Students to desert ‘dull’ campus and use private rental
A SIGNIFICANT number of accommodation places for second and third years have still not been filled. Charges that campus life is too dull for undergraduates have sparked fears that more postgraduate students may be given on campus housing.
With one in ten places unfilled, the Accommodation Office has reacted with sweeping and unprecedented measures. The deadline for applications was extended until yesterday, and students who have missed this date can enter the waiting list from 7th March.
Allowances are being made for group and individual applications and rules regarding second years applying for campus accommodation have also been relaxed. A University spokesperson has stated that, “if their application is successful, this will not be taken into account if they apply for accommodation in their final year.”
One accommodation officer admitted to nouse that contingency plans were already being prepared. “We’re confident that if there aren’t sufficient undergraduate applications, by transferring them to postgraduate applications that we will fill up the rooms.”
He confirmed that these ‘extra’ postgraduate students would be grouped together, “obviously, the postgraduates will want to be together rather than mixed in with undergraduates. It would be certain blocks, probably parts of Lawrence Court.”
A student from Goodricke commented, “I’m not surprised students don’t want to come back onto campus. I mean my accommodation wasn’t as bad as some parts of Goodricke, but we’ve seen some far better places off campus.”
“It hardly seems worth staying on campus, as most of the events can’t compare to town and drink prices are too high. I’ve got friends at Hull who pay a pound a pint at events, rather than £1.50. I’m not surprised that people want to move away from it all.”
Concerns that campus is getting duller, and that this mixed with housing quality factors are pushing undergraduates away from campus come at a time of controversy in the private sector.
Rumours that some landlords are bribing students with money to get them to get other students to sign contracts for houses have raised concern amongst the Students’ Union.
A projected rise of up to 20% on rents in the private sector this year have raised real worries that students are being taken advantage of.
YUSU Education and Welfare Officer, John Rose, has voiced fears that at least one letting agency are breaking too many rules. The Union’s Exec Committee have responded by mandating the propose action to correct it.
Responding to concerns about private sector rent hiking, a spokesperson for Sinclair Properties said they had no planned rent increases, but that she expected to see rates rises generally over the next few years. She also commented that that this rise may slow down as more landlords come onto the market, creating more competition.
Despite calls to reform in the ‘low-grade’ private housing market, students still seem to prefer living off campus rather than returning to their old Colleges. This growing preference could prompt a drop in the number of undergraduates involved in campus life very quickly.
If this happens, a grave impact on the diversity of campus social life and events is forecasted, especially with a potentially increased amount of postgraduates living in colleges, which will further dampen the market for events and services geared at undergraduates.
