Students are worried about the renovation of the University of Warsaw. “We can't study homeless people”

Students of the University of Warsaw are worried that they will have nowhere to live during the planned renovation of the Student House at ul. Kickiego. The university assures that it has free places in other dorms.

The University of Warsaw plans to start renovating the building at ul. Kickiego 9. This is one of the two facilities included in Student House No. 3 in Warsaw's Grochów (they are commonly talked about “on Kicu”). This complex has so far offered places for 656 people. However, students are afraid of where they can live during renovation works.

According to the information on the University of Warsaw website, in the dorms on ul. Kickiego 343 people received permission to extend the accommodation for the holiday period, while 65 people were refused. “All of them did not meet the conditions of accommodation – among others, they did not have the status of the student, they were not related to the University of Warsaw or – in accordance with the DS regulations – they could not get a holiday stay due to arrears in fees or violations of the principles in force in dormitory,” reads the university's website.

Representatives of the Trade Union, however, the Employee Initiative claim that the data provided by the university is incomplete. They refer to information from the Council of DS3 residents, according to which 458 applications for holiday accommodation were submitted to Kickiego. According to trade unionists, this means that there may be as many as 110 people who will not get permission to stay in the dormitory. According to trade unionists in previous years, the number of people who violated the regulations was much smaller. “We can't study homeless” – students alert.

“So that the renovation does not reduce the availability of places, the University is currently finalizing agreements with public partners that will allow to maintain the current number of places in dorms – while maintaining the standard and price. Thanks to this, the studying people will not feel the negative effects of temporary exclusion of the building from use, and after completing the work they will be able to use more modern housing conditions,” assures the University of Warsaw.

However, trade unionists are concerned that the university has not yet revealed who these public partners are.

The University of Warsaw emphasized that it has free places in other student homes. “Anyone who needs accommodation during the holiday season can report to the Material Assistance Bureau,” reads the university's statement. “The quality of accommodation is as important as the number of places. We want members of our community to live in conditions corresponding to contemporary standards. That is why we invest in the modernization of infrastructure – with continuity of support” – informs the university.

The university emphasizes that the renovation has been planned for a long time. Originally, he was to start in the summer of 2024, but the university authorities – for students in mind – decided to move the deadline for a year. (PAP)

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