hey board!
i got to thinking recently why university here is so hap-hazard (sp?), and amateurish, our union, our sports clubs, our student's rights, our halls, etc. are all WAY below the par of other universities I have visited.
i reckon its cos peeps in this town are just prepared to shut up so they have a quiet life. its the little things - i pay fees, my 'rents pay taxes, and yet i have to pay 30p in 3 ten pence pieces for a game of pool in my own hall! the university is trying to push through a compulsory up front fee for sports centre use of £75, and the AU and Union are having difficulty fighting it!
I am fed up with price hikes but no improvement of services.
I am fed up with sub standard food, and no kitchens on during the week, to save on repair bills.
The contract i signed to pay accomodation services was for macintosh hall as i knew it, and when i come back, they turn the games room into more bedrooms, and refuse to tune either of the pianos!!!!! they even decided to re-decorate our main tv room, and therefore prevent us using it, so it was ready for next easter's paying customers.
I am fed up with lecturers being late or giving extra non-timetable classes.
In the past, this stuff was put up with BUT nowadays the situation is different. Now, we ARE NOT students who must take what we can get - we are instead PAYING CUSTOMERS, and i personally would prefer there to be no fees, but as it stands we SHOULD have customers rights to demand quality for our money!
Sorry if this post is a bit random - my first here, hope i was coherent.
Q
[hr]PJG for senior student!
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why i havent been sleeping of late.....
by quarterstaff on Fri Dec 19, 2003 2:49 am
god damned mongolians!
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quarterstaff
- Posts: 637
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 10:57 am
Re:
by RaphX on Fri Dec 19, 2003 4:33 am
This is something Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Ring's Aragorn) said, in an interview for Famous, a Canadian movie magazine.
"The thing to remember about Sauron, or the U.S. British government, it doesn't matter, whoever, is that they want you to feel as if you are not in control, and never will be. You should just obey, do your thing and it will be easier for everyone if you just be quiet. It's easy to feel hopeless against that...
"...it's a duty to speak up."
A politically active quote it may be, but it immediately made me think of thie relationship between the university and its students as I read it. It does treat the students disgracefully, those who can do something about the issues people have here are either unhelpful or completely inaccessible, and generally it gives the feeling that those who have a complaint, or wish for improvements, are ungrateful vermin, and that there is nothing we can do, because it's not up to us.
I certainly don't miss the service levels, living conditions, and general availability of everything in the University of St. Andrews.
"The thing to remember about Sauron, or the U.S. British government, it doesn't matter, whoever, is that they want you to feel as if you are not in control, and never will be. You should just obey, do your thing and it will be easier for everyone if you just be quiet. It's easy to feel hopeless against that...
"...it's a duty to speak up."
A politically active quote it may be, but it immediately made me think of thie relationship between the university and its students as I read it. It does treat the students disgracefully, those who can do something about the issues people have here are either unhelpful or completely inaccessible, and generally it gives the feeling that those who have a complaint, or wish for improvements, are ungrateful vermin, and that there is nothing we can do, because it's not up to us.
I certainly don't miss the service levels, living conditions, and general availability of everything in the University of St. Andrews.
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RaphX
Re:
by Buzzboy on Fri Dec 19, 2003 11:54 am
In France they strike (yes, the students strike) and it works. A Unilateral fee boycott would wake up people in the University business. Why should people pay to make their degree worth less?
[hr]On the Seventh Day God said to Adam:
"Can I leave it with you?"
[hr]On the Seventh Day God said to Adam:
"Can I leave it with you?"
On the Seventh Day God said to Adam:
"Can I leave it with you?"
"Can I leave it with you?"
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Buzzboy
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Re:
by rubbermuffin on Fri Dec 19, 2003 1:42 pm
As Food Rep of Andrew Melville, I was shocked to be told by one of the managers that students were 'greedy' for taking 'too much' salad. How much salad is too much?
[hr]'I said I wasn't blaming Jesus or anything. It wasn't His fault that He didn't have any time.'
