Future of accommodation fees debated across university
PLANS ARE BEING discussed within the university to radically change the accommodation system. At the end of last term, Palatinate learned that the idea of differential lets was being discussed by the University Accommodation Advisory Group comprised of Presidents’ Committee members and university officials.
Differential lets essentially means that instead of charging a flat rate for college accommodation, rooms would be assessed on quality, amenities and location, and priced accordingly.
However, this idea was met with resistance over fears this approach could be detrimental to the nature of the collegiate system leading to ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ colleges. Jenny Wren-Charlton, University College senior man said at the time “A concern I think many have, mainly from hearing from friends in other universities, most notably Oxbridge, is there is a fear of changing the unique nature of the college system into an elitist one, thus diminishing the diverse communities that you find in colleges and the eclectic mix of people that our University attracts”.
When questioned about the status of the proposal, DSU president Andrew Welch stated that the University, in response to the negative reaction of students, is considering alternative ideas, primarily a ‘returners’ bonus’ to help plug the gap in college finances. “Currently some colleges like Hild Bede, Van Mildert and Aidan’s are struggling to fill their blocks,” said Mr Welch. “This is known as the ‘void problem’, as many third and fourth year students find it cheaper to live out in areas like Gilesgate instead of moving back into their colleges”.
The idea is to charge freshers, who have to live in for the duration of their first year, more money for their accommodation, allowing colleges to charge returners less. It is hoped this incentive will attract third and fourth year students back into their colleges.
However student reaction to the proposal has been decidedly mixed. When raised at a Van Mildert JCR meeting this past weekend, the proposals were not well received, with many students labeling the system ‘unfair’.
However, a source placed highly within the Hild Bede SRC executive said that the college is in favour of the returners’ bonus. “With Hild Bede surrounded by cheap Gilesgate accomodation, there is no incentive for third and fourth year students to move back into the college. They can live out for less whilst enjoying all of the college facilities”. It is hoped that with more Hild Bede students choosing to return, a greater sense of community will develop and college spirit will be strengthened.
The discussions remain on-going within the Accommodation Advisory Group.
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A returners bonus, although it sounds like a lovely idea, should definitely not be funded out of the pockets of first years who, in most colleges, have *no choice* but to live in! Accommodation is cripplingly expensive as it is and first year is always the most expensive year anyway; it’s the year that you have to buy many of the supplies that will see you through the rest of University: laptops, printers, stationery, core text books… The list goes on. Not only that, it’s the year that many students learn to manage a budget independently. Why on earth anybody then thinks it is acceptable to put prices up for first years, so that second, third and fourth years can have better accommodation, is absolutely beyond me.
As a JCR Livers Out Representative who has been, to an extent, drafted in by St Cuthbert’s Society to help publicise our recently acquired live-in accommodation, I know from feedback I have had that many people would simply never consider moving back into Society/College Accommodation. Why? Well firstly because you get no privacy; there are cleaners and staff able to enter your rooms whenever they want. In some colleges, you cannot be self-catered. Even with the glorious new catering strategy, currently being piloted in Cuth’s as it happens, the food is not what you want to be eating all the time. You have to pay your bills termly; a lot of people are fine to find £300 every month, but an up-front payment of over £1,200 (and thats for self catered!) is often too much in one go. Finally, lots of students really enjoy being independent and living a bit further away. They like the distance, they like choosing where they want to live, they like cooking for themselves, they like having big rooms with double beds, they like paying for the utilities that they use and not a blanket fee for everyone’s.
Moreover, living out gives invaluable experience for when you have to find your own privately rented property after University. It is certainly not a bad thing to learn about how leases and lets work early on whilst there is still the support of Livers Out Reps and the DSU on hand, should something go wrong.
The Vice Chancellor wants everybody to live in because it makes the University lots of money. But until they realise, and do something about the fact, that a large number of students simply don’t find the prospect of living in at all attractive post-first year, then it’s not going to go anywhere. Getting first years to cover the shortfall is not in any way acceptable and I’m sure most current first years would agree with me.
If this system came into use and freshers were charged more, I would be very tempted to simply become unattached.
Well then you won’t be able to stay in the university and graduate Angry First Year. In 2 years time when you move back in you will appreciate it
The point is that you shouldn’t HAVE to live-in in your third year. It’s a nice convenience which the University offers, however some students, for whatever reason, simply don’t want to. Why should those who later on in their third do not want to be constrained to living in student halls, eating college meals and not necessarily having accommodation available all year round have to pay more in their first year?
Last year a whole college full of voids and Colleges’ Division have now announced that Durham University college accommodation isn’t financially viable. Hmmmm – maybe they shouldn’t have built that extra college!
