Covirus 19 coronavirus: students ask for a complete reduction in college rent

Residents of the Auckland University hall are asking the university to follow the initiative of the University of Victoria not to charge students for rooms that were left empty due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Victoria, who had initially planned to charge students a retention fee of $ 150, backed down last Friday and said it would be reviewed on May 11 when the government will decide whether to extend alert level 3 or move New Zealand to the alert 2.

A UoA science student, who wanted to be known only as John, said that he and other residents of the room had been paying for their empty rooms through the level 4 lockdown.

“In my room, the University Room, we are asked to pay $ 263 per week for rooms that we cannot access until level 2,” he said.

“I think this is the wrong decision for college to make, the cost is putting a heavy financial burden on me and my family.”

Students generally pay $ 393 per week, but are given a $ 130 discount during the period they cannot access their rooms.

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Massey, Waikato and Lincoln Universities have not charged students who have left the accommodation under the closure.

Another UoA hall resident, who declined to be identified, said it was unfair that students from other universities were not charged.

“It seems unfair that there is one rule for Auckland and one for Victoria, Massey and others,” he said.

The president of the University of Auckland Student Association, George Barton, said the association’s priority was to support students who cannot afford the rent.

These included grants for hardships or through the university’s Covid-19 hardship fund.

Barton said that while the association fully supports the intentions of students calling for a total rent reduction, it would be difficult for the university to do so.

“We believe that it will be very difficult for our university, and for other universities, to achieve further reductions without government intervention,” he said.

Barton said about 40 percent of the students remained in their hallways during the closing period, mainly because they had no alternative.

“Unlike Victoria University students, they had the option to stay,” he said.

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website

“We have been supporting students who have struggled to pay the college rent and we are pleased that the university has made it possible to cancel contracts during this period, even if the students had left some of their belongings behind.”

UoA spokeswoman Lisa Finucane also said she was in a different situation than Victoria.

“We have been open throughout the closure,” he said.

“Students who do not wish to preserve their place in the hall can withdraw with a reduced penalty clause. This is different from a situation where the accommodation is closed but the students were still being charged.”

Students who are not staying but chose to retain their rooms have received discounts, he said.

“We have also established a $ 1 million hardship fund to support students who stay in the hallways of the university but struggle to cover the costs,” Finucane said.

Those who want to move also pay four weeks of rent instead of the usual 25 percent of their contracts.

“At each stage, we encourage students to contact us so we can find the best solution, whether it is moving or supported by our hardship fund,” added Finucane.