During the official inauguration of the academic year, on 2 October 2023 at the University of Warsaw, students and university staff gathered in front of the Auditorium Maximum building. There they expressed their dissatisfaction and opposition to the anti-social policies that have been in place for many years and which have resulted in the university's welfare facilities being in a crisis state.

Members of the Warsaw Youth Circle of Workers' Initiatives and Students’ Housing Initiative on 16 October prepared an open letter titled "Studying not only for the rich" and presented it to the Chancellor of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Alojzy Nowak. In it, they expressed concern about the critical social conditions at the university and called for changes to improve the quality of student life.

The University of Warsaw, which is the largest university in Poland, has been facing a lack of accessible accommodation for students for years. Currently, only 5% of male and female students are offered places in the university's dormitories. The remaining majority have to look for private accommodation on the market, which is characterised by increasingly high prices and poorer standards. This forces students into gainful employment, often on minimum wages and junk contracts.

Protesting students and staff at the University of Warsaw demand long-term changes to improve the social situation. Their demands include:

1. Access to affordable accommodation: In view of the housing crisis, the University should increase the number of places in dormitories through new investments to enable all interested male and female students to benefit from low-cost accommodation.
2. Creation of public canteens: The University should open new public canteens along the lines of the existing one on Oboźna Street, offering food with low prices and of high quality. In addition, the opening hours of the existing canteen should be extended and staff should be appropriately paid.
3. Increasing social support: In the face of rising prices and difficulties in the labour market, the University should increase investment in social benefits and expand their offer beyond the statutory requirements.
4. Simplification of procedures: The procedures for applying for scholarships and places in students’ halls of residence should be simplified as much as possible.

It is worth emphasising that the protesting students do not limit themselves to formulating demands, but also demand immediate action. In this context, the University authorities are being called upon to carry out the necessary renovations in the existing student dormitories and to provide social rooms in university buildings.

In addition to this, the students demand a comprehensive study of the demand for cheap room rentals in Warsaw, taking into account real prices on the market and students' earnings. They are also calling for the University of Warsaw Strategy 2023-2032 to be revised to include a proactive study of the needs of male and female students and the development of housing and catering resources at the university.

Finally, the university authorities are being urged to introduce more transparent policies and to publish the so-called public information. Students are demanding access to data on the history of students’ halls of residence, the content of contracts with catering companies, planned prices for accommodation in the new halls of residence, evaluations of the allocation of places in existing dormitories and many other pieces of information related to university life.

The University of Warsaw authorities were requested to respond to the content of the letter within 14 working days. They are to send their response to the email address indicated in the open letter.

The protesting students and the support they get from the Warsaw Youth Circle of Workers' Initiative and the Students’ Housing Initiative are giving a clear signal that social conditions at Warsaw University need urgent change. Their demands are gaining more and more support among students and the academic community, which may prompt the university authorities to take quick and accurate actions to improve the social situation at the university.