Hadley, South Lake and Flint villages give upperclassmen the chance to experience apartment-style living without crossing campus boundaries. One drawback cited by many students, however, is the price tag - a cost that has been steadily rising, and will increase again next year.
"Every apartment complex used private funds to be built," said Joseph Krakowiak, director of the university residence halls and apartments. "The bond holders expect a return on their investment. That means that we may raise our rates to keep the agreement valid."
Hadley Village rents will increase $15 from $415 a month for a 12-month lease and $475 for a 10-month lease to $430 and $490, respectively. Rents in the Flint Village apartments, which currently range from $430 a month for a four-bedroom apartment to $572 for a one-bedroom apartment, will increase between $15 and $17.
Insurance, snow removal, mechanical supplies and carpeting costs have all contributed to the increase in rent each year, according to Krakowiak.
"It cost us $7,000 to seal the parking lot at Flickinger," said Krakowiak. "Should there be a way to pay less for utilities or other costs, we would be able to hold rates as we did at Flickinger in its first two years of operation."
The rent increases are most significant in Flickinger Court and South Lake. A furnished two-bedroom townhouse in Flickinger, not including utilities, will increase from $745 per month to $770. A one-bedroom apartment in South Lake will cost $578 per month next year, as opposed to the current rate of $555.
Stephanie Isaacs, a communication major, has lived in the South Lake apartments for three semesters and does not mind the rate increasing each year.
"I think if I were out in the real world I would be paying much more for a fully-furnished apartment in Buffalo," she said. "I think I'm getting a good deal (and) it's much more convenient for me this way."
Among the apartment complexes, the rents in South Lake Village are the most expensive because maintaining the structure is more expensive, said Krakowiak.
"South Lake has more corridors, more drywall, more doors, refrigerators, stoves, furnishings, et cetera, so therefore it's more expensive."
The increases in rent are also due in part to energy costs. "We try to encourage students to conserve energy, but some feel comfortable by setting their apartments at 80 degrees and others set their thermostats at 68," said Krakowiak.
"I don't like to be cold so I like to keep the temperature in my apartment around 75 degrees," said Melanie King, a nursing major. "I don't really worry about the energy costs because they are included in my rent."
King's roommate Stephanie Richardson, a business major, does not worry about the energy costs either.
"Knowing that my utilities are already included in my monthly rent definitely plays a role when I go to turn the thermostat up," said Richardson, "If I had a monthly heating bill, I would probably keep the heat down a lot lower than I do now."
In general, the university is paying over $400 per student per year for electrical costs. The yearly costs of natural gas and electricity went up 10 percent last year, but are more favorable this year, according to Krakowiak.
The prices for on-campus apartments for the 2002-2003 academic year have already been posted on the UB housing Web site. Every February, a projected operating budget for the on-campus apartments is developed. A committee from the UB Foundation, the Division of Student Affairs and University Residence Halls and Apartments decides the rental costs, which are then written into a contract between the foundation and SUNY.
