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'THE EVENT'
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On yer bike ••. the VC's leaving In October. But who's going to replace him? Find out Inside.
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22 Student rooms ransacked desP-_ite warning! in Concrete... but UEA chiefs still do nothing BURGLARS ransacked 22 student rooms at Mary Chapman Court on New Year's Day... despite several warnings In Concrete which revealed a - - - B y - - - - . worrying lack of security at Mark Austin the City flats. In October 1993, a resident revealed her safety fears, but Registry housing officials said they had "no obligation to provide security" at the I 00 bed accommodation. And staggeringly, UEA Security boss, Maurice Morson, is still ruling out the provision of a security patrol at the site, due to cuts in funding. "We are trying to get the maximum from minimum resources," he
said. "If I put one or two men on patrol there what are the 600 people in Waveney Terrace going to say?" In the January I break-in, the thief smashed doors and windows to net goods totalling thousands of pounds, including TVs, videos and Hi-Fis. First year, Gareth Malone, who lost more than £500 worth of equipment, slammed the University for treating residents like "schoolchildren". "I feel like we're stuck out on a limb out here," he complained. Said Mr Morson: "I can understand the students at Mary Chapman Court feeling that they
have been ignored, but what do you
do? "I simply cannot afford to have a patrol down there." But patience appears to be wearing thin, with both Mr Morson and Union Welfare Officer Jaz Ihenacho stressing that they would like to see the buildings given up and the students relocated elsewhere. Yet since Mary Chapman Court twice made the headlines, little appears to have been done by either UEA or the Union to improve the security of residents. Last year, former Union Communications Officer, Jacqui Mackay, branded the situation "unsatisfactory". "Security for students ... at Mary Chapman Court is a priority concern for the Student Union", she added. •Mr Morson pointed out that crime at the riverside accommodation last year was down 17 per cent on 1993. •Recent incidents at Mary Chapman Court include damage to student cars, a resident being flashed at, and windows being shot at by a sniper.
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