HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-10-20 TranscriptionOctober 20, 2015 Iowa City City Council Work Session Page 1
Council Present: Dickens, Dobyns, Hayek, Mims, Payne, Throgmorton
Council Absent: Botchway
Staff Present: Markus, Fruin, Dilkes, Karr, Andrew, Boothroy, Yapp, Rackis,
Hightshoe, Laverman, Bockenstedt, Rummel, Kneche, Ralston, Havel,
Kelsey, Karpel
Others Present: Neal (UISG)
Hayek/ Okay, uh, we'll welcome everyone to the October 20, 2015, work session. Uh, Council
Member Botchway cannot be here. He's got a work obligation that came up last minute.
He wanted me to mention that.
Questions from Council re: Agenda Items:
Hayek/ Um, we'll jump right in. First bullet point is questions regarding agenda items. Don't
interrupt each other! (laughs) (several talking)
Payne/ You don't have any, Jim? (laughter and several talking)
ITEM 14b RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING FEES FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT
SERVICES AND RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 06-365
Dilkes/ I just want to note on ... 14 ... on 14b. It's the res ... it's the fees for the alarms, the false
alarms.
Hayek/ Yeah.
Dilkes/ We ... we gave you a new copy. We just changed that language a little bit just to clarify,
um ... uh, what was being said, but nothing substantive.
Hayek/ Okay.
ITEM 5. CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS
PRESENTED OR AMENDED.
Karr/ And we're going to adopt the Consent Calendar as amended, deleting 5d(6), Kemp's
Addition, for consideration at a later meeting.
ITEM 12. SNOW EMERGENCY PARKING FEE CHANGE - ORDINANCE
AMENDING TITLE 3, "FINANCES, TAXATION, AND FEES",
CHAPTER 4, "SCHEDULE OF FEES, RATES, CHARGES, BONDS,
FINES, AND PENALTIES", SECTION 8, "PARKING VIOLATIONS", TO
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ADD A $50 PENALTY FOR SNOW EMERGENCY PARKING
VIOLATION. (FIRST CONSIDERATION)
Neal/ For Item 12, why was $50 chosen? (several talking)
Dilkes/ It's a snow emergency.
Markus/ Mark, you want to come up?
Rummel/ Hi there, Mark Rummell, uh, Transportation and Resource Management. Uh, the $50
was, uh, set up, uh, a few years ago and the idea is to just help encourage people to
follow the snow emergency. Um, we get so many vehicles that don't follow it, and then
we have to ... uh, take it and tow those so that we can clear the streets.
Neal/ Okay.
Markus/ Why don't you mention it was dropped from the ordinance by mistake.
Rummel/ Yeah, we had a, um ... uh, a fee structure change a couple years ago, and during that
time the ... the amount was, um ... unintentionally left off the ... the fee structure, so we're just
trying to get it put back on.
Neal/ Oh, okay. Thanks!
Rummel/ Yep!
Council Appointments (Agenda Item # 141.
Hayek/ Other agenda questions? Thank you, uh, Nicki, for offering one. (laughter) Okay! Let's
move on to ... Council appointments. I believe there is only one for us to make this
evening ... on the Airport Commission. Uh, no gender requirement, two applicants. Does
anyone know either of the applicants?
Dilkes/ One of the applicants is Dennis Bockenstedt's, um, spouse and we've, um, had a
conversation about whether that's a conflict. I don't think it's a conflict that precludes her
from being on the commission. There may be some ... issues that will require her to recuse
herself, but...
Mims/ Well, I didn't know that when I was going to make my statement, but just given ... the
length of time in the city, the gentleman who's lived here one month and she does have an
interest in aviation stuff so I was going to support Julie.
Hayek/ That's... that's where I (both talking)
Mims/ ...then I'm fine with that.
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Hayek/ That's where I was leaning too.
Dobyns/ There's really nothing else to go on, Susan. I mean, it's pretty (both talking)
Mims/ There's really not.
Dobyns/ ...elsewhere so ... (both talking) That's the only thing I could find to tip the balance.
Throgmorton/ Let's do it!
Review University of Iowa enrollment and housing proiections:
Hayek/ Okay! Okay, uh, that brings us to the next bullet point, which is a review of the U of I's
enrollment and housing projections. Got Mr. Rod Lehnertz from the University.
Welcome!
Lehnertz/ Thank you.
Throgmorton/ Hi, Rod, how you doing? (several talking)
Lehnertz/ Good to see all of you tonight. How are you? (several talking) So, uh... Mayor, thank
you for the introduction. Again, Rod Lehnertz, uh, Interim Senior Vice President for the
University and, uh, in talking with Geoff we thought it'd be a good time to come in and
give you a little update as to where we have been, where we are, where we're headed with
respect to enrollment and also some updates related to student housing or on -campus
housing. Uh, this ... class of students we have at the University of Iowa is the largest in the
history of the University. We added roughly 520 additional students from the previous
year. That took us to about 5,200 incoming freshmen and this is ... this group is made up,
uh, 47% are residents of the state of Iowa and then a combination of out-of-state and
international students, uh, make up the balance. We have, uh, of the 5,200 students who
are on our campus as freshmen, 20% of those are minorities. This is also, uh, the highest
percentage the University has had, the most diverse class, in the history of the University.
It's also the most advanced class, the most prepared class, uh, with ACT averages at
about 26, and, um ... uh, the performance of the students coming in, set them up for
success at a higher rate than we've seen for any student body coming to the University.
