By Naomi Kreitman
Staff Writer
The current relationship between UCR students and Woongoed Middelburg, its only housing company, is not ideal. A poll of 147 students, approximately a quarter of the student population, has shown that 39% are dissatisfied with Woongoed’s services, and 13% are very dissatisfied. In an interview, HAC Chair Maria Verwoerd and UCR Managing Director, Jorrit Snijder both acknowledged this dissatisfaction. Edith Vervuren, a Woongoed Neighborhood Team Manager, also recognized this and went further in saying “there is a bad relationship” between Woongoed and the student population.
Clearly the expectations many students have from Woongoed are not being met. This was articulated by Leonie Horne, a UCR second year student, who said she is “yet to experience anything positive with Woongoed, be it rent (too high), communication (still all in Dutch!) or locations (not enough rooms for students, still students in “discontinued” campus locations).”
Ms. Vervuren states, “I don’t think we can live up to the expectations of a real campus.” She argues that the expectations UCR students have are too high, and that when compared to student housing throughout Holland the service Woongoed provides “isn’t too bad.”
Supporting this, Guido Maschhaupt, now in his seventh semester at UCR, pointed out “when I hear stories from other student cities, we are lucky.” Ms. Vervuren explained that since only approximately 600 of Woongoed’s 6,000 rental units are specifically for students, it is difficult for one company to provide a service perfectly tailored towards the student population’s needs, which are very different to those of an average tenant. The student population changes very fast, and living conditions are sometimes problematic with so many people sharing facilities. This creates issues that are specific to the student body.
Ms. Verwoerd agrees that the students expect a lot from Woongoed, but claims this is justified, because they pay for it; “it is not too much that we’re asking, absolutely not, especially with the HAC – students are involved and we help them a lot.” Indeed, the HAC has a plethora of duties, including acting as a go-between for the students, UCR, Woongoed and the Municipality, as well as legally representing the students’ rights. Mr. Snijder was keen to acknowledge that the HAC has “one of the toughest positions in student representation”, and that “they are doing a fine job.”
Ms. Vervuren cites another reason as to why dissatisfaction exists by saying, “I believe that the obligation of having to accept a room that has been offered to you […] is a difficult thing.” Since 2004, all students of UCR have been required to live in one of the Woongoed campus locations.
There is some discrepancy as to whether this obligation is still generally beneficial. Ms. Horne believes that much of the dissatisfaction “would be avoided if we could just find rooms for ourselves.” Mr. Maschhaupt also agrees that the commitment is problematic, explaining that “there will never be any competition for rooms to be filled up, meaning a company can be as negligent as they want.”
In comparison, Luuk Van Kessel, another seventh semester student at UCR, is of the viewpoint that “the obligation is an imperfect but necessary one.” He feels that “living on campus instead of just in the city is of major importance and a key feature of UCR, and the only party in Middelburg that can make campuses happen is Woongoed.” Similarly, Mr. Snijder justifies the obligation by explaining that it is a “crucial part of inner city campus philosophy.” He explains that UCR is a residential college, and students’ living in large-scale social accommodation is an integral part of the University’s ethos. Furthermore, UCR committing its students to rent from Woongoed exclusively is a safeguard in place to make Woongoed’s enormous investments in student accommodation worthwhile.
In keeping with UCR’s city campus ethos, a new campus location is in the works to remedy the situation of students living in remote housing locations such as Zusterstraat and Nieuwe Haven. It is expected that this location would house at least 120 students, though there is very little information parties are willing to disclose. Ms. Verwoerd explained that options are being investigated to establish the fourth location either with another housing company, or to “transfer the student housing project to another company,” so that “there won’t be a monopoly anymore.”
Mr. Maschhaupt, however, believes that this would not change the situation for Woongoed residents, because “If suddenly 100 rooms will be supplied by another company, it will not give Woongoed any incentive to improve.”
Originally, when it was founded, UCR planned to have four large-scale accommodation sites, but due to financial and technical difficulties, only three materialized (Bagijnhof, Koestraat and Roggeveen.) When in 2008 more students were accepted than UCR had initially planned for, Driewegenhof and other small, individual housing options had to be used, which to Mr. Snijder were “not successful,” “regrettable,” and which “UCR and HAC want to change.”
Financial difficulty is another issue in UCR, HAC and Woongoed’s multifaceted relationship. When asked whether Woongoed’s relationship with UCR was economically beneficial, Ms. Vervuren replied, “It’s not. It’s a loss. We don’t make any profit. We lose.” In any case, Woongoed is a ‘Stichting,’ which means they are legally required to reinvest any profit gained from its campus locations back into housing. This situation is not unique, and applies to most student housing in The Netherlands.
As can be seen in their Annual Control Budget, published publically on the Internet, Woongoed is in economic difficulty. Mr. Snijder recognizes that they have “a lot of problems financially,” and explains this will only get worse, due to new taxes from the ministry for housing agencies, which will “hit them hard.” This explains Woongoed’s recent attempts to restructure, and cut back on services, such as household appliances and the caretaker. However, Mr. Snijder insists Woongoed’s financial troubles should not be a cause for concern, as they are relatively stable compared to other housing companies, all of which are affected by new taxation policies.
There is a consensus from the student population, the HAC, Woongoed and UCR that the current housing situation is not satisfactory. Improving the current state of affairs will not be easy, but Mr. Snijder acknowledges that UCR “should improve the quality of student housing.” This is a goal all parties share, and one they are all showing active commitment to achieve.
Naomi Kreitman, class of 2016, is a Law and Philosophy major from London, England, United Kingdom.
Correction: An October 10, 2013, print version of this article misspelled the name of Guido Maschhaupt.
