Universities have let us down almost as much as the government during the pandemic.

Just under a year ago we began our first national lockdown - supposedly three weeks off school to fix the coronavirus outbreak which had begun - before we learned that this was far from the reality of it. Now we are still in more or less exactly the same place we were last March, with deaths at record highs, another lockdown, and more chaos and stress for students.

Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that students feel let down by the government - every news source and social media account on the face of the earth has already discussed that - but what hasn’t been discussed in as much detail is how much students have been let down by their universities. From misinformation to a lack of quality teaching to stingy landlords, students have had to put up with exorbitant fees for an often lacklustre education.

The latest findings from the ongoing QS coronavirus survey suggest that 51% of students are being taught entirely online, which many students were not told about before paying for and moving into their accommodation, which at that point most universities and landlords refused to refund students. This has led to many students taking part in strikes demanding reduced or refunded rent, most notably in Manchester. There is also currently a petition created by students at Lancaster University demanding a full or partial refund in rent which currently has over 800 signatures, citing that the university had misled students by not letting them know that most courses were entirely online until after they had moved in and by charging some self-isolating students almost £18 a day for basic food supplies, despite the fact that many students stated that they usually spend around £18 a week in regular circumstances on groceries. Another student, not from Lancaster University, also stated that she was given barely any support during self isolation and was ‘given only soup for two weeks’. The government cannot be blamed entirely for this, the universities themselves can.

This new national lockdown has also created issues for students. Now, even students that did not originally have issues with their accommodation are now facing the fact that some of them are unable to return, due to the unclear government guidelines and outright bans in some areas. This means that students are not only paying for accommodation that they didn’t even necessarily need, as the course is entirely online, but now they can’t even access the accommodation they paid for. One student discussed how accommodation is expensive enough and now they can’t even return to it; and with landlords and universities being reluctant to hand out refunds, this just means that students are left more out of pocket for situations out of their control.

Another talking point for a lot of students is the quality of the teaching. Many students have noted that the quality of the teaching on these online classes has massively declined since moving online. They said that the new classes were unmotivating and they are unable to access the same tutor support that they could have accessed in person; and it’s not even just the classes. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, obviously freshers week could not go ahead as planned. However this has upset many students not only due to the fact partying has been reduced, but students have often mentioned how they cannot make friends as easily now, even though university is known for its social environment.

The message here is clear – both the government and universities themselves need to do more to support students during this time. A recent NatWest survey showed that only around 27% of students believe that the University has adequate mental health support. Both teachers and the government must make sure that online classes are taught to the same standard as in person classes, and students are motivated to work. At the same time, students should also make sure that they are following COVID restrictions to make sure that this does not go on for longer than it has to and already has. This problem must be fixed by the end of this academic year.