Um, as ... as some demographic background, we had a couple three years of record
enrollment growth in freshmen coming in in the years at or surrounding the flood of
2008. Uh, since that time we've had a flat, uh... uh, growth approach, primarily related to
our need to recover the campus and ... and the inability during this stretch of time to be
able to take more students on. The infrastructure increase is needed to take on more
students, uh, impact, bus traffic, the number of buses on campus, the number of
pedestrians on the sidewalks that are both Iowa City streets as well as University streets
and sidewalks, and uh, we knew we would be disrupting a good part of our campus and
our community, and we've done a good job of that over the last eight years, and um, we
now see the light at the end of the tunnel. There's still a lot of construction going on, but
certainly more order, and as we look forward to completion of the major flood projects,
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and I'll include in that the Children's Hospital project, uh.... in this calendar year as we
approach the summer and reach the summer and through that fall, we'll have a campus
that is recovered, that is transformed, and is ready for these new students. Uh, there
are ... um ... plans moving forward, our current plans with respect to enrollment for the
following your ... year are expected to keep at that same level, so not another increment
above the 500 more we had this year, but maintain, uh, that level. So, uh, the more than
5,000 students coming, uh, to the University as freshmen. Um, it is very early in the
process to understand the efforts of recruitment last year and what kind of momentum or
ball rolling that might create to see more students than we would expect, but our intent is
that we would have... maintain that same level last year ... that we had for this fall, rather
than, uh, incrementing upward again. Uh, and um, it's yet to be seen, uh... on purpose or
not whether we go above that, but we're confident that we'll be able to reach those levels
again. Uh, when we look at more students on campus as we have this fall, apart from the
difficulties related go on-going construction and the interruptions related to that, we are
well positioned to take those additional students. The infrastructure issues of...of our
Cambus system. Uh, we are a little crowded in our recreation area, uh, the, uh, the
Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, uh, turned out to be, uh, more popular than we
even expected it to be. Uh, it has been a real (coughing, difficult to hear speaker) uh, for
activity for students, and ... and that is one area that, uh, will be tight, but we've got other
options for them on campus, as well, and have been able to manage that, and then you
look at (mumbled) first, many people look at housing and where we stand with respect to
housing. So, uh, we ... as you likely know opened our first new residence hall in 47 years
with the Mary Louise Peterson Residence Hall opening this, uh, fall semester on Grand
Avenue. Uh, that welcomed 501 additional beds to our campus. It has been very
popular. It was very popular because it was new, but it's also been a great addition to that
pocket of about half of our on -campus residents. Uh, if you look at the building, apart
from the tower, uh, there is a streetfront area, about two stories tall. It is two stories tall.
That offers, um... teaming spaces, uh, informal food, uh, offerings, entertainment, those
kinds of things, and that has, uh, that was designed not only for that hall but for the other
residence halls on that side of the river because when those were built, the most recent in
1968, uh, they did not incorporated those public or social spaces and so we added more to
the scope of that project to make sure that we could improve the situation, the social
situation for, uh, students on that side of the campus. Additionally, that residence hall
becomes the first one specifically designed with the notion of what we call, and our peers
call, uh, living/learning communities. Uh, every floor is themed for either an area of
interest or an area of education, and the students that reside on that floor work not only
as ... as co -residents on the floor but also, uh, within teams, learning either their trades or
the areas of interest or ... or study. Um ... we ... we, uh... do this in the other residence halls,
but the residence halls are not designed for it. This one has gathering spaces in the
middle of each floor so they can socialize, team tutor, different things like that to get
together. So, this is a first new model for us. It's been a great residence hall, uh, on that
front. Uh, we are under construction on the second new residence hall since 1968, and
that's the Madison Street Residence Hall. That'll be our largest residence hall on campus
by bed count — about 1,050 beds — uh, being constructed by designibuild methods. We
look for that project to be complete before the fall semester 2017, and uh, our ... tough year
will be the next year, uh, before that residence hall is open, because after this academic
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year, we will take down the Quadrangle Residence Hall, which is the oldest residence
hall on the west side of the campus. Currier Hall is the oldest on our campus. Uh, it's a
poor use of land use. It's only two stories tall and takes a wide, uh... uh... uh, and broad
space. It is also the former site, or roughly half of the footprint of that building is the
former, or the future site for our new College of Pharmacy building, which will start
construction as soon as we can take that building down. So ... that building, Quadrangle,
has 347 beds and we will be, while we're up 500 this year, we'll be down the 347 next
year with more students on campus. We'll be able to address the students. What it
primarily will mean for that one year period is that we will not be able to welcome very
many returning students to the campus. We have to first and foremost make sure that we
are ... our freshmen can be housed on campus, and we'll do that next year. We just won't
have as many returning students. When we gain back, uh, plus some, the residence hall
beds with Madison Street, we'll be able to address the freshmen students as well as an
increasing number of...of returning students, and ... we currently have about 6,000 beds on
our campus. Uh, as that compares to our peer institutions, we are far fewer than most.
Uh, Iowa State has roughly twice as many beds as we have on campus. Uh, many of our
peers require freshmen to live on campus in the on -campus residence halls, but we do
not. Uh, more and more of our peers are requiring sophomores to live on campus. The
statistics show that returning students that... returning and new students that live on
campus perform better academically. Uh, it would be better. We ... we would have to add
between 10,000 and 12,000 beds to be able to pull that off and are not headed in that
direction. Um, we, uh... are in the, uh, study phase of an additional residence hall that has
received permission to proceed with planning, by the Board of Regents, for a west, an
additional west campus residence hall. The timing of that project is not at all, uh, set, uh,
nor would be the scope or location or ... or, uh, anything related to that. What we did was
ask for permission to proceed so we could study the options related to that. If we did that
hall, or when we would do that hall or other halls, we'd begin to look at the returning
student demographic and those halls, at our peers and on our campus, would become
more ... what they call 'sweet style' residence halls. A bit more like an apartment setting
where you might have rooms (mumbled) either two or four flanking a shared kitchenette
and ... and living space. Uh, we wouldn't have full kitchens in those spaces because we'd
still have the, um, the board system with our ... with our on -campus food service, but it
offers a bit more privacy and a bit more community space that the returning students have
come to expect. So, our next residence halls, should we and if we and when we come to
those, would not be of the style we've been building to date, but there's no timeline, uh,
specifically for that kind of hall. Uh, we are studying the options and the demographics
related to, uh, that kind of hall and how it would impact the campus.
