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The Student Guild has recently become aware that Edith Cowan University intends to outsource its student accommodation at the end of 2008. Some students have raised concerns about this development, and having made a preliminary investigation the Student Guild is also concerned about the potential negative effects of the student accommodation being outsourced.

Major Concerns:

1. Private providers have been known to increase costs, add extra charges and to offer decreased value for money.

This has been known to be true. At Murdoch University, since Campus Living Villages took over the student accommodation, students have reported:

* Figures acquired from Murdoch University Guild of Students, confirmed in responses to the Guild by Campus Living Villages

2. Decrease in the quality or capacity of Village Student Representation

At Murdoch University, since Campus Living Villages took over the student accommodation, there has been:

* Information acquired from Residential Assistants' reports to the Murdoch University Guild of Students

Additionally, unlike in University owned student accommodation, students must take complaints to a business instead of to an organisation built on their interests (such as a University), with greatly reduced avenues of successful issue resolution.



3. A loss of pastoral care, currently owed by the University

Universities have a duty of care to make sure the students in their accommodation are cared for and supported at a level adequate for unhampered study at ECU. Specifically, ECU has a duty of care to International Students, whose parents often expect that the University will take specific care of their sons and daughters.

Legislatively, Edith Cowan University has a duty to all International Students (except those on Student Visas that are subclass 576) under the age of 18 to provide for their wellbeing while studying at ECU. In regards to those not staying with family, they must ensure the student is in safe, supported accommodation.

Currently, the ECU Student Accommodation is an avenue for meeting that duty of care. As of yet, the Guild has no evidence that this same standard of care can be ensured in an outsourced model of accommodation.

* Information gathered by ECU Guild Education & Welfare Department, taken from the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Student 2007, specifically Mandatory Condition #8532 for all Student Visas except subclass 576



4. Private providers will not agree to adequate provisions for rental costs and pastoral care

ECU Student Guild has conducted a brief independent review of some of the University Accommodation provisions in Western Australia as well as in the Eastern States. Apart from the direct feedback from Murdoch students regarding their student accommodation under Campus Living Villages, we also found:

Many Universities will either choose to sell land, or retain student accommodation, and refuse to utilise a contracted system of outsourcing. For example, at Charles Sturt University (Bathurst) the University pays for and owns all of its Student Accommodation, and chooses to either fund new accommodation itself (which it is currently doing) or sell off land completely.

At Bond University (private) they follow a similar model, with several different styles of student accommodation, some inbuilt into University Buildings. Of specific note, the University has recently investigated the possibility of outsourcing some of their accommodation buildings in return for the construction of new accommodation buildings by private provider UniLodge. The University pulled out of the agreement earlier this year when UniLodge failed to meet the rent levels and pastoral care commitments they had made to the University.

All of this begs the question - how reliable are outsourced accommodation providers in keeping to the provisions required for accessible and supported student accommodation, when they are primarily businesses who seek to make a profit off of struggling students?




Future development at ECU

ECU Student Guild is specifically concerned that, given the recent rises in rental costs for students, as well as the cost of food, oil and education; most students already can't afford the rates of ECU Student Accommodation. Private providers must primarily think of the profit they can make from students, and when student accommodation is owned and run by the University they can streamline many costs into already existing University administrative departments, and focus on maintenance of accommodation rather than expansion of profit.

Under the proposed VSU legislation, it is projected that the Federal Government will require Universities to provide a level of amenities, support and services above and beyond the requirements of the ESOS Act, to all students on their campuses. One of the suggested areas for this requirement is student accommodation, and if they fail to meet this commitment to quality and supported systems, they risk cuts to their public funding. The Guild is concerned that relying on a private provider will place the University at risk of breaching these requirements in future.

This move has been made without any consultation with ECU Students. Neither the ECU Student Guild nor the residents of ECU's student accommodation were consulted or advised on this move by ECU to outsource student accommodation, which according to Sharon Harford has been underway for 2 years. As ECU Students, we are severely concerned that the move to outsource student accommodation will further impact on the affordability and quality of student accommodation and support at ECU.

 

What can you do?

Email, phone or send a letter to the Vice Chancellor:

Kerry Cox