Sir – The three chancellors of Brookes University (Letters, May 28) are concerned about the tone of the comments towards their university, and wonder if the contribution Brookes makes to the city has been forgotten. The only examples they give of this contribution are the ways in which Brookes students dedicate more than 14,000 hours a year to volunteering.

With over 17,000 students that works out at less than one hour a year per student.

The permanent residents in East Oxford have a long-term interest in the community, unlike the three chancellors, who say they all live outside Oxford, and unlike many of the students, who are just visiting Oxford while studying.

Communities are sustained by those who actually live in them.

The social problems caused by having a high density of students in residential areas have been well documented.

A concentration of student HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) is accompanied by excessive noise, litter, car parking problems, squalid buildings and gardens, petty vandalism, and a lack of neighbours and neighbourliness. This is a national problem affecting many university towns, as documented by the National HMO Lobby (www.hmolobby.org.uk). The numerous residents’ associations in areas around Brookes are discovering that their common problems have a common cause. Feelings of resentment and helplessness are being replaced by anger and commitment to action. Brookes’ contribution towards the deteriorating quality of life of residents is far from forgotten.

Ivon Asquith, East Oxford