[hr]'I said I wasn't blaming Jesus or anything. It wasn't His fault that He didn't have any time.'
'If something has to change then it always does'
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rubbermuffin
- Posts: 593
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Re:
by Prophet Tenebrae on Fri Dec 19, 2003 2:21 pm
I read the discourse of the meeting that you had rubbermuffin and it's laughable really. Then when people take action they start saying that people are "causing antagonism". Which is ironic because aren't they more guilty of that than anyone else?
I imagine that the University will probably succeed with pushing through at least *some* fee for the AU if it wants to. It seems that their tactic is invariably demand something totally stupid and outrageous, then let the SRC beat them down a bit, to something still unreasonable - draw the whole process out for a bit longer until no one outside the Union really even knows or cares about it and then just sneak it in. It worked for rent rises and the technology fee thing, so it'll probably work for this.
I imagine that the University will probably succeed with pushing through at least *some* fee for the AU if it wants to. It seems that their tactic is invariably demand something totally stupid and outrageous, then let the SRC beat them down a bit, to something still unreasonable - draw the whole process out for a bit longer until no one outside the Union really even knows or cares about it and then just sneak it in. It worked for rent rises and the technology fee thing, so it'll probably work for this.
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Prophet Tenebrae
Re:
by sabra_girl on Fri Dec 19, 2003 2:27 pm
re: rubbermuffin's comment
Oh, how silly of us gluttonous Melvillites! Heaven forbid that we might want to stock up on some actual, natural vegetables and salad instead of the carbohydrate overload we are presented with three times a day. How could we be so selfish? Shame on us all...
[hr]"I saw a bird fly its cage, Well its wings could take it anywhere, But I watched as it flew back from where it came..." - Sean Watkins
Oh, how silly of us gluttonous Melvillites! Heaven forbid that we might want to stock up on some actual, natural vegetables and salad instead of the carbohydrate overload we are presented with three times a day. How could we be so selfish? Shame on us all...
[hr]"I saw a bird fly its cage, Well its wings could take it anywhere, But I watched as it flew back from where it came..." - Sean Watkins
"There are not very many desires in life which we can actually meet. For instance, 'I want to meet the love of my life'. Probably not today! But 'I want a cup of coffee.' That I can do!" Chris Thile (Nickel Creek)
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sabra_girl
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- Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2003 3:21 pm
Re:
by The Cellar Bar on Fri Dec 19, 2003 2:54 pm
[s]Buzzboy wrote on 11:54, 19th Dec 2003:
In France they strike (yes, the students strike) and it works. A Unilateral fee boycott would wake up people in the University business. Why should people pay to make their degree worth less?
to an extent the threat of it actually worked here a few years back. A demonstration, a sit-in in Quad and ,notionally, at least, the authorities backed down on projected rent increases. What they did , of course, was to delay it for 3 or 4 years, wait until everyone who had participated had graduated and then promptly re-introduced them again!!
No particular offence, but the classic apathy that is talked of so much round here, is what they depend on. The instilled belief of "what's the point, nothing will happen anyway" God bless 20 years of Thatcherism and her success in talking politics out of politics.
That, to an extent, is shown up in the fact that maybe only 10 students from here went down to London recently. And it's been exacerbated by the quite outrageous threats from the University of "bringing the University into disrepute" by doing anything that attracts the attention of the newspaers while Prince William is here. It would be interesting to see what the reaction from "the rest of the world" would be when it gets into the newspapers that people's sons and daughters are being threatened in that way if they take anything to the newspapers!!
This isn't school. There are no head teachers, no bad marks for stepping out of line outside of academic work but so long as you believe that to be the case, the process will simply roll on.
What there are are 7,000 people between the ages of 17 and 21 and if there's anything the powers that be fear most it's a bunch of "out of control" young people. The suggestion would be to take them on and just see how many of the threats come to fruition. It's either that or sit back and wait for even more increases and charges being dumped on you from a height.