Hayek/ Is ... is the other half of the Quad site that will not host the Pharmacy School...
Lehnertz/ Uh huh.
Hayek/ ... in ... in the mix for potential future residence halls (both talking)
Lehnertz/ When we designed and planned for the Mary Louise Peterson Hall, uh, a hall of the
size of that hall, roughly 500 -bed hall, uh, could be located directly north of Peterson
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Hall, on the site that you're speaking of, because the ... the, uh, Pharmacy building that we
will build will occupy about half of what the Quadrangle site occupies now. When that is
done, that will be green space, uh, for the residence in that area, but it does serve as an
opportunity for a future residence hall, should be ... and we would land bank it for ... for that
need, not knowing what would come up in future years or generations.
Throgmorton/ Rod, have you made any estimates at all about the increase... well, about the, uh,
the demand for off -campus student housing, and how it's being affected by your addition
and deletion of dorms and etc. Do you have any quantitative estimate of the trend in
that?
Lehnertz/ In ... in (both talking) Iowa City and/or Coralville or areas of off -campus (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, yeah.
Lehnertz/ Uh, no. Uh, our, uh... we ... we see the buildings that are being built. We see projects
like St. Thomas, or St. Patrick's site, uh... uh, with possible student housing and the new,
different kind of student housing, higher amenity student housing. Uh, we don't ... we do
on occasion, have on occasion, visited with and met with, um ... uh... uh, Iowa City staff
on ... on talking of those, uh, matters, but have not studied it. Uh, and ... and urn ... have not
quantified what Iowa City has. We know, again, under leadership that ... that could come
tomorrow or could come 20 years from now, we could see, uh... uh, leadership say should
we have more students live on campus. That would become an internal question to us
with an external implication if...if the University of Iowa were to go to (mumbled) Now
we have almost all freshmen live on campus. Um, nearly every freshmen. Um, a much
smaller number of sophomores live on campus, primarily because we don't have the
housing on campus. Um, because we have been, if you will, sold out as a residence hall
system for ... uh.... a number of decades. We, from my perspective, have always been sold
out.
Markus/ So, Rod, are the freshmen required to live on campus?
Lehnertz/ No, they're not, but we have about, I think the number ... the number fluctuates, but
about 97...%.
Markus/ So they (both talking) can chose to live off -campus (both talking)
Lehnertz/ They can chose to live off campus. We obviously, through our orientation process and
attracting students and marketing students here also make clear the benefits, the social
benefits, of living on campus, living in communities that ... that reside on campus, both the
proximity and also engagement with the student body. So the objectives are clear for
freshmen to live on campus, but we see it as an obligation of ours to make sure that every
freshmen can live on campus. We do not require it.
Dobyns/ Rod, I went to the University of Minnesota and I realize being in a big urban setting the
ability for Minnesota to absorb off -campus student housing is far different than, you
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know, our smaller market. So you mentioned Iowa State, uh, that they're (mumbled) only
one mentioned. I'm thinking of other markets where, um, you know, their students might
not be so easily absorbed into the market and affect the market quite a bit. I'm thinking
of, uh, Lawrence, Kansas; Manhattan, Kansas. Um ... maybe Champaign -Urbana, um, can
you comment on like universities with similar sized (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Sure. Generally we have less than all of our peers, less on campus housing. Now one
of those demographics comes from... Lawrence, Kansas for instance is a little bit of a ... a
different setting... people often think that it's just like Iowa City, uh, and in many ways I
suppose it is, but um ... the University of Kansas is very separate from Lawrence itself. It
sits up on the hill and uh... and the town is ... is a distance from the campus, and ... um, as
such, so is ... so are the living quarters. Iowa City has been developed, obviously, with the
core of the campus right across the street from the heart of the downtown, and we have
over the year developed... we, our community has developed apartments that serve as...
um, ideal opportunities for students to live, in apartments, but also live right on top of the
campus.
Dobyns/ What I take from what you ... and I'm taking two statements, um, that statement
suggested there is a very real, genuine geographic reason why, um, off, uh... you know,
we have the percentage of, uh, students who might live, um, off campus, is because, you
know, the University and Iowa City are (both talking) wed.
Lehnertz/ That's my take (both talking)
Dobyns/ Geographically...
Lehnertz/ ...living here for a long time, I take that to be one of the ... one of the reasons we have
fewer residence hall beds on campus.
Dobyns/ Now we can't predict what, you know, President Harreld will think going forward, but
going backwards, my sense is that this, uh, discrepancy to other, uh, like universities in
their, uh, smaller market cities has actually been going on for decades, between the
University of Iowa. In other words, this is not something new.
Lehnertz/ No...
Dobyns/ We've always been less than other places for a long time (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Correct.
Hayek/ So, the uh.... I think Jim's question was getting at...at demand on or for off -campus
housing and I ... and I was looking at these numbers. It ... it looks like after you build
Peterson and Madison and you take out the Quad, you've got 1,100 or 1,200 net new
beds. You're already eating into that to the tune of 520 students, the most recent increase,
and so if you add another year in which there was a similar increase, you're basically
(both talking)
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Lehnertz/ Not gaining ground, but treading water (both talking) Yeah, and additionally I'll point
out that the halls that are older, and we've done some of this work, uh, on campus, but the
halls that are older, for instance. Our two most recent before this — Reno Hall and Slater
Hall — have, uh... have residents that live right on ... there's an entire floor of residents that
live right on the first floor. Uh, we would prefer that not to be the case for several
reasons. Security, the first of those. We ... we would prefer that you have the security of
being able to get up to the floor and secure at that floor for those residents. But,
additionally, uh, if you have residents living on the first floor, you have no space in those
halls for social gathering places or meeting rooms or study rooms or tutoring rooms, and
so over time our housing and dining program is also anticipating that they will take more
rooms off-line in the existing stock of rooms we have. Um, we can't think in those terms
if we're at full capacity and wish we were bigger. So, uh, bringing on a Madison Street
residence hall will afford us some of that, a little bit of that flexibility. Again, not to be
able to predict how many more students we're going to have coming to our campus.
