New term, new students and…. new digs

Saturday, 22 September, 2012

Yes, that time has come, the first offspring departed for University and a new educational frontier (at Keele) awaits him. Across the country students are turning up with car loads ready to embark on a new life in charge of their own living. And digs are an inevitable part of that, be they university based or private. As a regular academic conference goer I get so see a variety of university accommodation (Swansea, Loughborough, Cork, Royal Holloway etc) and I can honestly say that Keele ranks at the bottom of this….by some margin.

See the university page for Lindsay Hall and compare it to the photos I took today….. very old furniture, a prison bed, plastic curtains and a heavily stained carpet with holes cut in it (presumably for long gone furniture). Its a 1960s build (not uncommon in the UK), however it looks like it was last decorated in the 1960s. Its cheap and its not really that cheerful. OK, its part of undergraduate living and with a few posters on the wall and the heating on and a few beers inside it doesn’t feel quite so bad (just as well I didn’t take any pictures of the showers).

But really, Keele, is this the best you can do for students being charged £9000 to study with you?? We expect all universities to make the grade in the UK, so quality of living is becoming a differentiator. To add insult to injury the radiator leaked, the electricity didn’t work, there was no phone and the woefully low strength aerial meant no digital TV (with the alternative of internet based Freeview over a bandwidth throttled connection).

It’s perhaps unfair to single out Keele - the digs we use in Swansea for fieldwork aren’t great and there is much variability across all campuses, with most having new builds with very nice accommodation. But there is no excuse for leaving living accommodation in this state - the world has moved on.

Add comment

Fill out the form below to add your own comments