By Beatrice Learmouth, News Co-Deputy Editor
Metal Works, located in Bedminster, will not open until the 14th of September - the weekend after Freshers Week - leaving many new students unable to attend events this week, or needing to find alternative accommodation elsewhere.
A spokesperson from the University said:
'When Metal Works was commissioned four years ago, the move-in date was agreed as September 14th 2024 which would have been the first day of the new 2024/25 academic year.
'Since then, the University has undertaken a review of the structure of the academic year which, amongst other things, has seen the start of the year brought forward by a week.'
As compensation for the disruption caused, the University has offered students impacted by the situation £250, a package of support, and a series of events.
However, Jacob (surname removed for security reasons), first year Law, said he felt the University had acted ‘really badly’ regarding the situation. He had 'no idea' when he chose the accommodation that the move-in date would be after Freshers Week, and felt that before local publications picked up on the story, the University didn't seem like 'they were planning on doing anything about it.'
He stated that the offer of a free bus pass for the U1, a bus that serves another part of Bristol, as well as a free kettle and toaster, was insulting, as it does nothing to resolve the issue.
The University said:
‘In the planning stages of Metal Works, we looked into a bus service, but this would have added a significant amount to the rental cost.
‘Students have told us they want us to keep rents as low as possible so taking into consideration a number of factors including the location of the residence, the proximity of public transport services and the variety of ways students now travel, we made the decision not to provide this.’
Another incoming student whom Epigram spoke with (who wishes to remain anonymous) will be missing out on Freshers Week due to the delayed move-in date. They were particularly upset to be missing out on the tennis trials, as someone who had played tennis competitively since they were seven years old.
While they recognised that the University had done its best to try and help Metal Works residents, the new student outlined:
‘Even with the promised £250 at the end of the month, the fact that I would have to put my own money towards travel and potentially accommodation in Bristol during freshers made me anxious.
‘Not taking part in Freshers Week makes me feel like I’ll be behind before I even start, both socially and academically, especially as I have timetabled introductory sessions for my course that I can’t attend by no fault of my own.’
Many students have managed to find accommodation elsewhere for Welcome Week, and felt that the situation had at least helped bring people together before the start of University.
Lily (surname removed for security reasons), first year Civil Engineering, went viral on TikTok after posting about the situation regarding Metal Works. She said she decided to make the TikTok as she was ‘panicking about the situation after having got off the phone with the University about it’ and ‘was thinking of ways to find people in the same situation.’
Thanks to her TikTok, she was able to find other people to arrange alternative accommodation with, and feels ‘very lucky’ to have had the opportunity to make connections with people beforehand and that she will still be able to attend freshers.
Tess (surname removed for security reasons), first year History, also saw Lily’s TikTok, and found people in a similar situation to arrange accommodation with.
However, she said the news that they couldn’t move in until after Freshers Week has ‘definitely thrown me off a bit, and is a stress I shouldn’t really have to deal with.'
The events come three years after students were left unable to move into St Thomas Street for up to three weeks at the start of term after construction works were delayed. However, the University stressed that these were ‘a very different set of circumstances.
‘Metal Works was always going to open on September 14th. We did look at seeing if we could bring the opening forwards, but it was not possible. We are very sorry about this and acknowledge some students will be disappointed.’
