University of East Anglia is slammed for ‘exploiting’ students forced to self-isolate by charging them £252 for a two-week food package – which includes only ONE hot meal a day
- According to one student on social media, the University of East Anglia is asking students in self-isolation to pay £252 for a two-week catering package
- The deal includes continental breakfast, a packed lunch and hot meal for dinner
- Some have complained that the price is too high, calling it ‘exploitative’
- A UEA spokesperson told MailOnline it would be reducing the charge from £18 a day to £12 a day from October 6th
A British university charging students who are in self-isolation £252 for a two-week catering package has been called ‘exploitative’.
The food deal being offered to undergraduates at the University of East Anglia (UEA) has been criticised over its £18-a-day charge – because it only includes one hot meal daily.
Shared on Twitter by the account ‘@Universityw***ings (forthcoming)’, the catering package, which delivers food directly to the flats of self-isolating students, has been slammed for ‘profiteering’ from those who are unable to go out and shop for themselves while in quarantine.
In 2019, the average individual spend in the UK on food for a whole month was around £166.
A spokesperson for UEA, which is based in Norwich, told MailOnline that it would be reducing the charge to £12-a-day from today.
Scroll down for video
After criticism on social media about the price of a two-week catered package for self-isolating students – which costs £252 – a University of East Anglia spokesperson said it would be reducing the price from £18-a-day to £12-a-day
The price points shared by @UW***kings on Twitter, which have sparked criticism that the £252 cost of a two-week catering package is too much for students to pay
The Twitter user who shared the price points for a two-week catering package wrote: ‘Just in case you wanted to see what HE disaster capitalism looks like: £252 for a fortnight of cereal, a sandwich, one hot meal.
‘Come to campus, pay our mortgage, catch Covid, pay through the nose for food. MH support is gratis. But oversubscribed.’ #AcademicTwitter #COVID19′
The tweet sparked plenty of outrage and some debate over whether the package could be justified when delivery and preparation costs were taken into account.
@thea987 wrote: ‘Gouging possibly ill students for basically an airline meal. Wow.’
@kara999000 added: ‘Two weeks of food should never cost that much even catered.. they could just buy a bunch of groceries for under £50 that will last each students for over two weeks of isolation.’
@GerardThornley wrote: ‘Exploitation of students as a captive market really angers me.
@mynnoj wrote: ‘If you’re going to insist that students are confined to their room and not able to fully use any of the university services then the meals should be free. £18 a day for at most £8 of food is not good value, and delivering it at scale doesn’t justify the markup.’
A UEA spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Students are being given assistance to self-isolate and we will continue to review our support to those students, and that includes the cost of the on-campus food delivery service.
‘From today we have changed the charge to £12 a day for the delivery of three meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner, which equates to £84 a week or £168 for a fortnight.
‘Meals are provided, with free delivery, direct to the student household, rather than the block and the typical menu would include breakfast, lunch and dinner.
‘In addition to the emergency meal delivery package Student Services, working with Norfolk Assistance Scheme, are able to offer students priority supermarket delivery slots which they can select themselves, and this is alongside commercial online food delivery services for self-isolating students and the campus shop which is offering food deliveries free of charge.’
The university said it would be ‘refunding the students who have already paid.’
This week, it was revealed that students in Lincoln can access luxury accommodation for the handsome sum of £1,950 a month.
New multi-million student flats have opened in the Cathedral city that boast a slide, meditation space and a private cinema.
The first students have been welcomed into the accommodation — and some of them are paying almost £2,000 per month for a plush suite in the block.
In addition to the private cinema, there is a wellness zone including a yoga and meditation space and beauty treatment room, dedicated study pods, iMac zones and a communal shared kitchen and lounges, as well as a gym, sauna and steam room.
In addition, students can also pay for extras services including personal training from £120 and professional cleaning from £20.
Source: Read Full Article