“Accomodations” in UTP –
Is it worth it ??
by Rubendran Loganathan
UTP, also known as Universiti
Teknologi PETRONAS is ranked in the top 200 in Chemical Engineering under the
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2014 ; Placed between 151 and 200, and
ranked three stars based on eight categories namely research, employability,
teaching, facilities, internationalisation, innovation, specialist criteria and
access ; One of eight Malaysian universities named among the global top 200 in
at least one of the 30 disciplines covered in the QS World University Rankings
by Subject 2014. It’s surely a marvel when you look upon it. Well, indeed it
is, but how can a University be so good, and yet so flawless. What could
actually go wrong ? As the popular saying goes, “Not all that glitters is gold”,
there must be something which the University students do not enjoy or
appreciate. Recent studies among UTP Students shows that “Accomodations” is the
most overlooked aspect in this university.
Well then, what
defines a good accommodation service for a University Student ? If you are
thinking of single rooms with bathrooms attached, air-conditioned hostel rooms
and excellent Internet connection in your room, that would absolutely be the
ideal room for us university students to stay in. Sadly, some of these
facilities are not up to par in the “Accomodation” service in UTP. The two main
aspects that most UTP students want is proper functioning facilities and good
Internet service.
Let’s explore the
charges per-week for a standard UTP room. Since 2011, students staying in UTP are
charged RM 40 per week for 16 weeks with an addition of RM 20 for the charges
for the utilities inside per house such as fridge and pantry services. That
means, a student would pay at an average, at most RM 700 per semester. Not bad
considering the fact that other Universities charges it’s students at an
average RM 900 per month. But not to forget the fact that those other
Universities provides all the other facilities and furnishings inclusive of the
RM 900 charge which UTP does not provide, including Microwave Oven, TV, Air
Conditioning System, Dining Tables, CCTV Services, Water Heater, good Internet service
and ample of parking spaces. From a neutral point of view, it is fair enough
that we, UTP students are charged RM 700 per semester for a bed, wardrobe
cupboard, Internet service, a pantry, a fridge and a bathroom for the whole
house. Most UTP students actually do not mind the below par conditions of the
facilities as they feel that it is okay to stay in such conditions (as we get
used to living conditions in UTP as we progress in our years of study in UTP).
Most of them are more concerned about the Internet service which has been a
major issue for UTP students staying in campus.
The Internet has
had an enormous impact on education making it easier for students from a
variety of backgrounds to attend classes remotely, cutting down the need for
travel and reducing the resources required for education. The Internet has also
made access to information and communication far easier. Rather than searching
the library, users can access vast amounts of information from home computers.
But the same can’t be said about UTP’s Internet Service in recent times. Compared
to other Universities which uses either a fast Wi-fi connection, or the usage
of a fibre optic Internet cable, UTP Students are confined to use the old and
traditional Lan-Cable. Sure, we UTP students enjoy our Lan-Cable connections
for games like DoTA, World of Warcraft, Ragnarok and Counter Strike, but what
about the Internet speed ? As most UTP students would have experienced it, we
could barely download lecture notes from our own University’s E-Learning site.
Even a small file sized 2 MB takes hours to download. With download speeds as
fast as 1KB/s, many students express their displeasure about it on the SRC-UTP Facebook
page. Some students have also experienced no Internet access at all in their
rooms, causing major outburst about their dissatisfaction in social sites, such
as Twitter and so on. Recently, even the loading of a 360p Youtube Video is
faster than the loading of a Facebook page or the University’s E-Learning site.
According to a statement released by the
Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar UTP (MPPUTP) back in 2011 ;
Official
Internet provider, JARING is now encountering a problem with one of two control
systems thus causes the Internet to slow down. At this moment, they are fixing
the problem and it may take couple of days to solve.
Currently,
UTP students are sharing the bandwidth of Internet connection approximately 100
Mb/s on average. With this rate, student actually shouldn’t have any problem.
The trouble might come from the students themselves. Actually the ITMS had
already implemented a proxy to counter the users with high usage. Students are
required to use this proxy to access the Internet by following the steps
mentioned.
UTP also once implemented the Quota system of
2GB/Daily Basis. The quota system was implemented by the ITMS due to extreme
rate of downloading per usage compared to the amount of the data provided. This
system is done in order to give equality to all students in terms of sharing
the Internet since our Internet is a sharing basis and have to be used equally
among all 6000++ students in the campus with just only 200 Mb per seconds. Yet,
after all the commotion, we UTP Students still get slow Internet service. Perhaps,
maybe the only way we UTP Students can gain access to fast Internet is if we
use the Internet after 3.00 am (where the Internet speed will skyrocket with
download speeds up to 1MB/s).
Well, there are times we struggled with the
Internet speeds, the washing machines, and not to forget the cleanliness of the
pantries and the bathroom. But wait ! Speaking about cleanliness, we UTP
Students must not forget that we also should have our own initiative to keep
the toilets clean. Most people who use the bathroom do not properly flush or
clean up after they finished their “business”. We should ask ourselves “Would
we want to use the same bathroom if another person doesn’t flush the toilet or
clean up the bathroom ?” So guys, come on. After you have done your “International
Business”, please flush up. Oh yeah, there are also students who uses cotton
buds in order to “hack” the washing machines, which is a foolish thing to do,
because they are actually spoiling the washing machines which will lead to
other students not being able to access them.
Laundry areas being used as a dumping grounds, stacking of plates at the sink,
and many more actions in which we ourselves should take responsibility and not
rely on the “mak cik” cleaners to do. By taking some responsibility in taking
care of the cleanliness of the bathrooms and pantries, we are also indirectly
making the “mak cik’s” work a bit lighter.
All in all, it is a fact that UTP indeed
offers one of the cheapest rates for accommodation and the services offered to
cover most of our daily needs. To be able to pay RM 700 per semester for
accommodation services is actually considered to be a good bargain. Kudos UTP !!
