Hundreds sign petition against De Montfort University's apartment plan for vice-chancellor
Hundreds of people have signed a petition objecting to De Montfort University's plans to develop rent-free living quarters for its vice-chancellor.
Doug Bradbury, a first-year mechanical engineering student at the university, launched the online petition after details of the £134,000 project to convert part of a Grade II-listed building on campus were published in the Leicester Mercury.
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Point: Doug Bradbury, a first-year student at De Montfort University, launched the petition
A three-bedroom flat is being developed on the first and second floors of the property, known as 1 Mill Lane.
The home will be made available to vice-chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard, who currently lives in private accommodation off campus, and any future holders of the post.
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The 18-year-old's petition says: "Stop wasting student tuition fees on accommodation for the VC."
Launched a week ago, on the website www.change.org , the petition was signed by about 400 people in its first 24 hours. By yesterday evening, it had attracted more than 760 signatures.
Doug, from Halifax, yesterday told the Mercury he had been invited to a meeting with the vice-chancellor to discuss the issue.
He said he started the petition after feeling a "pang of anger" about the expense of the apartment.
He said: "I am just reflecting what a lot of the students I have spoken to have said.
"They think the university should be spending money on students' education, not on accommodation for the man who is probably earning the highest salary on the campus.
"I did it to bring attention to it. It exploded at the start but it has slowed down since."
The Mercury contacted the university yesterday to ask for a comment on the petition. It had not responded at the time of going to press.
The university has previously stressed the vice-chancellor's accommodation is just one part of an overall £1.3 million conversion of the building, which is largely disused but hosts the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce offices.
Most of the £1.3 million will be spent on new offices and classrooms and there will be a £225,000 hospitality suite for entertaining VIP visitors to the campus, who would currently be looked after in marquees or external venues.
It is part of a wider £100 million investment in refurbishing the campus.
Doug said he supported the overall campus improvements, but not the provision of vice-chancellor's accommodation.
In a statement previously issued to the Mercury, Ian Blatchford, chairman of the university's board of governors, said: "The board of governors felt it was essential to bring DMU into line with other universities to help attract and retain the very best leadership.
"We looked at a number of alternatives and it was clear that the most cost-effective option was to take the opportunity of the refurbishment of 1 Mill Lane to provide suitable accommodation."
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by Vraaaak
Wednesday, March 27 2013, 11:16AM
“About a one milisecond pause and a negative vote, no doubt the removal is pencilled in following an email from the head of some communications department.
So, you *don't* like the bread counter?
Most supermarkets do bread mix so you can make your own at home. You can add extra ingredients and do things like putting linseeds in as they do in germany.
Hope this helps. Go on then, let's have a Stalinist crushing of free speech on the entirely innocuous seeming issue of German Bread with Linseeds, Let's see how silly you can get.”
by Vraaaak
Wednesday, March 27 2013, 10:57AM
“@friendsofdmu
According to the RIBA, the average size of a flat in the UK is 60 square metres, and the average family dwelling (such as a Victorian terraced house) is around 80.
The figures don't show how many bedrooms on average these houses have but it's usually more than one, plus a kitchen, bathroom, etc. You could get a hell of a model railway layout in the corner of an 80 square metre bedroom. And a ping pong table. Or, on square meterage, an average UK family. Which could be good fun, much like staying in a Youth Hostel, as long as they don't snore.”
by Vraaaak
Wednesday, March 27 2013, 10:44AM
“@gtnewparks
What's so shameful about people wanting value for money?
Would you send fifty pounds in an envelope to Tesco because you really like the bread counter?”
by gtnewparks
Thursday, March 21 2013, 8:31PM
“shame on you all”
by NickDiPerna1
Thursday, March 21 2013, 6:03PM
“I think DMU's legal people are doing overtime.”
by NickDiPerna1
Thursday, March 21 2013, 5:55PM
“Taxpayers also subsidise universities, even if they never went. So they don't like seeing money wasted on lavish buildings, gyms and luxury either, which has nothing to do with 'education'. It is more about the so-called 'student experience' and it inflates the cost of tuition fees for all.
And lots of students waste their loans on holidays and commodities. This inflated bubble is gonna burst.
When DMU gained university status over 20 years ago it expanded rapidly. There was no public consultation. This devastated the local community (not to mention DMU's destruction of the bowstring bridge and an historic community pub) and that's why the surrounding area is such a dump.”
by Vraaaak
Thursday, March 21 2013, 3:00PM
“Is it the Mercury that's deleting comments again or is it because of complaints made by some Public Relations Executive?
If this message gets deleted I get to shout BINGO and I win a free fan heater.
I might donate it as a house warming present.”
by friendsofdmu
Thursday, March 21 2013, 2:15PM
“Can the Mercury PLEASE stop removing comments that are not untrue or defamatory as you suggest. This is in most cases freely available information, like the one I am about to post but may well disappear for being too truthful!”
by friendsofdmu
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 6:05PM
“IT IS VAST!! It isn't the whole building of course, but his master bedroom suite is 80 square metres!! The same size as a small lecture theatre...”
by Housepet
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 4:18PM
“Stoned, are you stoned or what?”