Vic's Perennial Peritonitis

Acute Accommodation Problem

Sharon Thompson trotted out the bare facts about finding board for students. Each year Freshers come to Wellington under the impression they can find home-away-from-home board at £4 per week, and find themselves paying somewhat more for the bed-breakfast-and-eat-out regime, or the share-room-and-fend-for-yourself method or the peel-the-paint-off-the-wall-if-you-like-you-won't-last-the-last-one-didn't treatment.

We have advertised for board but as usual public relations are at an all-time low. This could be put down to the fact that a majority of Wellingtonians now live at least three miles from Wellington, to general apathy in a city of floating population, to the sleepiness of the students themselves who now lack even the spirit to keep in the public eye by outraging it.

The problem being what it is, a service that cannot cater for large numbers of Freshers will not help much. Assuming no hostels can be built for at least five years, some sort of Student Flat Scheme is agreed to be the only short-term solution worth considering.

A report from David Wilson outlined the form it may take; where possible whole houses or floors should be leased at a rent in the vicinity of £2/5/- for every student to live in them. An additional charge would be made to cover costs of administration and perhaps pay part rent during the vacations. The Students' Association will be responsible for upkeep, and It will be necessary to have at least one senior student in each household.

As no-one has any idea how this will work out, it is proposed to go ahead with this on a very limited basis. The scheme will then be reviewed after it has been at work for six months or so.

If it is decided to launch a full-scale scheme, the association must aim high. To make the scheme remotely successful there will need to be a full-time paid officer on a living wage. Not only should the idea be presented to the public with a great flourish, it must also be sold to students, and to the parents of students.

Further, any officer who is to do such a job adequately will need to have business acumen, some knowledge of leasing, and a long experience of flats and ways of running flats. Also, by his very position, he will be something of an adviser.

It must be appreciated that to be of any value at all the scheme has to cater for hundreds of students, not tens; it is obvious then, that such a plan is likely to change the character of student life significantly, that room must be allotted, and students advised how to live comfortably under an unfamiliar system, vastly different from a home.

Briefly, Student Counsellors, clearly marked in front like A. & P. Show Officials, whose job is to help overseas students and Freshers to complete their forms correctly and find the proper rooms, were on hand. Senior students, that is in their third year, full-timers, gave advice in the Students' Association room on sports clubs, other university activities, student health, Salient, Extrav, Capping and so on. Marvellous!