Again, we don't ... we don't at this point, um ... we're not targeting to grow the number
another increment this year. We just maintain, uh, what ... this year is a record number,
but maintain that.
Payne/ But in ... four years if you ... if you maintain that for the next three years, that means there's
2,000 more students (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Yeah, yeah ... the pipeline in effect.
Payne/ The pipeline effect.
Lehnertz/ Yeah, so, uh, when you look at the pipeline effect, the most impactful on a student
housing perspective would be sophomores and more sophomores that might want to live
on campus, and I will say that we have, uh... we have advantages to living on campus that
have been unique to previous, at least student generations. Uh, where we are more
connected, we have more amenities, we have nicer dining facilities and the things ... and
obviously have always had really good proximity to the undergraduate education. Uh,
those, um ... those factors and the living/learning communities have led us to see a general
increase in sophomores thinking about or wanting to live on campus, and if you increase
the pipeline... juniors and seniors may be different. Maybe some day if we had all the
hall space we ever wanted, we'd see juniors and seniors also coming, but let's admit, we
also, all the residence halls, are dry and so once you're a junior and a senior, um...
Hayek/ You mean like the rain doesn't get in (both talking, laughter)
Lehnertz/ No rain! No leaking!
Hayek/ I got (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Uh, yeah, we make sure of that, but generally if. ... if students, urn ... if...if a student has
the freedom and legally can have a beer in the refrigerator, they can't if they stay in a
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residence hall. And whether or not that comes into play for any student or not, uh, we
and other universities have seen that juniors and seniors typically, even if given the
opportunity to live (mumbled) so it's returning students, meaning the sophomores, and we
have more that might be interested in coming with a larger pi ... pipeline.
Payne/ So for the city what that means is ... there has to be more apartments, or for the
surrounding area for those people (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Well there'd be more demand for apartments, more people (both talking) the
University over a four-year pipeline that would have demand for, whether they're juniors,
seniors... graduate students, sophomores, uh, yeah. There'd be more demand on that front,
if...if we maintain the roughly 5,000 students coming in as freshmen ea ... each year.
Dobyns/ Rod, things are the way they are for I guess reasons, especially if it's been, you know,
for a long time. You know what I'm hearing is that it's... students, uh, students who are on
campus may, you know, do better academically. That would incentivize to maybe having
more dormitories. I think we realize that the amount of footprints that are close to the
central, uh, campus is very limited. That's why you're having to sort of, you know,
switch around and so that would keep you from, you know, the University from going
forward building more on campus housing. I take a look at the city side, and I guess
some of the concern that sort of promulgated this discussion was the fact that the, um,
increased amount of students, both undergraduate and graduate, increases the demand for
housing, and we have problems with affordability, uh, much driven by the amount of
students who, uh, who come in. Then on the other hand, um, this is probably not a bad
source of property taxes for the City of Iowa City. It's not as good as it once was, with
changes of apartments from commercial to residential, so we've lost that, but my sense is
that ... we are in a equilibrium over the decades between all those competing needs and
incentives. Um, and my sense listening to you, urn ... you know, the only changes are on
our side. It's a change in tax, um ... uh, apportionment from commercial to real estate.
From you guys, I don't think much has changed in terms of your competing (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Our model...
Dobyns/ ...in your model.
Lehnertz/ I think generally that's true. If we've got more students, and more students in the
pipeline, we've got a few more residence hall beds but we don't have anywhere near what
we would need to do, for instance, to emulate Ohio State, who is requiring freshmen and
sophomores, and a much bigger university, uh, of all freshmen and sophomores live on
campus, required. Uh, we don't require anyone to live on campus. Urn ... there's been no
indication to date that that would be a model we would head toward. That doesn't mean
that somewhere down the road we might not, but we don't have the capability to do it
beyond a freshmen class now.
Dobyns/ Have your students ever come to you, and I guess primarily undergrads (mumbled) your
comments on this that if (mumbled) there's probably, um, a sense of affordability, is that
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if there was more on campus housing, uh, perhaps it'd be more affordable on campus and
then the price off campus might be better because the demand was less. Has there been
any ... now, um, I ... I didn't take a whole lot of economics classes (laughter) so (laughs)
(mumbled) help on this one, but uh, has there been any undergraduate or graduate
concerns that could there be more on campus housing for their own issues of
affordability?
Lehnertz/ Uh, we've not received any specifically related to affordability. Of course in the
graduate program and one hall that I'll mention, if you call it a hall, that I'll mention. We
did, uh, complete the, uh... uh, private/public partnership project on ... on the Hawkeye
Campus with Balfour Beatty and the construction of, um ... uh, Aspire, which is ... in fact,
because that's a private organization running that, company running that, uh, undergrads
are not allowed to live there. Uh, we have a ... it's ... it's an on campus site and we have
bond covenants that do not allow us to compete against ourselves and uh, so the bond
covenants that cover, uh, the cost of the residence hall system, uh, we ... we can't ... that is
graduate student and public housing only. Uh, it has however been very successful and
in fact they are underway with Phase 2 on that same site to take the rest of what was
Hawkeye Court, uh, Apartments down and replace them with the updated versions.
Markus/ So with Hawkeye though, you don't have to ... you just can't rent to undergraduates (both
talking)
Lehnertz/ Correct.
