UCL 20-never?
The official line is still that UCL’s £1.25bn expansion plan, a.k.a. UCL2034, will be completed by 2034. However, worries abound as the finan- cial committee raised concerns about the plan last year and Provost Michael Ar- thur admitted in June that the university is “barely financially sustainable” with a surplus that would only last 42 days. In an attempt to find the cash to fund the plans, UCL agreed a £280m loan with the European Investment Bank loan in April, the largest loan even received by a university.
But academic council members com- plained that senior management pushed through the loan with little scrutiny, claiming they were deliberately kept in the dark. This move comes despite the Higher Education Funding Council for England warning that the “trend of in- creasing borrowing and reducing liquid- ity is unsustainable in the long term.” The latest fundraising gimmick put forward to plug the financial gap is the ‘UCL campaign’ - a crowdfunding campaign targeting alumni and students across campus with swish posters, begging people to donate online. It aims to raise £600m by 2020, with a further £1bn raised by 2026. Turn out your pockets, kids. UCL are getting desperate.
Cut the Rent AWOL
After months of refusing to pay rent, in June UCL Cut The Rent threw a vic- tory rally. A joint press release with the university was later published promis- ing accommodation bursaries designed by both management and students from CTR. Management offered a £350,000 fund for incoming students struggling to pay rent and a further £500,000 for students in Halls the following year. The fund would continue to grow year on year. The specifics of the bursary were to be debated during the summer.
However, how much input campaign leaders will have in designing the bursary remains to be seen. After leading a vic- torious campaign, UCL Cut the Rent took off on their summer jollies. Not a single meeting with management was organised by the campaign over the sum- mer, despite Duncan Palmer, Head of Accommodations, attempting to reach out on multiple occasions. Future meet- ings are now being arranged, but the morning after Sports Night is strictly off the table.
Rent strike: the inside story
At the start of this year, 1000s of students across UCL accommodations, lead by UCL Cut the Rent, began a de- termined rent strike, complaining about vermin and shoddy facilities. This was met unsympathetically by a UCL senior management team determined to rule with an iron fist. Duncan Palmer, Head of Accommodations’, said during a meet- ing at Max Rayne: “I’m sorry, but some people just simply cannot afford to study in London…and that is a fact of life.”
Cut the Rent launched a direct-ac- tion assault on UCL, including demos, colour bombs and an extravagant effigy burning of Rex Knight, the vice-provost for operations. UCL responded with guilt trips, sending an email claiming that withholding rent “would be unfair to do so to the 3,926 students who have paid their fees.” They also threatened strikers, telling them that the university would not act as guarantors. This guar- antor scheme is key for students trying to secure accommodation on the private market in second year and beyond.
However, the Cut the Rent campaign continued to push on. They drew up plans to disrupt UCL’s Open Days, in- cluding rape alarms attached to helium balloons, stink bombs, large demos and an imitation UCL Accommodations stall. Management, spooked by these plans opened negotiations which soon became acrimoni- ous. Rex Knight, visibly stressed, said during a meeting: “guns are being held on both sides.” Whilst management wouldn’t sway on the students’ demand for a 40% rent cut, by the third meeting they began discussing the pros- pect of accommodation bursaries.
Scarred by the events of last year, this year’s 5000 freshers were met by welcome parties at their halls, smiling student hosts and individ- ual goody bags including chocolate, branded sim-cards and a jar of pickled onions. But a pickled onion sandwich won’t fix the prob- lems that still remain. Cockroaches are still making Max Rayne their home and manage- ment have held multiple meetings about the state of Ifor Evans. Supported by the NUS, expect the Cut the Rent campaign to be back with a vengeance.