‘It’s not fair’: Welsh students ‘anxious’ over degree courses moving to different campus

Students at the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) are angry that degree courses are being moved to a different campus.

The uni has proposed to move the humanities department to more than 20 miles away. The department which is originally based in Lampeter, Ceredigion will move to Carmarthen, from September.

UWTSD is Wales’ oldest degree-awarding institution and is very popular among Welsh students.

However, in light of recent news of their choice to move up to 30 courses from campus, ending all undergraduate teaching at its Lampeter campus, students are considering changing university.

Ancient history student, Kayleigh Iacov, told the BBC: “I’m quite seriously considering changing university because of this.

“I chose this university specifically because of its specific teaching style and environment.”

Another student, Jamie Fitter, who’s an international development and global politics student, added: “It’s not fair to be told now that we have to move. I think the way the university has dealt with it is reprehensible.”

Anya d’Abdank Kunicki, a Canadian student studying at UWTSD, also noted her concerns and expressed her fear for her future because of the cost of moving. She said: “I specifically chose to come here to Lampeter to study. I like living here, I chose to live here.

“I’m mostly scared. Everything is up in the air and I’m anxious because I don’t want to leave.”

Ceredigion Preseli MP Ben Lake described the university as the “cornerstone” of the town and moving courses to Carmarthen would cause a “heavy blow”.

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There are also worries that the proposed plans will also financially impact local businesses in the town, with more than 4,000 people expressing their concern in a petition.

Elfan James, an employee at the Mark Lane Bakery described the campus move decision as “disastrous” and expressed concern for the trade that will suffer, weakening the local economy.

This decision from the UWTSD comes after a decline in face-to-face teaching. The university felt that its financial situation was unsustainable considering the current financial pressure on higher-education institutions.

The university released a statement regarding its plans to move the humanities department to Carmarthen. A spokesperson said: “Although UWTSD’s student numbers are growing overall, they are not distributed proportionately across our different campuses.

“Despite a range of innovative ideas to attract a greater number of students to our Lampeter campus these have not delivered, and this campus has seen a steady decline in the number of students being taught in-person.

“This is not a sustainable situation, and we must take action.”

Featured image via Instagram