Dear AIT Students,
Upon the invitation of the AIT President, the Student Union President, Mr Bhawat Traipattanakul, accompanied by the SU Accommodation & Reservation Committee Chairperson, Ms Thanyaporn Harnboonyanon, and the SU Campus & Environment Committee Chairperson, Mr Afzal Jamil, attended the 15 February 2012 meeting of the AIT Management Team.
Although already informally conveyed to you by the SU President, and briefly communicated in the 20 February 2012 President's Weekly Letter to the community, we wish to formally convey to you the decisions made by the AIT Management Team on the concerns of the AIT students put forward by the SU team, as well as to those we directly received.
1. To avail of the special arrangements AIT has with TU Dome, please refer to the reservation guidelines published at CLIQ's relocation website: relocation-guide.ait.asia .
2. The AITMT approved to provide assistance for the months of February and March 2012 to AIT students whose ground floor accommodation units on-campus were affected by the flood and are currently residing off-campus. This is comparable to the assistance provided to faculty, staff and students, who already occupied the upper floor accommodation units on-campus, and who will only be charged housing rental fees from 1 April 2012. All other costs, e.g. deposits, key cards, utilities, are to be borne by the residents themselves.
a. For those currently residing at TU Dome, taking into consideration the special discounted monthly rates offered to AIT and since the room amenities allow for sharing, the AITMT approved to provide a monthly assistance of up to THB-2,400 per student for the months of February and March 2012. AIT residents at TU Dome should comply with the set regulations of rental payment upon check-in. We shall facilitate the reimbursements of the rentals paid to TU Dome, which differs depending on check in date, to those entitled to the assistance.
b. Those currently residing off-campus, apart from TU Dome, are required to submit to CMO (c/o Ms Beth, bethc@ait.asia) copies of their housing contracts and rental payments for the months of February and March 2012. Assistance will not be more than THB-2,400 per student.
3. The CMO negotiated with the Internet service provider at TU Dome, but was informed that they cannot further lower their contract period requirement of four months as it is the minimum required to cover installation costs. Professor Kanchana's team is exploring Internet solutions at TU Dome. In the meantime, AIT residents at TU Dome should avail themselves of alternative resources, e.g. free Wi-Fi access at the TU Dome Office from 0830 to 2400 hours; air cards; etc.
4. TU Dome residents have a safe overpass bridge access to TU campus, where they can catch various transportation options to go to AIT. Everyone is strongly advised strict compliance with regulations, especially those concerning safety, security, use of vehicles, and traffic. Those who has to go through the TU campus in the evenings when returning to TU Dome from AIT campus are advised to carry a flashlight/torch or even have lights mounted on their bicycles.
a. Open-air NGV service buses / trams already route between the TU campus (including its Chiang Rak side) and AIT campus, which the student representatives reported to run every five minutes. Professor Worsak will explore with Thammasat University the possibility of increasing the NGV service bus routes to AIT.
Earlier available information re the open-air NGV service bus is that it travels every day except public holidays. It leaves the Thammasat Asian Village on the following times: 0730, 0800, 1145, 1300, 1430, and 1800 hours, and takes about 15-20 minutes to reach AIT, passing in front of the AIT Conference Center.
b. AIT residents at TU Dome can take Bus No. 3 that goes to the Thammasat Center Cafeteria, and from there, can take Bus No. 2 to Thammasat Hospital. There is also a connecting bus from the TU campus that goes inside the Thailand Science Park.
c. The SU made temporary arrangements with some songtaews to bring AIT residents at TU Dome to AIT in the morning and back to TU Dome in late afternoon.
5. The AITMT agreed to cover the transportation costs between AIT campus and SJIS (St John International School, AITIS' temporary location in Bangkok) for children of AIT students who used to attend AITIS in Hua Hin and have now joined AITIS@SJIS, as well as for children of AIT students who are already attending AITIS@SJIS but have returned to the AIT campus or vicinity.
6. The AITMT received varying feedback and concerns raised by the students through the SU team on the services provided by the current operators of the SU Snack Bar, both at AIT and in Hua Hin. Since the SU handles the contract with the SU Snack Bar operators, the SU was requested to make a comprehensive evaluation of the services provided by the SU Snack Bar operators, which could include a community survey to obtain the feedback of SU Snack Bar patrons. The SU's evaluation report to the AITMT will include which areas improvements are necessary, their recommendation on the operations' continuation, as well as their recommendation of an alternative location. Halal and vegetarian food are also available at the Cafeteria even if the SU Snack Bar's evaluation is underway.
7. The SU Office will be set up at the SU Café this semester, where a Wi-Fi hotspot will be (or already is) installed. The SU team was requested to come up with a space allocation plan of the students complex to accommodate the SU office, SU service center, gym, etc so that they can be taken into consideration in the restoration and renovation plan of the area.
8. Restoration work will initially be carried out for ground floor spaces meeting the criteria decided by the AIT Main Campus Rebuilding and Upgrading Committee, which are: (i) those necessary for research students, such as laboratories, etc., and (ii) for security reasons, such as doors or windows leading to secured areas.
9. Renovations of the flood-affected accommodation units on-campus can only start when budgets are clarified and ensured. Possible financial sources for the renovation of these units include the Royal Thai Government Flood Aid for Rehabilitation; insurance claims; and private investors (Build-Operate-Transfer concept). We shall inform the community when the renovation schedule is known.
10. The AIT community is strongly warned to refrain from entering ground floor offices / residences, and not to touch any electrical components at any time. Basic repairs were carried out to provide electricity within the campus. And there have been recent problems with unstable electric supply (low voltage) due to problematic cabling, both underground and inside some buildings. Cabling and accessories are currently being replaced but will take 3-4 months to complete.
11. The community is advised to dispose all unwanted items (debris cleared from ground floor spaces) by 29 February 2012, so that collection and disposal of these can be centrally managed. From 1 March 2012 onwards, building occupants must take the unwanted items to the dumpsite themselves.
12. A campus-wide landscaping program is being carried out. Units are requested not to landscape themselves the garden areas near certain buildings and laboratories.
To formally and finally settle the concerns related to the partial temporary relocation in Hua Hin, we confirm the following decisions made earlier:
A. The general guidelines on rental charges for the temporary accommodation units contracted by the Institute in Hua Hin are as follows:
i. Accommodation units will be on double occupancy;
ii. Students who used to stay at AIT on-campus accommodation units will be charged the same rates as for their units at AIT;
iii. Students who were not staying on-campus will be charged THB-3,000 per month, which is the average rate of on-campus student accommodation units.
B. In January 2012, some students were required to move in a unit on triple occupancy. Students who previously were not staying at AIT campus will be charged one-third of the actual charges for rent and utilities.
C. On utility charges for the temporary accommodation units contracted by the Institute in Hua Hin:
i. Actual usage units will be equally shared among the residents in each unit.
ii. For students who used to stay at AIT campus, the first 33 units of electricity will be subsidized, and will be charged THB-2.79 per unit in excess of 33 units. Water utilities will be fully subsidized.
D. For the month of February 2012, students will be invoiced half of the applicable charges for rental and utilities in A., B., and C. above.
The SU team will soon arrange a Student Forum where the AIT President can address the whole student body to discuss development matters concerning students.
Thank you very much for your understanding and cooperation.
AIT Management Team
