Students face crisis

Press, 2 March 1981, Page 6

Students face crisis

Accommodation for Lincoln College students was scarce' - and the Students’ Association was desperate to hear from anyone offering private board for this year, said the association’s education officer,. Mr G. W. Bilbrough yesterday. Mr Bilbrough said that about 75 students were without a permanent place to live this year, and were unlikely to find, suitable accommodation within ' the first term. “At the moment a lot of people are in temporary accommodation such as the •y.W.C,'A„- motels and motor jcamps. The problem is that they have got nowhere to go

■ afterwards and there is not , much private board close to i Lincoln.” Most of those wit" ut ac--1 commodation were first year ; students who had just registered and 1 most of whom ’ came from outside the ' Christchurch area. Mr Bilbrough said that the accommodation problem had ; been more noticeable this . year because of an increase > in the number of students. ‘We are providing tem- ■ porary . accommodation at « the college with camping stretchers, advising students ' to'go to real estate agents, . and get to the newspapers > early,” he said. • -“When students are des- : perate for somewhere to > stay, they are often forced

to accept anything that comes along. This inevitably means sub-standard, unhealthy conditions and high rents. This obviously will have detrimental effects on academic performarice, particularly for first-year students.” Mr Bilbrough said that the association would have to discuss possible solutions with the university administration and might have to consider spending funds to set up flats for stndents. However, he said that the immediate problem was not likely to go away after the first couple of months and that the association wanted anyone who could offer private board to get in touch with it.