Interesting Facts

Did You Know?
Here are some facts and figures to introduce you to the functions of the Division and to give you a sense of the scope of our operation.

The Division of Housing and Food Service is a self-supporting auxiliary of the University of Texas, receiving no other university or state financial support. Room and meal charges cover daily operation, long-term maintenance of existing halls and construction of new facilities and major renovations. Within our facilities, built from 1927 to 2007, we create the complete student experience. Research indicates that students who live on campus are more likely to...

• graduate in 4 years.
• achieve a higher GPA in undergraduate and graduate school.
• develop interpersonal contacts with faculty and other students.
• develop improved self-confidence and ability to speak in public.
• finish college than those who never live on campus.

(Sources: Austin, Alexander W. Four Critical Years. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1977. Chickering, Arthur. Commuting Versus Resident Students. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1974.)

Residence Hall Facts

• 7,205 residence hall beds are available on campus.
• 14 residence halls on campus fall under the auspices of DHFS.
• 100% of our beds are protected by fire sprinklers.
• 2.3 million square feet of area is maintained and cleaned by our facilities staff.
• All residence halls have card access controlled living areas.
• Littlefield Residence Hall is our oldest hall - built in 1927 it has 157 beds and covers 41,845 sq. ft. Jester Center is our largest facility - opened in 1969 it has 2,987 beds and covers 709,442 sq. ft. San Jacinto Hall is our second newest facility - opened in Fall 2000 it has 866 beds and covers 301,821 sq. ft. Duren Hall is our newest facility - opened in Spring 2007 it has 588 beds and covers 180,000 sq. ft.
• All halls are protected by state-of-the-art fire alarm systems, hard-wired smoke detectors and emergency lights.
• In Jester Residence Hall, one million feet of pipe and 50,000 joints were used to install the fire sprinkler system.

University Apartment Facts

• 708 apartments are available in University Apartments.
• 3 apartment complexes make up the University Apartments: Brackenridge, Colorado and Gateway Apartments. All offer the following:
• Family environment
• Excellent maintenance
• UT and city bus route
• 24-hour UT Police patrol
• University apartments are offered to graduate students, students with more than 60 credit hours and families. The following occupancy restrictions apply: 1 bedroom - maximum of 3 occupants; 2 bedroom - maximum of 5 occupants; 3 bedroom - maximum of 7 occupants. 3 bedroom apartments are available, as well as a very limited number of single graduate student apartments. 3 bedrooms available in Brackenridge location only.
• 7 Community Advisors provide assistance and coordinate cultural and developmental programs for residents.
• Our 5-person University Apartments administrative management team coordinates assignments and billing of residents.

Organizational Diversity and Development Facts

• Over 1,050 hours of safety training is conducted with division staff per year.
• 1,000 staff members work for DHFS, 67% of which are part-time employees.
• We coordinate free, on-site delivery of English As A Second Language and Adult Basic Education/General Education Development Programs for division staff through a partnership with Austin Community College and the Texas Education Association.
• Over 600 resource materials on a variety of work/life issues (including books, videos, manuals, magazines and audiotapes) are maintained in our Human Development Resource Library.
• Full-time employee demographics: White=27%, African American=21%, Hispanic=49%, Asian=3%, American Indian=<1%.

Residence Life Facts

• Eight 24-hour residence hall desks are operated by Residence Hall administrative staff.
• Over 1800 programs geared towards residence life are organized by our staff each year.
• 16 Hall Coordinators and 160 Resident Assistants act as live-in staff to manage our residence halls.
• Our Residence Life staff provides mail service for all students housed in our residence halls.

Admin Services/Info System Facts

• 16,480 new and 3,122 returning student housing applications are handled per year by our Housing Reservations staff.
• 300 administrative computer users on over 200 machines are supported by our Information Systems staff.
• Our Accounting department processes 2,000 vendor payments a month.
• 5 computer labs located in our facilities, with 125 state of the art machines and peripherals, serve over 600 resident users a day.
• Over 36,000 live calls a year are answered by our Housing Reservations staff.

Food Service Facts

• $18.6 million in revenue was generated last year in Food Service, accounting for 40% of the budget for DHFS.
• 3.3 million meals were prepared and served by Food Service staff last year.
• Food Service employs 170 full time and approximately 310 part time staff.
• 79,982 pizzas served at Jest A' Pizza and Cypress Bend per year
• 338,285 pounds of chicken served per year
• 243,201 pounds of potatoes served per year
• 64,483 whole baked potatoes served per year
• 149,117 pounds of fried potatoes per year
• 575,699 cups of milk served per year
• 15,580 pounds of ground beef served per year
• 190,027 beef patties per year
• 96,743 pounds of salad served per year
• 162,725 Krispy Kreme Donuts per year
• 1,031,561 Bottled beverages per year
• 132,709 gallons of fountain soda per year
• 4,058 gallons of catsup per year
• 175,197 loaves of bread per year
• 62,748 hoagie rolls for deli per year
• 40,794 cups individual yogurt per year
• 43,638 cups of soy milk per year
• 39,805 Pints of Bluebell Ice Cream per year!

Facilities Facts

• Our Facilities Department manages custodial services, maintenance, Capital Improvements, Architectural and Interior Design, and Environmental Safety.
• 96 employees in Building Services provide comprehensive custodial services.
• 71 employees in Facilities Maintenance provide services for carpentry, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, locksmith, painting and grounds maintenance.
• Over 25,000 work orders are completed per year as part of our comprehensive daily and preventative maintenance services.
• 24 hour/7 day response for emergencies is available.
• Our safety program includes hazardous communication training, EPA and OSHA training and lead-based paint and asbestos management.
• Approximately $2,500,000 per year is spent on large-scale capital improvement projects; $2,000,000 per year is spent on small projects and renovations to existing facilities.

Publications and Conference Facts

• Provide summer conference accommodations to 14,000 - 16,000 conference participants for a total of over 55,000 bed nights.
• Produce scheduled issues of the On Campus Advantage and Housing Post newsletters; residence hall application and contract brochures; residence hall long-session and summer handbooks; apartments application brochure and handbook; and coordinate with the Admissions Office to communicate changes in the residence hall application process.
• Coordinate Division-wide recognition programs for Staff Teamwork, Recognition Service, Golden Steer and Employee of the Month Awards.
• Coordinate arrangements with campus groups to provide approximately 5,000 guest meals.