Bed, Breakfast and Garret

The item on the agenda read "Hostel Accommodation", but David Wilson's somewhat ruthless chairmanship didn't stop them from discussing the caf., bursaries, staff-student ratios and sweated labour in the vacations.

"The money," rasped David Davy, "is available if anybody wants to earn it." As Brian Shaw would have said if he had been there, it's a view.

When accommodation cropped up, there was some hopeful talk of blocks of bed-and-breakfast hostels on the other side of the Parade. It was reckoned that they would be "better" than full hostels. This may be so, for our student board problem is the most urgent in the country, but bed-and-breakfast hostels will make Victoria just so much more a part-time university.

It was agreed that the first hostels should be for women, to bring their facilities into line with those for men. Whether the Exec has taken into account the fact that there are more full-time men students than women I don't know.

Elizabeth Beck proposed a survey of student boarding conditions along the lines: Who is boarding, who flatting and who living at home.

John Hercus went further, suggesting questionnaires for high school pupils planning to come up to University.

There was a suggestion that the Association take steps to ensure that student flats don't revert to what you might call normal use, especially in the Kelburn area. No one took much notice—no one had thought about the working details of such a scheme. But it does have merit.

It would be well worth while to form a subcommittee with powers to negotiate with landlords either to suggest "approved" students as tenents or to rent and sublet flats to Association members. This is not such a fantastic idea as it sounds. Provided such students are responsible, are subject to inspection by an officer of the Association, and have sufficient money, there should be no snags. Accommodation must be found for 2,000 new students in the next eight years.

Already a few hundred of our students are literally commuters. Why should there not be a concerted public relations venture at making a "student quarter" of Kelburn? There is hardly one house within sight of the University that could not comfortably house four or five students.

On the other hand, Peter O'Brien was disturbed by certain aspects of student flatting. He had the feeling that schoolmates might get together and exclude all but Old Pupils from their flats. ". . . sort of Woodford forever. I put this forward," said Mr. O'Brien hurriedly, "seriously." Hm.