Off Campus magazine: June 2000

---

Bed 'n' breakfast blues

The notorious B Block which has incarcerated students at the Massey campus over many years may be closed - at least to extramurals.

AFS, the company providing catering and accommodation on campus, suspects that B Block can no longer be maintained to the standard extramurals expect when they go to campus courses.

So extramurals at B Block during the June-July courses will be surveyed to see exactly what the problems are. If those problems can be fixed, B Block will get a reprieve. If not, it is off the visitors' list.
The survey is among the changes sparked by numerous complaints from the 600 extramural students who attended campus courses at Massey last April.

EXMSS president Liz Barker says it was the most complaints she had seen in 10 years. "Every year we get a few complaints but we've never received this level of dissatisfaction."

Three written complaints (one signed by 14 students) were sent to the EXMSS office, and many others, both written and oral, were passed on to the EXMSS Help Desk which ran over the two-week period.

Complaints included no cups, tea, coffee, or milk in the hostels; cold showers; unhygienic toilets and showers; cafeterias either closed altogether or closing early; and different prices for pre-booked and casual meals.
AFS general manager James Lindsay says a survey of 50 extramurals who stayed at Massey over Easter showed they were happy with the catering service. However, changes will be made.

The upstairs cafe in the Student Union Building, Cafe Tra Baci, will open until 9.30pm seven-days-a-week during future campus courses.

Tra Baci will cater to casual diners. The downstairs cafe will sell pre-booked dinners.
The price difference between pre-booked and casual meals in April arose, says Mr Lindsay, because on one occasion an unexpected number of casual diners turned up. Portions were reduced to cater for them, and prices were lowered accordingly.

Mr Lindsay says the 'welcome packs' containing tea, coffee, milk, and sugar should have been distributed. That error will not be repeated.

The YFC hostel is now being substantially renovated, and an audit procedure has been set up to ensure the cleanliness of toilet and shower blocks in all hostels.

"Cold showers can be a common problem with the age of the facilities," says Mr Lindsay, although it is unusual for both the hot water tanks in A and B hostels to fail. However, they can be fixed within hours if AFS is notified.

Mr Lindsay strongly urges extramurals who have complaints to take them up with AFS immediately either at the Residential Services Office or at catering.
Another set of complaints, about poor facilities at the Hokowhitu campus in the week before Easter, were largely outside of AFS control, says Mr Lindsay.

Liz Barker says the Hokowhitu problems arose because the College of Education decided to begin its campus courses a week before the other Massey colleges.
Education students arrived in Palmerston North to find there was no EXMSS shuttle bus, no EXMSS Help Desk, and cafes closed.

Liz Barker says the College of Education did not check that EXMSS could provide the services before deciding on the early start for its campus courses. EXMSS can only afford to run the shuttle bus and Help Desk for two weeks each campus course.

She apologised to education students if EXMSS publicity did not make clear that its services would only begin after Easter.