Simpson students wishing to live on campus for the 2003-2004 academic year will now have another housing option.

Simpson College has recently purchased the Godwin Apartments located East of campus directly across from Goodwill.

During the upcoming room selection in March, students will be able to put their names on a waiting list for the new facility. The two-bedroom/two-bathroom apartments will accommodate approximately 94 Simpson students.

Little renovations will be needed before students move into the apartments.

“We plan to go in and take a look at the safety and security features as a whole and individually from apartment to apartment,” said Bart Lane, director of Campus Services at the Physical Plant. “Sprinkler systems will probably be installed as well as fire enclosures, but very few cosmetic issues exist on the interior or exterior of the apartments.”

Students living in the apartments should expect 24-hour quiet-hours and a substance-free environment for at least the first year of residency. Also, an estimated $100 increase per semester for room and board is likely for students residing in Godwin.

Although the Godwin apartments will be one of Simpson’s most distant housing units, Chris Frerichs, director of Campus Security, said that the location of the apartments would not be an issue.

“The apartments will go online like all of Simpson’s other housing facilities, said Frerichs. “As soon as students begin to move in Simpson’s security officials will incorporate the apartments into their normal rounds.”

At this time residents still occupy the building and are not required to leave until their original housing contracts are up. Students who are on the waiting list will be notified, as the apartments become available.

“The current residents can move out whenever they want to,” said Stephanie Krauth, associate dean of students and Residence Life. “With that in mind, the actual number of students that can be housed in the fall is unknown.”

Simpson College will announce more decisions and plans for the apartments in the future as they are made.