In France they strike (yes, the students strike) and it works. A Unilateral fee boycott would wake up people in the University business. Why should people pay to make their degree worth less?
to an extent the threat of it actually worked here a few years back. A demonstration, a sit-in in Quad and ,notionally, at least, the authorities backed down on projected rent increases. What they did , of course, was to delay it for 3 or 4 years, wait until everyone who had participated had graduated and then promptly re-introduced them again!!
No particular offence, but the classic apathy that is talked of so much round here, is what they depend on. The instilled belief of "what's the point, nothing will happen anyway" God bless 20 years of Thatcherism and her success in talking politics out of politics.
That, to an extent, is shown up in the fact that maybe only 10 students from here went down to London recently. And it's been exacerbated by the quite outrageous threats from the University of "bringing the University into disrepute" by doing anything that attracts the attention of the newspaers while Prince William is here. It would be interesting to see what the reaction from "the rest of the world" would be when it gets into the newspapers that people's sons and daughters are being threatened in that way if they take anything to the newspapers!!
This isn't school. There are no head teachers, no bad marks for stepping out of line outside of academic work but so long as you believe that to be the case, the process will simply roll on.
What there are are 7,000 people between the ages of 17 and 21 and if there's anything the powers that be fear most it's a bunch of "out of control" young people. The suggestion would be to take them on and just see how many of the threats come to fruition. It's either that or sit back and wait for even more increases and charges being dumped on you from a height.
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The Cellar Bar
- Posts: 484
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Re:
by Alex Muir on Fri Dec 19, 2003 3:26 pm
Well let's not just sit on out arses typing on a messageboard. We should thrash out some ideas and get some sort of action going. I too am sick of the disgraceful 'customer service' at this university. Here are a few more let downs of the past year or so:
> ResNet is slower than ever and with the worst support from ITS that I have ever heard of.
> People without computers have paid the £50 ResNet charge(included in their rent) supposedly to fund an overhaul of computer rooms in residences. ITS are only just beginning to deal with this, half way through the year. JSA students have seen absolutely nothing for their extra money and most residences will not have better facilities until the middle of next semester at the earliest.
> Anyone remember the dramatic launch of the Universty's energy effeciency scheme in 2002? The idea was that students would be encouraged to save energy by receiving enhanced computers for residences out of the money saved. But wait a minute, haven't we just paid for these new computers(which aren't here)?
Here is the press release if anyone is interested:
http://calvin.st-andrews.ac.uk/external ... erence=367
I love this university, and there are some parts of it which I think are excellent - the academic departments, the access centre and the majority of low level staff whom I see everyday. The Union should really be organising this sort of protest, and all credit to Will McFarlane, he has been working bloody hard.
I put a list of suggestions on the Union's messageboard a while back ( http://www.thesinner.co.uk/messageboard ... hread=5855 ), it has been added to sporadically by other people but the sabs at the union have not bothered responding to a single point raised there. No changes have been made, not even very basic ones like a new sign for the door.
As the organisational face of the students, 'our union' is quite frankly an embarrassment. It should provide an example to the university and local businesses of what students expect. Instead we pay our bar staff £4.10 an hour (below the minimum wage), give them no staff drinks, and absolutely no chances of promotion.
> ResNet is slower than ever and with the worst support from ITS that I have ever heard of.
> People without computers have paid the £50 ResNet charge(included in their rent) supposedly to fund an overhaul of computer rooms in residences. ITS are only just beginning to deal with this, half way through the year. JSA students have seen absolutely nothing for their extra money and most residences will not have better facilities until the middle of next semester at the earliest.
> Anyone remember the dramatic launch of the Universty's energy effeciency scheme in 2002? The idea was that students would be encouraged to save energy by receiving enhanced computers for residences out of the money saved. But wait a minute, haven't we just paid for these new computers(which aren't here)?
Here is the press release if anyone is interested:
http://calvin.st-andrews.ac.uk/external ... erence=367
I love this university, and there are some parts of it which I think are excellent - the academic departments, the access centre and the majority of low level staff whom I see everyday. The Union should really be organising this sort of protest, and all credit to Will McFarlane, he has been working bloody hard.
