students. According to the Office of Admissions website, students may avail themselves of the tuition fee loan, which allows them to pay up to 90 percent of tuition fees at the cheaper local student rate, or the NUS study loan, which allows them to pay up to 10 percent of tuition fees at the cheaper local student rate and provides a yearly living allowance of $3,600.

Still, other students, such as third-year business and law student Jennifer Ong believe the fee hike is completely justified.

“Inflation is natural. I don’t see anything wrong with it, as long as they keep up the standard,” said Ong, who is from the Philippines and is currently staying at Prince George’s Park. “I can understand that electricity’s going up, water’s going up, pay for people is going up. So if you don’t have the fee hike, you may actually be compromising on these things.”

“I know this sounds really mean, but I’m actually happy about the hike,” Ong added with a laugh. “It means not as many people will apply for housing, so I actually have a better chance of getting a spot.”

A Numbers Game

Housing spots are currently determined by the number of points students earn through the revised hall admission points system. The system ranks students’ co-curricular activities based on their level of involvement and points are awarded accordingly.

Such a method, however, has its flaws, said Carynl Tan.

“Some put in 10 hours a week for activities and emerge at the end of the year with 25 points,” said Tan, a fourth-year psychology student from Malaysia and a resident assistant at Kuok Foundation House. “Some, like arts groups members, put in 30 hours a week, emerging also with 25 points. So, it’s unfair and tiring because of the struggle.”

However, Muhammad Idris Ismail, residential services manager at the Office of Student Affairs, pointed out the housing advantages given to international students, despite the shortcomings of the points system.

“We give them guaranteed housing for their first and second year,” said Ismail. “The rationale is that by their third and fourth year, they are better able to cope with finding local housing if they fail to secure campus accommodation.”

The presence of local undergraduates in campus housing has been another source of tension. While the six halls and two student residences in NUS can house a combined total of 6,568 students, the competition is nonetheless intense. Local student Xu Ming Feng is part of that competition because he believes that living on campus is integral to the university experience.

“The hostel gave me more freedom and a more balanced social life,” said Xu, a fourth-year engineering student and former president of Sheares Hall Junior Common Room Committee, the hall’s main organising body. “The experiences from hall might be more useful than the technical knowledge from my engineering degree.”

A Severed Tie

With campus housing issues for international students still largely unresolved, Eunice Tan offered a possible solution.

“If we get our NUS alumni to give back the way some Ivy League alumni give back, then perhaps fee hikes in the future won’t be as high,” said Tan.

For some students, though, it may be too late. Balasubramanian, who is graduating this semester, does not see herself maintaining ties with her future alma mater.

“This housing issue makes me not want to come back. I’m definitely not joining the alumni society,” she said.

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Above: The Office of Student Affairs' accommodation website states that increased room rates will take effect in August this year.