THE ISSUE 216 - FREE
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SAINT
The independent voice of St Andrews students since 1997
ST ANDREWS, 30 November 2017
Page 3
Joint Council condemns Brexit & Association President’s letter to PM
A formal request has been submitted to the University for consideration Albany Park residents have submitted a formal request for rent abatement to the University of St Andrews following construction site “disruption.” The complaint, which was signed by 30 residents, details issues residents have faced due to the Gatty Marine construction site. The aim of the complaint is to achieve rent abatement for all residents of Albany Park to compensate for the unexpected disturbances they have suffered throughout the year. The complaint has been submitted to the University and is currently being assessed by Residential and Business Services (RBS). RBS manages financial operations for the Residential System and plans long-term maintenance and the development of new projects at the University. Rent abatement is typically proposed in situations when a tenants
finds their property is damaged and their landlord either allows them to suspend paying until it is repaired or offers a discounted rent, among other options. In the case of Albany Park, residents are asking for a discount in their accommodation fees. In their formal complaint to the University, the Albany Park Hall Committee stated, “This year, the Albany Park hall of residence has effectively been turned into an extension of the Gatty Marine construction site. “This has caused a number of problems for Albany residents, many of whom applied to this hall primarily because it is the least-expensive but who had no reason to expect when they accepted their offers of accommodation that they were securing relatively low rent at the cost of major daily disruption.” Albany Park, the third largest residence in terms of number of residents, was initially opened in the 1970s as an “affordable” option for students, ac-
Joint Councils approve motion backing Rector TOM WILLIAMS News editor
Albany Park demands rent abatement over construction work
ANNIE SMITH Deputy news editor
THESAINT-ONLINE.COM
cording to the University’s accommodation website. This year’s fees were £3,915, a sizeable difference from the next least expensive, which are shared rooms in Agnes Blackadder Hall and David Russell Apartments priced at £5,589. The complaint lists the most significant issues faced by residents this semester so far, including disruptive noise and dangers in everyday routes. “Starting at 8 am, the noise of heavy machinery can be heard from all areas, so that some residents find it impossible to study in their rooms.” The University has provided residents with earplugs. The letter continues, “The main access route for site traffic runs right through the centre of Albany, which has made this area both muddy and potentially hazardous for residents. Even at night, strong winds off the North Sea often make the hoardings rattle and create a total racket. “This year’s construction work not only causes us daily disruption;
it also lends our hall of residence the unwelcome aesthetic of a building site.” Though he noted the rest of his year at Albany has been pleasant, first year student James Meredith admits the construction has been disruptive for him. “I happen to live just outside of the unit of cabins and this has encroached into the car park, leaving less space,” Mr Meredith said. “Furthermore, there has been noise each morning as the vehicles are transported around.” Mr Meredith agreed with the request for rent abatement, even though the University did notify students of the year’s construction in the summer. “This construction isn’t for Albany and is instead for an aquarium,” he said, referring to the anticipated marine biology lab.
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On Tuesday 21 November, the Joint Councils passed a motion to support the recently elected rector, Srdja Popovic. The SSC and SRC had previously rejected a proposal in support of Mr Popovic last month, citing “wording” and “technicalities” as the reasons for not doing so. In his introduction to the motion, Jamie Rodney, Mr Popovic’s campaign manager and first signatory of the motion said, “I do take this time to apologise for the wording of the motion that was submitted about a month ago. While I don’t quite agree with all the points made against it by the Joint Council, I do agree that the way it was phrased was unhelpful and unclear and I’m sorry for the awkward position that put some of you in.” The previous motion was nearly unanimously voted down and Mr Rodney whimsically remarked, “If we get more than one vote in favour I’ll chalk that up as a personal best.” The new motion excludes mentions of the Joint Councils supporting Mr Popovic’s manifesto aims, whereas instead more ambiguously asserts that “co-operation between both parties will be mutually beneficial.” The motion passed with all but one vote in favour. SSC Music Officer, Marcell Kovacs was in opposition to the motion as he stated “I don’t see how this is going to make any difference.” Following the passage of the motion Mr Rodney said, “While we’re actively seeking good relationships with the Union, it’s important to remember that the rector’s office, and therefore Srdja’s campaign, is independent of the joint councils, so just because we had to leave out certain details of the manifesto doesn’t mean we’re going to stop campaigning for them. “This motion managed to get us a foot in the door with the Union, which was frankly always a more realistic aim than the ones detailed in our previous one ... Obviously, there’s fewer concrete details in this motion than the last one, but laying the foundation for closer co-operation between councils and the rector’s office in future is still an important thing to have achieved.”