Thursday July 24, 2008
News
Pimp Your Union · Issue 868, by Abigail Whittaker
Cardiff University Students’ Union (CUSU) has unveiled plans to develop social space and improve food provision in the building.
The proposed changes, which are scheduled for completion over the coming summer months, will modify the Junction Bar and Buffers in Solus.
Junction will be redeveloped into an open-plan learning environment, which will operate until early evening and feature a glass front to provide access to a balcony and outdoor seating.
The main structural changes will include a relocation of the toilets into the main nightclub and the removal of the bottle bar to make way for a food provision area.
A new staircase will be installed to provide easy access from Buffers (back room in Solus) to CF10.
In addition, the renovation will create small working areas and comfortable seating zones with internet access.
However, the layout and the décor of the area are yet to be confirmed.
The plans have been commissioned recently following the publication of results of this year’s Student Satisfaction Survey, in which the Union building was described as tired, claustrophobic and in need of a facelift.
The move comes in preparation for the utilisation of the Great Hall as a part-time lecture theatre from September 2008.
Increasing competition from venues in Cathays and the city centre has also led to a recent decline in the Union’s commercial trade.
Considerations for food provision are still in the initial stages, with detailed market research set to be undertaken in the coming fortnight.
The SU’s Communications Department have been tasked with conducting face-to-face market research out on the street to discover whether or not students would like more food and drink provision and, if so, what kind and at what price.
A web-poll and the use of Facebook will also aid the investigation.
CUSU President Jonny Cox said: “The Student Satisfaction Survey provides the Union with priceless information about the experience students are having in the Students’ Union.
“As you can see from the new plans for the Junction area, we are already acting upon this year’s results.”
The sabbatical officers, who form the board of directors of CUSU, initially approved the plans.
A proposal was then taken to Student Council on Tuesday April 29 and passed by approximately 40 students.
The project will be paid for out of Union ‘reserves’, which are designated for one-off projects.
Funding will then be derived from Union capital, so that the overall cost can be spread over several years.
A Union spokesperson said: “We do hope that in time other areas of the Union will be improved, but this is an independent project.”
Work is expected to take place between June and September while students are on holiday.
But there is a foreseeable clash with the graduation club-nights that the Union puts on in July.
Union officials are aware of this issue and, if necessary, construction work will be boarded up so as not to impinge on the events.
As yet no contingency plan has been confirmed should the work be incomplete at the start of the academic year 2008-2009.
But executives have reassured students that deadlines will be discussed with potential contractors and, should completion before the restart of term be impossible, then the project will not be embarked upon.
CUSU Vice-President Rowena Vassallo supported the changes.
She said: “We hope to create a more vibrant Students’ Union with a brighter, more welcoming atmosphere at all times of the day.
“We hope that a more diverse range of students will spend more time in the Union, as we will be able to provide more places to relax in during the day as well as at night.”
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Just like to say, the plans look sweet and everyone should try and get a look at them if they can (or wait to be pleasantly surprised in September).
You reckon? I have to say I was really disappointed with them, seems that the union is turning more into a conference and banqueting facility in the long term (this doesn’t necessarily involve solus I guess) than Cardiff University Students Union.
Why do you need to go anonymous to say that?
I know that there was a student satisfaction survey, but were students consulted over the proposed designs or even given a choice from a number of designs as to which they would prefer?
Conference and banqueting facility? Are you havin a laugh? I’m gonna assume you’ve never actually seen a conference and banqueting room before because the plans for Junction change, what is today, an under-used row of couchs and smelly toilets into a cool, comfortable looking cafe/bar area and it’s gonna be alot better come next year.
i would advise you think long and carefully about these plans. they are not as great as you may think at first sight. trust me. have you seen the plans for the rest of the union. the conference and banqueting facility is too much of an understatement. eventually the only place to drink will be taf. the great hall is going to be a shitty lecture venue with no space for concerts and solus is going to be a lunch venue. woo
i also ask…. how many students answered the satisfaction survey. and how many of those even use the union anyway?
Anonymous, I saw the plans and think they look great. To be honest, anything would be better in Junction during the day because it’s a total waste of space if its not open. The Taf is, at the minute, the only place to socialise in the union before night time so the plan is to change that. Not to make the Taf the only place to drink at any time.
And since when is Solus being turned into a lunch venue? The renovations happening over the summer are only concerned with the Junction bar(in the photo above) and with the side room of Solus called Buffers,which is rather unused as well. Note that the actual work being done to Buffers has yet to be decided depending on what students want in there.
