Students in Dundee are said to be skipping lectures for work as they struggle during the cost of living crisis.
Nyasha Mutembwa, president of Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA), says rising costs and bills are the main concern for those studying in the city.
Nyasha – known as Ash – took up her post earlier this year after moving to Dundee to study civil engineering in 2017.
In her first interview with The Courier since being elected, the 23-year-old said: “Like many universities, the cost of living crisis is very much up there as one of the biggest issues facing students at the moment.
“I’ve heard of students deciding to work over going to lectures, which to me is a disadvantage because you’re putting your degree in second place to working.
“We’ve had an increase in the hardship fund which is open to every student, including international students.
“Your degree should be your first priority, so I’m very concerned about how students are trying to make money but still survive and have that student experience.
“They’re just not able to balance it all out.”
Breakfast club to support struggling students
The Courier revealed in October that younger generations are the most worried about the cost of living crisis, with 44.5% of 18 to 34-year-olds saying they are anxious about the future.
In an attempt to help, DUSA has recently introduced a breakfast club each weekday to ensure students receive a free hot or cold meal to start the day.
Ash said: “The breakfast club has been running since November 23 and they’ve been working very well.
“You can see the engagement we’re having with students and we’re really seeing the need for it.
“I feel like the community aspect is something really important as well – to have that warm space in the morning before your classes, free breakfast on hand and socialising with friends.
“I feel like there are a lot of positive things that are coming out of the breakfast club, not just the free breakfast.”
A student larder has also opened on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to provide food and other essentials to students.
It also loans out 150 laptops.
Help is also being put in place at other universities.
Abertay Students’ Association offers food to students through Abertaysty with help from FareShare every week while free portions of soup and rolls are offered to students every Thursday in the library.
St Andrews-based student society CASH has been collecting items over the winter period for a foodbank.
The university has also introduced a scheme to save students and staff money on bus travel through Stagecoach.
We just collected over 1,000 items for our local food bank in just over three hours. THIS is what student activism looks like! Fighting for and supporting our communities every step of the cost-of-living crisis. pic.twitter.com/vddqibqLOf
— C.A.S.H. University of St. Andrews (@CASHStAndrews) October 13, 2022
Ash believes more needs to be done to ensure students feel supported – particularly as some struggle to find suitable accommodation.
She said: “(Dundee housing) has definitely decreased in terms of availability and I feel like it’s a massive problem.
“I was in private halls in first year. Back then you could easily find housing, but you definitely felt it during the pandemic because I moved house in July 2020 and you couldn’t view houses and there were fewer options.
‘We want to raise good people’
“Now, you’ve got students living in hotels and Airbnbs before they actually find accommodation because it’s so scarce.”
As DUSA’s first black female president, Ash says she also hopes to raise awareness of inclusivity as well as ensuring women’s safety while at university.
She said: “We want to have that influence of goodness throughout our communities and to make sure that we’re raising good people.
“Students come here at 18 and leave in their early 20s and we want to make sure that within those four years they develop better skills and are more open-minded and accepting of everyone.
“In this world you need to understand different communities and how to work around different types of people, and that’s what we’re trying to make sure what happens here at Dundee.”
