Students who struggled to find accommodation earlier in the semester have not responded well to the news...
DCU has 16 unoccupied rooms available on the Glasnevin campus and visitors to the area can book the rooms through sites such as Expedia for around 100 euro a night.
Visitors can book the rooms throughout the year and breakfast is provided by the canteen on the Glasnevin Campus. The majority of rooms are available in the Hampstead complex with four rooms available in the College Park complex.
4,000 students applied for accommodation on DCU campuses but the college could not match the demand and many students had to find accommodation off campus. In regards to the extra accommodation available, The General Manager of Campus Residences, John Caffrey, told DCUs The College View:
These rooms are not and have never been student rooms. There are 16 visitor rooms on the Glasnevin Campus.“[They] have always been designated for the use of visiting academics, family members of students who in times of need require a family member to be close and for emergency use for students in the event of a breakdown in a relationship with a roommate or due to their living space becoming uninhabitable for reasons of fire, flood or other extenuating circumstances.
The news will come as a surprise to students who struggled to find accommodation earlier in the year. The college plans to use the money to upgrade existing student accommodation and this is the first year that the accommodation is open throughout the year.
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DCU Student Union Welfare and Equality officer Podge Henry noted students' anger but understands the need for the additional vacant rooms:
So although students should be first when talking accommodation on campus I would say that these rooms are pre-booked for certain times regardless of open bookings to tourists...This would make it rather awkward for students if it was open to them as they would have to leave for these pre-booked times.
H/T: The CollegeView