Markus/ ...because that would be viewed as competition. But are you required to rent
exclusively to grad students?
Lehnertz/ No. (both talking) Now it's almost all grad students. It has been...that's their,
Balfour's model is to open it up to grad students first and medical students, professional
school students, and, uh, to fill their quotient of rooms they can go public, uh, but it's ... it's
vastly graduate, professional students (both talking)
Markus/ Is that true with the expansion then too?
Lehnertz/ Yes.
Markus/ And what about affordability there? I would think that graduate students would be a bit
stressed in terms of their income.
Lehnertz/ Yeah, you know we had some concerns there because Hawkeye ... Hawkeye Court was
paid for and was really inexpensive. It was also really bad, and uh, and you know,
inappropriate to keep for the long-term, and we had tried several times to study the, um...
renovation and modernization of those. They were built in such a way it was really
impossible to do so. The plumbing is in the exterior wall. You'd have to ... to fix that
you'd have to take the concrete walls down, and so there was almost no way to really fix
that building, just keep patching it up and ... and it was a real problem for us. Uh, yet we
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didn't have a model for replacement until we got to this private/public partnership. It did
increase the cost some, and that was one of our initial concerns. The thing filled up
immediately, and uh, to the point where Balfour Beatty said we need more on that site
and, uh, and we had a Phase 2, uh, option in ... in the planning.
Markus/ So you can't do a public/private partnership...
Lehnertz/ For undergraduate? (both talking) It's a good ... it's a good point. We can not, by
bond ... by current bond covenants. We cannot do (both talking)
Markus/ Unless you retire that debt.
Lehnertz/ Unless we retired all of the debt that would be associated with that, and we've got a lot
of debt to ... to cover, so I, um ... it's never been an option to us. Are there other models we
can possibly look to and emulate at...at other either municipalities or institutions?
Possibly. Uh, it has not become an institutional need to the point where we've, uh,
decided to (coughing, difficult to hear speaker) explore explicitly, but uh... at first blush,
uh, simply doing a private/public partnership for an undergraduate residence hall would
not be an option for us.
Markus/ So the risk is really in the private sector for student housing because ... if push comes to
shove, the University can establish mandatory freshmen. They could go to mandatory
sophomore attendance on campus. If you saw a decline in your numbers, which caused
you some fiscal stress, you can correct that by instituting (both talking)
Lehnertz/ ... requirements ... (both talking) Yeah, we could and I'm sure there are institutions that
have. We've never had to and ... and by our decade's worth of...of sellouts and our general,
uh, prognosis for the number of students we have, um ... it ... that is not a likely problem,
and we couldn't require sophomores cause we have far too few, uh, beds available for
that.
Markus/ So one of the things that we talk about on occasion is the University, um, establishing
some sort of criteria for ranking the private housing. Do you see the bond covenant
as ... causing some conflict there for you, as well?
Lehnertz/ Well we ... we would want to certainly, um ... we'd want to certainly work with bond
counsel to make sure that we wouldn't step over any ... any covenant restrictions. I don't
see it, uh... um, out of hand. It's a thing we couldn't do, again we've ... we've never gone
that direction, uh, to start ... starts to imply, of course, that we're... doesn't start to imply it.
We'd be endorsing a ... apartment complexes and filling up the ones that we want to fill up
is I think the, uh, that would be the intent. Um. ... as you and I have talked, Tom, before,
uh, I think it's ... it's either ... your take or the reality, and ours too, that the Iowa City
market's a free market and it's part of the reason you're seeing some outside developers
come in, because they see a ripe environment and a demographic that, uh, is ... set up well
to do what has worked at other, uh ... university towns before, where we've ... before this
point had primarily been local developers building small-scale, um, inexpensive housing
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and there seems to be ... we've seen it at other institutions, as well, especially at our peer
institutions, but it...it does appear there's a turn in that, and we also see, I think you've
seen, that outside... developers also often have a backing that allow them to be what we
might consider locally, um, less risk adverse. They'll see the site and say'we'll go get it
and make this thing happen.' Because they've done it someplace else and they repeat
their model, uh, other places. We see all of that as ... as open market to us because they're
not competing... with us. Again, we don't require the freshmen and almost every
freshmen lives on campus. If something turned in the way ... housing was done in Iowa
City and we saw ... I suppose if our numbers were hurting, and we don't anticipate that, we
could require freshmen to live on campus, but ... uh... hasn't been a need to do that.
Hayek/ So (mumbled) happy to see some outside interest in the apartment market. I think it ... I
think it, uh, ups the bar for quality and may incent some of the current landlords to
reinvest in their properties to be more competitive. Urn ... and bres... and brings a new
level of sophistication to ... to ... to that industry. (mumbled) interesting to me, so
we're... we're... we've bumped up to 5 ... by 520. We'll probably maintain at that rate, as
best you can tell (both talking)
Lehnertz/ That's the target at this point. It's so early right now, we have no idea, but that's the
intent.
Hayek/ So but ... you know, there's... there's a lot of...there's flux, you know, and ... and there was
pressure from the Regents to change our model, not sure where that will ... how that will
pan out with the legislature, um ... you know, we would love to be able to look into the
future and be able to forecast... enrollment projections out several years. You probably
would too, but what ... what's your guess as to where we are in three to five years?