As for the Great Hall, it’s a lecture theatre 2 1/2 days a week now, that’s shit, but that still gives plenty of days for concerts.
Not sure how many answered the Student Satisfaction survey but they were asked specific questions about the union and many commented on specific aspects within so you can bet that they do use the union. If they don’t use the union then the survey is a decent way of finding out why not.
realistically the changes to the union are going to be done with the unions best interest at heart not the students.
To be frank look at what happened last time they listened to students from a survey…. the security changed and look at what a shambles that was. Thomas, you are a prime candidate of someone who is being blinded by the light of someone who wants you to have the exact reaction you are having.
In the long term the union will want to get rid of Solus. It doesnt make any money, and there is no realistic way it will ever compete with nights in town. Period.
And as for the great hall… Well I wont even start but again it will be done with the University’s best interest at heart (not the use of the word university not union) And lets not forget the University dont give a monkeys about concerts as it has nothing to do with them.
And the answer to how many people filled in the student survey? Well as many who voted/went to varsity/use the union. i.e. nowhere near a representative proportion of the student body to warrant change.
So you’d prefer Junction to stay as it is then? Don’t forget that these plans were made by the student executive and got backing at student council so this isn’t some sorta “union having its way”. Please tell me the difference between the “unions best interest” and that of the students. If the union is shit, students don’t go, simple as. The union is fixing itself up so that it can compete with nights in town.
Can you give any figures relating to how the union loses money through Solus or are you only assuming that it does?
Regarding the Great Hall, students had the option of voting on that issue at the last 2 AGM’s. The University get use of it on our terms only. I don’t necessarily agree with it but it’s been decided so not much we can do until next year. Show up to the AGM if you want to complain about it.
Just to clarify, the Great Hall lecture theatre plan never went to AGM per se.
The issue that AGM voted on was the introduction of Student Parliament not the University being allowed to use the Great Hall as a lecture theatre.
However, AGM was told by the then sabb officers that Student Parliament required the Great Hall to be converted by the University so indirectly AGM did vote on it but the decision could have been taken by the board of the students’ union regardless.
And this year’s motion wasn’t a decision as such, just the sabbaticals gaining a better mandate to argue against further use of the Great Hall, which, let’s be fair, the University would love to have 5 days a week.
The difference between the unions best interest and that of the students is you have to remember that the exec team changes every year. In other words what I’m saying is from a students perspective you treat the union as a yearly thing whereas the staff treat it as an ongoing project.
Now, in my opinion, the union will never be able to compete with nights in town. Simple. I have already made that point. The amount of money that would realistically have to be invested to make this different is obscene and wouldnt be available.
I never said the union loses money, I said it doesnt make any money. Now Thomas I also ask you, as the regular attender of student council that I know you are, to look at the budget. What was the prediction for takings from union nights this year? Did that include Rubber Duck? Yes. How profitable as a whole have Wednesday nights this year been? The answer not very, if not the complete opposite.
Now finally regarding the Great Hall. At the first AGM to which you were referring the motion proposed was to ask whether or not we wanted talks with the Union to proceed, not on a definite decision (i.e. a yes or no) Now the only comment I make on the vote this year is this. Quoracy.
Oh and for the record. I was at AGM and I did complain.
thanks to Lee for clarifying the AGM point better.
Well, hmmm, the point about the satisfaction survey being representative or not is kind of irrelevant seeing as the Sabbatical team are perfectly justified in taking these decisions without any consultation of students at all. The fact that they are referring to both the satisfaction survey and the Students’ Council means that the development plans will be more in line with student needs rather than the 6 of them trying to ‘second guess’ student opinion.
It is also worth pointing out that the Sabbatical team itself is democratically elected to represent our interests and if making any significant change required majority student consent then we would make very little progress, if any at all.
I’m excited about the new plans and there’s numerous reasons but I’m going to highlight one that is important for this time of year – nice weather. At the moment in order to have a drink in the Union you must forfeit the lovely summer evening sunshine in order to go into the gloomy Taf. One day this week the Taf was basically empty while just down the road in either direction the beer gardens of the Woody and the Pen and Wig were teeming with student life. Having a glass front and outside space is going to encourage more people to stay in the Union when it’s nice out, at the moment you can only sit outside to have a smoke by the cash machines!
I don’t get your point about the union staff. They know as well as anyone that if they don’t adhere to what students want then they simply won’t be able to sustain the union. Through these developments they’re responding to what students want.
