Langwith JCRC Chair, Sam Maguire, has raised further concerns regarding the college’s reccurring heating issues. In an open letter sent to Professor Cantor, Maguire expressed his “disappointment” at the “ongoing lack of action that the university [has] taken with regards to heating in Langwith.”
The letter, seconded by the entire Langwith JCRC team and by all five of YUSU’s sabbatical officers, outlines the intentions of the JCRC and college welfare team to record temperatures in order to have “concrete evidence to support our claims” but Maguire stated he “felt compelled to act immediately.”
It follows criticisms from students living in new Langwith that their complaints about heating issues were being met with “inappropriate” responses.
“How are the college and the university going to improve on a community and academic level when we cannot even provide these students with proper heating?” said the Langwith Chair in his letter.
Maguire referenced the 2012/13 Accommodation Contract, making clear the University’s promise to “provide reasonably adequate heat to the radiators during the Period of Residence.” But this term students have recorded temperatures of below 15 degrees Celsius, he says.
“These students are paying over £120 per week to live in our College,” says Maguire. “All students should be provided with enough heating that they should be able to go about their daily lives and study within the accommodation; the current situation is completely unacceptable.”
Earlier in the academic year, Vision reported how first years were left angry at the sub-standard provision of on-campus accommodation, following a rise in tuition and accommodation fees. The Drake & Kannemeyer survey sent out warnings and described how in the old Langwith E Block, there was an “overall major redecoration and upgrade required imminently.” One second year Langwith student said the bathrooms “were almost unusable.”
And now, yet more concerns are being raised regarding the treatment of Langwith students within accommodation.
“As you will have noticed from the snow outside, it is very cold at the moment,” Maguire concludes. “I therefore demand that immediate action is taken to resolve the problem.”
On his official blog, the Langwith Chair later revealed news that all radiators in the college “will be set to 24 degrees Celcius this Friday with more attention to be placed on ground floors which, speaking from personal experience, tend to be colder than floors higher up.”