The University is looking into new plans to use college staff to make up later portering hours. The new measures would involve college Welfare teams manning the porters lodges during the evening and weekends in order to make up the hours lost following the portering cuts.
The main argument for the scheme, which was discussed during the last student services committee, is that the costs would come under the existing college budgets and thus not fall on the student body. A proposed alternative is to find a way to fund a student portering service through a maximum rent rise of 10p.
Derwent and Vanbrugh would be among the colleges affected by the proposed scheme after their recent loss of 24-hour portering.
Vision spoke to Derwent College tutor Oliver Lester, who commented that though his position is a demanding but essential role within the welfare system, “a college tutor can’t sign your keys when you’re locked out or be in the lodge at 3am to talk to after a night out.”
However, he also stressed that the “we are there to meet all the welfare needs of students”. On the question of whether he would be willing to take part in the scheme, he stated that “all I can say is that if a student ever needed help with something, wanted some advice or just someone to chat to, I would be more than happy to help them out.”
Upon contacting the Vanbrugh college administration, Provost David Efird referred Vision to Pro Vice Chancellor for Students, Jane Grenville. She was not available for comment.
A statement from the Chair of the student services meeting, reads that the idea is currently being given serious consideration “as it is clear that unease about the absence of an authority figure is causing concern to some students.” However, the Chair also recognizes that “there appears to be as much commentary in the student media against the portering campaign as for it, so the matter appears to be finely balanced.”