Abbey College residents are being “kicked out” over summer as the University considers a proposal to make the building an undergraduate residential college.
The news was “a shock” to residents, said Renata*, a student who lives in Abbey College. “This is not how you treat people in a situation where people are already so stressed out and have Covid trauma.”
Abbey is the post-graduate residential college located on Castle Street, across from the Marsh. The residents reportedly pay at least $400 per week. According to Renata, many of the residents at Abbey are international students and want to stay over the summer, because their degree continues between semesters.
“No decision has been made about Abbey College’s future. Whether it will be repurposed as undergraduate accommodation should be known about mid-September,” said James Lindsay, the Director of Campus and Collegiate Life at the University. “Regardless of the decision, the college will be closed for refurbishment from 15 November for the summer break, so will not house postgraduate students during that time.”
OUSA’s Postgraduate Representative, Hanna van der Giessen, said OUSA was “not directly consulted” on this decision. She said that “there should be an alternative option that is provided to postgraduate students that mirrors a college-like lifestyle. It is obvious that this works for many postgraduates.”
“Postgraduates already feel as though undergraduate students have the entire attention of the University, so to do this to them without consultation just rubs that in.”
Residential Colleges Senior Warden Jamie Gilbertson told the residents, at their dinner on Tuesday 25 August, that Abbey College would shut for the summer. Abbey is usually open over summer because postgraduate students are still studying.
Renata said that at the dinner, students asked questions but “everything we asked him he said I don’t know, I’ll get back to you on that”.
“Some of the questions were very basic, very reasonable questions and the fact they couldn’t answer just shows that they have not thought this through,” Renata said. “To antagonise the international students who bring in money seems like a bad move.”
“Abbey College residents feel as though the letter given to them notifying them of their removal from the college was cold and uncaring, and it felt like there [is] no wiggle room for any sort of compromise,” said Hanna. Residents now have two weeks to write submissions on whether or not Abbey should become an undergraduate college of residence.
“Everyone was expecting to be there for the course of their study,” Renata said. “I find it very disingenuous when I specifically asked whether I would have to reapply [to live in Abbey] every year, they said you are assured that you can stay here for the course of your study.”
“We have heard from several current residents, as well as previous residents, and they all are in disbelief that consultation was not taken with residents,” said Hanna. “Postgraduate students in general are an extremely stressed population and are working at a completely different work rate to the undergraduate students.”
“It’s a really important place from which people can complete their studies. And that’s how they sell it to everyone, that’s how they sell it to the international students,” said Renata. “Like the international Masters students wouldn’t have dreamed that they were paying so much for intensive one-year study and they’re now being told to relocate.”
“Masters students are the worst affected,” she said. “They finish their degrees in March and they’ve been told that in November they have to relocate.”
“Most residents’ contracts end before 15 November, three residents’ do not,” said James Lindsay. “College refurbishments are usually started and finished during the summer break to avoid disrupting residents.”
“Legally, the University have their asses covered because the contracts end,” said Renata. “But it goes without saying, for people who are doing a four-year PhD, that it’s just a matter of going to the office and saying I want to stay here next year.”
Renata was also concerned that it would be difficult to find a flat in November. “To be uplifted from this during this time, and to attempt to find a flat in a time that they are traditionally unavailable, will only be detrimental for their mental health,” said Hanna.
“For residents who have residential agreements beyond 15 November, or who want to stay but have no agreement, Campus and Collegiate Life Services staff will be working closely with them to help meet their summer accommodation needs in Dunedin,” said James Lindsay.
Abbey College residents were offered alternative accommodation at Cumberland Court. Renata said that students did not see this as an equivalent to the accommodation at Abbey, because it did not include catering or cleaning.
Renata feels that they have not been offered “support” or “wraparound services” by the University. “It feels like they’re asking us to do all the work to compensate for their fuck up.”
She contacted an undergraduate hall about whether they would accept post-graduate students for next year, and claimed that the following day Abbey residents were told “don’t bombard colleges with your emails”.
“Abbey sells this vision of idyllic post-grad living. You can focus on your studies, it’s on campus, it gets cleaned,” said Renata. “But it’s also the support that we get there and that’s what’s being lost.”
“The collegiate lifestyle of the postgrad college allows students completing research to be in an environment where they can thrive on constructive discussion, where they don’t have to worry about food/admin on top of their research, and where they have an overall blanket of support as they complete their further education,” Hanna said. “Removing this and replacing their accommodation with flats will remove these benefits of living in a college, and may have bigger implications down the line.”
*Names changed.