I put a list of suggestions on the Union's messageboard a while back ( http://www.thesinner.co.uk/messageboard ... hread=5855 ), it has been added to sporadically by other people but the sabs at the union have not bothered responding to a single point raised there. No changes have been made, not even very basic ones like a new sign for the door.
As the organisational face of the students, 'our union' is quite frankly an embarrassment. It should provide an example to the university and local businesses of what students expect. Instead we pay our bar staff £4.10 an hour (below the minimum wage), give them no staff drinks, and absolutely no chances of promotion.
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Alex Muir
continuity and accountability
by quarterstaff on Fri Dec 19, 2003 4:06 pm
you have touched on a good point about the sabs.
our sabs dont work very well - i know nothing of the peeps themselves. its the system that is flawed - we need sabs for more than just one year if there are to be any real changes, but we also need sabs that are more accountable.
the AU guys are apparently trying to change the club funding thing so its not just success based (the poorer clubs get poorer and die this way), but none of them will be in office long enough to ENSURE it goes through properly.
anyone got ideas on how to increase continuity, and accountability????
Q
our sabs dont work very well - i know nothing of the peeps themselves. its the system that is flawed - we need sabs for more than just one year if there are to be any real changes, but we also need sabs that are more accountable.
the AU guys are apparently trying to change the club funding thing so its not just success based (the poorer clubs get poorer and die this way), but none of them will be in office long enough to ENSURE it goes through properly.
anyone got ideas on how to increase continuity, and accountability????
Q
god damned mongolians!
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quarterstaff
- Posts: 637
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 10:57 am
don't accept the unacceptable, with apologies for forthcoming rant...
by KateBush on Fri Dec 19, 2003 4:17 pm
Wholeheartedly agree with this. We should MEET next semester to get a plan going, and get Will involved.
Sorry, rant coming up....anyone not wanting to read about the plight of a frustrated fourth year, stop now. The rest of you...well, you've been warned.
You want to talk about unacceptable? I've had to scrub this whole semester through ill health, and despite the fact I only attended two weeks of classes for one of my modules (I'm a 4th yr arts student--we're talking only 2 hrs classes per week for each moduole, peeps!), and four weeks for the other one, the University says I can't have back my £575 tuition fees for this semester because 'I missed the cut off date which was week 2'--forgive me for TRYING to continue with the modules after getting out of hospital, and for NOT giving up at the first hurdle. SILLY ME! wouldn't have bothered if I'd known I'd be PENALISED like this. I have £20 to my name, and this sodding university has almost £600 of my money for modules that aren't even on my transcript.....WHY?
I've also paid residence fees for this semester-- about £1350-ish. No one told me when I picked my room that I'd be living above a building site. The new rooms which were spoken about at the start of the thread are being built directly underneath MY bloody room. The residence managers made out that I was being unreasonable by asking for a net for my window to stop the workmen staring straight into my room...BASIC PRIVACY, PEOPLE! Everyone else in the whole of the hall on the ground floor has one. Sounds petty, but how would you feel knowing that EVERY DAY men are gawping in at your room? Why the hell should I have to close my curtains and live like a damn vampire? ITS RIDICULOUS.
Our wardens don't care, the tutors in my department certainly don't care, as most of them have AVOIDED ME since all this shit happened and I had to withdraw for the semester...to the extent that I don't think they even know whether i'm coming back next semester or not! I'm wondering exactly why the hell I should bother coming back for honours when I could, quite easily, leave NOW with a general and have the letters MA after my name.
I loved this university and was so proud to belong here, but when the chips are down, no one really gives a toss. People, WE ARE MATRICULATED CHEQUEBOOKS and it's time to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and make the university LISTEN....we pay the wages of these anal people who deny us the basic standards we can expect. WHOS WITH ME?
Sorry for ranting, please don't be cross people, but I had to get it out of my system somehow...
Sorry, rant coming up....anyone not wanting to read about the plight of a frustrated fourth year, stop now. The rest of you...well, you've been warned.
