Student accommodation shortage sparks rooms plea

A shortage of student accommodation in Athlone continues to be of "major concern" as the Technological University of the Shannon Midlands starts a new academic year.

As student life returns to the Athlone campus, President of the TUS Midlands Students' Union Dara Lenihan has called on the local community to offer any spare rooms to house students' looking for accommodation.

"It is a real struggle trying to get new and returning students accommodation this year. Unfortunately, the housing and cost of living crisis has not improved much, if at all, since the last academic year," Dara said.

The Students' Union President said that those offering 'digs; to students can "earn up to €14,000 per year tax free", seeing it as a "win-win" for all parties.

"It is essential that all students have the opportunity to participate in college lifestyle during their time on Athlone campus. Learning does not stop when daily lectures finish. Students must have the opportunity to embrace all that is part of the college lifestyle outside of education.

"However, this is simply not possible for so many at the moment given the lack of accommodation. So many students are still commuting to and from the Athlone campus and it is impacting on their college experience," Dara said.

The Programme for Government contains a number of commitments to enable Technological Universities to borrow funds, primarily for student accommodation purposes. However, this has not yet been put into legislation.

Calling on the Government to enact the Technological University Borrowing Framework Policy, the Students' Union President stated that doing so would allow the third level college to start the process of building accommodation for students attending the Athlone campus.

"The Government are sitting on this policy framework for too long now. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to borrow funds to build student accommodation so this legislation must be passed as soon as possible," Dara said.

Dara said that the students' union is "inundated" with representations from worried parents and returning students who are "deeply concerned" with the lack of accommodation in Athlone.

"Their frustration is clear to hear and it is the main issue for which we receive calls on a daily basis. Students need to enjoy an independent lifestyle when they come to college, but the lack of accommodation is not allowing them to do so.

"I just hope that homeowners in the local community can spare a room in their house and help to somewhat alleviate our student accommodation concerns," Dara concluded.