Student Accommodation Survey 2017-18...Residential and Business Services Wednesday, 20 December 2017...

Residential and Business Services Wednesday, 20 December 2017

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Student Accommodation Survey 2017-18

Agnes Blackadder Hall

Introduction:

This report is based on the responses collected from the November 2017 Student Accommodation Survey. In analysing the results, the ‘not applicable’ responses were removed to provide an accurate breakdown of responses. To ensure easy analysis of information in the bar and pie charts, the very satisfied and satisfied responses have been combined to represent overall satisfaction. Likewise, the dissatisfied and strongly dissatisfied responses have been combined to represent overall dissatisfaction. The individual breakdown of responses has been preserved in the separate survey reports. Average results have been calculated for each category and are presented alongside the individual responses to the category questions for ease of reference. Where applicable all averages are worked out by averaging all survey responses and not by averaging the hall or survey section percentages. The survey results showed a notable difference in International student satisfaction compared to Home/EU student satisfaction, therefore the overall satisfaction and catering satisfaction categories are broken down further and also presented by Home/EU and International satisfaction.

Demographic Breakdown:

Total Respondents: 1522

Male: 513 (33%) Female: 898 (67%)

Average Age: 19.9

Undergraduate: 1264 (83%) Postgraduate: 258 (17%)

Home/EU: 957 (63%) International: 565 (37%)

Self-Catered: 615 (40%) Catered: 907 (60%)

Year of Study: 1st: 893 (59%) 2nd: 216 (14%) 3rd: 166 (11%) 4th: 113 (7%) Postgraduate: 134 (9%)


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Number of students per residence who completed the survey

RESIDENCE No. Completed Survey Percentage Per Residence

Agnes Blackadder Hall 234 15%

Albany Park 134 9%

Angus House 7 0%

David Russell Apartments 404 27%

Deanscourt 46 3%

Fife Park 180 12%

Gannochy House 46 3%

John Burnet Hall 64 4%

McIntosh Hall 96 6%

St Regulus Hall 79 5%

St Salvator's Hall 91 6%

Stanley Smith House 3 0%

University Hall 138 9%

TOTALS 1522 100%

ABH - year on year overall survey service satisfaction?


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How satisfied are you with our service overall?

EU/Home Student Overall Satisfaction:

International Student Overall Satisfaction:


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Housekeeping overall averages (catered):

Housekeeping overall averages (self catered):


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Overall Home/EU student catering services satisfaction:

Overall International student catering services satisfaction:


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Survey results:

Overall Satisfaction Question

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE

Very Satisfied 54 25% 31%

Satisfied 141 64% 62%

Dissatisfied 19 9% 6%

Strongly

Dissatisfied5 2% 1%

219

Disability

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE


Satisfied 3 27% 37%


Strongly

Dissatisfied0 0% 6%

11

Cleaning and Housekeeping

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE

Very Satisfied 80 35% 46% Very Satisfied 126 55% 57%

Satisfied 121 53% 43% Satisfied 90 39% 38%

Dissatisfied 22 10% 7% Dissatisfied 9 4% 4%

Strongly

Dissatisfied4 2% 3%

Strongly

Dissatisfied5 2% 2%

227 230

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied7 3% 5%

221

The quantity of cleaning you receive:

How satisfied are you with our services overall?

If you declared a disability on your accommodation

application form, how satisfied were you that your

needs were met?

The quality of our cleaning/housekeeping service: The friendliness and approachability of the staff:


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Portering Service

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied0 0% 0%

Strongly

Dissatisfied2 1% 1%

227 229

Reception

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied1 0% 2%

Strongly

Dissatisfied3 1% 2%

232 222

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied4 2% 3%

Strongly

Dissatisfied2 1% 3%

233 232

The friendliness and approachability of the staff:

The quality of our portering service: The friendliness and approachability of the staff:

The quality of our Reception services:The overall responses to questions and queries you ask

them:

The availability of these staff:


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Residential Services Management Team

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied4 2% 2%

Strongly

Dissatisfied3 2% 2%

201 187

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied4 2% 2%

Strongly

Dissatisfied1 1% 1%

195 199

Catering Staff

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied3 2% 2%

Strongly

Dissatisfied1 1% 1%

134 134

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied2 2% 1%

130

the quality of the service provided by the catering staff the friendliness and approachability of the staff

the overall responses to questions & queries you ask

them

The quality of the service provided by Residential

Services Management Team:

The overall responses to questions and queries you ask

them:

The availability of these staff: The friendliness and approachability of the staff:


