A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
YUSU Welfare officer Bob Hughes has warned students to be vigilant after a student loans phishing scam has been revealed.
Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York on Maundy Thursday, 5th April, as part of the 800th anniversary of York’s Charter for the traditional “Royal Maundy” ceremony.
A flood caused by a heating system “failure” forced the university IT services to shut down many essential systems on Sunday night, causing problems for many students on the eve of their exams and assignment due-dates.
Tim Nwgena, the YUSU president and Ben Humphrys, the Welfare officer, gave a joint speech trying to convince students not to panic, and to wait until February before starting to think housing arrangements for the next academic year.
There were between thirty to forty students, most of whom were first-years, present at the talk held on Wednesday at 1.15. Basic advice was given on choosing houses and the legalities involved, such as the Joint and Several Liability practice which landlords follow.
The university also took the opportunity to promote their list of approved housing which is certified under the Code of Best Practice, meaning that landlords have had to submit Safety Certificates on the properties advertised on this list. Many other bodies such as York St. Johns University and City of York council are in co-operation with the university over this list. The pitfalls of taking accommodation from independent agencies and landlords were outlined.
YUSU are planning to run other events over the academic year to support students in finding their accommodation. In the Spring term there will be a ‘Contract Checking Workshop’, enabling students to bring along the contracts from their landlords and ensure that they are safe and practicable. A ‘Moving In’ workshop will be held in the summer to provide ongoing support for students as they move into their new accommodation.
Students commented that they had found this talk helpful and reassuring, and were pleased that the Student Welfare Office is able to offer so much support, particularly when issues between landlords and students are proving difficult to resolve. It remains to be seen whether this proactivity on the part of YUSU will pay off when the rush for finding accommodation begins in the Spring term.
"There were between thirty to forty students, most of whom were first-years, present at the talk held on Wednesday at 1.15."
Wow, that's some dubious counting! It was about 180 and I wrote it down in my diary 
It is worth noting that even in May the University's official list has 77 well-above-basic-standard properties left on it and that there are plenty left that aren't on the list. If your landlord doesn't pay the deposit back then it's easier to get a result if he's on the list - at least wait until the list comes out and then buy! Don't get screwed over! Etc ~J
Me and my current housemates found our house on the uni listings in late February, way after everyone else I knew - and we managed to find the most amazing flat! I would definitely advise thinking carefully about who you want to live with rather than panic house-hunting at the end of autumn term/very beginning of spring term.
We waited until May and still got what I think is one of the nicer houses...
Seriously people. It never ceases to amaze me how the landlords scare people into panic signing contracts. There are more than enough houses to go round and often the cheaper and nicer ones come up late. Wait until the housing list for the best deal.
Case in point, I've got a lovely recently refurbished house 10 minutes walk from the university for a reasonable price and I signed in September. Don't wait that late but now is certainly far too early.
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