Room and board is entirely separate from tuition though. That said, when I was leaving college in 2002 it was essentially a giant construction zone as they were

Room and board is entirely separate from tuition though. That said, when I was leaving college in 2002 it was essentially a giant construction zone as they were building facilities all over the place. This was not unique- there was something of an arms race to make the glossy brochures even better than the competition. This was a large state school with a good but not really elite reputation and was trying to change that.