For most students, the first time in university is also the first time they are away from their own homes, parents, and everything familiar. It can be the most confusing and scariest time, where we also have our craziest adventures and make some amazing memories.
In my personal experience, one of the biggest things that got me and many of my friends through this time, and made these memories possible, are the university porters. They welcomed us all with friendly smiles on our first day, ensuring that we have somewhere to go if we were lost or confused. They were available to us all day and night, which allowed us to feel safe our first time away from home. When students got too drunk, they were there to help. When we eventually locked ourselves out of our own rooms, which happens quite often, they helped us. They guided us when we were lost, listened to our complaints, responded quickly when we had problems, and went above and beyond their job descriptions for the students’ well-being. For me, the porters made my college feel like my home away from home.
So it is understandable that I was very disappointed when I heard there were going to be several changes to the porters’ jobs and roles around the university.
For this upcoming academic year, the university was planning on decreasing the porters’ wages, and making significant changes to their work conditions. Other than the decrease in pay, the porters’ shifts are said to change to three separate eight-hour shifts, making it much more difficult for them to balance their family life with their work life.
Furthermore, with these reduced shift hours, they would be expected to work several more days during the year to complete all their required hours and will have fewer days off. They will also no longer be working in the physics building, which is usually extremely busy and always full of students. So there may be a much slower response to the needs of students in that area. Needless to say, it was very upsetting to find out that the porters, that have made such a great impact on the college-lifestyle, were about to face changes that would only make their lives more difficult and that would not benefit the student body in any way either.
From my very first year at the University of York, it was clear that the porters loved their jobs. They never complained about their work, even during the most demanding times, like fresher’s week. I have even seen them on several occasions taking the extra time to get to know many of the students’ in their college on a personal level.
They have had years of experience working with students individually, and are probably best at understanding the students’ needs in colleges.
They are the colleges’ biggest asset, and are one of the main reasons that many students choose to live on campus during their second or third years of university.
I would hate to see the comfort of on-campus student life disappear, and for their hard work and dedication to the students to be repaid with more difficult working conditions.
This is why some students and I created a petition called, “Do not dock the porters’ wages!” on Change.Org, to highlight the unfair changes that are going to happen. The petition has already seen hundreds of people sign it and many students whose lives were impacted by the porters have left comments. I hope that the university can find a solution that would be fair to the porters whilst also benefiting the students.