In the university’s Basic Policy, Yoshida Dormitory residents are categorised as ‘regular’ and ‘non-regular’ students and are treated differently according this this status. The university authorities define the two groups as follows:

‘Regular’ students – undergraduate or graduate students who will finish studying in the regular time-span for their degrees

‘Non-regular’ students – all students who do not qualify as ‘regular students’ such as those who have had to repeat years of study, students who have deferred and special auditors

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　1）Deadlines for the leaving Yoshida Dormitory 

The university has dictated that ‘regular’ students must leave Yoshida Dormitory by the end of September 2018 and ‘non-regular’ students must leave by the end of March 2018

　

 

2）Alternative accommodation 

The Basic Policy states that the university will provide alternative accommodation for ‘regular’ students only. No measures are included to assist ‘non-regular’ students

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　In other words, the Kyoto University authorities gave ‘non-regular’ students only 3 months’ notice of the fact that they would be forced to leave Yoshida Dormitory and no longer be able to benefit from the low rent that our dorm provides. Kyoto University has not openly publicised the fact that it is differentiating between students during the process of closing Yoshida Dormitory. The information regarding ‘regular’ and ‘non-regular’ students is not available on its website and has only been sent in induvial letters to Yoshida students. 

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　The Yoshida Dormitory Committee defines all Kyoto University students as eligible to live in our dorm regardless of the status of their particular enrolment. There are therefore many so called ‘non-regular’ students living in Yoshida Dormitory. For example, a number of our residents are connected to Kyoto University through roles such as special auditors and research students.  We also have students who have deferred their enrolment or are repeating a year. At Yoshida Dormitory, we understand that everyone learns in a different way and we believe that it is important to support anyone who is interested in university study. We completely disagree with Kyoto University’s policy of classifying and discriminating against some of our residents based on the status of their enrolment. ​　

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　The university claims that they are closing Yoshida Dormitory because it is structurally unsound. However, if that is truly the case, we do not understand why it is necessary to treat some of our students differently on the basis of their enrolment. We believe that the university has an ulterior motive for closing Yoshida Dormitory that they are not making clear to the public. 

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