Since acquiring Mount Ida College in Newton last April, the University of Massachusetts has been planning how to incorporate the new campus into its academic system.
On Tuesday, March 26, the University demonstrated that it has settled on plans for Mount Ida through an email sent out to students advertising the opening of the new campus this summer. The email invites students to apply for temporary summer housing.
“A summer internship or co-op in the Boston area provides so much more than just professional experience. There’s also the experience of city living, filled with action, excitement and opportunities,” said the email.
This is in line with the University’s initial plans for the acquisition, stated last spring, which were to “establish Greater Boston-based career preparation programs for UMass Amherst students in high-demand fields that serve the Massachusetts innovation economy.”
In the email, the University advertised both single and shared air-conditioned rooms at “great rate[s],” as well as complementary transportation to the Green Line of the MBTA, access to a fitness center, free parking and activities. Students can also expect to enjoy the same award-winning dining options that are available on the main Amherst campus.
For students at the Mount Ida campus who wish to earn credits for their summer internships, the University is offering a 10 percent saving on the total cost of tuition, room and board.
According to an article by MassLive, though there are 820 residential beds available on the Mount Ida campus, 134 of them will be available for students this upcoming summer, with the choice of a single or shared room. The residential halls will also feature shared bathrooms, kitchens, lounge space and a laundry room.
For the summer session, identified to run from May 19 to August 18, single room rates are quoted at $1,500 or $150 per week. For shared rooms, the session rate is $1,000 and the weekly rate is $100.
According to Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy in April, revenue from these residential areas is one of the ways the University plans to offset the $70 million of debt that it took on by acquiring Mount Ida.
Applicants for summer housing will be charged a minimum of $100 for cancelling their application, so the University urges students to only apply if they are certain that they will be living on the Newton campus this summer.
Students residing on the Mount Ida campus will also be required to purchase one of two meal plans available to them: a seven-day plan totaling to $1800 or $180 a week, or a $1400 five-day plan, with the alternative option of paying $140 a week.
For students looking for summer opportunities, the University cites Handshake and IsenbergWorks as ways for employers to recruit students for internships and co-ops in the Greater Boston Area.
The application for housing on the Mount Ida campus can be found here.
Irina Costache can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @irinaacostache.
