All students deserve the same experience

During my degree, and my Sabbatical term, I was always concerned with the prospect of future students being priced out of accommodation.

Though the majority of people within the College do believe in, and actively support, the widening participation agenda – providing sizeable bursaries, enhancing scholarships etc. – it is clear that people do not understand the negative implication of accommodation costs.

No greater emphasis of this was the Open Day held last spring, where potential applicants with their parents/guardians were taken to see some of the most expensive (and naturally glamorous) rooms on offer as opposed to seeing a spread of available rooms.

I fundamentally believe that all students deserve a relatively comparable student experience. Obviously we cannot give every student an apartment in South Kensington, though some people will have the means to get one, but ensuring good proximityto University, similar durations of commutes and a halls structure that doesn’t encourage separation of the ‘richer’ and ‘poorer’ students is essential. By forcing students with less financial support to travel for longer, thus reducing the amount of available study time as well as making it harder to go to and from the library will naturally provide an academic advantage to students who live closer.

The ultimate question to ask is why Acton? If the University feels it must leave the Evelyn Gardens properties, why aren’t they considering Battersea? Not only is it half the distance away from South Kensington but with huge prospects for the future it would surely be a good place to build.

It is clear that the College has many answers to the questions from students, both past and present. What I would encourage them to do is be open and honest to the student body. Hold a public meeting and answer the questions of students. If they approach this situation with closed doors and the issuing of ‘PR-approved statements’ they will only increase suspicion and create further concern.