In October I will be entering my third and final year at Durham. I thoroughly enjoyed living in during first year and especially liked the independence of being self-catered, as well as its cheapness in comparison to the more pricey, en-suite rooms or the possibility of having to share a room and lose some privacy. I do agree with Tom, living in can mean giving up some of your privacy whether shared or single, with cleaners and staff having access to your room. Yet despite this, I am still choosing to move back into college accommodation in my final year. Why? Because it is close to the Library, my department, lecture theatres and the college boat club boathouse of which I am an exec member. The accommodation on offer for returners is of course pricier than that I experienced in my first year, but with the extra cost comes a better standard of accommodation. Yes the rooms are small and there is no double bed, but as I finalist I am more concerned about passing my degree than extra amenities that aren’t necessary. As a self catered flat of 6, I shall enjoy the large kitchen and living area that even beats houses that some livers out find themselves living in. Even the small room is on a par with the rooms in a rented student house. The en-suite also means I can avoid queues for the bathroom, experienced in both first year and living out.
Both living in and living out comes with costs and most students probably find that living out outweighs living in. Although I do not doubt that others may much prefer to stay in college accommodation for the entirety of their time at university. To be honest I would have preferred to have lived out again in my final year, yet it is difficult to find a good sized house in a similar location to halls, for a low cost. Although this does not mean that college accommodation wins all the time, I believe that the prices currently offered to not accurately reflect that diversity of the rooms that are on offer, I think this is especially the case with my particular college. Those in shared rooms may find themselves with less space than those in other shared rooms yet they are charged the same amount. This issue should be addressed both within colleges and inter college. Yet how to avoid a system of rich college poor college as suggested in the main article, I am unsure.
You make a number of very valid points, and I think if it were the case that all colleges were to offer such a diverse range of accommodation — I presume in this case you are talking about Cuth’s, because I cannot think of another college which offers the option of an ensuite AND self-catered in first year — then I think this would be a different matter. However they’re not. In many colleges, you cannot be self-catered in 3rd year, which is a massive change for the majority who live out in second year. That, combined with other things, can make living in unattractive for people.
I think the University basically needs to get its arse in gear and sort out its finances properly, rather than taxing freshers in order to make up for the financial disaster which the establishment of a new college has created!
The diverse range of accommodation was precisely why I chose Cuths and I think its a real shame the other colleges cannot offer the same. For students who wish to live in AND be self catered they have a choice of two colleges, Cuths and Josephine Butler. I think some of the other colleges should perhaps consider bringing in the option of self catering. This may help attract more returners, instead of resorting to taxing freshers. I agree that in hindsight the estblishment of a new college a couple of years ago has most likely added to the tense financial situation the colleges and university now find themselves in with regards to accommodation. The university now should consider other ways to improve the accommodation situation without resorting to means which will result in an unfair system.
Hmmm I think you have to be careful there. I think having it as a selling point for Cuth’s is very important. The thing is that most of the other colleges simply can’t offer self-catering because of the facilities they have, and the cost of installing Brooks House-style self-catered accommodation everywhere would be absolutely huge. Furthermore, it is never positive to encourage the University to further standardise the collegiate system! The differences between colleges, the facilities, the way of life and the ethos that they offer are extremely important and should be preserved. Otherwise we merely undermine the point of having a collegiate structure in the first place. Accommodation seems like a small thing, but it sets a dangerous precedent as far as homogenising colleges is concerned.
I do see where you are coming from and to lose what makes Cuths stand out would be detrimental to the college. I am not suggesting standardising, but I do think it should be seen as an option for some of the colleges, not neccessarily all. Cuths is by far one of the better colleges as far as the range of accommodation that is on offer, something that other colleges would struggle to achieve. This makes Cuths stand out and that is why I chose it. Perhaps some of the other colleges could offer self catering or meal packages for returners only along with the suggested ‘returners bonus’. That way they could fill some of thier bed spaces yet still retain diversity as far as a collegiate system goes with regards to freshers especially. There is no simple answer for the financial situation surrounding college accommodation and taxing the first years is definately not it, but if students in the university do not express thier opinions and suggest alternatives like we both are now, I fear that what will happen will not be in the best interests of everyone, merely just the pockets of university officials.
I agree with pretty much everything Tom has said, and think it disgusting that they plan to heap an extra load on top of the already extortionate live-in fees for freshers. I remember being part of a DSU campaign to freeze accommodation fees in my first year (sweetly naive, right?) and we found out that accommodation costs had gone up nearly 50% in the last five years and 96% in the last ten.
The issue I can’t make my mind up about is that of differential lets. I like the concept of standardised rent, but I don’t really think it really works when the quality of rooms differ so wildly across the university. I lived in some of the worst Hild Bede accommodation in my first year (the block in question has been planned for demolition for years!), whilst some students in hill colleges might have ensuite, modern rooms with unstained carpets at the same cost. The real kicker is that people who are made to share a room in first year STILL have to pay the same rent, which I think is unbelievably unjust, particularly given how pricey it is. Ideally the university would sort itself out a bit financially and attempt to improve some of the worst accommodation (which is pretty terrible), but that’s never going to happen …