Students’ Union Welcomes NUIG Turnaround on 4% Rent Hike
NUI Galway Students’ Union has today welcomed the University’s decision to provide a rent rebate for on-campus student accommodation for 2020/21. This means that in September students renting in the campus Goldcrest and Corrib Village student accommodation will be entitled to apply for a 3-4% refund of their rent.
NUI Galway Students’ Union has been campaigning throughout this semester to have the proposed rent increase stopped. Students and NUIG Cut the Rent participated in many forms of direct actions including a letter writing campaign, lobbying governors of the University, organising protests and camping out in the Quadrangle to object to the rent increases earlier this year. The SU also organised petitions to stop the rent hike and spoke at the University Governing Authority meeting against this in March.
With the current global pandemic and the dire financial straits that students and their families find themselves in the University has finally agreed that now is not the time for rent increases.
Students’ Union President Clare Austick said: “We are delighted that the University has listened to the student body and reversed their earlier decision. We’ve driven this campaign forward for the last 4 months and are thankful for all the support we received from the wider community. We are all facing a very uncertain future with the COVID-19 Emergency. Adding any extra financial strain to students and their families is not acceptable. Now is a time to be kind and compassionate. We expect to be consulted if any big decisions are made in the future. We are determined to break down the barriers to education and will continue to work with the University to create equal opportunities for all.”