You want to talk about unacceptable? I've had to scrub this whole semester through ill health, and despite the fact I only attended two weeks of classes for one of my modules (I'm a 4th yr arts student--we're talking only 2 hrs classes per week for each moduole, peeps!), and four weeks for the other one, the University says I can't have back my £575 tuition fees for this semester because 'I missed the cut off date which was week 2'--forgive me for TRYING to continue with the modules after getting out of hospital, and for NOT giving up at the first hurdle. SILLY ME! wouldn't have bothered if I'd known I'd be PENALISED like this. I have £20 to my name, and this sodding university has almost £600 of my money for modules that aren't even on my transcript.....WHY?
I've also paid residence fees for this semester-- about £1350-ish. No one told me when I picked my room that I'd be living above a building site. The new rooms which were spoken about at the start of the thread are being built directly underneath MY bloody room. The residence managers made out that I was being unreasonable by asking for a net for my window to stop the workmen staring straight into my room...BASIC PRIVACY, PEOPLE! Everyone else in the whole of the hall on the ground floor has one. Sounds petty, but how would you feel knowing that EVERY DAY men are gawping in at your room? Why the hell should I have to close my curtains and live like a damn vampire? ITS RIDICULOUS.
Our wardens don't care, the tutors in my department certainly don't care, as most of them have AVOIDED ME since all this shit happened and I had to withdraw for the semester...to the extent that I don't think they even know whether i'm coming back next semester or not! I'm wondering exactly why the hell I should bother coming back for honours when I could, quite easily, leave NOW with a general and have the letters MA after my name.
I loved this university and was so proud to belong here, but when the chips are down, no one really gives a toss. People, WE ARE MATRICULATED CHEQUEBOOKS and it's time to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and make the university LISTEN....we pay the wages of these anal people who deny us the basic standards we can expect. WHOS WITH ME?
Sorry for ranting, please don't be cross people, but I had to get it out of my system somehow...
Intelligence can leap the hurdles which nature has set before us- Livy
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KateBush
- Posts: 1254
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2003 6:51 pm
Re:
by off he goes on Fri Dec 19, 2003 4:32 pm
i`ve had similar problems to a much much lesser extent. after becoming ill after reading week i tried to turn up to as many lectures as i could, despite feeling like crap, but i was treated like i was just pissing about and making excuses.
the next weekend i visited the doctor who told me i had severe tonsilitis and possible glandular fever. after a week and a half i returned to classes still not feeling great but i simply couldnt afford to take anymore time off cos i wouldnt have enough time to catch up on my work.
anyways after asking for extensions and talking to tutors about the effects missing classes had had on exams marks, i was told quite firmly that because i only had a week of official continuous absence i couldnt really make that claim.
it seems in future the best bet would be to stay away from uni at the first sign of illness because i sure as hell didnt gain anything from trying to not miss class
[hr]sheets of empty canvas
untouched sheets of clay
the next weekend i visited the doctor who told me i had severe tonsilitis and possible glandular fever. after a week and a half i returned to classes still not feeling great but i simply couldnt afford to take anymore time off cos i wouldnt have enough time to catch up on my work.
anyways after asking for extensions and talking to tutors about the effects missing classes had had on exams marks, i was told quite firmly that because i only had a week of official continuous absence i couldnt really make that claim.
it seems in future the best bet would be to stay away from uni at the first sign of illness because i sure as hell didnt gain anything from trying to not miss class
[hr]sheets of empty canvas
untouched sheets of clay
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off he goes
Re:
by KateBush on Fri Dec 19, 2003 4:36 pm
[s]off he goes wrote on 16:32, 19th Dec 2003:
i`ve had similar problems to a much much lesser extent. after becoming ill after reading week i tried to turn up to as many lectures as i could, despite feeling like crap, but i was treated like i was just pissing about and making excuses.
the next weekend i visited the doctor who told me i had severe tonsilitis and possible glandular fever. after a week and a half i returned to classes still not feeling great but i simply couldnt afford to take anymore time off cos i wouldnt have enough time to catch up on my work.
