Palatinate www.palatinate.org.uk | FREE
Thursday 20th October 2016 | No. 787
Are consent classes a vital part of university?
Music ask: where has the protest song gone? Page i6
Comment investigate page 8
College accommodation fees set to rise again Anna Tatham Deputy News Editor
Aerial view of the Science Site
Photograph: Durham University
University targets student expansion in Estate Masterplan • An additional 4,000 students targeted by 2026/27 • Corbridge: University expansion will be “sustainable”
Emma Pinckard News Editor Durham University has revealed its “Estate Masterplan” which outlines a new, ten-year University Strategy for estates development. The strategy aims to secure the academic successes of the University and allow for long-term
developments to the estate, prioritising teaching, research, and student accommodation. The Estate Masterplan identifies four major areas for development: “Strategic Investment Zones,” “Safeguarding Heritage Assets,” a “Sustainable Future,” and “Academic Life.” It includes plans to further invest in Science Site buildings, existing colleges, the Education
department, and Elvet Riverside. In addition to this, the University plan to build new colleges to allow for the increase in the student population. The University intends to open Sheraton Park in Neville’s Cross as a college for postgraduate students—replacing Ustinov College—and to build a new college at Mount Oswald, located past Van Mildert and across from Jo-
sephine Butler, to accommodate students moving from Stockton. Durham has also outlined aspirations to increase the number of students living in college accommodation to 50-55% by 2027 through developments to the estate in building on University land, and through working with purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) providers. Continued on page 4...
College Residence Charges are set to increase by 1.6% for the 2017/18 academic year. The annual standard cost of a catered single standard room for undergraduates will increase from £7,058 to £7,171. In an email sent out to students this morning, the University emphasised their desire to remain “as transparent as possible”, in explaining the decision to increase fees once more. The University said, “we have to review our prices each year to keep up with inflation, which causes the cost of services to rise year on year.” Before reaching the decision, three student consultation meetings were held in the 2015/16 academic year, in which a full range of views were presented by the student representatives and the price-setting group. The University said, “The student representatives confirmed that the principle of applying a standardised inflation rate was a reasonable one, albeit their first preference was for no increase in charges at all”. In response to the increased charges, the University has also announced it will be providing additional support to new undergraduate students from the UK with a residual household income of between £25,000 and £26,500. They will be given a 10% discount on college accommodation charges, regardless of the room type selected. Durham Student’s Union said, “[the] rate of the increase is significantly lower than previous years, and lower than we expected when we began campaigning. “We believe this is due to the strong student opposition to the rises and the increased efforts of the University to recognise student feedback.”