"Accommodations" In UTP By Rubendran Loganathan

“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 !!