anyways after asking for extensions and talking to tutors about the effects missing classes had had on exams marks, i was told quite firmly that because i only had a week of official continuous absence i couldnt really make that claim.
it seems in future the best bet would be to stay away from uni at the first sign of illness because i sure as hell didnt gain anything from trying to not miss class
[hr][i]sheets of empty canvas
untouched sheets of clay
[/i]
Sorry about your experiences. which faculty are you in? Which year? I thought my dept would be really understanding and instead they've just made out that I've inconvenienced them by staying around. I wonder how they would feel if someone they knew wasn't well and was really far away from home, say a son or daughter, nephew or neice, and they faced this kind of treatment?
Atleast I'm not the only one feeling like this! HURRAH!
i`ve had similar problems to a much much lesser extent. after becoming ill after reading week i tried to turn up to as many lectures as i could, despite feeling like crap, but i was treated like i was just pissing about and making excuses.
the next weekend i visited the doctor who told me i had severe tonsilitis and possible glandular fever. after a week and a half i returned to classes still not feeling great but i simply couldnt afford to take anymore time off cos i wouldnt have enough time to catch up on my work.
anyways after asking for extensions and talking to tutors about the effects missing classes had had on exams marks, i was told quite firmly that because i only had a week of official continuous absence i couldnt really make that claim.
it seems in future the best bet would be to stay away from uni at the first sign of illness because i sure as hell didnt gain anything from trying to not miss class
[hr][i]sheets of empty canvas
untouched sheets of clay
[/i]
Sorry about your experiences. which faculty are you in? Which year? I thought my dept would be really understanding and instead they've just made out that I've inconvenienced them by staying around. I wonder how they would feel if someone they knew wasn't well and was really far away from home, say a son or daughter, nephew or neice, and they faced this kind of treatment?
Atleast I'm not the only one feeling like this! HURRAH!
Intelligence can leap the hurdles which nature has set before us- Livy
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KateBush
- Posts: 1254
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2003 6:51 pm
Re:
by off he goes on Fri Dec 19, 2003 4:52 pm
[s]KateBush wrote on 16:36, 19th Dec 2003:
Sorry about your experiences. which faculty are you in? Which year? I thought my dept would be really understanding and instead they've just made out that I've inconvenienced them by staying around. I wonder how they would feel if someone they knew wasn't well and was really far away from home, say a son or daughter, nephew or neice, and they faced this kind of treatment?
Atleast I'm not the only one feeling like this! HURRAH!
well i`m only a first year so prbably with more experience at uni i could have handled things better but i wa just amazed at how inconsiderate certain people were. having returned on thursday, i recieved a class test, three projects and an essay to do for the next day, and then a further project and assignment for the monday. i was still feeling the effects and fatigue of being ill and on top of all this i had to revise for a class test on monday.
i mean i`m sure it`ll work out and i hope it does for you too, but its a good job i feel happy amongst the students of st andrews because i didnt feel so welcome by the university.
having said that i did go to see dave roberts today and hes given me some confidence that the university are capable of choosing some excellent staff.
(edit: i`m in the science faculty btw)
[hr]
sheets of empty canvas
untouched sheets of clay
Sorry about your experiences. which faculty are you in? Which year? I thought my dept would be really understanding and instead they've just made out that I've inconvenienced them by staying around. I wonder how they would feel if someone they knew wasn't well and was really far away from home, say a son or daughter, nephew or neice, and they faced this kind of treatment?
Atleast I'm not the only one feeling like this! HURRAH!
well i`m only a first year so prbably with more experience at uni i could have handled things better but i wa just amazed at how inconsiderate certain people were. having returned on thursday, i recieved a class test, three projects and an essay to do for the next day, and then a further project and assignment for the monday. i was still feeling the effects and fatigue of being ill and on top of all this i had to revise for a class test on monday.
i mean i`m sure it`ll work out and i hope it does for you too, but its a good job i feel happy amongst the students of st andrews because i didnt feel so welcome by the university.
having said that i did go to see dave roberts today and hes given me some confidence that the university are capable of choosing some excellent staff.
