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Henry Jones

Students “outraged” after new hall turns them away

“The Depot” accommodation block. Image: Aaron Loose

Over 610 students have accommodation cancelled after “grossly irresponsible” construction delays

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Hundreds of new students have been forced to find new accommodation after being told that ‘The Depot’ will not be finished in time for September. 

In a statement given to Exeposé, The Depot confirmed “Due to construction delays at The Depot which our contractor has been unable to fully mitigate, we will unfortunately not be able to open the building in time for the start of this academic year.”

The Depot accommodation block is currently under construction on Summerland Street, next to nightclub Unit 1. The new target is for rooms to be available from January 2020. 

Boasting an “outstanding student experience” on their website, CRM Students was bought by German company Corestate for €17 million late last year. At the time of the purchase, CRM was described as “a highly professionalised real estate manager.”

Students were first informed of delays on 1 August. CRM said there had been “some delays” and so the “Games Room and Communal Lounge” wouldn’t be open in time for the start of term. However, the students were told that bedrooms would be ready in time. £100 was initially offered to students to compensate.

Then on 14 August all the affected students were emailed again: “Despite the contractor’s best efforts they will not be able to deliver a completed building on time. As a result, we regret to inform you that The Depot will not be able to accommodate students this year and you will need to secure alternative accommodation.”

The email emphasised that “the construction contractor is responsible for this delay”, although CRM will offer one week’s rent reimbursement “as a gesture of goodwill.” CRM also promised that the company would “shortly be processing refunds for all students” which will include booking fee and any rent that had already been paid.

It’s just so close to term and it felt like they didn’t care they were turning so many people away

Second Year English Student

Speaking exclusively to Exeposé, a second year English student said that students had been sent a list of alternative places to live in, but many of them were full or too expensive. 

“It’s just so close to term and it felt like they didn’t care that they were turning so many people away” she said, adding that it was “grossly irresponsible.”

“I was supposed to be moving in with international students as well it was especially hard for them.”

The abrupt cancellation of the Depot contracts threatens to have a profound effect on international students. To sort alternative accommodation at a late stage often requires in person meetings with letting agents and landlords. This might not be possible for international students who travel to study in the UK.

Another student, who came to study in Exeter from abroad, told Exeposé “If you ask about my feelings, I would definitely describe it as devastating.”

“We feel outraged by the fact that CRM is only willing to compensate us with a single week of Rent as “a gesture of goodwill”, and given the situation that most of us aren’t in UK, plus the fact many budget accommodations are fully booked by mid-August, this arrangement is simply absurdly unfair.”

A University of Exeter spokesperson said: “We know about the delay to The Depot and will ensure that all the students affected find alternative accommodation. We are working with the team at the Depot to resolve any issues and will minimise any impact on students and local residents. We take our responsibilities to students and the community very seriously and we will provide the necessary support for each individual. Any student with concerns about the delay to The Depot site can contact: thedepot@crm-students.com “

The Exeter Students’ Guild are also offering assistance. A Students’ Guild spokesperson said:

“Following the announcement on 1 August, the Students’ Guild has been working alongside the University to ensure that all students affected by the cancellation are supported and compensated appropriately. Students have able to access the Advice Team, who were aware of the situation and provided with information to provide support to students. Any students who continue to be affected by the situation will be supported by the Advice Team to ensure a resolution by the time they arrive in Exeter.”

The Depot cancellation follows a similar scenario in 2018, when the brand new Atlas House accommodation told tenants to seek alternative housing just three days prior to the scheduled opening.

Law students “frustrated” with Bracton Law President

Several law students have expressed frustration at the Bracton Law Society’s (BLS) president’s relationship with a disgraced student who shared racist comments in a WhatsApp group chat last year.

Two BAME students, both studying law, have voiced their disappointment that BLS president Lily Hayes was dating a member of the group chat that was exposed in March 2018. The student subsequently faced disciplinary action for his involvement. The group, named ‘Dodgy Blokes Soc’, included several BLS members who shared racist and misogynist messages, often with violent overtones.

One of the law students told Exeposé that the BLS president’s relationship was widely known inside the law social circle.

“After second year of university and the whole incident with BLS, it came to my attention that the BLS president was in a relationship with one of the boys in the group chat. People would talk about how he would come to Exeter to see his girlfriend.”

Another student also expressed disappointment about the president’s relationship. “Lily gave interviews to campus magazines in which she tried distancing BLS from the scandal, and suggesting that the BLS was suffering negatively at the actions of a minority.”

The source described Hayes’ continued contact with the student following the WhatsApp group leak as “frustrating” and “disrespectful.”