Lehnertz/ Yeah, so uh, there ... well, I don't know that I can prognosticate it. We have
some ... some things that we know. Urn ... we have steadily received, uh, by percentage less
State funding and we are not alone. That is everywhere, and more extreme in other
states, or many other states. But, urn ... 20 years ago it was 60%. Ten years ago it was
50%. It's now 33% of the general fund ... of...of our, of our, urn ... uh, of our general fund is
supported by, uh, State ... State -appropriated dollars. That national trend ... leads a
univer... university to cover all of its costs, has limited revenue sources and
appropriations, tuition and research dollars are it, and uh... um, you ...you have gifting,
which has become more and more important over time, but is a percentage of what you're
doing. Those are also ... 98% of all gifts are ... are dedicated toward a specific thing. It's
not free for you to use those gift dollars as you might need them most, but rather what
the ... uh, don ... donor entity, uh, sees as important. Um ... knowing that, and these things
can change, but research dollars, federal research dollars, are down and uh, the fight for
every federal research dollars is more and more severe every year. So the likelihood of
any of our peers or us seeing a spike upward in that, when the trend has been downward,
doesn't look promising. Uh, if we see ... State appropriation percentages dropping, then it
comes down to, uh... uh... revenue from tuition, and ... with a state that is, um ... uh, very
interested in limiting in-state tuition increases, urn ... we ... one way to impact revenue is
numbers and so ... at the same time, the countervailing factor there is we are in a state that
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has on a ... on a relative basis, has limitations with respect to population numbers, the age
of that population, and the ... the, uh, ability to recruit, bring, and succeed with quality
students. And so, um ... uh, we ... it, we ... it's not just an unending pot where we can say let's
add 10,000 students to the University of Iowa. Uh, it...it took a lot to get 500 more.
Hayek/ And you're under pressure with respect to ... to out-of-state and foreign...
Lehnertz/ Sure, you know (both talking) we've got a ... we've got an attractive model because
we're ... we could often be considered a far west suburb of Chicago and we're only an hour
from the state of Illinois and we offer a good product and they have a lot of people in ... in
Illinois, but we don't control the Illinois higher education system either. They could
change things there. We have, uh, we've had considerable growth in, um, Chinese
National students on our campus, and our international, uh... uh, mix has ... has gone up.
There are worldwide factors that can suddenly impact that demographic, and so you can't
count on saying we're going to get bigger because that would be fun and better for us.
And we will always watch after whether or not ... a university of 31,000 or 32,000 students
feels good as opposed to a university and community of 40,000 or 33,000, you know,
it ... to ... to grow is not just as simple as saying (coughing, difficult to hear speaker)
students... paying to go to the University of Iowa. It's about making sure that they have a
quality education and a quality experience when they're here.
Dobyns/ But, Rod, you mentioned that the ACT scores have gone up. Um, I'm sorry, did you
have a question (several talking) I'm sorry! Um ... (laughter and several talking)
Hayek/ He keeps trying to butt in (laughter)
Dobyns/ The AT ... uh, AST scores have gone up, um, so if we just kept things static, would the
ACT ... where the ACT scores were before, um, it sounds like, um, it was difficult to
recruit the 500 extra in ... uh, in-state students. Um ... I mean it would suggest that maybe
the University, um, is somehow despite all this becoming more restrictive in terms of
ACT scores. Um, my sense of the Iowa Regents' system is that I'm thinking of
Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, which have a whole host of other affiliated western,
eastern Illinois universities, for students to go to. We actually only have the three (both
talking) Um, so it seems to me is that the ACT scores, um, did they ... is perhaps the
University of Iowa being too exclusive and not bringing in enough, um, students in that
regard?
Lehnertz/ Uh... no. I ... I don't think so. I mean I would ... expect that some of the increase
incurs... occurs with in-state students. We have, um ... set standards for in-state
undergraduate students. All three institutions do. If you reach that level you're in if..if
you want. Out-of-state is different and we ... as we continue to grow out -of-state students,
we also expect a lot of our out-of-state students. Could we simply drop standards, all
three institutions drop standards (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...I would say go back to the grade standards that you were at before.
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Lehnertz/ Yeah, I would ... I would say we just have, uh... I would say in general we have sharper,
more prepared students coming, and I think that's a credit to the high schools they're
graduating from. Um, and um ... over time we had seen over time, that's been a steady
increase that students have become ... more prepared, better and more astute toward, uh,
the college experience before they get here.
Dobyns/ (mumbled) ...if you could maintain the AT ... ACT scores and (both talking) students
coming in, that would be wonderful but, um, and I'm just trying to make sure I
understood you. It sounds like it's the, uh, the one where the University can recover costs
is growth.
Lehnertz/ It is a way that you can, certainly (both talking) Now again, we would not do that at
the cost of success. One of the things that we like about better prepared students is we
hate to see students fail. It's one of the reasons that we like the freshmen in the residence
halls. The failure rate is much lower, and we have a higher four-year graduation rate than
we've ever had. Uh, and, um, in the last ... within the last decade we've increased that
number by 10% for four-year graduation rates. It's not often highlighted at a ... at a Regent
or a legislative level, but, urn ... one way to control student debt, student cost of education
is ... get through in four years, not seven. And, um ... our graduation rate continues to, uh,
increase. At the same time, when we look to some of our, uh, peers in the Big Ten, we
can do better on that. And we'll continue to try to do better. One of the ways you do
better in that is to make sure that the students aren't risking failure on their way in, that
they are as prepared as they can be. The better the student coming in, especially if we
can add 500 students, the better the students are, the better product coming from the
University of Iowa, students are more successful, students are happier, uh, because
they're succeeding, and that's a ... that's an, you know, it's an inexact science, an art to a
mix to get just the right, uh, mix in there, and we have folks on our campus, um, our ... our
Associate VP, uh, for Enrollment Management, Brent Gage, is in his first year here and
he's a big data guy and he uses big data to predict what students will do on a failure and a
success rate that is beyond anything that we've been doing previously and it's ... it helps us
know that we, uh, set up scholarships ... scholarship programs that, uh, target the students
in the right way, uh, that you strategize, uh, locations. We don't just look to Illinois. We
look to other out-of-state opportunities that are, uh, that are reasonable for us to consider
as a part of the mix at the University of Iowa. It's been impressive to, uh, work with him
and see what he's brought to the table, with respect to effective recruitment and then
management of that process. But it is ... to some degree, an inexact science with a lot of
factors that we don't control impacting what we do on that front.
