It has been revealed that the red security phone by Vanbrugh porters lodge has not been connected to the emergency line all year.
It was recently brought to the attention of YUSU Campaigns Committee that a number of students have complained about the security service. On several occasions, the phone has been left ringing for up to a minute before being answered, significantly longer than the maximum five seconds emergency phones should be left unanswered. It has also been reported that in a few cases the phone has not been picked up all.
Following this, YUSU Welfare Officer Ben Humphrys and the Commercial Services under Bailey Oliver launched an investigation into the matter. They discovered that for the past year, the phone has in fact been connected to the ‘General Enquires’ line and not the emergency number.
“I’m outraged. It seems like a dangerous incident of negligence,” said first-year Vanbrugh student Jade Clifford. “What if I needed security urgently because of a personal issue and there was no one there to help?” added fellow Vanbrugh fresher James Stavrakakis.
In response to the findings, YUSU President Tim Ngwena commented that “we were shocked to discover that the red phones aren’t going through to an emergency number; its a massive oversight and one we’ll focus in on to get resolved quickly. We’re pleased that after more initial complaints, security services uncovered this information quickly and are being proactive about resolving it”
When it was decided that Vanbrugh would be losing its 24-hour portering from the start of autumn term, it was argued that the emergency phone would ensure no compromise in student welfare.
YUSU Campaigns officer Luke Sanford stressed that the security blunder was “oversight and not intentional”, but he also stated that “the Red Phones were used to justify the argument that the cuts in portering would not affect student safety, and this supposed ’emergency’ phone going unanswered for more than 40 seconds, and in come cases not answered at all, is simply not acceptable.”
Furthermore he revealed that the problem might not be fixed until the start of next term, a period the campaigns committee states the need for porters is at its highest.
The committee has thus pushed for 24-hour portering to be reinstated for the first two weeks of next year in support of the influx of new students. Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Students, Jane Grenville, initially committed to this, however that turned out to be a mistake on her part. At the time of printing, the university has only conceded to the scheme for the Freshers’ Week.
“We will continue to call for 24 hour portering in the Freshers Fortnight. Having 24 hour cover in the first week is a good start, but immediately after that in week 2 is when new students venture out on their own into York for the first time, away from organised events and without STYCs to support them, which is when they might really need the porters,” Sanford concludes.