LIFE AS A RESIDENT STUDENT IN IUIU

For Ojambo Innocent Gabriel and Nakatudde Lauren, the decision to stay in the university provided halls was one of convenience. The two are among the thousands of students residing in university hostels at Islamic University In Uganda, Main Campus. We followed them for a day as they shared their experience as resident students.

The university halls accommodate an ever increasing, diverse number of students from different backgrounds. After gaining admission into the University, prospective students have an option to book with the Dean of Students office and the available rooms are allocated on first come, first serve basis. There are 9 halls of residence, 2 for girls and 7 for boys. Once admitted in the Halls, students are expected to abide by the university rules while they reside inside the University gates for example opposite sexes are prohibited from accessing the Halls of the respective sex. Girls are expected to get a pass out from the Female Warden if they are to leave campus and stay outside with appropriate reason.

Introduction

Ojambo Innocent Gabriel is currently a LLB Year 3 Student at IUIU Main Campus.

Ojambo Innocent Gabriel is a third year law student in the LLB Faculty at Mbale Main Campus. He resides in the Abu Mayanja Hostel which is among the Halls of Residence the university provides, He details how he came to be a resident.

Innocent details how he came to be admitted as resident student

Nakatudde Lauren is a third year law student at IUIU Main Campus. She signed up as a residence in Year one and she has spent three years as a resident in Summayah Hall.

Nakatudde Lauren in a discussion on campus

Starting the day

“we have morning lectures as early as 7.00am-Innocent

Innocent considers himself a morning person. He wakes up as early as 5.00am. He admits with lectures starting as early as 7.00am, that serves as enough motivation to get up. He prefers to have some time in the morning to organize himself and his daily assignments. He reads till 6.00am, that is when he has morning lectures.

In contrast, Lauren’s morning are harder. She wakes up as early as 4.00am. This is due to the shortage of water in the hostel bathrooms. Waking up early is the only way of avoiding the long queue at the tap. After getting the water, Lauren usually goes back to bed till 7.00am this is usually the time lectures start.

Breakfast

Innocent prefers to have breakfast after the morning lecture which usually will end at 10.00 am. A decent breakfast is an important part of his day. He enjoys a cup of milk tea with an escort to go along. The University has its restaurants that provide breakfast but Innocent prefers buying his from outside and having it in his room. He claims it is much cheaper with restaurants outside than those inside.

Lauren loves a good cup of milk and boiled eggs and chappati before going for lectures. The Halls of attachment have catering services which provide breakfast and lunch. This is where Lauren gets her breakfast from.

“I can’t go for lectures without having breakfast, i’ll dose! –Lauren on having breakfast before going for lectures

Study Time

Lauren enjoys a laugh during discussion.

For Innocent, when there are no afternoon lectures, he goes for a discussion from 2.00pm-4.00pm. Usually, lectures take a whole day but on Tuesdays and Fridays, lectures end at 1.00.pm so he can spend the rest of the day any way he feels like.

Innocent in a discussion with a coursemate.

Being a resident affords Lauren the time to read. She admits she would need special motivation to study if she were not a resident student. She prefers the Main library as opposed to the Law library. The Halls have a reading room that’s accessible to the students at any time.

“I get time for my books, if I was out I wouldn’t be reading –Lauren on the benefits of being a resident student.

Lunch

The Campus has catering services with three restaurants providing lunch and breakfast. For resident students, it is between Hawaz, Larvim and Nabeel Restaurant. Compared to prices out of campus, they may be costly. Hawaz is the restaurant of her choice. Once in a while, she will send for lunch outside campus.

“the menu is a bit tricky for some of usInnocent on the cost of lunch in Campus restaurants

Extra-Curricular Activities

Innocent loves to play basketball. Over the weekend, he enjoys swimming at Mbale Resort. He is also a leader at the faculty of law, handling MOOT Courting, both internally and externally. He is also a student leader under the IUSU government 2020-2021.

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Innocent enjoys a game of Basketball on the IUIU Court

When Lauren is not in class, she prefers to do the dishes, organize her room, mop and do her dirty laundry. Since a lot of people prefer doing their laundry on weekends, Lauren uses this time for laundry. Her favorite part of the day is when she gets to sleep, this is at 5.00pm. For those interested in sports, netball, football, there’s ample space for that in the hostel. Lauren personally doesn’t cook but she likes to help her friends prepare supper.

“we go swimming once in a while-Innocent

For her extracurricular activities, Lauren is part of the Rotaract Club which holds panel discussions, Current Forum Affairs where current students’ situation are discussed. She recently joined the AYLF this semester. Leadership is a calling for her and IUIU provides a good number of associations and platforms.

While in hostel, girls are not restricted to wearing Sharias. A lot of freedom is granted behind the Hostel walls. There are students who sell things in hostel like airtime, bed sheets, veils among other things.

Process of getting out

When I asked her about the process, she was happy to elaborate the long hectic procedure she goes through

Lauren breaks down the process of getting a pass out in IUIU

“I think that is one of the hardest things to do at campus –Lauren, LLB Yr3 on getting a pass-out from the Warden

Supper

Supper is around 8.30pm for Lauren. For those who cook, there is a lot of people in the kitchen by 6.00pm so getting their early is the way to go.

The alternative is ordering for food. This involves sending boys, who move freely in and out of campus for food. There are instances theft as there’s a risk of the boys not returning.

Lauren prefers sending for food. By the time lectures are done, Lauren is usually too exhausted to cook.

While some boys prefer buying supper from restaurants, some prefer cooking their own food.

Pros & Cons of being a Resident and what can be done to fix it.

Living in the university poses different situations for boys than it does for girls but all together, the pros and cons can be listed below.

The Pros and Cons of being a resident in IUIU

The students talked about the challenges they face as resident students and how they can be remedied.

Conclusion

Between the lack of exposure and free movement in and out of campus, Lauren admits she prefers being a resident student (with ‘relaxed’ rules) over a non-residence. She points to the lack of distractions and the never-ending availability of campus resources at her disposal. Innocent was not aware he was going to be a resident when he was admitted but has grown accustomed to the situation and feels with a few improvements, life as a resident in IUIU is acceptable and suitable for a student looking to grow their studies and nurture their minds.

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