UNIVERSITY College Worcester has hit back at allegations that its students are making life a misery for the residents of St John's.
John Ryan, the college's registrar, said they are disappointed that last night's Inside Out programme on BBC1 presented a "biased" view of the relationships between residents and students.
The Evening News has previously reported incidents involving the misbehaviour of students, including loud noise in the early hours of the morning and minor vandalism.
In March, we revealed how Richard Delingpole, of Henwick Road, had his garden wall pulled down by students. On last night's show, he said he kept a list of alleged student misdemeanours on his kitchen wall, which includes more than 20 incidents.
But Mr Ryan said he was angry at the programme's producers, who originally approached UCW about its development of a second city-based campus on the former site of the Worcester Royal Infirmary in Castle Street.
"In the end, they chose to cut all the footage taken of the president of the UCW Students' Union and other students who highlighted a range of student community initiatives," he said.
He said focusing on a small and selective number of incidents, while randomly filming any young person on a night out in Worcester, was not an indication of the behaviour of UCW students.
"UCW and the Students' Union take any incidents of student misbehaviour extremely seriously," he said. "A range of disciplinary measures, including suspension and expulsion are also in place to address such problems."
Last month, Student Union launched a SSHH campaign - Silent Students equal Happy Homes, which urges new students to respect people living in neighbouring residential areas, emphasising the importance of keeping quiet when returning from pubs and clubs late at night.
Mr Ryan said the programme did not represent the views of any of local residents who are members of the Community Forum, any city council representatives or the police and presented a negative view of the proposed expansion.
"The very considerable benefits that a £100m city based campus will bring to the city, including conference facilities and a new library and learning centre were skipped over.
"In fact, a major independent study conducted by highly-respected professional consultants from KPMG has shown that UCW's expansion will make a major contribution to the successful development and regeneration of Worcester economically and socially as well as create badly needed higher education opportunities for people across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
What do you think? Tell us your views by writing to: Your Say, Worcester Evening News, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR1 5JX or email: wenletters@midlands.newsquest.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article