Hi there I'm Oscar Ward and I'm standing to be the Accommodation Officer, there's a lot to be done but here's an idea of what I'm about:
- SOAS has a responsibility to its students to create links with accommodation providers that will protect and support its students, not jeopardise their safety.
- SOAS’ accommodation strategy is appalling. They’re losing their exclusivity contract with Dinwiddy in the next few years so soon there will be no SOAS exclusive undergraduate accommodation left.
- SOAS management needs to fund & find more affordable places for students, and support international & working class students seeking housing in London. In September a room in Dinwiddy will cost £167 per week, which is over £700 per month, not even remotely affordable!
- The SOAS guarantor scheme is also an underused & underfunded resource which I will lobby to expand to make sure it is fit for the amount of SOAS students facing housing insecurity related to guarantors and references and to make it more accessible.
- I will also create social events and mixers for people to find housemates as for many it can be difficult to find groups of people to live with.
- I’ll reform the resident's council into a SOAS Tenant's Union linking up with London Renters Union and other housing action groups, it'll be a democratic body holding regular meetings with Sanctuary Students and SOAS management to create a place where issues and demands are amplified to the point that management can no longer ignore resident’s long list of complaints and demands for the most basic standards of living.
I will also join up with the national campaign of #CutTheRent to make university accommodation affordable and fairer
About Me:
Hi there, I’m Oscar and I’m the second year of a World Philosophies BA degree. Last year living at Dinwiddy was a frustrating experience and through that frustration I became involved with re-creating the residents’ council which was successful in holding meetings with Sanctuary Students and SOAS Management, establishing dialogue and seeking improvements. I want to build on the good work of the previous accommodation officer and spend time at Dinwiddy & Paul Robeson house holding open meetings where anybody can come and talk to me about their issues. When I heard about what has gone on this year (security failures, staff problems and no accountability) This year has also taught me the hell of being a private renter in London, managing greedy letting agents and useless landlords. I know how important one’s home is to their mental health and productivity.
So vote for me if you want to have somebody on your side to make living at SOAS more accountable and secure