Alison Forney Robbins is one of the on-campus apartments available for students who want to stay on campus, but not in the dorms. The Robbins apartments opened in 1966 and were named after Marion B. Robbins, who served on the SPU board of trustees.

When senior Asa Hall transferred to SPU last year, she applied to live in Emerson Hall. She was turned down, and instead lived in the Robbins Apartments. This year Hall applied for Robbins but was turned down again, this time living in the Bailey Apartments. Hall said she has enjoyed her roommates, but thinks the condition of both the Robbins and Bailey Apartments could be much better, especially for the price.

Currently, students in campus houses and apartments (excluding the Wesley Apartments) are paying $1,917 per person per quarter. This means students are paying $639 a month. Hall said this is too much to be paying for 40-year-old apartments.

"The Baileys are very poor quality," Hall said. "The carpet is stained, there is mold in the bathroom, and we've had plumbing problems almost all year."

Together with her roommate, Hall said they are paying close to $1,400 a month, which she says should merit better apartments. Hall said she didn't move off campus after last year because she didn't have a roommate, but thinks there could be much better apartments for a similar cost on Queen Anne. While she's happy with the university, Hall said she wishes the apartments could be in better condition.

"If we were paying $1,400 a month elsewhere, we should at least have our own bedrooms," she said.

In contrast, Ashton, Hill and Moyer Halls pay $485 a month for a standard double without a meal plan. Emerson Hall residents pay $626 a month without a meal plan.

Don Mortenson, vice president of business and planning, said that prices for campus housing are set in February, and are set based on comparison and market price. Mortenson said campus housing is worth the price because the limits of residents is four per room, and students are able to use resources like Residence Life, Safety and Security, and phone services.

"Costs of living primarily drive our prices," Mortenson said. The budget for campus housing isn't determined per building, but is done as one budget, Mortenson said. The Wesley Apartments are more expensive because they were independently contracted and maintained in order to save the university money.

Also, since the Wesley Apartments are new they are more expensive, and are priced similarly to apartments at the University of Washington, Mortenson said.

Craig Kispert, associate vice president of business and finance, said there is a set price for apartments, but the Wesley Apartments and Emerson Hall will be more expensive based on how new they are and the different amenities offered.

Mortenson said there was a surge for campus apartments in the late '90s, which is now forcing the university to fix many problems in apartments purchased more than 40 years ago.

"We try to balance between raising prices of housing and the cost of fixing things," Mortenson said.

Next year there will be a 1.5-percent price increase for most campus apartments, while the Robbins Apartments and residence halls will see a 3-percent increase.

Some theme houses, which are considered to be part of campus apartments, have been taken out of the market because they are not worth the long-term cost to fix, Mortenson said. Currently, a 40-year-old boiler in Ashton Hall is being repaired.

Eventually many theme houses will be torn down to make a new residence hall, to be named Irondale, which will be built around 2009, he said. The creation of a new residence hall would mean the school would sell or lease out the Robbins Apartments, Mortenson said.

Sophomore Lara Patterson, who lives in the Cremona apartments, will be moving off campus next year because it would be more affordable.

"This year I didn't have a choice because I wasn't 20 or a junior," she said.

In order for students to live off campus, they must either be 20 years old or have junior status.

Patterson said the apartments are a good deal relative to living in the dorms because they are close to campus and there is no meal plan. However, she said, compared to living off campus, the campus apartments are not a good deal.

Graduate student Jessica Read said she applied for graduate housing but was turned down. She found a house instead through Craigslist.com. Read said she pays approximately $400 a month without utilities, and lives a block from the SPU campus.

She lives with two roommates, and is very happy with what she found, Read said.

Mortenson said students should be careful when considering off-campus housing, especially if the rent is low.

"Don't be fooled by low rent alone," Mortenson said. "Take into account the commute, have knowledge of the neighborhood, and realize what events on campus you will miss out on."