Plan for growth splits department

Responsibilities in Portland State’s auxiliary services department, which had in the past managed seven major functions such as food services, campus housing and transportation and parking, have been divided up on campus.

Lindsay Desrochers, vice president of finance and administration, said she split the former auxiliary services department because of the significant growth in demand for on-campus housing and other growth factors.

“Looking forward, we’re going to be expanding housing quite a bit,” said Desrochers, “and we needed more focus on planning that growth.”

Julie North, who managed all of the operations up until mid-August, will now focus her attention solely on managing new food service provider Aramark, University Place, conferencing and events, and the Smith Memorial Student Union.

“I’m pleased to be able to be in a position that I can be in touch more with the community I work with,” North said. Her office is now in the Smith Memorial Student Union, next to the Aramark, Associated Students of Portland State University and Student Activities and Leadership Programs offices.

John Eckman, former associate director of Auxiliary Services, is now interim executive director of housing and transportation services. As associate director, Eckman worked under Julie North. Now Eckman’s responsibilities manage all parking, housing and other structures, keeping an eye on how to plan for the future needs of these services on campus.

“John is a mainline housing expert,” Desrochers said of Eckman’s history of working with resident students.

Under the new structure, half of auxiliary services will manage food service, the University Place Conference Center & Hotel, ticket sales for PSU events and the Smith Center, while the other will manage housing, transportation and business services.

Having more young students and international students on campus contributes to the university’s general goals of improving student graduation and continual enrollment, said Desrochers.

“We’re looking to provide a resident atmosphere for students,” Desrochers said.

Desrochers said current resident students make up around 7 or 8 percent of the entire student population. That percentage should be around 15 percent, she said.

Campus housing operations were recently taken over by PSU. The university’s contract with College Housing Northwest, a contractor that managed the 10 on-campus student resident buildings for the university, expired in March.

Eckman estimated that the on-campus student population has nearly doubled since 2002. This year, he estimates that 1,906 students will live in campus housing, and that the number will increase to 2,813 by the year 2012. Roughly one of every five student residents is an international student, he said.

Housing generated about $13.9 million in revenue for the university last year, which included retail rents and vending, and other fees, Eckman said. This year, with an increased population of on-campus students, revenue is projected to go up to $15.4 million, he said.

Eckman said that his new job requires that he and Dan Zalkow, associate director of parking and transportation planning, find ways to build new housing for students as the physical campus grows.

“Our challenge is to figure out how we grow housing, parking and these physical structures while coordinating with campus planning and academics,” Eckman said. “Our department has to be supremely collaborative with everyone on campus so we don’t surprise people.”

There are 3,700 parking spaces on campus and the need for more is great, said Zalkow. Those parking spaces bring in to the university about $5 million annually, he said.

This year’s 6,000 parking permits sold out in record speed, Zalkow said, and the campus clearly needs more space for its commuter’s cars.

“It is a challenge to integrate PSU’s growth with transit,” Zalkow said. Roughly 10 to 20 percent of the income from parking permits goes to discounting bus passes for students and faculty, he said.

In his current position, Zalkow reports to Eckman and is responsible for much of the planning to acquire new space for parking. Zalkow also works with TriMet and the Portland Department of Transportation to ensure that the university’s plans coincide with those of the city.