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.
Accommodation changes for this year mean that parts of both Langwith and Derwent occupants are now catered for. The weekly cost is £11 for 10 meals, which are provided at set times. A Derwent fresher described this as, leaving students between a rock and a hard place regarding what to do at all important mealtimes.
He told The Yorker, “I don’t want to wake up between 7 and 9. That’s a luxury I wanted as a first year”.
Others described the system as “totally inconvenient”, with a lack of freedom and flexibility that appears to dent the university experience for many. However, it’s the quality of the university’s catering service that has been causing the most controversy.
With increasing costs for students and the recent news of higher fees in George Osborne’s budget announcement, any student would expect the standard of meals to be, at a minimum, pretty decent. Jordan from Derwent College summarised the catering quality with, “breakfast is really small and we can’t get refillable drinks at dinner”. Another first-year, Matt, who unsuccessfully applied for non-catered accommodation told the Yorker, “I didn’t want to be catered and if I wasn’t catered I know for a fact I can cook for myself for that amount of money”.
Even those who did choose such accommodation expressed unhappiness with their situation, emphasising other faults within the catered package, “On the weekends you still have to cook so it’s like a halfway house. It’s not fully looking after those who don’t want to cook,” Derwent fresher Binnion told the Yorker.
It appears that some college occupants feel short-changed both with regards to quality and restrictions to when meals are provided.
Speaking to the Yorker, Langwith Chair Conor Wilcock acknowledged that “the choice of meals leaves something to be desired”, but that he realises that “Commercial Services have a budget to adhere to”. However, according to Wilcock, Langwith’s “college spirit does not seem to have been affected” by the catering situation.
“The kitchen as a social environment does not appear to have been damaged as a result of catering,” he added.
Is the quality of the accommodation and catering you’re receiving as a first year value for money? Let The Yorker know by commenting below.
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