Tents remain in UCC protest as Union enters talks with management

More than 30 tents will remain on campus as students protesting a proposed price hike in campus accommodation enter mediation talks with the university.

Tents remain in UCC protest as Union enters talks with management

More than 30 tents will remain on campus as students protesting a proposed price hike in campus accommodation enter mediation talks with the university.

After eight days of occupation, University College Cork confirmed that the Students’’ Union will enter independently-mediated talks with management of Campus Accommodation UCC — the UCC-owned company responsible for campus accommodation.

The talks aim to establish “mutually agreeable proposals” to present to the board of Campus Accommodation UCC "for consideration".

President of the Student Union at UCC, Ben Dunlea, said the union welcomes the talks but that they are keeping the tents in place "until our demands are met".

’’We’’ll freeze until you freeze,’’ was the occupying students’’ slogan as they braved snow, hail and Storm Jorge to demand a three-year rent freeze on all UCC-owned accommodation and an end to a proposed 3% rent hike.

The 3% rent increase, proposed for the next academic year, would bring campus accommodation costs up by 19% in three years, following hikes in 2018 and 2019.

Mr Dunlea said there are now more than 30 tents on the main square in UCC known as ’’the quad’’: “There’’s no more space there. We've filled the gravel area but we're only staying on the pebbles so as not to damage the grass."

“Last night we had over 60 students sleeping out. We’’ve been here through Storm Jorge, through sub-zero temperatures, snow, rain and hail. I woke up the other morning and ice was everywhere."

He says his ongoing protest is spurred by a desire to protect students from escalating costs which could financially bar them from higher education: “This is very serious for students who are already struggling. It started three years ago, this increase would mean that rents would be almost 20% higher this year than in 2018. Take Victoria Mills [a student apartment block at Victoria Cross]. A student who started college three years ago would be paying €1100 more than they did when they started.

“Add this to the €3,000 registration fee and it’’s hard to see how students could afford this without the help of family or grants. It’’s a real barrier to education.”

A UCC spokesma said: “Our goal is to ensure the provision of high-quality and safe student accommodation at a fair price, significantly below that of private operators. The Board has already committed to waive the increase in rates for students who are in receipt of student hardship funds.”

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