IT'S the beginning of October, which means one thing: the students are back in town.

Freshers have been wandering around wide-eyed for the last week or so, taking in their new surroundings.

Those returning for their second or third years are not so conspicuous. But wherever you go in the centre of York it is obvious, from the sheer number of young people about, that the university term has begun again.

Not everybody will be rejoicing about that. York has long had an issue with its students.

Many local people grumble - not least in letters to this newspaper - that students are noisy, drunken, lazy or inconsiderate.

Then there are the complaints about houses - especially in the Hull Road area - being turned into student flats, creating student ghettos where ordinary families feel uncomfortable.

More recently, following the splurge of purpose-built student accommodation, there have been concerns that some of the huge new student developments are 'radically changing the character' of parts of the city, in the words of outgoing York Civic Trust chairman Dr Peter Addyman.

York Press:

New students flats in Walmgate

There is always going to be some tension between the city and the students who set up home here for a few years.

Young people finding their independence for the first time are naturally - some of them at least - going to be a bit wild and free. They'll talk differently to most people who live here: and quite possibly they'll behave differently too.

Then there are those very legitimate concerns about where they should be housed. Too many family-sized homes in the past have been turned into 'homes of multiple occupation' for use as student flats: adding to the shortage of decent family-sized homes.

For those who have grown up in York, the sudden explosion of new student housing developments can also seem overwhelming - and even a little intimidating.

But the fact remains that York's two universities - and the students who make them possible - contribute enormously to making York the city it is today.

York Press:

Students: adding to the buzz and vitality in York

"Students add to the diversity of the city and give it a buzz," says Nathaniel Abakah-Phillips, president of the York St John University students union. "We spend money locally and support York businesses. We add a vibrancy to the cultural scene through... our live theatre performances and art exhibitions and we spend many hours doing volunteer work.

"We shape York and York shapes us. York would be a very different place if it wasn’t for all of us!”

Still not convinced?

OK, here's our list of ways in which students help make York a better place...

What have students ever done for us?

1. They spend money in York. Lots of it. York St John University alone reckons that in the single year 2012/ 2013, its students spent more than £18 million, on everything from taxis, pubs and clubs to local shops, restaurants and other services. But there's more. Without students, there would be no University of York, and no York St John University. These two institutions between them contribute tens of millions of pounds to the city's economy every year. York St John estimates that its contribution to York's economy in 2012/13 alone was £55 million.

2. They create jobs. Hard to put a figure on how many bar staff and waiters' jobs rely on the student trade - but given students' well-known liking for a few drinks, it must be quite a few. More importantly, York's two universities are both major employers. The University of York employs 3,200 people. York St John university, meanwhile, says that in 2012/13 it 'provided local employment for 1,216 people'. That is everything from academic staff to admin people, support workers, technicians, office staff, cleaners and caretakers. None of this would be possible without students.

3. They're good for the building trade. What are we talking about? You won't have missed the fact the University of York campus is doubling in size - or that new student blocks are springing up everywhere. These developments, whatever else you think of them, are a real boost to the construction industry in York, and provide significance employment opportunities.

York Press:

The Ron Cooke Hub at York University's new Heslington East campus - jobs for builders

4. They're young, and fun, and full of life. Noisy, yes, but lively too. They come from different backgrounds - even different countries - and really do help give York that buzz and cultural diversity that Nathaniel Abakah-Phillips talked about. Do you really think this city would be a nicer place to live without them?

5. They do some wonderful community work. Higher York, which represents the city's two universities plus York College and Askham Bryan College, estimates that every year something like 22,500 students in York spend about 75,000 hours volunteering. They work everywhere from local schools to local hospices, the RSPCA, the North York Moors National Park and Refugee Action York. Kids' Camp, meanwhile, is a student-led project which gives 34 local children who are deemed 'desperately in need of a break' the opportunity to have a break at a residential camp.

Had all these 22,500 students been paid at the minimum wage the work they do would have cost more than £500,000, says York St John University. But it's not just about the monetary value. Programmes like York Students in Schools make a real difference to the lives of underperforming children across the city.

York Press:

York St John students on a street-sweeping drive

6. Students support people coping with mental health issues or learning difficulties. Under its Converge service, both students and staff from York St John University teach a whole range of courses to those using mental health services. The courses include sports and exercise, business start-up, music, theatre, dance, fine art and creative writing. The service also runs a choir and a theatre company. "In the last 12 months, 260 people completed these courses supported by 93 university students," a York St John spokesman said. Minds in Motion, meanwhile, is an award-winning student-led organisation which supports people with dementia and their carers. Last year, they worked with Inspired Youth to produce a series of digital stories about living with dementia.

7. Students raise money for charity. In rag week last year alone, for example, University of York students raised £1,600 for various different charities. Students from York St John University, meanwhile, raised more than £350 for SNAPPY when they hosted a single 24-hour baton relay. Overall, its students raised more than £10,000 last year for local and national charities, a York St John spokesman said.

York Press:

Rag week 2014

8. Students work part-time in local shops, pubs, restaurants and other businesses. Next time you go to your local mini-supermarket or eat out in town, it's quite possible you'll be served by a student. The University of York alone estimates that 800 of its students do part-time jobs in the city. And they're often very helpful and friendly...

9. They bring vital skills to York. Many students will stay on in the city and became part of the city's workforce in future. York St John University says that a third of its 2014 graduates who were in work six months after leaving university worked for an employer with a YO postcode. Some also become entrepreneurs, setting up their own businesses in York. "Our graduates...help the economic development of the city by starting businesses and providing professionally qualified staff for the public and private sectors," says University of York registrar David Duncan.

10. Many students who stay in York for three years and then move on will in future be great ambassadors for the city. Just look at former BBC boss Greg Dyke, for example - or Bafta Award winning filmmaker Chris Hees, who studied at York St John University until 2008.

York Press:

Chris Hees with his Bafta

Steve Brown, managing director of Make It York, has no doubt about the contribuition students make to the city. "Every year we’re creating thousands of potential ambassadors for York as students share their experiences of living and studying here, as they introduce the city to visiting friends and family (and) as international students return home," he says

We shouldn't underestimate that. It's potentially priceless...

 

Student factfile

It sometimes feels as though the number of students in York has exploded in recent years. In fact, the growth has been comparatively slow but steady.

Five years ago, York St John University had 5,996 students. Last year, that had risen to 6, 875. In 2010, meanwhile, York University had a total of 13,902 students. This year, it has 15,353.