Fresh anxiety: no room on campus

A shortage of bedrooms on campus has left many students arriving at the University this week finding out that they are sharing a room.

Over 340 students have been asked to share rooms on campus. Around 140 have been allocated permanent twin bedrooms in Sherbourne, Benefactors and Rootes and 200 are temporarily sharing a room in Westwood.

Many postgraduate students have been left without a permanent room on campus and are temporarily being put up in Felden, part of the University’s conference facilities.

Others are being housed in a hotel in Coventry.

This year the rules around the clearing process changed, which allowed universities to take on unlimited numbers of students who achieved AAB or higher in their A Levels.

Peter Dunn, the University’s head of communications, acknowledged that there are more students at Warwick this year than in previous years, but the University is unable to give a clear figure until later in the term once it is known how many students will complete their first term.

Mr Dunn stated: “It is because we appeared to be an outstanding popular choice in clearing this year we actually had to pull out of clearing after just 12 hours of operating our clearing hotline.”

Cat Turhan, welfare and campaigns officer at Warwick Students’ Union (SU), has expressed concern about the situation: “We are deeply concerned about this development, particularly as we feel these arrangements put vulnerable students at risk.

“We believe that this has arisen because the departments within the University have overreached on places and have not accounted for the impact that this has on student welfare during the crucial first term, and year, of study at Warwick.

“This is a grave oversight, and is especially worrying for international postgraduates who do not have the support network in this country to overcome the practical and emotional difficulties this situation is likely to carry with it.”

Ms Turhan added that postgraduate students who are being temporarily housed in conference facilities and a hotel are being asked to move out in three weeks.

“They are expected to have made friends in that time and find a privately owned house independently within that time.

“This is not an easy task given the lack of private accommodation now available so soon to the start of term.

“Students have already resorted to signing risky and costly contracts for houses advertised on the internet.”

Shatarupa Saham, a first-year student who will be sharing a bedroom in Westwood, is pleased by the situation: “I’m actually quite happy about the room-mate situation.

“It’s kind of American and I get a shot at having a ‘best friend’ for the first time ever, whatever that term entails. It’s also half the rent.”

Yaschal Rao, another first-year student sharing in Sherbourne, said: “At first I wasn’t keen on the idea because I’m not the most sociable of people, but then saw it as a potential gift because at least that’s one person I’ll know immediately and I get a roommate for the first time.”

Students sharing in Westwood will be offered the chance of moving to a single room as soon as they become available on campus. Students in shared rooms also pay a reduced rate of rent.

Those who are in temporary accommodation have been allocated £75 on their ‘Eating at Warwick’ cards for each week that they have been affected.

Ben Sundell, president at Warwick SU, said: “Whilst I can understand the real difficulties of managing applications through clearing, the University needs to be a lot more stringent in making sure that it doesn’t oversubscribe.

“If it does want to increase student numbers, it needs to find a much more robust way of ensuring enrolments are matched by adequate accommodation provision for first year undergraduates and international postgraduates.”

A number of students have already been asking on the official Warwick Freshers’ group if anyone wants to swap rooms.
Any students who wish to move accommodation must discuss the issue with their current residential tutor and fill out an online transfer request form.

This form will become available on the Warwick Accommodation website from Monday 14 October (Week 3 of Term 1).
There is a £35 transfer fee and transfers will only occur if a suitable room becomes available.

However, those who are in temporary shared accommodation, such as Westwood, will not have to pay this fee when a free room becomes available.

The SU suggests that anyone with serious concerns should visit their Advice Centre.