University Managed Accommodation charges January-April 2021 Spring Semester demand? But room empty?

SingleSue

JamoLew said:

SingleSue said:

Youngest couldn't access his accommodation until near the end of March from early in December, he got a small reduction on his halls rent in the two semesters impacted as did other students in the university managed accommodation.

He's grumbled about it a little but then he did get a semester free in the first lockdown when most of the students returned home but as he was shielding, had to remain in his accommodation as he couldn't be returned safely.

He's more annoyed about paying out full whack tuition fees for online learning since March last year....

in actuality - the work involved for the admin staff and lecturers is way more to provide online lectures.

Everything has to be redone into a format that is suitable for this method of delivery - so lecturers have actually been working significantly harder/longer hours to facilitate this.

And all for a 0% pay rise and no gratitude from anyone that they are at least making an effort to continue the delivery of education

Trust me, the vast majority of Uni staff don't want to be delivering this way either and bills/wages still need to be paid

** My wife is a Uni lecturer for a Medical based qualification, so I have a lot of first hand knowledge on this

Oh I know and I have explained this to him but to him, logic (he's on the spectrum) says it is no different to an Open uni type degree and he has paid for more than that (or will be when he starts paying back his loans).

I think he understands that and in less stressy times, he would probably be more understanding/accepting but the pandemic has had an terrible impact on his studies and his mental wellbeing as he was truly isolated away from everyone for 4 months in the first lockdown - he was the only one left in his accommodation block and as he was shielding, couldn't go outside alongside the knowledge that had he got Covid, it would be the end of him. It couldn't have come at a worse time either, the end of his 3rd year and all of his 4th year/Masters year. He'll get over it, he only really says it when he is uber stressed and just before an assignment is due.

The really weird thing is that he hates people, his dream had always been not to have everyone around him but when it happened he discovered he missed the noises and the comfort of knowing someone else was there.

tooldle

Good to read the above @SingleSue . JamoLew is bang on with what he says. The past year has been interesting. It is not just teaching that has changed, research has been impacted and a number of admin processes and service functions have had to rework their process / delivery on top of the normal workload. Staying motivated has at times been really difficult with everything turned on its head overnight, and the barrage of negativity around fees, loss of experience etc, yet we continue to crack on delivering as best we can. 
Good luck to your son for his fourth year.

SingleSue

tooldle said:

Good to read the above @SingleSue . JamoLew is bang on with what he says. The past year has been interesting. It is not just teaching that has changed, research has been impacted and a number of admin processes and service functions have had to rework their process / delivery on top of the normal workload. Staying motivated has at times been really difficult with everything turned on its head overnight, and the barrage of negativity around fees, loss of experience etc, yet we continue to crack on delivering as best we can. 
Good luck to your son for his fourth year.

He's pretty much at the end of it now and going through the graduate scheme recruitment processes, now there is something that takes time, especially during a pandemic! Things did seem a lot more 'organised' this year than last but then I think we have all become more acclimatised anyway. 

Uni experience is not one of his moans, he doesn't like people and because of his health issues, never took part in the social side of university and so didn't miss the pubs or the parties, he just missed the noises of other people being in the building. He did rather enjoy having an apartment designed for 11 people, including a massive kitchen, all to himself, his cooking improved no end as he could get creative without interruptions.

bluecarlady

Thank you to all who posted on this subject.

I was hoping to find maybe one other person/family going through this with a child who has just come to the end of a First year in Uni on a Degree or Foundation course.  WHO HAS ALSO BEEN IN UNIVERSITY MANAGED ACCOMMODATION.  But I assume my child must be the only one.

There are lots of students in private rents and I know they have had to pay their rent all year but at least they were allowed to stay in their accommodation.  

And there are many others in Managed accommodation Unite etc and they have had a raw deal too I know.

I am relieved to say that after a concerted push at writing emails to the entire hierarchy including the Chief Operating officer, the Head of Finance Division and the Head of  Student Life Centre we have been able in simple terms to apply retrospectively for the necessary waiver declarations.

I hope that we all have a better time of the next academic year in supporting our children through university.

SingleSue

bluecarlady said:

Thank you to all who posted on this subject.

I was hoping to find maybe one other person/family going through this with a child who has just come to the end of a First year in Uni on a Degree or Foundation course.  WHO HAS ALSO BEEN IN UNIVERSITY MANAGED ACCOMMODATION.  But I assume my child must be the only one.

There are lots of students in private rents and I know they have had to pay their rent all year but at least they were allowed to stay in their accommodation.  

And there are many others in Managed accommodation Unite etc and they have had a raw deal too I know.

I am relieved to say that after a concerted push at writing emails to the entire hierarchy including the Chief Operating officer, the Head of Finance Division and the Head of  Student Life Centre we have been able in simple terms to apply retrospectively for the necessary waiver declarations.

I hope that we all have a better time of the next academic year in supporting our children through university.

I did post, not sure if you saw it though.

My son may be in his fourth year (Integrated Masters) but he was also in university managed accommodation and has been for his entire course. He was not allowed to be in his accommodation from early December until mid/late March, they had all been given a window to go home for Christmas and had to leave by the end of that 7 day window and had initially been given a date in January when they could return. Unfortunately lock down happened and they couldn't return which was a real begger for my son as all his Masters research project equipment was still stuck in his room and he had a horrendous rush to get it all done in time for the deadline. 

At the time, he thought he was only going to be coming home for a few weeks, not almost four months!