Today I received an email from the office of the principal, asking me to apply for accommodation at the new hall of residence by the company “138 Student Living”. The new hall, currently under construction, is conveniently located just across from the students union and will be specially targeting “graduate students, medical Interns, Residents and Norman Manley Law School students.” You may take a tour of the facilities here:
After checking out the new accommodation, I figured it would be nice to live there for a while. I sent an email to the company inquiring the cost per month of this new ‘paradise’ and I promptly received a response. The figure they sent me didn’t have a lot of zeros, it had just 3 significant figures. The only problem I had with the figure presented was that the currency was not Jamaican. They don’t have faith in the strength of our Jamaican dollar to quote in such a currency as ours. Of course, the figure was US dollars. The cost per month will be 395 USD. That is currently equivalent to a butt whopping 45784.45 JMD. With that said:
Kidney For Sale!!!
Excellent condition, pees regularly indicating proper filtration. 70 years warranty! No refund no exchange!
The University of the West Indies has always had a problem accommodating the thousands of students applying to live on halls. Most of the campus community are commuters so increased on-campus accommodation is always welcomed. Finding residence within close proximity to the campus can be challenging. I often see students walking around communities such as Mona, asking for a place to rent. Does this new hall solve the problem? I don’t think it is of significant aid as many students cannot afford such a high rent. The post-graduate students who can afford it, are not willing to spend all their stipend on rent alone. At the end of the email was the statement “Your University, providing first world living for first class students. We look forward to hearing from you.” Replacing “first class” with “upper class” would provide a more accurate summary.
The traditional halls such as Irvine Hall are the most affordable but the University is already making plans to demolish Irving Hall to construct a larger place of residence. But what will be the cost? Are there any plans to make more affordable accommodations?
In accessing tertiary education, tuition fee is only a half of the problem, accommodation is a significant factor. It is becoming more difficult for the poorer class to gain tertiary education.
If you see me living there next year, you may rest assured that my kidney was sold.
– Aldeam Facey 2015
Life of a Jamaican 
18 responses to “UWI’s New Hall Is Not For The Lower Class”
Wow , and the fact that it’s not in Jamaican currency is rather depressing ….. everyday politicians say they want more individuals attending tertiary institutions but the school fees are too high and the cost of living too expensive . I wonder how I will manage and I can’t even find a guarantor.
What is your major?
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I majored in Biochemistry and zoology… Now doing a PhD in Biochemistry… U?
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Undergraduate, starting September , I got accepted in the Faculty of Science but don’t know what to major in as yet. Good luck with your PhD.
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Ohh that was my faculty in undergrad. Let me know if u need help with anything… Past papers… Lab reports etc… Thanks and all the best to u
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I’d just like to point out that a secondhand kidney probably still won’t be able to cover that cost of rent.
That being said, I think UWI is setting their sights higher than the average Jamaican. Namely, to the average international student. Or to the average student who’s government is willing to pay for the full cost of university life.
This may even be a deliberate attempt to keep out the hoi polloi and keep tertiary education in the realm of that dwindling 10%.
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True!
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try the lotto aldeam
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[…] reinforces my distrust is the price tag attached to these new halls. According to Aldeam Facey from Life as a Jamaican, the cost of rent per month is touted as $395 U.S. dollars (~$46,000 JMD). Not even our tuition is […]
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Where was this reference made? Any links?
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Awesome got it
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Reblogged this on .
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[…] candidate, Aldeam Facey concludes UWI’s new hall is not for the lower class. The indicator of this is the “whopping” […]
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Aldeam I would appreciate it if I could get in touch because I’ll be starting in September, so any help you could offer I would really appreciate it. And I got accepted in the faculty of science and technology.
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Always willing to help, hit me up in the contact section so I may have ur contact details
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I was shocked when I saw the price to live on this new hall…as the principal said it would have been affordable. smh
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that a lot of money…… nice post tho
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Not sure what planet you people are living on…but USD$395 for a furnished room, water, light, cable and internet as well as 24 hour security is a steal. Time to get with the real world.
Students who cant afford should be given financial assistance. But we all have to realize that there are no free lunches in life. When you hear people say…free education, free medical..know that its not true. Not in 2017.
They should restrict outsiders to certain buildings or floors as they could end up with persons who could be trouble !
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Not sure what plant you people are living on…but USD$395 for a furnished room, water, light, cable and internet as well as 24 hour security is a steal. Time to get with the real world.
Students who cant afford should be given financial assistance. But we all have to realize that there are no free lunches in life. When you hear people say…free education, free medical..know that its not true. Not in 2017.
They should restrict outsiders to certain buildings or floors as they could end up with persons who could be trouble !
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