Exeter Sparks Fury After ‘Closing Students’ Only Kitchen’ Amid Hall Strike
Exeter accused of trying to ‘starve students into submission’ by closing JCR kitchen amid hall strike
Exeter has today sparked fury after announcing the closure of the JCR’s kitchen.
In an email sent to undergrads, Rina Ariga the Junior Dean said, “The JCR and JCR kitchen has once again been left in an ALMIGHTY MESS”.
She continued,
“You have previously received 2 email warnings about this issue. And as per my last email, I have done the following:
** DISCIPLINARY FINE ISSUED TO THE JCR **
** CLEANING COSTS CHARGED TO THE JCR **
** JCR KITCHEN LOCKED INDEFINITELY ** ”
The decision comes whilst the JCR are in the middle of a hall boycott, in protest at the college’s attempts to impose mandatory charges on the students. The timing of the Dean’s decision to close the kitchen has caused some students to suggest ulterior motives.
One student commented, “Am I the only one who thinks it’s more than a coincidence they have taken the only place to cook food in the middle of an indefinite hall boycott?”.
An anonymous student told the Tab, “it’s pathetic. It’s like they’re trying to starve us into submission”.
Lucy McCann, a committee member of the protest group ‘Hallternative’ told the Tab, “Unlike many other colleges, there are students living in who don’t have kitchens on their staircases so there’s only one kitchen for the whole of the JCR. This closure has narrowed students’ options even more and will increase their reliance on other colleges’ generosity and eating out. ”
She added, “It can’t be ignored that the kitchen was closed only a day after the college forcibly removed a protest banner from someone’s window without their notice and have not yet responded to our demands of engaging on the issue of the catering charge”.
However, McCann was insistent that the college’s move was not going to dampen the strikers’ spirits, “Morale is really strong amongst members of the JCR involved in the boycott and this has only gone to strengthen feelings of antagonism against members of the college authorities who are ignoring us and responding in unreasonable ways”.