This week’s blogpost is a guest post written by the University of Exeter’s Community Liaison Officer, Rory Cunningham.
“As students prepare to move from University-managed accommodation, we are keen to let them know that the Student Community Wardens will be available from September onwards to provide support and guidance.
Moving into a new house or apartment can be a challenging time – getting used to sharing your space, paying bills and even knowing when to take the rubbish out can be a bit overwhelming!
There are 10 Student Community Wardens in total and they work in two teams of five, conducting walkabouts around the city. They wear green polo neck tops and green jackets with ‘Student Warden’ printed on each – so feel free to approach them if you have any queries about where you live. If we cannot answer your question directly we will strive to find someone who can.
As well as providing general support and guidance the Student Wardens can help in very practical ways too – they can help you to order new/missing refuse bins, security-mark household valuables and even arrange to collect household glass at the end of each term if you don’t have access to a vehicle. The Wardens will introduce themselves to as many students as possible living in private accommodation when they deliver the MyExeter Community Guide.
This booklet contains a range of tips, advice and contact numbers that will be of particular use to any students sharing private accommodation for the first time.
As most students will live in mixed residential areas (with many permanent locals in the vicinity) the most common cause of tension is noise. Please be wary of noise, particularly during the week as most permanent locals with work commitments and young families sometimes struggle with regular noise problems. If we could promote one key piece of advice for students living in private accommodation – It would be to: GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS. We have lots of evidence that students who get on first name terms with their neighbours are much more likely to resolve problems earlier.
If you have any queries about life off-campus or the Student Warden roles generally – please contact the generic Warden email address: streetwise@ex.ac.uk
JOBS AVAILABLE: We are currently recruiting next year’s Warden Team and there are some spaces still available for 2015/16. Do you like working as part of a team? Do you want to support students and develop your own community projects? Want to make a difference in your community? If so, then contact streetwise@ex.ac.uk to request an application form.”
Rory Cunningham