(edit: i`m in the science faculty btw)
[hr]
sheets of empty canvas
untouched sheets of clay
-
off he goes
Unhappy with University?
by Will MacFarlane on Fri Dec 19, 2003 5:36 pm
The sabs have all written half yearly reports which should appear on the website in the very near future. These include our aims/plans for the new year. If you have any suggestions or a particular issue that you want me to give College Gate a hard time about, please do come and see me, email me at dorep or give me a call on 2700.
Hope people have a good festive break! Baaa humbug!
Hope people have a good festive break! Baaa humbug!
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Will MacFarlane
Re:
by cheeky on Sat Dec 20, 2003 2:12 pm
[s]Alex Muir wrote on 15:26, 19th Dec 2003:
> ResNet is slower than ever and with the worst support from ITS that I have ever heard of.
Actually it's faster and more reliable (it's gone down once this year, with the new server increasing speeds greatly), with ITS working far more constructively and helpfully than before.
> People without computers have paid the £50 ResNet charge(included in their rent) supposedly to fund an overhaul of computer rooms in residences. ITS are only just beginning to deal with this, half way through the year. JSA students have seen absolutely nothing for their extra money and most residences will not have better facilities until the middle of next semester at the earliest.
The original plan was in fact for new computers to be introduced over a number of years. ITS did their best and lo and behold after this xmas break all halls will have 1 brand spanking new pc for every 20-30 people or so. There will also be good printing facilities for everyone to access.
> Anyone remember the dramatic launch of the Universty's energy effeciency scheme in 2002? The idea was that students would be encouraged to save energy by receiving enhanced computers for residences out of the money saved. But wait a minute, haven't we just paid for these new computers(which aren't here)?
The university as a whole did not reduce energy ouput enough to qualify for any rewards. Other places that took part did, but the uni overall did not.
I agree that there are many things that need changing, but to have a good case people need to get their facts right. Those three examples would have been shot down with a little more research.
Complaining and protesting will only work if you make sure that you are in fact in the right in the first place. The accommodation and accommodation services staff in particular are worthy of complaint (they have a certificate in their offices awarded for exceptional customer service!!). Fees have risen with no benefits to residents what so ever. Communication between the various offices of the universities is also atrocious with some senior people not knowing what their staff actually do all day.
Accommodation is probably the best place to start a protest about, followed most likely by the union.
> ResNet is slower than ever and with the worst support from ITS that I have ever heard of.
Actually it's faster and more reliable (it's gone down once this year, with the new server increasing speeds greatly), with ITS working far more constructively and helpfully than before.
> People without computers have paid the £50 ResNet charge(included in their rent) supposedly to fund an overhaul of computer rooms in residences. ITS are only just beginning to deal with this, half way through the year. JSA students have seen absolutely nothing for their extra money and most residences will not have better facilities until the middle of next semester at the earliest.
The original plan was in fact for new computers to be introduced over a number of years. ITS did their best and lo and behold after this xmas break all halls will have 1 brand spanking new pc for every 20-30 people or so. There will also be good printing facilities for everyone to access.
> Anyone remember the dramatic launch of the Universty's energy effeciency scheme in 2002? The idea was that students would be encouraged to save energy by receiving enhanced computers for residences out of the money saved. But wait a minute, haven't we just paid for these new computers(which aren't here)?
The university as a whole did not reduce energy ouput enough to qualify for any rewards. Other places that took part did, but the uni overall did not.
I agree that there are many things that need changing, but to have a good case people need to get their facts right. Those three examples would have been shot down with a little more research.
Complaining and protesting will only work if you make sure that you are in fact in the right in the first place. The accommodation and accommodation services staff in particular are worthy of complaint (they have a certificate in their offices awarded for exceptional customer service!!). Fees have risen with no benefits to residents what so ever. Communication between the various offices of the universities is also atrocious with some senior people not knowing what their staff actually do all day.
Accommodation is probably the best place to start a protest about, followed most likely by the union.
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cheeky
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