Neal/ As a current student, I'm very concerned about the affordability of housing, especially
when there's a shortage of on -campus housing. Um, last year we met with Sally Mason
and she mentioned that enrollment was going to increase dramatically. So I'm
wondering, um, are you still planning on increasing enrollment, even though you're
saying you're still going to try and keep it level? Are you still doing recruiting efforts?
Um, are you recruiting more out-of-state than in-state?
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Lehnertz/ Yeah, so, um ... that's a good question, and uh, timing's everything. When Sally Mason
spoke to you, what she was talking about was dramatic growth, and we saw more
students this year, and as I've indicated, we prognosticate we will not grow again and see
a multi-year, uh, escalation of students on our campus. Um ... uh, so ... that's sort of an
answer, maybe a change to an answer that was given to you by President Mason. Uh,
but ... it's, um ... it's one that we intend to manage on campus. Off campus, uh, affordability
isn't necessarily in our bailiwick, but um, we ... we have competitive rates. We compare
them, are approved by the Board of Regents every year, with respect to our residence hall
systems and uh, they are ... an auxiliary on our campus. They cover their costs. So the
cost of a new hall is born by the students on our campus. Not having a new residence
hall since 1968 helps that cost.
Neal/ So you said 520 new in-state students, um, is that including transfer students to other
classes?
Lehnertz/ Yeah, that is a ... that is freshmen.
Neal/ Okay. So even if they're ... (both talking)
Lehnertz/ We have a mix. It changes every year. We have a mix of transfers in. Also have a
mix of transfers out, and those who... urn... make it and those who don't. We try to
minimize that, obviously, to make as valuable a ... an experience your first year as we can
on our campus so we don't see the leak of students that would leave after the first year,
but we see a combination of transfers in and transfers out.
Markus/ Along those same lines, um, last year we spent a lot of time debating and discussing the
funding model, um, that was proposed by the Board of Regents. That's gone away. So
has that changed the dynamic of...of growth or your thought processes about recruitment
at all?
Lehnertz/ Uh... I think ... I think to your point regarding Sally Mason's statements, they were ... I
don't know when that was done, but it was probably in the mix of those, and one of...one
of the things that was put out in that ... in ... in that plan was the more in-state,
undergraduate students you have, the more money you get, or the less you have the less
you get.
Markus/ Right.
Lehnertz/ So there was a big push on that front to go all state and go a lot in-state, and maybe
risk, um ... uh, cannibalization between the institutions. There are pros and cons with
those matters that were debated at a legislative level and in institutional and Regent level,
uh, and um, ultimately was not enacted last year. Uh, there is still ... uh, importance
stressed by the Board of Regents for the residence of our state and the students of our
state and to making sure that they have, uh... they have clean and available, accessible, uh,
and ... and have clean access to higher education, and in the state, and we believe in that.
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Markus/ Sure.
Lehnertz/ Um, our ... our mix, again, relatively inexact. If you took that model and you did, did
the math behind it to determine are there... it's... it's the same cost per student whether it's
an out-of-state student or an in-state student, and so the margin, uh, is different between
the two when you, um ... when it costs more to come here as an out-of-state student. And
so when looking at that numbers game, um, and you would, um ... compare that to State
appropriations as a reward for having more in-state, there's... there are two sides of that
coin that can be debated as to which ... which one brings you ... (several talking) the best
value, uh, the best message, all of those things feed into ... uh, decisions made in
recruiting. Generally we're recruiting about a ... as it ... as it works out this year, about an
in-state student and an out-of-state student. And that's about our (both talking)
Markus/ So is the Board of Regents done with the issue do you think?
Lehnertz/ Um, that (both talking)
Markus/ ...they raised it?
Lehnertz/ ...Board of Regents. (several talking and laughing)
Markus/ Pardon me?
Lehnertz/ That'd be up to the Board of Regents to determine that.
Markus/ I understand that. You haven't heard any more from them?
Lehnertz/ Um ... no, not specifically regarding that.
Mims/ Rod, change gears a little bit, um, when you first started you said that this class was ... had
the largest percentage of minorities so far, 20%. Do you have any breakdown on that,
between international students, U.S. minorities, uh...
Lehnertz/ I can get you that. Brent Gage has that.
Mims/ Okay.
Lehnertz/ Certainly. We ... we obviously have those demographic breakdowns and ... and I can
provide that. Uh, our growth, we've gotten a lot of growth in international students.
Mims/ I know and that's why I'm ... historically, uh, many institutions I think including the
University of Iowa have kind of lumped those together and it has been very difficult, um,
and ... and they've done better, but ... I think historically, and I'm not saying that that's the
case now, but I think ... I think historically it was done to, um ... not make it obvious how
few of our domestic minority students were actually being served by our institutions of
higher learning, and I say that not as a criticism of the University of Iowa, but just
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systemically across the country. And so I think it's important for us to understand, um,
and I'll shoot you an email just as a reminder (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Absolutely! And I can get you that. Brent Gage has all of that (both talking)
Mims/ Yeah. So I'd be interested to see, cause I know there has been, um, a big push, as you
mentioned earlier the Chinese Nationals, and I certainly understand. Obviously the
financial difference of what that means to the University when you've got people paying
out -of-state and ... do the international students pay even more than our domestic out-of-
state students?
Lehnertz/ No, there... there's a growing, or I shouldn't say growing. There is a current, uh,
throughout the country for additional fees. We do have fees, and some of the students
come and are ... are doing English as a second language programs as an intro, uh, before
they're ... got a full load of classes and so they're all ... so we do have some fees associated
with some of their work, but they don't pay ... they don't pay ... it's an out-of-state (both
talking) it's an out-of-state tuition.
Mims/ Thank you.