They elaborated: “How can a law society redeem itself from such big a scandal and attempt to be inclusive and welcoming while the president maintained personal ties to those involved with the incident?”

The source also described Hayes’ continued contact with the student following the WhatsApp group leak as “frustrating” and “disrespectful.”

Hayes, 22, was elected president on 2 July, less than two months after the screenshots from the chat were leaked. During an October interview with HerCampus, Hayes distanced BLS from the members involved in the scandal, saying “I think a lot of people on campus and wider have been very understanding that this wasn’t a Bracton Law Society issue, that it was a group of individuals, who made up 1.5% of the society last year.”

The WhatsApp group contained racist, sexist and homophobic messages. After a BAME student was stabbed, a message was sent to the group that remarked “I wish the jabs finished him.”

The University of Exeter suspended the student and the others involved in a group chat on 20 March 2018.

Those involved were also suspended as members of the Students’ Guild.

The offending comments were made in a group chat involving some Bracton Law Society committee members. A member of the chat made multiple screenshots of the messages public – posting them on Facebook and Twitter.

The Guild said at the time that it “does not tolerate any form of racism, sexism or hate crime and condemns any such actions with full disciplinary action taken as appropriate.

They added “The Guild is currently carrying out a major investigation in conjunction with the University.”

When contacted by Exeposé, a spokesperson from the Bracton Law Society responded:

“The personal relationships of the committee have no bearing on the work of Bracton Law Society this year. The committee has worked hard to move past the events of last year in the events and activity that we have provided for our members, and we are committed to continuing this until the society is wound up at the end of this year, to be replaced with a new law society next year.

Hayes said she “can understand the concerns of those that have expressed them”.

“This year’s committee has fully cooperated with both the Guild, the University and the joint transition board throughout the year and has provided all information that has been requested of us.”

In a statement to Exeposé, Hayes said she “can understand the concerns of those that have expressed them”.

But she continued that “all year the committee and I have worked hard to make the society more inclusive than it was 12 months ago. This year’s committee was the first committee to introduce events with other societies such as ACS and Women and Law, as well improving accessibility to existing events by having all applications to be reviewed anonymously.

“Myself and the rest of the committee has been thoroughly dedicated this year to carrying out all of their roles with respect for others as well as promoting equality, diversity and fairness.”

A Guild spokesperson commented: “We understand the concern of members of the BAME community, but the Bracton Law Society and the committee have been subject to high levels of scrutiny this year and we not seen [sic] any causes for concern.”

They further said: “The personal relationships of committee members are not the purview of the Students’ Guild and we respect the right of individuals to a private life away from their volunteering responsibilities. The only exception to [t]his would be when we become aware of improprieties in relation to the running of the society as a result of those relationships.”

Party in the Castle defends lack of gender diversity

The organisers of Party in the Castle, a music festival held at Exeter Castle, have defended their decision to have no female acts perform this year.

Described as a “headline heavy Day Festival”, it will feature 17 music acts, all of which are male.

In a statement to Exeposé, the organisers said “we encourage gender diversity, [but] we don’t book acts based on their gender or race.”

“we encourage gender diversity, [but] we don’t book acts based on their gender or race.”

The organisers also said they had tried to secure two female acts, but it was concluded that they were “over our budget.”

Responding to the news, the University of Exeter’s Feminist Society (FemSoc) said they were “disappointed” that there would not be a single female performer.

“We…find it hard to understand how there were no female artists that fit the booking criteria. The exclusion of women full stop is rather extraordinary.”

The organisers said they had tried to secure two female acts, but it was concluded that they were “over our budget.”

Last year, 45 major UK festivals pledged to achieve a 50/50 gender split by 2022. But research from the BBC shows that 77 per cent of the nine largest festivals last year had all male lineups.

Last year’s Wireless Festival was heavily criticised after just three of the 37 acts were women. Lily Allen tweeted an image of the lineup posted with all the male acts removed, while Annie Mac described the news as “appalling.”

Exeter graduates over £9k a year better off than national average

The University of Exeter has been placed 8th on a table highlighting the average starting salary of university graduates.

The research, from job website Adzuna, stated that the average Exeter graduate earns £30,840 in their first year post-graduation. The current UK average is £20,955 according to Adzuna.

There was little correlation between a university’s place on the national ranking and its average graduate salary. Indeed seven out of the top ten universities for graduate salary were outside The Guardian’s top ten league table. Edinburgh had the highest difference: 6th highest in terms of graduate salary but 28th in The Guardian national table.

Exeter was also recently named as ‘best of the South West’, and was placed at 12th nationally in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019. The guide also highlighted that Exeter has one of the highest numbers of student volunteers of any UK institution.

The Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Sir Steve Smith said that he was “absolutely delighted” by the news.