Emmanuel College asked students to move into a “mouldy” accommodation block, Old South, with little means to cook over the Easter holidays. The College told students that they were pushed to do this due to conferences and alumni events.

Old South has very limited kitchen facilities – there are no hobs or ovens, only microwaves. The college’s dining hall was also closed outside term time, so students still in residence were either forced to eat out or live off ready meals and meal deals. Students saw these options as both “too expensive” and “unhealthy”.

An affected student, who is estranged from their parents, told Varsity: “I was sometimes forced to skip meals” due to the high cost of food. Despite emailing the College multiple times, they said little was done to help them. Their personal tutor, realising the severity of the situation, requested the student be given a grant of £500 as financial support. The College granted the student £400, arguing that the extra £100 would be too generous.

This accommodation block is occupied by freshers during term time. An asthmatic student emailed Emmanuel in late March to notify them of “significant damp and mould in most staircases” and “black mould all over the bathroom ceiling” that had also spread to the neighbouring staircase. Despite raising this as “a health hazard to everyone”, the College reportedly took over three weeks to address the issue, with the student having to email a second time to remind them. They also told Varsity that “mould and limescale was blocking the shower head” and the toilet would not flush. The College painted over the mould in response, although the mould quickly grew back.

The student also said that loud noises from their sink and fridge inside their bedroom “affected my ability to sleep and work.” Another student reportedly had to be moved from their bedroom during term time as it was infested with mould.

Despite individual emails sent to the College, and the bursar meeting with the College’s international reps, students in residence over the holidays were not moved. Consequently, students “felt like we were not taken seriously.”

A student voiced their upset to Varsity at the College’s lack of response: “I felt a bit like they didn’t care about me and other students. They only cared about their outward appearance, rather than the financial situations of their own students.”

Emmanuel College was contacted for comment.