Hayek/ Should probably wrap up. This is a very, very good, uh, conversation and we,
uh... always want to welcome you and ... and ... (both talking)
Lehnertz/ Thank you. It's good to be here and give you an update whenever you need it on this
or something else — you let me know.
Hayek/ (both talking) ....good partnership and uh... we'll do our best to maintain the
communication and I think these periodic get togethers are good so we can see where our
respective institutions are headed.
Lehnertz/ Yeah, it's a very exciting time for ... any news that would deliver otherwise, a very
exciting time, a positive time, I think, at the University of Iowa and uh, what is about to
emerge for both ... we at the University and we in the community, is ... will have never been
better. Especially what we're going to see with 2016.
Hayek/ Great (both talking)
Mims/ Well thanks for all the work. I know, and you've elevated beyond some of the things, but
certainly you've been very involved over the years with the new Hancher and (both
talking)
Lehnertz/ Absolutely! We're very proud of it (both talking) gateway to the University and
gateway to the community and, A...
Mims/ ...excited about this coming online.
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Lehnertz/ And thanks for your support and your help through this.
Information Packet Discussion (October 9, 151:
Hayek/ All right. Thanks, Rod (several talking) Okay! Uh, next item we have a couple of Info
Packets. The first is from October 9th.
Throgmorton/ IP #4, bravo to Dennis Bockenstedt. For getting that distinguished budget
presentation award. (several talking)
Mims/ Fourth year in a row (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Mims/ Fall luncheon, uh, staff luncheon on the 19th.
Hayek/ Get your aprons!
Payne/ And there's an invitation in the ... packet thing that Marian handed out.
Hayek/ Anything else on that one? Okay. Next one is from the 151'.
Throgmorton/ IP #4, KXIC interviews or the radio show with Jay. Marian, I thought I had
already agreed to do November the 4h.
Payne/ I thought it was on last time's too. I thought the same thing, Jim, when I saw it. (several
talking)
Karr/ I'll double check. And Matt has agreed to November 25`h
Mims/ I can do the ... no, I can't do ... I think I'm signed up for (mumbled) so I can't do that one.
Karr/ (mumbled)
Mims/ Yeah, I can't.
Dickens/ Put me down.
Karr/ The 181i?
Dickens/ The 181i, November 18th
Mims/ I'll do December 2nd
Hayek/ Uh, IP8 was the ribbon cutting, uh, news release for the Iowa River Trail. We had a very
(both talking)
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Karr/ I'm sorry, can we go back. November 11th I just want to note, that is pre-recorded due to
the holiday, so is there anyone ... I just wanted to note that one. That one is still open.
Payne/ So the pre-recorded can happen whenever, right?
Karr/ Yes, it can happen whenever. Yes, uh-huh. Are you interested possibly?
Payne/ Yes.
Karr/ Okay. I'll get a hold of you. Thank you.
Payne/ I mean it looks like he wants to pre -record it on the ... on the 10th at 10 A.M. but...
Karr/ I'll double check on that.
Payne/ We can probably work out when.
Karr/ Sure, I'll do that! Okay. Thank you.
Hayek/ Uh, IP8 was the ribbon cutting. This was last Saturday's, uh, ribbon cutting. It was, uh,
a very cozy affair, uh, what, 15 people maybe on the ... near the new bridge going over
interstate 80. Jim and I were there and a handful of other, uh, people. Blue Zones was
represented. Some City staff, etc. Urn ... but uh, it was ... it was a good, quick event but
that is ... that is a great bridge. It, uh, it, you know, I mean it's wide, it's super -stable, um
(several talking and laughing)
Mims/ Our engineering staff is like (laughter)
Hayek/ ...collapse under the weight of 15 human beings and bicycles (laughter and several
talking) We had some kids there pumping their fists and getting the semis to give'em
honks as they drove underneath. (laughter) But it was good, and that connects... that's the
missing link in the 11 or 12 mile Iowa River Trail between Terry Trueblood and
Mehaffey Bridge Road so ... it was a good event! Anything else on the, uh, packet?
Council time?
Council Time / Meeting Schedule:
Throgmorton/ Well we do have a Human Rights breakfast on October the 28th.
Dobyns/ How many are going? I'm going to that (mumbled)
Karr/ I do have tickets for people who have, urn ... signed up. I have those tonight, and I do have
extra if someone would like to come.
Mims/ I was going, but I'll be out of town, so (mumbled)
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Dobyns/ I'll eat your breakfast!
Mims/ Okay!
Hayek/ I think I'm going, Marian. I don't have my phone with me, but I'll get with you.
Throgmorton/ I'd mention too there's a City of Literature board meeting on the 27th, which, you
know, because I'm a board member I'll go to. I'm also going to a bourbon tasting on
November the 12th at a friend's house in U Heights (laughter) I'll tell ya all about it
afterwards (laughter)
Payne/ If you can remember! (laughter)
Dobyns/ That sounds really interesting! (laughter)
Throgmorton/ It's not far from your neighborhood, you know!
Dobyns/ ...that'd be a good thing to go to, Jim! (laughs)
Hayek/ You can tell 'em we've amassed troops at the border (laughter) (mumbled) See what they
say! (laughs) All right. Uh, that's it for the ... for Council time, unless anybody else has
anything. Meeting schedule. Pending topics.
Pendine Work Session Topics fIP # 3 Info Packet of 10/151:
Mims/ (mumbled) as usual.
Hayek/ All right. Upcoming events, Council invites. (several talking) Yeah. (laughter) Okay!
So we're done.
Karr/ (mumbled) note the reception (both talking)
Hayek/ Yeah, there is the reception across the way for the ... the and the ... the (both talking)
Karr/ Hopeline Champion Award, uh, DVIP is hosting a reception across ... if you have some time
to stop over .... before tonight's ceremony.
Hayek/ Okay, thank you. Good job! See you at 7:00.
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