Sheffield Uni evicts 100 students from halls mid-exam season

Dozens of students at Sheffield University have been told they are being evicted from their halls of residence at the height of exam season.

The Russell Group institution is removing 118 mostly first-year students from the Endcliffe Vale block, by February 25, to carry out early refurbishment works.

Those affected, who pay at least £100 a week in rent, were only told about the move on January 17, three days before winter exam season began.

They will be relocated to other university-owned halls in Endcliffe over the coming weeks, with some uprooting further afield to Ranmoor and the city centre.

Students reacted with upset and confusion at the decision, with some branding it "tragic".

"The legacy is over, the family separated," one posted on Sheffessions.

"Words can’t describe how gutted I am. It's like in Tracy Beaker when the dumping ground burns down and they all have to go to other care homes and Carmen comes back with a black eye and wearing nothing pink. Vale will always have a special place in my heart."

The post on Sheffield's Facebook confessions page saw a flood of comments. "Rip vale, always in our hearts ?," wrote Beth Tate.

Others reacted in disbelief, with Sheffield graduate Louis Noblet commenting: "Surely they’re not closing Vale down".

Students living in Endcliffe Vale, a block situated on the university's main Endcliffe halls complex, were expecting to stay there until their contract ends in July.

The university says it is helping students move out by providing storage boxes and staff to carry bags.

But with exam season running from January 20 until February 10, some were left wondering how this sits with the ongoing revision mental health campaign, which has seen staff introduce "stretching areas" and yoga mats in three libraries.

A University of Sheffield spokeswoman said: "As part of our commitment to providing the best quality accommodation, we've asked students in Endcliffe Vale to move to the next door residences, to allow us to carry out some improvements on the building.

"We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and as such have offered students en suite accommodation at no extra cost as an upgrade from their shared bathroom rooms, as well as the ability to reduce their contract length by four weeks, saving them £409.

"Students have also been given the chance to move in their same flat groups and been offered a range of other accommodation options if they'd prefer to relocate elsewhere."

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