Exploitation prevalent in halls, VUWSA claims
Sexual violence, racism and exploitation are all prevalent in the halls of residence at Victoria University, according to the university’s student association.
The Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) has released its submission to the inquiry into student accommodation, with students detailing horror stories they have faced while living in halls of residence.
It is part of a national discussion on New Zealand’s under-regulated student accommodation sector.
One student living at Stafford House last year said their bond was withheld because a flatmate left soap and a few food packets in the flat. The students had a flat inspection before leaving but one person was allowed to stay on for an extra week, and left the items behind.
‘‘Staff decided this meant our rooms were not spotless and thus they refused to give my sister and I our bonds back.’’
They emailed Stafford House in February this year but it was not until June they were told they would receive their bonds back. As of June 29, they were still waiting for their money.
Stafford House is managed by accommodation provider UniLodge, on behalf of more than 80 apartment owners.
Another student told of being sexually assaulted while living in a hall of residence.
‘‘After more than three months of going through [the] Vic Uni complaint process, I lost. He moved out on his own accord but he has faced no repercussions.’’
VUWSA’s submission claimed there was a lack of clarity for students when disclosing experiences of sexual violence, and limited support, which fell to friends or residential assistants (RAs).
Its submission also claims staff struggled to handle issues of racism and discrimination. One student recalled being told to apologise when calling out other students for making fun of their culture.
VUWSA was seeking legislation to mandate a standard of care.
However, a university spokeswoman said there were inaccuracies and misinformation in VUWSA’s submission.
These included how the university educated students about consent, bystander intervention, and their options when disclosing harmful behaviour.
The university provided ‘‘extensive’’ training to hall staff and RAs on how to respond to students in distress, she said.
The spokeswoman also said there were inaccuracies over: the communication of information to students in halls of residence; the level of pastoral care given to those students; the role of RAs and the support provided to them; the university’s response to requests for information from VUWSA; and its response to Covid-19.