UniLodge @ UC – Weeden Lodge — Attraction in District of Belconnen

The rooms are OK because the place is still new. Maintenance wise OK...the broken microwaves and ovens will be swifty replaced as these are OSHC issue. Elevators often break down and take weeks to repair so not ideal if youre on wheelchair. The place has lots of stairs and not disable friendly at most part. The fire alarms are always tripped causing mass evacuations several times per year.

But what I find troublesome is some of the managers which change every semester are very unprofessional and unhelpful especially when it comes to handling issues with problematic housemates in multiroom apartments which once escalated into a fight in our 7-room apartment as the management refused to properly resolve it. Management also elected some RAs of dubious character. Once an RA allowed an expelled student to illegally enter our apartment. A former housemate who has petty bickerings with other housemates, walk around half naked in front a female housemate (they eventually ended up not on good terms for obvious reasons), and leave the apartment common area dirty was made RA which is worrisome as these RAs are suppose to help other residents. Oh yes..the management accidentally put a 20 year old female exchange student into our apartment with six 22-32 year old men of various nationalities and I can tell she didnt have a good time. I will not be surprised that someday dodgy things that require the police and ambulance will occur at Weeden Lodge if the management maintains this level of oversight.

Despite the excelent location,Weeden Lodge was converted from a garish office building so its layout us not suitable for long term accommodation for student life. It consist of long lonely corridors with two common rooms located at the other end of the buildings in the basement (depending where your room/studio is). You may live with 400 people but the environment can be claustrophobic and unsociable and lonely. RA are suppose to come and make residents of multirooms greet each other but does not happen at my apartment year after year. Events by UniLodge are often done at UC Lodge and hence troublesome for those without transport and there is a sense that Weeden residents are often left out from UniLodge social events despite being forced to pay $100 for community events every year. Many free dinners/movie events are done at weeknights which also leave out students who study till late or work casually at night. Weeden Lodge is one of the cheaper UniLodge so it attracts students of lower income background. Aussie students who still need to work at night and international students from developing countries on their small government scholarship stipend which are barely enough to sustain their livelihood and forced to work after class..UniLodge should consider these issues among these students and tailor the social events to their needs too. Otherwise the management is just stealing $100 from some of the students who do not benefit from the community events. That $100 could mean alot to some of these students.

A big problem to me is that manegement always fail to address issues with shortening/tranferring contracts when some students such as exchange students/PhD students have to leave in the middle of semester. As a result some of my former housemates who are exchange students still pay to UniLodge for a few months as they have to leave. Procedures to transfer contracts are not clear and not properly informed to students.

Its probably OK to stay here for a semester if youre new to Canberra. Or like me who endured almost 3 years, some of them good and bad depending on the housemates. I only sleep there as i spend most of my time at uni doing my PhD and working casually at night. But for undergrads, i advise you only stay there for a semester and move on somewhere else with people you trust.

Anyway I have been awarded my PhD on March 2020 from ANU with minor corrections. So Id still like to thank the staff at Weeden Lodge who were nice and helpful to me. I appreciate the excellent central...

If there was a Zero Star that’s what I would give.

“Air Conditioning” - North Wing apparently has this but it runs throughout the north side of the building which means rooms towards the back end of the building are scorching hot (it melted an eraser on my shelf, as well as chocolate, and I spend nights sleeping on the linoleum floor in the kitchen I shared with another person.) Or the lower leveled rooms are freezing cold. South wing DOES NOT have aiconditioning. It’s a ventalition, the reason quote “it was two expensive to install”

2.elevator access? Forget it. North wings back elevator has been out of service for so long, it’s access is blocked off by permanent doors. The two front elevators? Always breaking down. Good luck living on the high floors, you’re sure to work up those calf muscles.

Need something fixed? Don’t bother asking for help. Maintenance took over 3 months to put soap in the communal bathrooms. SOAP. A basic hygienic necessity. There was a hole in the ceiling on North wing for several months, and what did they do? Put buckets under it to collect water. No safety measures in place.

The elitism. Residential Advisors are specifically trained to support the students. But this facade just gives them the opportunity to run events for themselves. The “RA Crew” combined with Staff and the so called ‘manager’ fletcher have appalling disregard for victims of physical assault and sexual harassment. If you’d like someone supporting you by telling you it’s all your fault, choose to live here. They’re treatment of the offenders over the victims is quite disgusting. Don’t think you’ll be compensated for or made to feel more accomodating, they’ll look after the people who hurt you first.

Conflicts? They like to brush it under the carpet. They’ll find the easiest way out. If you want to be constantly asking for a statement because they’ve over charged you on several accounts but have some messed up “reasoning” for it. Choose to live here. You’ll be out of pocket in no time. Minimal conflict with house mates, be prepared to be evicted. Assault a house mate, don’t worry, they’ll make sure you have another room to stay in.

Cleaning Fees. Enjoy paying ridiculous fees for YOU to clean up anyway. If you don’t, be prepared to be overcharged.

Mail. If you attend uni between 8am-5pm you will never get your mail. Because “it must be collected during reception hours” lodge to have special consideration, it can take WEEKS to be accepted. Just wrong.

There’s so much wrong with this place, not only will I NEVER recommend it to anyone. I will actively go out of my way to tell people never to live here. Overpriced, disgusting facilities with even worse staff.

Stay away, I beg you, don’t make the mistake I did in choosing to live here. It’s almost 2 years of my life I’ll never get back. Please don’t live here, they’re are other options, far better then to suffer the way I did.

-posting anonymously...

I love Weeden, I'm about to sign my contract to live here for a second year. I need life to be relatively quiet and easy-going for where I am living. This is a great place for that as you're just off UC campus. It's a lovely walk to uni and back, if I'm wandering it takes me 15 minutes, but that is because I look at the kangaroos in the morning! It's also really easy because you're near the major shopping centre (not so far to walk with your groceries.) The staff are lovely, I get along really well with them. Maintenance and RA support it efficient and considerate too.

Living just off campus forces me to do some exercise before I even start class which is great. It also means life isn't noisy at home or you have The Well (which is the pub on campus) noise on Thursday-Saturday nights.

PS- noise curfews from 10pm-7am which is fabulous. Lots of little hidey-holes in Weeden to do some reading or study if you need to escape your room too!

Le Corner Room Cafe is also really cheap and very good food! I love...