The reality of Southside
The new intake of freshers arrived at Imperial on Saturday, however, even though the majority of the students would be paying over £150 per week, many moved into unfinished rooms. College recognised this was unacceptable and soon announced it would be giving Southside residents a 25% discount on their first month’s rent.
Just a few days after Felix’s guided tour of Falmouth-Keogh – one of the three halls within Southside – it became apparent there was plenty yet to be completed compared to what was on show before the freshers moved in. Despite builders and cleaners scurrying about on the day of Felix’s tour, every room in Falmouth-Keogh appeared to be in working order.
At the time, it was known that the social room would be incomplete when the freshers arrived, and Felix was also told that there was work still to be done on the kitchens, along with general cleaning in and around the halls.
Felix was unable to gain access to the other two halls on the day, namely Selkirk and Tizard, and since residents have moved in it has become apparent that these halls were still several days from completion.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, College staff were still working to get the halls ready. The situation was so dire that College staff were joined by kind-hearted students who volunteered to help.
Some kitchens were full of tables stacked on top of each other and chairs wrapped in protective plastic. Lamps, toilet fittings and other items sat boxed and dormant in the corridors. The builders’ tools were still lying in various rooms and some bedrooms even had plastic sheeting covering the windows because the curtains hadn’t turned up. To add to College’s woes, the lift in Falmouth-Keogh which was working perfectly well during Felix’s tour subsequently broke down.
College recognised the shambles that many new students would be moving into and issued residents with a 25% discount for their first month. This comes on top of the £5 per week discount that some residents will be getting if they are housed in rooms with a view of the Eastside builders’ portacabins. Incidentally, since last week’s tour, College has covered the portacabins with a giant dark blue and green, leafy cover.
The ongoing works being finished on Southside seem to have had differing effects on students. Many were so overwhelmed with actually starting university they didn’t seem bothered with the ongoing work. Others have expressed dismay at moving into an unfinished room, such as student, Azfarul Islam, who said he was “frustrated” that his room is without an internet connection still, something that would come in quite handy to use when it comes to doing some work.
The lift in Falmouth-Keogh is working again however and Southside should be finished in its entirety during October.
