Into Battel
COLLEGES ACROSS THE University are facing possible strike action over unprecedented rent rises. Damian Jenkins, JCR President of St Hugh's, has announced that his JCR is "fighting" a projected 16% rent rise, and that if the College do not back down they "will have no option but to strike". At Wadham, the SU has voted to begin 'Silent Hall' on Friday in response to a mid-year rent rise of 5%, to cover a £135,000 'blip' in College finances.
Students at Hugh's were widely described as "furious". One second year, who did not wish to be named, stated that "the college has behaved extraordinarily badly". Jenkins echoed this sentiment by accusing the authorities of "refusing to look at any other means of raising funds" and of acting deviously by attempting to hide the full extent of the rise by removing '12 free days'. A decision on whether to strike will be taken by the JCR this week.
At Wadham, feelings were similarly heated. A first-year PPE-ist stated after an SU Emergency Meeting that "the college has breached good relations between the SCR and the SU". JCR President Louise McMullen said that the college had "neglected procedures to let this work as it should" by informing students of the increase only two weeks before they were due to be issued with the Bill.
McMullen presented the SU's 'ultimatum' at a meeting with college authorities on Wednesday, and students will begin their refusal to speak in Hall on Friday. Whilst the potential rise at Wadham is less than that at Hugh's, it is equally serious, as it has been announced in the middle of the academic year - on top of the official annual rise of 4% last summer, and prior to another rise in Michaelmas.
Both JCR Presidents stressed that they understood that colleges are under financial pressure, but that hitting the students was not the answer. This sentiment was echoed by Ruth Hunt, OUSU President, who said that the rises set a "dangerous precedent" and are becoming "a backdoor way of raising extra funding for colleges". She added further credence to the claim that the University may be using battels as a means of charging 'top-up fees by stealth' with emphasis on the fact that "any increase in rent is never matched by sources of student funding".
The increases at Hugh's and Wadham are believed to be symptomatic of a group decision by University Bursars that current rents in Oxford are too low. The Van Noorden index, which colleges use as a guideline for battels increases, is rumoured to be exceeded by more colleges each year. Following 40% rent rises at New last year, many students at colleges are concerned that they could also be affected.
Josh Kern, JCR President of Pembroke, is currently in negotiations to contain the most expensive rents in Oxford, which currently average at £1000 per term for finalists. Whilst unable to comment on the details of his own negotiations, he sarcastically described the situation in the rest of the University as "all the other colleges trying to play catch-up with Pembroke".
The Bursars of St. Hugh's and Wadham were unavailable for comment at time of going to press.
2nd May 2002