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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 33 No. 12. 5 August 1970

More on the accommodation problem

page 4

More on the accommodation problem

The attention of the University Council was drawn to the extreme shortage of accommodation for male students in Wellington this year in the Annual Report of the Student Accommodation Service.

The Report, presented to the Annual Meeting of the Council last month, referred to the increasing difficulty in securing satisfactory accommodation in the vicinity of the university.

Rates for all types of accommodation in 1970 have shown an upward movement, and there were proportionately fewer places available in the lower price range in comparison with 1969.

For Services Rendered

Jeff Kennedy, organiser of Arts Festival Prelim, and various 'hard' concerts is to be given free membership of the Association next year.

Mr Kennedy was granted remission of his fee "in recognition of his contribution to the cultural life of the Association."

"He has done a particularly outstanding job for the Association, said Secretary Denis Phelps.

In 1969, the rent in flats was $5.50 or less for 44 of the places; in 1970 only 28 per cent of the places were in this category. The average cost of full board for males was $12.00 and $ 11.00 for females.

"Offers of assistance from the public were slightly less than in 1969 and were insufficient to house all the students requiring assistance."

The shortage, the report noted, was particularly acute in respect of full board for first year male students and vacant furnished flats and houses for non-fresher students.

The report stated that this year 2708 or 46 per cent of the students attending university were living away from home. Only 448 of these were living in lulls or hostels.

In 1969, 36 per cent of the vacancies listed by the Service were a mile or less from the university; in 1970 that proportion had fallen to 32 per cent.

"Since 1965 student enrolments have risen by nearly 1500 and have not been matched by a comparable increase in student accommodation. Despite increases in both the scale and range of publicity there has been a drop in the number of places provided by the public in 1969 and 1970.

Image of 'Yellow Yantra' painting

This painting—'Yellow Yantra' by New Zealand artist Wong Sing Tai—has just been bought by the Association for $350. The artist chose the position of the painting—a wall in the main common room—himself.

Members of the University Council expressed considerable concern at the situation and one councillor, Mr W.J. Scott, suggested that some urgency was required in the university's obtaining flats near the university and being run by the Council.