Issue 1201 Monday 30 November 2009 www.thecourieronline.co.uk
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Freshers fork out £218k for damages Simon Murphy News Editor David Coverdale Editor 7KH $FFRPPRGDWLRQ 2IÀ FH DW Newcastle University has forced students living in halls of residence to fork out a staggering £218,000 in FKDUJHV IRU GDPDJH RYHU WKH ODVW À YH academic years. 7KH $FFRPPRGDWLRQ 2IÀ FH VDLG it only charges for the cost of the actual damage caused, but students have disputed this claim, arguing their vulnerable position is being exploited. 7KH À JXUHV REWDLQHG E\ D )UHHGRP RI ,QIRUPDWLRQ )2, UHTXHVW UHYHDO that there were 958 individual charges issued at University halls over the last academic year and 4,887 overall since 2003.
ÂŁ43,157.26 Cost of damages caused at Newcastle University accommodation in 2008/2009
The University’s Director of Accommodation and Hospitality Services, Margaret Hunter, said: “We don’t cause the damage. We only charge on actual costs. We send the actual bills to the student that we had to pay out as part of the damage.â€? 7KH WRWDO Ă€ JXUH IRU FKDUJHV ODVW \HDU was ÂŁ43,157.26. Of this, only ÂŁ8875.30 FDPH IURP (DVWRQ )ODWV +HQGHUVRQ Hall, Leazes Terrace, Marris House, Claremont Place, North Terrace and St Mary’s College. Students living in Richardson Road have been hardest hit, suffering charges of over ÂŁ60,000 in the last two years, including last year’s total of ÂŁ34,282. Richardson Road’s Housing Manager, Paul Bandeen said: “We
have far better things to do than chase people for damage. The amount of staff time, Margaret‘s [Hunter] time, my time, dealing with damage year in year out is phenomenal so there are far better things we can be doing. “But if people cause it then we have to react. It takes our time and effort to put things right. It isn’t RXU MRE WR WU\ DQG Ă€ QG SHRSOH ZKR have caused considerable damage to student accommodation. “It isn’t our job to have to spend time putting right things that people have blatantly done wrong which in some cases you could argue is criminal damage. If it happened in the private sector then you probably would charge people with criminal damage.â€? One former student contacted The Courier to vent her anger over her treatment while living in University accommodation. Hollie Clark said: “As the $FFRPPRGDWLRQ 2IĂ€ FH DOUHDG\ have your money they can basically return as much or as little as they want to you and students have no say in this no matter how unfair it is. “It is clear that they use any excuse to take money from students but then do not use the money to clean the property, this becomes a job for the next tenants and the cycle continues. “I think it is a disgrace that the $FFRPPRGDWLRQ 2IĂ€ FH LV UXQ E\ the University yet it is still able to take advantage of students in this way. Most of their tenants will be naive and will have had no previous experience of rented properties which is how they get away with it.â€? Continued on page 4
Inside today >>> Men-ism? Students campaign for male ULJKWV DQG Âż JKW IRU FRQWURYHUVLDO male-oriented societies News, page 3
Prize winning Agric A Newcastle Agriculture student is one in four across the country WR KDYH ZRQ WKH SUHVWLJLRXV ASSET award and bursary News, page 5
Count down to Copenhagen Three articles tackle different aspects of the climate change debate in the run up to the upcoming global talks Comment, page 12
Too little, too late Six years on, is the enquiry into the Iraq war a waste of time or a necessary way of laying the FRQWURYHUV\ WR UHVW" Comment, page 13
Santa baby Elf, reindeer or Father Christmas: what should you be dressing up DV WKLV IHVWLYH VHDVRQ" Life & Style, page 15
Heartbreak for Royals Newcastle’s netballers miss out RQ D IDPRXV ZLQ RYHU Northumbria by one point Sport, page 43
Movember: the month of the moustache News, page 3
Lucie Jones 7KH ; )DFWRU HYLFWHH WDONV WR The Courier DERXW KHU FRQWURYHUVLDO exit from the show and who KHU IDYRXULWH LV WR ZLQ Culture, page 33