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Catering Services

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied11 8% 5%

Strongly

Dissatisfied2 2% 2%

134 113

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied9 7% 5%

Strongly

Dissatisfied6 5% 4%

133 126

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied9 7% 6%

Strongly

Dissatisfied5 5% 4%

134 106

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly


Strongly

Dissatisfied7 5% 4%

134 134

The serving times for meals in residences: the overall catering experience of dinner:

The quality of the food provided in your residence:the information provided on our Knowledge

Information Boards:

The taste of the food: the overall catering experience of breakfast:

The range and choice you have at different meals: the overall catering experience of lunch:


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RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied5 4% 4%

Strongly

Dissatisfied9 7% 5%

127 132

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied7 6% 4%

117

Student Accommodation Services

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied3 1% 1%

Strongly

Dissatisfied4 2% 1%

210 201

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied6 3% 2%

Strongly

Dissatisfied0 0% 1%

225 204

The information provided about our menus:How satisfied are you that our catering service offers

good value for money?

The actions we take arising from the 'You said, we did'

feedback:

The quality of the services provided by Student

Accommodation Services:

The overall responses to questions and queries you ask

them:

The application process: The friendliness and approachability of the staff:


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RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied2 1% 1%

200

Wardens

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied0 0% 1%

Strongly

Dissatisfied8 4% 3%

215 209

RESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE RESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied2 1% 1%

Strongly

Dissatisfied2 1% 2%

213 166

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE



Dissatisfied 6 3% 3% Dissatisfied 7 4% 3%Strongly

Dissatisfied 1 0% 1%Strongly


213 184

The quality of our Wardennial Services: Hall/residence discipline:

The response time for questions and queries:

The availability of the Wardennial staff: Pastoral/welfare support and advice:

The friendliness and approachability of Wardennial staff:The overall response to questions and queries you ask

Wardennial staff:


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RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied4 2% 2%

222

Student Committee

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied3 2% 2%

Strongly

Dissatisfied6 3% 2%

197 200

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied5 3% 2%

Strongly


197 185

The hall/residential community:

The accessibility of the Committee: The events they organise:

The interaction with the Committee: How your subscription is spent by the Committee:


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Facilities

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied3 2% 2%

Strongly

Dissatisfied6 3% 2%

141 219

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly


Strongly


224 225

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly

Dissatisfied3 2% 2%

Strongly


167 112

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly


Strongly

Dissatisfied9 4% 3%

220 204

Study bedrooms:Common rooms (e.g. libraries in residences, study

areas or computer rooms):

Bathrooms/shower rooms: Kitchens or pantries:

Atmosphere and surroundings in the dining room: Cycle Storage:

Laundry room and equipment: Recycling facilities in residential areas:


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Heating

The heating times in your residence:

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGERESPONSES %

SURVEY

AVERAGE




Strongly


Strongly


225 224

Communication

RESPONSES %SURVEY

AVERAGE

Email 206 67% 67%

Text 25 8% 6%

Wed Memos 21 7% 9%

Social Media 54 18% 17%

Other 5 2% 1%

311

The current heating levels in your residence:

Preferred method of communication:


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What do Residential and Business Services do best?

"A good and friendly atmosphere to be around"

"Accept kind people. I like my friends. "

"All staff members are very approachable and friendly and create a welcoming atmosphere within halls."

"Answer any student queries and helping out with any issues”

"Answer questions”

"Be approachable”

"Be very kind"

"Being approachable and friendly and always willing to help"

"Being friendly”

"Catering, being friendly and approachable"

"Cleaning"

"Cleaning and catering"

"Communication, I have found that I can always have my questions and any other I formation delivered very rapidly."

"Community atmosphere"

"Create a friendly and comfortable atmosphere”

"Create a friendly atmosphere and offer useful help and support"

"Creating a great atmosphere”

"Financial Advice"

"Friendliness and approachability"

"Friendly"

"Friendly and approachable"

"Friendly and responsive to inquiries and/or issues with my room and surrounding common areas"

"Friendly and usually always available”

"Friendly environment at breakfast"

"Friendly faces"

"Friendly faces and student services and wardens are good."

"Friendly staff with quick answers to questions"

"Friendly!"

"Good at answering questions and queries in a reasonable amount of time"

"Good email communication - response times and reminders."

"Good food"

"Having very friendly staff"

"Help when needed"

"Helpfulness"

"Keep us in safety at all times"

"Kind staff"

"Make everyone feel welcome and act on any problems quickly"

"Meals”

"Polite communication”

"Porters and the team in the reception are friendly and helpful. Socials during the evening are also a very helpful way of meeting new people."

