Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 34, Number 1. 1971

Giles Brooker Wants Flat

Giles Brooker Wants Flat

At the present time it is something of a cliche to observe that the problem of student accommodation is worse this year than in any previous year.

Unfortunately it is also true. According to the Accommodation Officer, Mrs. Brown, there will still be some 300 students with unfulfilled requests for accommodation by the beginning of March. Moreover the problem appears to be especially acute for males, who outnumber the females in the university by 3 to 1.

The problem, in essence, can be expressed in fairly simple terms. With more and more students coming into the accommodation service, there has not been an accompanying increase in the number of places available. What is less obvious is why this latter situation should have come about. Among factors pointed to by Mrs. Brown were the expansion of Polytech, the house-demolition involved in construction of the motorway and the admittance of 100 out-of-town students into the Wellington Teachers College.

Naturally enough the present situation overwhelmingly favours landlords. More specifically, it is the sort of situation in which one is liable to find accommodation being offered at unreasonable rates. Worse still is the fact that many students may be forced to accept sub-standard living conditions, out of sheer desperation rather than overwhelming desire. Less significant side-effects include the inability of the accommodation service to meet the students' preferences, especially in the matter of locality. Nevertheless, some would agree that dispersing the student population more widely throughout Wellington can only benefit the city.

But what of next year and the years to follow? At present V.U.W. and N.Z.U.S.A. are mooting a scehe [sic] to establish a charitable trust whose general aim will be the "advancement of education". Included in this scheme are specific proposals for buying up properties and homes to be used for student accommodation. Following the meeting of university Presidents on February 28th at Hamilton, the details of the trust should be more widely available. At the same time the Halls of Residence Foundation is adding extensions to Vic. House and has on its drawing board a new hall of residence for men, to be called Trinity College. According to Mr. Boyd, Student Welfare Officer, the problem of student accommodation should be alleviated somewhat in the future by the joint effect of the students' charitable trust and renewed activity on the part of the Halls of Residence Foundation. However, for those at present homeless Association President Graeme Collins had some words of comfort: "Things will have to get better," he said, "because they can't get worse."