Your Hall Your Call 2014
I strongly believe that the quality of LSE students’ experiences at university is intrinsically linked to the standard and provision of accommodation that is provided by the university. As such LSE Students’ Union has made it a priority to listen to your opinions and views, present them to the School and to advocate for the changes and improvements that you want to see happen in your accommodation.
Throughout March, LSESU visited eleven of LSE’s Halls of Residence as part of the Students’ Union “Your Hall, Your Call” consultation process. Over the period of two weeks, we consulted with more than a hundred and forty students to find out what you like and don’t like about your halls, and what the School and the Union can do to improve your stay.
Issues explored through this year’s research included maintenance and refurbishment, provision of IT facilities, transparency of hall pricing and the social activities that are provided by halls committees.
Below are the 18 main recommendations that have emerged from our research and I look forward to working together with LSE to deliver on them and further improve the experiences of students living in LSE halls of residence.
Wherever possible maintenance work is completed as quickly as possible so that minimum disruption is caused to residents.
Long term maintenance work is completed as quickly as possible so that minimum disruption is caused to residents.
Long term maintenance and disrepair issues reported in some halls such as Passfield Hall should be addressed.
LSE should develop an online system where residents can log and track any maintenance issues or requests they have regarding their accommodation. This would instantly reduce the uncertainty students experience when they report maintenance issues and increase the efficiency of the response they receive.
Students’ needs should be prioritised above those of commercial customers and as such the majority of refurbishments works should take place during the holiday period so they do not impact on residents.
Older or more run down halls should be considered for refurbishment. If there is no capacity to do this then this should be communicated to the residents.
Social spaces and common rooms in halls should ne as inclusive as possible with a range of activities on offer to students. Furthermore, pool tables and table football tables are very well received so where possible this facility should be extended to halls that do not currently have them.
Halls Committees should be formally set up as societies within the students’ union structures. This would allow Halls Committees to make use of the SU banking and finance systems, treasurer training and committee members training, increase the transparency and accountability of the Halls Committee structures, allow the Halls Committees easy access to their mailing lists, raise the profile of the Committees, and finally it would make it possible to acknowledge the hard work and success of Halls Committees members by including them in the SU’s STARS Awards.
Allow students with specific dietary requirements to opt out of catering if they are placed in catered halls.
All IT equipment in halls should be maintained to a high standard and the IT department at LSE should endure the continued provision of communal printers and computers.
The fault reporting procedure for IT equipment should be clearly displayed and advertised in all halls.
The standard and speed of Wi-Fi in halls should be improved.
Where internet or WI-FI is provided by a third party provider there should be a communication and feedback process in place which allows residents to provide feedback regarding the standard the standard of service they receive.
On an annual basis LSE should publish a transparent account to students on how the rent prices are set and why annual rent increases need to take place.
LSE should provide a transparent account to students on how the pricing of rooms is determined.
Continue to increase the visibility and approachability of wardens and sub-warden teams.
Work to create more of a community for residents in Kings Cross Urbanest who currently feel isolated or excluded from LSE. The Intercollegiate Halls Ambassador Scheme is model worth considering in this context as it has been very successful in building a stronger sense of community in University of London Halls.
Gain clarification for residents in Kings Cross Urbanest as to when the café and roof terrace will be opening.
You can access the full report here. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with further comments, criticisms and suggestions, and as ever I will keep you informed on the progress of our effort to implement these recommendations.