"Provide a supportive and relaxing environment for me to focus on studying whilst I know everything else is being taken care of in regards to accommodation, food, utilities etc."

"Provide Halls that are comfortable, safe and friendly places to live. They always take on board my suggestions."

"Putting people on corridors/flats who are similar to each other"

"Really good atmosphere and easy to approach"


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"Reception services"

"Respond quickly to enquiries"

"Rooms are ok"

"Smile"

"Sort out any problem I have efficiently and quickly"

"Sorting out events in hall"

"The RBS staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and I'm impressed with the level of service they provide. The dorms are absolutely wonderful to live in!"

"Their approachability is comforting and it is nice to know people are genuinely interested in helping."

"Their general approachability and friendliness has make the transition to university so much easier."

"They answer questions quickly."

"They are always friendly and willing to listen and try their best with whatever you bring to them"

"They are generally helpful across all areas, and are always approachable."

"They are very approachable and warm."

"They are very helpful and approachable”

"They are very, very kind"

"They care about what we think and the staff is always willing to help us."

"They have clear open hours and are always around."

"They present themselves in an open and friendly manner."

"They provide an atmosphere which is inclusive and make us students feel at home"

"They're very friendly"

"Very friendly and approachable"

"Very friendly and helpful catering and reception staff always willing to help."

"Very high accessibility of the staff who is very friendly and provide help quickly"

"Wide range of accommodation"

What could Residential and Business Services do better?

"Accommodation is far too expensive. Albany is the only affordable option and that is being knocked down. St Andrews is becoming only for the rich. Also, the en suites are horrible."

"Be a bit more considerate. The construction is loud, there have been painters in the corridor at 8 am who talk very loudly and we were not told they were coming, and when we complained about these things we received an unkind email in response. "

"Be friendlier and more approachable"

"Be more flexible about switching between catered and non-catered”

"Be more interactive w info"

"Before building a giant new dorm it would be nice to have warm water in my shower"

"Better Heating”

"Can I have a hot shower and consistent heating please? I literally do not care about anything else, but I'm paying 7k for this and it's taking the piss. At least let me know when there won't be hot water so I’m not sat her like a turkey freezing"

"Change the timings for breakfast to be later, increase portion sizes, make the dorm cleaning checks more reasonable (shouldn't fail for having a tiny bit of dirt between my shower tiles)"

"Deal with situations e.g. kitchen inspections more logically and leniently"

"Edible food. Hot water before breakfast (I like warm showers...) Heating on (its 3 degrees outside), common rooms that don't feel like hospitals."

"Enforce kitchen codes/room checks more"


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"Extend meal times"

"Fix the heating- it is loud and off-putting. Also in my kitchen all 7 of us are self-catered and I’ve been in much nicer kitchens elsewhere in the building with more space and a dishwasher where people in there are catered for. This, to me, doesn’t make any sense. "

"Focus more on ensuring hot water"

"For ABH: Replace shower curtains (the ones provided do not keep water in the shower) and repair/buy new laundry machines"

"For returner applications, we should be able to have a backup option of halls if we apply for university managed accommodation as we have no guarantee that we will be allocated to it, meaning there is a strong possibility you can find yourself without any accommodation"

"Friendlier receptionists who know how to help you"

"Get better heating for both the room and shower. Also, food that is healthy and taste good and not just healthy"

"Give notice when they come into rooms, take residents' privacy into account.”

"Give us the possibility to be in charge of the heaters ourselves, I spend a week being sick and freezing without the possibility to turn it up myself (and it's freezing, in general)."

"Have a healthy meal alternative at lunch!”

"Have better heating for both the water and the room. Also, better options for breakfast."

"Have more available times for parcel collection”

"Heating hours: the heating goes off too early (it would be nice if it was on till at least 12am). The kitchen could be cleaned more regularly. More locker space would be appreciated in kitchens. Would be nice to be able to purchase meals on a daily basis e.g. only pay for one meal a day."

"Heating is terrible, it’s so cold all the time, sometimes it doesn't even come on in the morning. Kitchens in ABH are also very old and uncomfortable to have to use"

"Heating is very temperamental and despite complaining many times it often does not operate at the stated times."

"Heating longer (especially on the fourth floor)"

"Heating times”

"Heating times in October/November should be longer, Kitchen Areas could have a nicer atmosphere"

"Height adjustable study area & more space. Drying room for outdoor gear. Fewer students per kitchen, too busy. More exits at Agnes Blackadder. Cheaper price."

