Lockout Fees Are Broken.
If you’re unfamiliar, a lockout fee is a payment made to La Trobe Universities’ accommodation provider; UniLodge, by a residential student after being locked outside of a room or building. The fee is $45 and is charged after your first lockout, which is free. These lockout fees are unnecessary and unaffordable for residential students.
Many students living on campus are in a vulnerable position. A large majority of them are either receiving government welfare payments, working part-time, or working casual, insecure jobs. Lots of these students are from the regions or interstate and most residential students are living away from home for the very first time. These students are supporting themselves and are experiencing the struggle that is keeping up with the cost of living. For a lockout fee to be $45 in proportion to the average students’ income is absurd. That’s $45 that could have gone to purchasing groceries, textbooks, other material needed to study, and to generally supporting themselves through university. Instead, it goes towards opening a door. The current system is broken.
Other Universities’ lockout fees aren’t like this. I’ve heard that the Australian National University’s system is free re-entry to the room and then $20 fee for a new key. Monash University has free use of a spare key for 24 hours and then a key card replacement is $15. In this respect, La Trobe University is falling behind.
Someone who has locked their card in their room only needs a spare key card to access the original card. The only real cost associated with lockouts is the replacement of a key card, and there’s no reason why this replacement system shouldn’t be similar to, or even better than other universities. La Trobe should ensure residential students are the best off they can be.
This is why our position is clear: La Trobe University and UniLodge must ensure the protection of students’ welfare and the promotion of academic equality through:
· Abolition of the $45 lockout fees for students
· Replacement of the key card shall cost no more than $10
· Lockouts that require a spare key card shall not be charged
· All students charged the $45 will be refunded.
If you support this position, demonstrate it by signing the petition: https://www.megaphone.org.au/p/abolishlockoutfees