[daffs3265]

Hello!!
I wonder if anyone could help me??!!
so im at uni. I live in halls and after a party a few weeks back, we were reported for the noise/anti-social behaviour. The accusations were completly exaggerated, and they have decided to give me and my flat mate a £100 fine, EACH! I have no way of paying.

Does anyone know how i can get out of paying? The university has been no help whatsoever, the just expect me to pay. Ive tried writing a sympathetic letter, but she wrote back saying the fine still stands.. What can they do if i dont pay up? How can they make me pay?
Its all stressing me out! Any help/advice will be greatly appreciated!
thanks !! x

[Mr Bond]

Normally there is an appeal process for these types of things.

My suggestion would be to go through the entire appeals process, which will cause delays in you having to pay your fine, or if you have a decent case (Like you seem to think you have), will get you off it.

Depending on your Uni, the appeals process might be on their website somewhere, or you could tell your Warden yourself that you don't like his/her decision and you want to take things further.

ps - Welcome to the Student Room!

[daffs3265]

thank you! I have already tried to argue my case with the woman who has issued the fine, but she is sticking to her guns about me paying. I dont know how to appeal? and who to appeal to?

[*starry_eyed_*]

Can you not have it taken out of yuor deposit?

[daffs3265]

the halls are ownes by a private company, not the uni-yet the uni has fined me, and the housing company just sent me a warning letter...The uni wont pay me my bursary, as i owe money to them! Its all a bit annoying..

[*knowitall*]

So if it was totally exagerated you just get the people who reported you for all the noise and disturbance to say that it wasn't so bad after all?

Tell your parents you've been unfairly accused of making a noise and being anti-social I'm sure they'll help out?

If you were given no warning on the night concerned (or any other nights) that you were being noisy perhaps you can get out of it? Perhaps no-one came and asked you to turn the music down? Then you may have a case?

Good luck

[Mum]

Is that the normal fine? Was it the first time you have been warned / fined? It seems a big fine.

Will someone at teh Union give you advice?

[FadedJade]

To be fair though, if you were having the party, you probably didnt realise how much noise it was making for other people. Also, do you actually have a good reason for not paying the fine, other than being broke and not wanting to?

[bluenoxid]

(Original post by -x-Nina-x-)
To be fair though, if you were having the party, you probably didnt realise how much noise it was making for other people. Also, do you actually have a good reason for not paying the fine, other than being broke and not wanting to?

We dont want to pay tax either. Chat with your student support officer at your student union and try and find out why the university issued the fine seeing as you appear to be in private accom

[daffs3265]

(Original post by Mum)
Is that the normal fine? Was it the first time you have been warned / fined? It seems a big fine.

Will someone at teh Union give you advice?

Security came up and warned us on the night, but only once. We have a red and yellow card thing, like in football. We have never had a card before and wasnt issued one on the night. We were contacted by the Uni a few days later. A friend was fined £25 after recieving a red and yellow card for flooding a flat with a fire extinguisher. The fine he paid was to cover the cost of damages. I want to know where my £100 will end up!

Thanks to everyone foe replying!

[aleathiel]

£100 is an obscene amount of money! My friend only had to pay a £50 fine when she erm... set off a smoke bomb thing (only a tiny little thing but it set off the fire alarms oops)

[Talya]

cant the uni take the £100 out of your bursary if they are holding it back?

[HerRoyalHighness]

Ahh-you didn't get the red card-thats a big plus in your argument.

[L i b]

Did you admit guilt to anybody with a witness?

I don't know about your uni, but mine either has to have a disciplinary official find guilt following a hearing, with an appeal process that goes to a special committee of the Senatus. Personally I got off mine by meeting with my Uni's Academic Secretary, who didn't give a toss about any of it.

Go to the library and find your University ordinances on the matter, or go and find out what the students' union can tell you.

[jan_123]

the management probably thinks that you're just bluffing your way out of this, or they simply want to squeeze as much money out of students as possible... try writing another letter but in another tone. this time, put your foot down. sometimes these things don't work on the first go, i know because my friend had a similar problem in halls. the management stopped pestering her, she moved out at the end of the tenancy and haven't heard from them since. if all else fails, consult the CAB (Citizens' Advice Bureau) for free legal advice.

[Tarts_n_Vicars]

(Original post by daffs3265)
Security came up and warned us on the night, but only once. We have a red and yellow card thing, like in football. We have never had a card before and wasnt issued one on the night. We were contacted by the Uni a few days later. A friend was fined £25 after recieving a red and yellow card for flooding a flat with a fire extinguisher. The fine he paid was to cover the cost of damages. I want to know where my £100 will end up!

Thanks to everyone foe replying!

Only once? Oh poor you. Once should be once too many. Security must have heard it too, hence the warning. If they had gotten to your place and heard nothing they wouldn't have said anything to you. You were causing trouble for other tenants, and in spite of a warning (only one though...poor thing) it was bad enough to warrant you getting a fine.

If you have a bursary on the way get the uni to take the fine out of that. And be more considerate of the people who have to live around you.

[L0RA]

God i wish our halls cared this much about making noise!

We'd have had £1000's worth of fines by now but it might make my flatmate shut the hell up!!

We got a £5 fine for rubbish not being taken down, went up to £15 after a week. Me and my flatmate went down and pleaded poverty and they let us just pay £5 (which we did in 10 and 20p's )

Say to your uni that £100 is totally out of the question considering its the end of term, ask for an extention until next term when you have your loans.

[Breee]

just Don't pay if you didn't do that much wrong Hahaha seriosuly,. What she gonna do? hu? put some extra fee on it again and again? til somebody else get involved, then you file a complaint against her.. then she'll back down

[Breee]

(Original post by PQ)
If you're in debt to a university they can stop you from registering for the second year (and most universities won't allow you to graduate while you still owe them money).

Talk to your student union advice service.

oh please ... I get it tho, she said they wouldnt pay the busary bcuz of that,. so? it is a privately owned hall so that shoudnt effect that,. I say appeal appeal appeal til you don't have to pay, be stubborn, damn you're a student you can do alot with 100

[db]

I really wouldn't dismiss PQ's advice. She's right and has a lot of, sometimes pointless, knowledge about how universities are run.