"Hope we can control our heating. I feel like because the heating is controlled and I don't know when they operate, I keep my heater on because I want my room to stay warm and as a result I am wasting a lot of energy."

"I am actually neutral about meal times, not dissatisfied, however sometimes dinner interferes with sports training, which can become slightly difficult to arrange practice times. Also, I feel it would be advantageous if dinner spanned for a longer time (for example from 5:30 - 7:30). Thank you!"

"I really wish the cycle storage in the car park was covered so that my bike doesn't rust when it rains. The closest covered storage areas/sheds are quite a ways away."

"I would really like water in our vending machines.”

"Improve laundry facilities - add more machines and quickly repair out of order. Also notify students of exact timing when staff will enter private rooms for inspections, etc. - I am uneasy with the fact that staff quite frequently enter private rooms, especially when I am not around."

"Improve the range and quality of food as well as the quantity. Some of it is very poor. The cleaning is also poor as are the room checks as many are left with no idea what they've done wrong."

"In the application process, I'd have liked some way to indicate that I have friends who are also applying for accommodation and


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would prefer to share with (or at least be close to) them.”

"Increase heating times, and hot water times"

"Increase the time of hosting, especially in winter"

"Install working showers with better flow"

"It’s really cold in the room, the heater is rarely on and i need to wear layers of clothes even in bed. My feet are always cold as well. Also the shower is weak, it takes minutes to wet my hair. The temperature of water is good though."

"Leave the heating on all day because it’s FREEZING!”

"Longer heating hours"

"Longer heating times, better bike storage outside ABH (i.e. covered racks)"

"Lunch times could be made longer: I have a class at 1pm in town so I can never make it to lunch in ABH and am thus losing four meals a week (and the packed lunch options get tiring after a couple weeks of the same two sandwiches)"

"Maintain discipline"

"Make sure there are adequate facilities for the number of people in self-catered"

"Make their regulations (and restrictions) more open to discussion by students."

"Match people living near each other better"

"Minimize the disturbance to students caused by construction."

"More alcohol-free accommodation. Better tasting, well-cooked, healthy food"

"More availability"

"More consistency in re-allocation of accommodation, and allocation of study bedrooms in ABH at the same price as a normal room?"

"More contact time with staff"

"More time for heating being turned on, newer cooking equipment in ABH kitchens"

"More vegetarian option. The vegetarian options are very repetitive, almost always

contain mushrooms. Also, it would be nice if the salad bar wasn't the same thing every day. But the overall service is great. :-) "

"More washing facilities ad stud facilities"

"My room is freezing. Catering team can't expect vegetarians to eat egg for breakfast/ lunch, often it's the only veg option at lunch. Quorn is cheaper than meat yet we seldom get this and when we do portion size is small. The food doesn't need to be fancy, pasta and sauce more often would be nice. "

"Possibly make it clearer on how to improve on room inspections. The form can often be quite vague"

"Probably provide carpet heating in the new extension of ABH"

"Provide more fresh fruit and wider range of vegetables at meals. The multi-faith prayer room/study room should be two different rooms. Considering ABH is surrounded by building works, something should be given to residents as compensation. "

"Provide more takeaway snacks or another vegetarian option"

"Providing affordable housing"

"Residents should sign in a form evaluating condition of the kitchen in the beginning of the semester."

"Some rooms are freezing cold, perhaps because of old heaters. Improve the heating! My room temperature in the morning is no more than 15 degrees Celsius"

"Sort out small issues within each hall of residence e.g. hot water problems"

"Stricter rules with students doing the cleaning in the kitchens/diners"

"The actual staff are wonderful but I feel they could cater to older students better.”

"The kitchens are pretty depressing to be in so there’s no real communal area unless you want to hang out in someone’s room which is often impractical"

"The North Haugh is a building site, we should get some kind of discount off


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accommodation, as we have building sites to the front, left and behind us."

"They could fix the heating in ABH. Currently it's either freezing or mildly warm."

"They could provide better contact information so it's easier to reach them."

"Turn the heat on at a reasonable hour. When I wake up, its ice cold in my room and the

same when I go to bed. The food is of such poor quality, it's outrageous considering that I'm in the most expensive Hall."

"Would be nice if we were given the option of having our roomed cleaned as I thought we were meant to once a month, later meals times available, as I get very hungry when I have to work a bit later"

Student Accommodation Survey 2017-18...Residential and Business Services Wednesday, 20 December 2017...

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