The Universitys 
accommodation system has once again come under criticism from new students, despite the process being amended back in May of this year.
The new system was designed so that e-mails would be staggered, and every students would be able to choose from all colleges and rent bands. This, however, has not been the case, leaving several students with extremely limited options, a problem that has been exacerbated by the increased number of catered rooms on offer this year.
“I was really looking forward to applying for accommodation at York”, said first-year Halifax resident Terence Eley. “I sat and waited in for my email to come through, thinking that I would have a choice of any of the colleges, so long as I at least applied for accommodation on the first day it was available.
“However, my email didn’t come through until after 4pm and when I clicked it to apply for accommodation, it gave me only Halifax College and Vanbrugh, but that was purely catered accommodation which I definitely didn’t want, which meant I was left with Halifax.
“The price of my room is the same price as an ensuite in Alcuin which really annoyed me because I’m not fussed about an ‘upgraded standard’ with a sink, I actually would have preferred the ensuite for that price! I think it would have been a much fairer system if everyone who applied for accommodation within the deadline was asked to pick a first and second choice and then were drawn in a hat to allocate accommodation fairly. It was thoroughly unfair the way people received emails at 10am, 11am etc. and were able to choose from any of the colleges and then get their choice. I think the accommodation system is a farce, utterly rubbish.”
Sarah Roughton is another first-year who ended up living in Halifax because of the lateness of her email, and has labelled the current system “distressing”. “I didn’t get my email till about 4pm, and having wanted Alcuin or James I ended up in Halifax as the only alternative was catered which I really didn’t want. I’m excited and happy for it now, but wasn’t at first,” she told Vision.
“My main issue would be the unfairness of the system, with the emails in random orders. I think not getting what you want in a system where you’ve set priorities, like college, location, room type etc. would be less distressing as they could try and accommodate you on something, whereas picking from what’s left could mean you get nothing about it that you wanted.
“The other issue I have is the price I am paying for my particular accommodation, which is upgraded standard. And so I am paying the same price as a standard ensuite room, despite not being in a desirable location, and having one of the worst people to shower ratios in the University. I think there should be more rooms without ensuites priced at the cheaper prices”, she continued.
First-year student Daniel Hill stressed how the system “could disadvantage poorer students. If they get their email late in the day, they could be forced into accommodation that doesn’t quite fit their budget,” he said.
YUSU President Kallum Taylor said on the issue: “It’s difficult for there to be a truly fine system, with there not being enough of the right ‘type’ of rooms to accommodate all of our students’ wants. On the current system, it’s more ‘transparent’ rather than fair however. Regardless of how the University can’t meet the ‘exact’ demand, it’s utterly ridiculous to expect students to be happy if they get the last email of the day, with the most limited choice.
“That isn’t to say however that the whole perception of choice can’t be handled better, and increased. Luckily, the University is listening and they’re looking at whether we can pull of a genuine ‘first come first serve’ system which is transparent, and more ‘fair’ than what we’ve had before.
“Previously, technological capacity has prevented them from pulling this off. Also, it goes without saying that certain factors need addressing with this type of system; where do international students in various time-zones, and disabled students come in the ‘queue’ for example?”
University Registrar and Secretary David Duncan defended the system.
“This year we had more than 600 additional rooms to offer in the new Langwith College – consequently, there was more choice for students, and many more students secured their first option.
In addition, we made a number of changes to the process which went much more smoothly than in 2011. We monitored the traffic on social networking sites and addressed any areas of concern promptly. We will make further improvements for 2013.”