A fault in the IT system at The Queen’s College has led to widespread confusion among students over how much they are expected to pay on their battels for college meals.
A number of students were faced with an unpleasant shock last week, as their charges for Michaelmas Term were considerably higher than expected.
According to one student, “the IT office seems to have made a mess of a significant number of students’ battels”.
Those who reported that they had been overcharged were initially assured by the college that they would be refunded, but further controversy arose when a subsequent email was sent out from the bursary, telling students that these refunds were now being withdrawn.
This was on the grounds that the error had occurred because the computer system had charged students for meals for the last six weeks of Michaelmas up until 31st January, having not charged these meals to the previous battels.
Benjamin Willis, one of the students who was initially promised a refund, told Cherwell that frustration among JCR members is widespread.
Willis also described the treatment he received as “completely incompetent”, revealing that the college’s Academic Administrator had sent an email to all students about the mix up, but had inadvertently attached the private correspondence between him and a member of the college office.
Queen’s JCR passed a motion last Sunday that would allow students to monitor their battels online.
The Queen’s College bursary declined to comment on the affair.
