It’s no secret to anyone that the living conditions in university and college dormitories are not as good as in ordinary apartments, but over the years, young people have already managed to live with it, so they choose this way to save money.
Dormitories become a real salvation especially for students who have come from regions to big cities, for whom it is more difficult to find a place to live, and they do not want to spend a lot.
However, the mother of a young man who has lived in the other end of Lithuania until now and has now entered VILNIUS TECH (Gediminas Technical University) raises the question of how much some higher education institutions will continue to bully children.
According to her, when she entered her son’s future room in the dormitory, she saw a veritable garbage dump, not a young man’s place of residence. She also raises questions about unsanitary conditions.
In turn, university representatives explain that they try to improve the conditions and improve them every year, and if the student is not satisfied with his room, they encourage him to apply and not be silent.
Joy was overshadowed by anger
They are on the portal lrytas.lt contacted Jolanta (name changed, known to the editors– aut.past.) said that her offspring entered the A. Gustaitis Aviation Institute of VILNIUS TECH University this year, majoring in air traffic control.
According to the woman, the family’s joy knew no bounds because this study program was the fulfillment of a young man’s dream. However, the joy was soon replaced by some everyday worries, when the guy had to look for a room in Vilnius.
“But here, too, happiness seemed to smile when we received a message that a dormitory was reserved for a student. Since we live not far from Vilnius – 200 kilometers – the news about the shared dormitory was really reassuring.
On the way to sign the contract with the dormitory administrator UAB “Mano bentrabutis” and inspect the room, I didn’t even think that I would have to experience such a shock. Of course, we did not expect much comfort, the possibilities of living in a renovated dormitory also seemed very vague.
The procedure for signing the contract lasted a few minutes, reminding the student not to forget to pay the deposit – 330 euros – and to pay the monthly fees – 110 euros for a double room – regularly.
Keys and card in hand – go to the room scouts”, recalled the mother of the freshman on the first day in the dormitory.
As the woman stated, the exterior of the dormitory building did not impress her very much, but she understood that the house was built back in 1986, so she was not very angry. But then, according to Jolanta, the situation got even more unpleasant.
“Upon entering the heavily crumbling stairs inside, one was greeted by the ‘original’ Soviet passage system. The student enters with his card, and the accompanying persons, unfortunately, remain behind the barrier. The watchman was nowhere to be seen. Some good man opened the door and let him in.
On the third floor, in the son’s room, “surprises” awaited. What we found in the hallway, that is, in the common toilet of both rooms, and in the mini-washroom, caused emotions that are difficult to describe.
It’s simply impossible to describe and comment on it, so we captured it in photos,” said the woman.
According to Jolanta, when she saw where her student son would have to live, hundreds of questions began to swirl in her head. The room was extremely dirty, the floor, walls and tiles were peeling and there was rubbish everywhere.
“Does the university administration know and is interested in what conditions the future creators of Lithuania will live in?” After 35 years of the existence of the independent state of Lithuania, is it still possible for a student to live in unsanitary conditions, not to have even the minimum conditions to prepare for lectures?
Have the employees who administer the dormitory been in those premises themselves?” – asked the woman.
She added that while signing the contract, her son heard a phrase in the dormitory: “if it’s really bad, come on the first day of October and we’ll figure something out.”
“And where should a student go for the whole month of September?” Is this how we motivate young people to pursue higher education and create added value for the state? Has there already been a place for humanity in our society when we have learned to ensure rights and good living conditions for animals?
Has any state institution taken an interest in the sanitary and hygienic norms of this building and the possibility of operating it? What are these fees charged for?
“I don’t want to talk about common rooms, shower and kitchen,” Jolanta complained.
The mother of the freshman also shared the photos of the room, which she managed to take herself.
“I think it is necessary to talk about it out loud, silence is no longer possible and conscience does not allow. How much longer will the students and their parents be bullied?”, the woman wondered.
University: We are really making an effort
Representatives of VILNIUS TECH University themselves responded to Jolanta’s letter.
As a portal lrytas.lt said the chancellor of the university, Assoc. Dr. Vaidotas Trinkūnas, VILNIUS TECH carries out dormitories repair work every year. Currently, 4 out of 5 dormitories have already been renovated.
“And in order to create suitable conditions for all students living in dormitories, the existing facilities are being repaired and renovated.
At the moment, active preparations are being made and it is planned to start construction of the last one – dormitory no. 5 (Saulėtekio al. 19–1) – renovation, which will require about 14 million euros. A functional and energetic renovation project has already been prepared and alternative sources of funding for the works are being sought.
A large part of the funding will be university resources, and the other part is expected to be obtained through participation in energy renewal programs,” V. Trinkūnas taught.
According to the chancellor, after the renovation of this building, 8792.87 square meters will be renovated. m area and higher energy efficiency has been achieved, dormitory spaces have been redesigned, rooms and common areas have been renovated, recreation areas, bicycle storage, and common areas have been installed.
There will also be rooms for students with individual needs, and other infrastructure will be adapted.
“During the renovation, the residents of the fifth dormitory are planned to be accommodated in the dormitory (Grybo St. 39), which VILNIUS TECH will take over from the Vilnius College of Technology and Design in the near future under the State Trust.
This dormitory has 155 residence rooms with 302 accommodation facilities. After its repair, it would be possible to accommodate students who came to study from foreign countries,” explained the representative of the university.
Currently, the prices of VILNIUS TECH dormitory rooms range from 80 to 250 euros. More detailed prices depend on the type of room and the number of people in the room, the amenities in the room, the repairs made and the length of stay.
“The monthly fee paid by students is different in recently renovated rooms and in rooms that are still waiting for renovation, but it cannot be zero, the minimum maintenance costs of the rooms must be assessed.
It is important that the monthly fee already includes utility bills (heating, hot and cold water, electricity costs, elevator operating costs, common room maintenance, building administration). Before settling in the dormitories, students are introduced to the general rules, conditions of payment for living, and have the opportunity to inspect the living rooms.
When the student is not satisfied with the quality of the offered room, he is left with the choice to live in the assigned room and move to a newly renovated room after the repair work is completed, to use the university’s information about student accommodation options offered by other institutions.
“Students living in dormitories have the opportunity to contact the dormitory administrator at any time, asking to be moved to another room or to help solve other issues,” V. Trinkūnas taught.
According to him, since 4 out of 5 dormitories have already been renovated, it is expected that the university’s efforts to improve students’ living conditions in the dormitories are noticeable.
The chancellor of VILNIUS TECH noted that upon completion of the repair and renovation processes of the last dormitory, sufficiently good living conditions will be ensured for all students.
“We try to make the students living in the dormitories concentrate their attention on studies and self-improvement, so the dormitories are constantly maintained and the living conditions are gradually improved,” commented V. Trinkūnas.
Portal lrytas.lt has previously written about prospective students flocking back to their high school dorms.
You can read in this article whether universities and colleges will accommodate everyone who wants to and how much it will cost to rent rooms for students this year.
2024-08-28 04:05:18