NTU Students Demand Transparency After They Fail To Secure Hall Room For New Semester

NTU Hall Authorities Allegedly Ask Students To Pack Up In 2 Weeks

One will argue that for NTU university students, the ‘hall life’ is one of the highlights of their uni years.

Besides staying with friends and the added freedom, being on campus also means being able to attend classes without commuting as much, especially for those who live far away.

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However, many students at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) woke up on Thursday (1 Jul) to find out that they’d been unsuccessful in securing accommodation for the next academic year.

Several of these students are now asking for transparency on the decision-making and welfare of those who require accommodation for the next year.

NTU students left without hall room for next year

NTU students received the results of their accomodation applications, after a delay.

According to an email seen by MS News, NTU explained that there’s a cap on hall students by authorities, and fewer rooms being available due to the need to reserve a certain number of rooms for Covid-19 isolated as well as other purposes.

Campus housing officials also advised on off-campus options, including short-term stays on HostelWorld, Agoda, Booking, and Trivago.

An NTU student who’ll be starting Year 3 told MS News that the results should have been released in Jun, but was delayed due to ‘developments brought about by the uncertain Covid-19 situation’.

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However, the eviction notice of 15 Jul was unchanged, leaving current students on-campus with just 2 weeks to pack up and find a new place.

This has led to a surge in students, both international and local, looking for off-campus accommodation in the area, which might complicate things further and leave some students with no room.

Students ask for priority for those in need of room

Soon after the announcement, several posts popped up on the NTU subreddit with unhappiness over the situation.

Despite the disclaimer that there’s a higher demand for places, students are not entirely sure as to who gets priority for rooms.

Among those who are guaranteed a place at halls are Year 1 and 2 students. This is reflected on the university’s accommodation website.

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However, international students are not guaranteed the same. Many have stepped forward to voice their concerns, including on the NTU subreddit.

I am one of hundreds international student whose hall application just got rejected, honestly I am really shocked and I really don’t know what to do.

Those who live in the East or North-East are also concerned about the additional commute they’ll have to face in lieu of a hall room.

This is not even including students who may have personal circumstances that require them to live on campus.

Students demand transparency

Given the situation and lack of clarity, transparency is thus something that students are now demanding from the administration.

Calls for accountability have sprouted up and made their way onto r/singapore.

Other threads have advised students to email various authorities on the situation and voice their disapproval of what’s going on.

An NTU student told MS News that the current situation is “questionable” after he observed several empty rooms at his hall.

He also questioned the need for hall residents to get vaccinated previously in May/Jun when campus accommodation won’t open up more slots for them in the next year.

Another student starting Year 4 shared with MS News that there are students with 9 points who couldn’t secure a room this year.

Hope for students in need to get a hall room

While applying for accommodation on-campus is not always a sure thing, there appears to be much unhappiness over how the situation has unfolded.

With many international students and others in need now facing no room, they find themselves potentially homeless.

Off-campus accommodation is not ideal for various reasons, higher rent and the lack of time notwithstanding.

Many now face just 2 weeks in a make-or-break, and for these students this uncertainty is not what they need right now.

MS News has also reached out to NTU for a statement and will update the article accordingly if one is provided.

For now, we only hope that the students’ concerns can be heard and that an amicable solution can be reached.

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Featured image adapted from NTU.