RECTOR ELECT Peter McColl has made improving student accommodation at the University of Edinburgh the first campaign of his term in office.

McColl said, “I have spoken to many students who see this as a huge issue. I want to make this my top priority as the new Rector.”

His primary goal is to ensure that students are put ahead of external customers in student accommodation.

It was reported in The Student in September 2011 that almost 100 first year students were told that the university could only accommodate them at halls of residence at Queen Margaret University, 40 minutes from the university’s main campuses.

This happened in the same year that Masson House was closed to students and became a hotel. McColl suggested that had Masson House been open to students, no first year students would have been forced to live outside of Edinburgh.

His second demand of the university is to ensure that all university owned student accommodation has adequate recycling facilities and bicycle racks.

The final demand is that students are not placed in accommodation that costs more than the three that they apply for.

James McAsh, a University of Edinburgh Student who supported McColl’s rectorial nomination, said, “When I was in first year some of my classmates were put in a youth hostel by

Accommodation Services. Now students have been pushed out to live four and a half miles away in Musselburgh.

Camilla Born, a student involved in designing McColl’s strategy said, “The accommodation strategy will provide access for every student to the tools that help us live in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way.

“Many of our day-to-day habits are set when we began living away from home and we hope that these measures will help foster a sense of stewardship, not only within halls but throughout the university experience.”

The university has already committed to avoiding a repeat of the accommodation debacle this year, as senior staff will be closely monitoring student intake next year.