Calendar: 1969-1970 Page 398

xxxvi Annual Report of the Delegacy The difficulties created by the Government's ill-advised decision to raise fees for overseas students to much higher figure than for United Kingdom students are still with us They have caused serious hardship for many students particularly from the Commonwealth and from the United States whose coming to Britain has brought real accession of strength to our universities and have introduced into the republic of learning an element of discrimination which is utterly alien to our tradition moreover the trifling material gain is far outweighed by the loss in confidence and goodwill It is most regrettable that the Gov- ernment decided upon this increase without consulting the universities and in disregard of the opinion of the The problem of housing the students of the London colleges is always acute It has in particular long been matter of regret at King's that while great deal has been done to provide accommodation for men nothing has been done for the women Recently however the 'anonymous donor' whose munificence has already given us hall for men at Denmark Hill to house 250 students announced further gift of over £300 000 to enable 200 additional men to be accommodated in an extension to the new hall The Delegacy accepted this splendid gift with the greatest pleasure and asked the donor whether he would agree that the 135 men now in Halliday Hall could be transferred to the new extension at Denmark Hill thereby releasing Halliday Hall for use by women students Happily the donor replied that it was not for him to prescribe what the College did with its own hall of residence and he was quite content that they should do as was suggested especially as sixty-five new places for men were being created in any case This means that not only will 100 men be accommodated at Vincent Square and 450 at Denmark Hill but at long last the College will be able to offer its own residential accommodation in the near future to 135 women students Lack of hall of residence for women students has been very serious handicap in the recruitment of women to King's so long as other London colleges could offer residence and we could not The problem of making the fullest possible use of the university's resources in man-power accommodation and equipment has always been kept in mind but in the last two years when finance has been so restricted and desirable developments have increased both in number and in urgency the problem has become more insistent The has urged upon the Senate and Court the need for greater rationalisa- tion and collaboration and under the general guidance of joint committee of the Academic and Collegiate Councils various inquiries