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Pilot International |
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"FGCU
courting rent-free housing"
The university would have to donate, sell or lease land on its campus to the Pilot Club, which would provide money to build the house. Officials are uncertain how much land is needed, said John Crowley, FGCU's vice president for development. The house would be built near the university's residence halls, he said. "We'd like to keep the same architectural style - the stucco, the green roofs, the shaded walkways," Crowley said. "But it would be more like a house." In order for the house to be built at FGCU, the university would have to officially pledge the land and Pilot Club members from around the state would have to approve the site. The group is scheduled to decide in April which school will get the house. "I don't want to be assumptive and say it's a done deal, but I think we have a good chance," said Carol Conway, co-chairwoman for the Pilot Club committee planning the scholarship house at FGCU. "We have an aggressive business plan in place, and I'm extremely confident. I don't think this is a pipe dream. I think this is a very real possibility. Pilot Clubs across Southwest Florida - from Manatee County to Marco Island - are behind the effort to build the house at FGCU, Conway said. Tom Pitcock, president of the Tallahassee-based Southern Scholarship Foundation, which administers 25 scholarship houses at four Florida universities, said FGCU is a more serious candidate that UCF. "The strongest group that's organized and moving forward is the Southwest Florida region," Pitcock said. "In Orlando there's a little interest, but I haven't had a groundswell of interest or action." Pitcock said he's like to see FGCU set aside land for several scholarship houses. "If we can get a Pilot house, maybe we can get houses from other organizations," he said. Houses are sponsored by civic groups, businesses, foundations and individuals, Pitcock said. Of that about $60,000 has been set aside, and club members will raise the rest mainly from local businesses and donations. Scholarship houses are open to students with a grade point average of 3.0 in high school or 2.85 in college. The student must be financially eligible, with an estimated contribution from their family of less than $7,000 a year, based on students financial aid reports. Pitcock said 90 percent of students who live in the houses have a family contribution of less than $2,000 a year. Typically about 17 people live in a scholarship house. Students contribute about $600 a semester for food and utilities but don't pay rent. The state estimates it costs a college student about $6,200 a year in living, good, and incidental expenses for one year. Based on those numbers, students living in scholarship houses save about $5,000 a year. "It's really more than a scholarship, because it prepares them for life," said Janet Bornman, director of development for the Southern Scholarship Foundation. "It teaches students how to live together. They do the books; they cook and clean." Jake Wood of Lehigh Acres lives in a scholarship house at FSU. "I'd pay considerable more if I had to live in an apartment or a dorm,: he said. "It'd need to get a job or take our loans." Wood, a sophomore, said living in the house has been a good experience. "It's a lot of fun. There's a lot of unity in the house," he said. -Alison Gerber can be reached at 941-335-0216. |
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