Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 30, No. 10. 1967.

Halls of residence — are they worth it?

Halls of residence — are they worth it?

With the current Combined Churches Halls of Residence Appeal well under way students can look forward to relief in the accommodation situation sometime in the future.

However, at well over $4000 per bed, Halls of Residence are the most expensive method yet devised for accommodating students, and have been publicly questioned as the best way of solving the problem.

Statistics show students do not favour Halls of Residence over flats for instance, which can be built at much lower cost.

However, the atmosphere of the Hostel is often helpful in getting the first year students to meet others and participate more fully in university life.

Over the past few years the universities and students have convinced the Government of the desirability of building Halls of Residence for students.

In response the Government announced in its 1965 Budget an 80 per cent subsidy on Halls of Residence up to $3600 per bed. A loan of up to 10 per cent was also allowed for.

Consequently Halls are to the charitable organisation which qualify for the subsidy, the most attractive proposition. Clearly the first step necessary is for the Government to extend the subsidy scheme to include flats.

It has been questioned whether the present scheme of leaving the responsibility of student accommodation to the inclinations of charitable groups, mostly churches, is in the general interest.

It does appear a little paradoxical that while the Government accepts responsibility for the construction of sufficient buildings to house all students, it has no desire to take a direct hand in the planning and construction of accommodation facilities. Experience has shown students need a particular type of accommodation close to the campus itself if they are to be most efficient.

Objections have also been raised against the churches owning what amounts to community subsidised buildings. According to the Christ-church Press last week students at a Canterbury Hostel are required to attend services in the chapel.

While the current Halls campaign will eventually benefit students at Victoria it is hoped an investigation of the economics of student accommodation will be instituted in order that the community may get best value for its money.

—B.G.S.