For a range of reasons, when students apply to university, they will have a preference for certain types of accommodation. Whether it’s the obvious option between which type of bathroom you want, or the choice between a view of Morecambe Bay and the wall of the building opposite, you would’ve made that choice knowing that for the next year, that will be your home.
And while it’s an easier option for some to pick based off of a list of choices, for some there are more reasons as to why they require certain accommodations. Whether it be due to access, religion, or even past experiences, there is so much more that we could do for students.
For this reason, I am proud to announce that the university has committed to trialling alcohol-free accommodation for the next academic year.
This means that whether you have religious reasons for not wanting to be around alcohol, you’re in need of recovery support, or even, you find drinking too expensive amidst the cost of living crisis, next year you will have another option to choose from!
Alcohol-free accommodation has been tested across the country, at Bath, Liverpool, Manchester, and St Andrews, to name a few, that support a wide array of students. By implementing it here at Lancaster, we would be able to further support the rising group of students that choose not to drink when they come to university.
According to the NUS, 55% of international (non-EU) students would be ‘likely to choose alcohol free’ accommodation, as would 60% of mature students (aged 23-29). Additional to this, with the rise of non-drinking students, of which is now over a quarter, it is necessary for you to feel included in a house that you don’t have to drink in.
For now, the University will be trialling it for incoming students for this next academic year to gauge what the interest might be, in the hopes that this is only the start of more choices in accommodation to come!
