On Friday 22 February 2013 the Union received the College Management Board’s response to the Union President’s paper. The Union President would like to thank the College Management Board for their response.
The response is below in full, but, relating specifically to the Union’s Five Requests:
1. Retain Garden Hall as a Hall of Residence in the College Space Master plan.
- Full studies will be undertaken at Garden Hall to evaluate costs of refurbishments and continuing use as halls of residence
- Students will be consulted on the outcomes of these surveys and plans before a final decision is made
2. Continue to seek out alternative, superior solutions to Evelyn Garden’s ending lease than the North Acton project.
- The College will continue to search for further reasonably priced accommodation as close to our campuses as practical.
- Full studies will be undertaken at Evelyn Gardens to evaluate costs of refurbishments and continuing use as halls of residence
- Students will be consulted on the outcomes of these surveys and plans before a final decision is made
- Plans that involved keeping Evelyn Gardens would mean the College would undertake negotiations over its lease, which, as commercially sensitive would not be possible to consult on widely
3. Review the whole Accommodation Strategy given the discrepancies between the Accommodation Survey 2011 data, the Strategy’s interpretation of that data and the backlash from students over the results of that Strategy.
- The College has accepted there is a demand for cheaper, non-high specification accommodation close to campus: it ‘is committed to providing a range of accommodation options at a variety of prices, which reflect quality and location’.
4. Hold formal consultation with students and academics on North Acton and on all future projects before committing to a development – whether they be accommodation related or otherwise.
- Although not mentioned in the response, a formal consultation procedure is being worked on with the Pro Rector (Education) by the President and Deputy Presidents Education & Welfare
5. Don’t reduce Wardening ratios any further; and retain Wardens as College staff who undertake the role alongside their College careers.
- College accepts the value of wardening, and notes that a receptionist at W3 is not intended to ‘detract from the pastoral care associated with wardening’
What the Union President says
There is much work yet to be done: the Union needs to continue to push on all of these points to ensure the student voice, and opinions – as published in our quantitative data and qualitative responses received - aren’t ignored. I believe the Union should be looking to move forward with the College and will continue to input positively to all of the work that has now been commissioned by the Management Board: the surveys on the halls, the consultations and the provision of extra affordable accommodation in Union space, in Beit Hall. I will be taking a paper to the next Union Council to discuss the official Union Response in April.