Although FAU did not build another parking garage or lower tuition, the university went through numerous changes while you were away for the summer. Most of the structural changes took place in Boca, but there are also less-obvious changes that impact students on every campus. In any event, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
The Breezeway Food Court on the Boca campus has replaced Burger King and Pizza Hut with Wendy’s and Mama Leone’s Pizzeria. The change is the result of a “massive [student] survey done in 2005, which went into dining locations, food choices and brands that students preferred,” Marketing Director of Dining Services Dean Samuels said. Other new additions to the food court include Chick n’ Grill, Bamboo Asian Cuisine and Salsarita’s Fresh Burrito.
Continuing with campus eateries, restaurant Coyote Jack’s, located inside the newly renamed Student Union in Boca, has changed from fast-casual dining to a more traditional dining establishment with tableside service. “Coyote Jack’s was always intended to be a sit-down style restaurant,” Samuels said. “We provide a variety of dining options . . . [which includes] a variety of dining styles.”
There was much talk over the summer about FAU offering shuttles from the parking lots to the main buildings and that the service may begin as early as fall. Dennis Crudele, the associate vice president for Financial Affairs, admits that the university is planning to set up a shuttle system, but are not as close to implementing the service as the rumors seem to indicate. “We’re still looking at [shuttles], but they won’t be ready for the fall,” Crudele said. In any event, the price for a parking decal has risen from $50 to $60 for the 2008-2009 school year.
Also going up in price is the birth control offered at Student Health Services. The raise, from $15 to between $42 and $48 per month for brand names, comes after the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which in terms of birth control is only hitting students now. FAU had a stockpile of the medication when the Act initially went into effect, but have since run out and needed to restock with the higher prices. “One way of coping with the Deficit Reduction Act is that many students have switched to cheaper generics, especially [students] without insurance,” Pharmacy Intern Max Salhab said. Salhab mentions that the campus pharmacy still carries a generic birth control for $23.99 a month, but students may have to get a new prescription from their doctor in order to receive the less expensive medication.
The student health fee itself has risen from $5 to $6.33 per credit hour. This means that full-time students taking 12 credit hours have to pay a $75.96 fee whether or not they use the health facilities. General visits and oral evaluations are free to all students, and services vary by campus. Services offered at Student Health in Boca include physicals, teeth whitening and mental health care.
Last but not least, first-time college students now have the option of living in Glades Park Towers, formerly referred to as the First Year Experience Hall. Glades Park is modeled after the Heritage
Park Towers, which provides single and double rooms for 600 students, but the new dormitory does not offer rooms to upper-classmen. Features in Glades Park Towers include a computer lab, conference room and an Outtakes convenience store.
