Correction: This article originally reported that Danieley, Global and Colonnades have disparate laundry facilities.  The article has been changed to show that each location provides laundry services, but they require payment for each use. Stand-alone singles in Global and Colonnades C, D and E provide free laundry. The article has also been amended to show that the Oaks and Danieley require students to purchase a meal plan through their sophomore year.

[embed]http://youtu.be/DOzGzjgPUOI[/embed]

                       Video by Sophia Asmuth, multimedia editor.

On-campus housing at Elon University is a mixed bag.

The disparities in the different residential areas are obvious, but they aren’t reflected in the prices, which are the same for all on-campus apartments and dorms respectively. And students in certain locations don’t get what they pay for.

Associate Director of Residence Life Operations and Information Management MarQuita Barker said maintaining consistent rates in campus housing is an effort to encourage diversity by preventing students who are more financially advantaged from congregating in certain residential neighborhoods.

But the current system of determining housing does little to generate diversity in living spaces because it clumps students together based on class year.

The solution is to alter prices based on the quality of the individual locations and operate the housing lottery based on academic performance.

This way, students can opt for housing options they feel comfortable paying for, and the rates will reflect the overall quality.

To be clear, none of Elon’s on-campus housing should be considered a poor option. As far as college-living goes, each option at Elon is more than adequate. But students shouldn’t pay inordinate prices for adequate housing.

Though the university is well on its way to achieving its goal of having 75 percent of students living on campus as part of the residential campus initiative, many turned to cheaper housing with similar amenities off campus.

Currently, 37 percent of students live off campus, and 65 have applied to join that group in the 2015 housing selection process.

Junior Kyle Vines applied to move off campus as a sophomore after he found housing that was as nice as what Elon offered at a lower cost.

“It’s been cheaper, and it’s nicer,” Vines said. “I’m not missing out on anything.”

Without having to pay for a meal plan or parking, Vines said the savings are worth the short distance from campus. He also noted his reservations about going through the housing selection process as a sophomore.

“I would have wanted to go into the Oaks because that’s where everybody went,”Vines said. “I would have been really upset if I had ended up in Danieley,”

Currently, students living in Mill Point, The Oaks and Danieley pay the same monthly rate of $707 for a four-person apartment despite the apparent differences in quality at each location.

This disparity is evident among the newer residence halls on campus and in the Historic Neighborhood. Students living in dorms also pay a flat rate of $2,699 per semester for a double room. And despite East campus’s charming facade, some of the bathrooms are a bit “historic.”

Then there are the physical differences in Elon’s apartments. Mill Point residents benefit from brand-spanking-new kitchen appliances, recreational-sized common areas and four bathrooms — one for each resident in an apartment. Students in Danieley pay the same monthly fee for fewer amenities and more Physical Plant work requests. Danieley residents are also required to purchase a meal plan.

And, Danieley is the only apartment complex on campus that charges for laundry services. Newer residence halls provide free laundry facilities, and the Oaks and Mill Point residents have access to washers and dryers inside their apartments.

Yes, Danieley is in the progress of an update. But the promise of bagels and fitness centers doesn’t mean much to those who currently pay the same amount as Mill Point residents do for their pool, hardwood floors and gleaming granite countertops.

To ensure students get the biggest bang for their buck at an already expensive university, housing prices should reflect the quality and condition of each apartment and residence hall. As it is, some overpay for average housing options.