COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Families and fans will be able to rent rooms in University of Missouri-Columbia residence halls for football games and other campus events starting this fall.
School leaders introduced the initiative to the Board of Curators at its meeting Thursday as a way to offset the financial burden of declining freshmen enrollment, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Due to a large projected dip in incoming freshmen this upcoming school year, university leaders have taken seven residence halls offline and decided to explore the option of renting them out. Three of the seven vacant residence halls have been chosen to be used for conference and guest housing.
A website went live on Wednesday that allows people to book a two-room, four-bed suite for $120 per night. The rooms will be available only on weekends and reservations must be made 48 hours before the stay.
A university spokesman said that leaders are still deciding whether alcohol will be allowed in the rental rooms.
Gary Ward, chief operating officer of the Columbia campus, shared a long-term plan Thursday to bolster the number of students living in residence halls to reach capacity by 2021 or 2022. He said that decisions such as easing the requirement for upperclassmen to have a meal plan and opening the door for transfer students to live on campus will help fill the dorms.
Ward said that if the plan works, the dorm room rental program could end after a year or two.