Why does it even matter if Solus doesn’t make alot of profit? Would you rather it simply shut and people had to go into town then? At least people going to solus are contributing something to the union.
Good point by Aimen, the union desperately needs a beer garden(which we will have come September). Forget talk about competing with clubs in town if we can’t even compete with the pubs 2 minutes away.
To come back to what this article is about, hmmmm, what do you think they should do with Junction bar?
Why do we even need to compete? I dont understand!?
Close Solus (as a night club) and have it as an open airy nice work area with a coffee shop etc etc quiet music, maybe a couple of computers. (This can include junction bar)
If this satisfaction survey means so much (which I hasten to add I believe it doesnt) then listen to the students. they want more events that dont revolve around alcohol and realistically if you closed Solus I don’t think anyone would care.
I really can’t understand why and aged, union is even considering competing with Luminar leisure, who are one of its ‘main competitors’ so to speak when they have a multi million pound turnover each year which is being pumped directly back in to one thing, building a better and more profitable drinking establishment.
Granted, students come to uni to work and to play, but perhaps the union will learn to realise that they should focus on the work aspect more and draw in a greater crowd during the day and early evening.
And Aimen, I ask you to read the constitution. I do not believe the Exec team have the power to make these decisions. Get your facts right.
OK then we should stop the whole process immediately since it is obviously unconstitutional.
We need to compete because students want to be able to go to the union for a night out. If it was as bad as you seem to be saying then no one would ever go, which simply isn’t the case.
Granted, we don’t have the same cash to throw about as the clubs in town but that doesn’t really matter because people still have great nights at Solus. Plus you can have a much cheaper night at the union, especially since the Taf has a load of drinks offers going.
Turn Solus into a study area?I think you need to grasp the idea that the union is the social side of university. If you need somewhere to work and study then you go to the library or somewhere provided by the university.
You’ll be happy to know though that the Junction bar is being turned into a quiet bar/coffee shop, where you could bring work to, if you so wished.
The only reason there are any drinks offers in any of the bars is because they arent getting people in and therefore need to make drinks cheap. A sign of a successful union is to see less drinks offers…
I have been reading this discussion with great interest.
I would love to pick up on a couple of comments that people have made.
‘i also ask…. how many students answered the satisfaction survey. and how many of those even use the union anyway?’
Well, this year we had a lower response rate for the satisfaction survey, but at least it is being done, as a Union we are here to represent ALL the students at Cardiff University and this is a way of gathering feedback. If you have any better way of gathering opinion other than an online survey any of our students can complete – please let us know!
It would be better if those who don’t use the Union had filled the survey in, because they’re the people that we need to start attracting to our Union. For far too long we haven’t listened to the majority of our students, and we’ve responded to a niche minority. We need to start addressing the needs of ALL our students, and that is something that these plans aim to do!
‘And Aimen, I ask you to read the constitution. I do not believe the Exec team have the power to make these decisions. Get your facts right.’
Yes we do! We go to our students to make our decisions as that way we’re involving our students in as many stages of the process as much as possible, but we could make the decision as an exec. if we so wished!
We’re absolutely gutted that the Great Hall is a lecture theatre two and a half days a week, but it is, that was done by last years executive. All we can try and do now is ensure that the effect it has on the events that we run in the hall is at an absolute minimum.
The Junction is an underused area of our Union, when you walk in on the second floor (the main entrance), there is nothing there, no vibrancy, no noise. The plans for Junction aim to appeal to all our students, not just those who want to go out at night, but also those that are looking to us to support daytime student activity. Creating an area where our students can come and relax in the daytime is vital, also I think we all agree we are in much need of improved food provision.
We, as a Union, need to diversify what we offer our students. Its not as simple as competing with other venues in Cardiff. We need to look at everyting that we provide because at the moment it doesn’t match our student demographic!
Erm. Ive just got a look at the plans properly for the first time. Im not sure. I really wasnt aware they were this extreme? I thought this debate was just about Solus and Buffers, yet everything, like EVERYTHING is moving. The Union Shop has dissapeared, student media has moved, and there seems to be an unbelieveable amount of social/learning space, as if somebody wanted to fulfill a quota or something?! On the note of student media does this mean Xpress will be getting an entirely new studio? I would hope so. When if atall does all this stuff start taking place? Obviously its going to take an awfully long time to complete….. Hopefully the union wont use the absolute knobends Stradform who built Talybont court either…...
I like the idea on the entrances tho, quite exciting! Looks like a real building not a 70’s redbrick prison block! :D