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Referenda Case

All Student Vote (Summer 2023)

Warwick SU to lobby the University to remove parking charges and provide financial support for parking for MBChB students

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Warwick SU to lobby the University to remove parking charges and provide financial support for parking for MBChB students.

The union notes..

 

  1. That the MBChB medical students start their full-time placement in year 2 and continue to do so until they finish their course (4 years in total). This placement consists of an average of 37.5hrs of clinical attachments in the local Trusts  (Monday to Friday, 7.5hrs/day and could include weekend and night shifts) and one full day of 'academic day' on the university campus every fortnight. Failing to have an attendance of >80% of placement/academic days could result in being withdrawn from the course.
  2. That the medical students at Warwick, being a postgraduate course, are only allowed to borrow a maximum amount of £6,458 annually. This is a combination of Student Finance Loan (maximum £1975) and NHS Bursary (maximum £2,643 means tested, £1000 non means tested, plus £84 for 10 extra weeks) and is based on a 40-week term. The MBChB course at University of Warwick runs for 45 weeks in Year 2 and 47 weeks in Year 3. 
  3. Placement parking fees at the local hospitals are reimbursed by the NHSBA. However, parking fees on campus during academic days are not covered and need to be paid by students.

 

The union believes

 

  1. That medical students who do not have sufficient financial capacity are forced to work at weekends, in addition to their full-time-placement , to be able to pay for necessary expenses such as rent and parking.
  2. That attending the fortnightly academic day lectures on campus has been a massive barrier to medical students as some students would rather save money by not going to campus rather than attending lectures and paying for university parking fees.
  3. That working on our days off, in addition to the intensive hours of placement, affects the mental health and energy of MBChB students with some being forced to withdraw or defer from the course.

 

The union resolves

  1. To lobby the University provide more financial support to MBChB students, who have less support from SFE and NHS Bursary, to reduce the barrier for students to access their learning especially as part of their training.
  2. To lobby the University to provide free parking to medical students in years 2-4 when attending their academic days on campus every fortnight.