The harsh reality is that the cost of living crisis is probably going to be the biggest issue that students face this year.
We know students are becoming increasingly worried about it – YUSU did some of our own research at Freshers’ Fair, and 86.4% of student respondents told us that they were concerned about the rising cost of living. This could mean that students will go cold or hungry this winter, and at YUSU we are working to do all that we can to make sure students can still afford the essentials but also still feel supported and part of our York community…
Rise and Dine!
Recent data released by the National Union of Students (NUS) has indicated that a third of students are living on less than £50 a month after paying their rent and bills, and data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that even the ‘lowest price food products’ have increased in price by an average of 17%, with pasta (an obvious student staple) increasing by 60%. These figures are alarming, and students across the nation have suggested that they are thinking about skipping meals to try and cut costs down.
The most important meal is breakfast, and all students deserve to have the right start to their day, and one that is cost-effective at that. So introducing our Rise and Dine initiative – you can now get beans on toast OR beans with toast, butter, jam or marmalade in our YUSU venue Courtyard every weekday, Monday-Friday, between 8.30am and 11am, for just 40p!
The initiative was initially launched as just beans on toast, but we know people may not like beans or they may not want a full breakfast meal, so we can now introduce the second round of breakfast initiatives as toast with butter, jam or marmalade as an alternative option, but for the same price!
This has raised various questions from our students:
“Why was breakfast the chosen cost of living initiative from YUSU?”
Lots of people have been asking why this was the chosen option for us. We have noticed that students are changing their habits, potentially as a result of cost of living – they are spending more days on campus, and longer time on campus when they are on it. Due to rising energy bill prices and as the winter sets in, this has the potential to get worse. Students are being forced to make cuts to their budgets, but one thing we don’t want them to sacrifice is food, and especially breakfast. This budget-friendly breakfast also means you can still socialise with friends on campus, but at a very low cost.
“Why beans on toast? Why not _ on toast instead?”
It’s an option that meets many dietary requirements, so it can be enjoyed by as many students as possible!
“Why is it not free?”
We would love to be able to provide students with free breakfast, and we know many of our amazing college committees already provide many free food offerings throughout the week (check your college social media pages for more information on these!), but ultimately YUSU is a charity, and the 40p is just to cover the resource costs – we make no money from the initiative, and that is because our primary objective is to do what is best for our students, so we charge you as little as we can!
So YUSU, breakfast is great, what else do you have to offer?
Lots! We have compiled a Cost of Living Resource hub, which is full of information to help students understand what different aspects of the cost of living crisis mean for them, such as University cost of living initiatives, as well as guides to budget travel, eating in York for under £10, and so much more. This is an ongoing development for us, and we have a feedback system operating on our page too, so if there is something you would like to see on it, tell us!
We know that students are cutting back financially across all aspects of student life, and YUSU wants to make sure that students are still able to engage in student activities such as societies and sports clubs, because these are a great way to engage with the University community, make new friends, and try something new.
Our Activities Access Grant is a scheme designed to ensure that eligible students who are experiencing financial hardship can still engage with YUSU activities, offering financial assistance for students to access societies, sports clubs, volunteering projects, and student media opportunities. They can be reimbursed up to £160, broken down as £80 for membership costs and £80 for participation costs (including equipment, playing kit, transport costs and trip fees).
We have expanded the eligibility criteria for our Activities Access Grant to allow even more students to apply to access the funds, and applications are now open for eligible students to apply!
All of this doesn’t mean there isn’t still more work to do. Rent prices on campus are still astronomically high, financial support from the University still isn’t easily available for all students, and some of our student communities are struggling more than ever before, including commuting students, student nurses and midwives, and students on placement years. I am committed to increasing the support, financial and otherwise, for ALL students, and by working together, we can come through this crisis. This is a cost of living crisis, not a cost of survival crisis, and so I believe students deserve to still live that student experience as opposed to just surviving through the winter, and I hope to continue to work to make sure students can live as full of an experience as possible.
The Government also needs to be doing more to support students through this challenging time – we can work to make changes on a local level in York, but they only have a full impact if nationally, both students’ unions and students themselves are adequately supported.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email ([email protected]) or on social media (@yusuwellbeing) or to our cost of living support email address ([email protected])