The College Dining and Common Room

[RJ Covino]

Over the last week, I have been working on the guide for incoming postgraduates for the Students' Association. This, generally, means that I've been looking through back issues of such guides and seeing what tidbits concerning postgraduate life I could steal.

Back in '94/'95, St Leonard's College provided postgraduates with a number of services which are not offered to them today. Among these were a College Dining Room and Common Room. (It also allocated shared office-space for postgraduates whose departments didn't have enough room for them, but that's another issue entirely).

There is currently talk at the upper levels of University government about bringing back some manner of staff/postgraduate social space. Do the readers have any thoughts?

Personally, I have been campaigning to get all services restored which were offered to PGs in past years but which have disappeared. I have made some progress in this regard. Through the Sinner, the Postgraduates now have a forum for discussion. With the kind permission of the Principal, we now have permission to publish the postgraduate magazine, Lens, again; at the start of next term, it will make a reappearance for the first time in nearly a decade (for previous issues, see http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~lens).

These are minor concerns when compared to the University's lack of dedicate postgraduate social space. I feel obliged to tell you that the Principal was, in January at least, of the opinion that postgraduates do not need such facilities, as they do not interact with each other outside of their individual departments or halls of residence. I'd quite like you to voice your opinions that he is in the wrong on this one.

Over to you. Again.

[Eliot Wilson]

I think one of the reasons that postgraduates don't socialise much outwith their departments or halls of residence is because they don't have dedicated social facilities. I think a dining and/or common room for St Leonard's College would be an excellent idea, though I must say that I don't see much chance of the University suddenly providing one...

[hr]Bill and Ted beat the Grim Reaper at Twister

Bill: "You played very well, Death, especially with your totally heavy Death robes."

Death: "Don't patronise me."

[RJ Covino]

[s]Eliot Wilson wrote on 14:22, 13th Aug 2004:
I must say that I don't see much chance of the University suddenly providing one...

I'll agree with you on the suddenly front - it's a longer term issue. The current chatter is to form some manner of "University Club" to which postgraduate students and staff would have access. The thorn is that there have been suggestions of there being a membership fee, which I think would be deleterious to the community-building role which such a club would play.

Would PGs pay for membership? I doubt it, but I may be wrong...

[Guest]

I think a place for PG socialization would be very appropriate.

[iohannes]

Sounds like a vicious circle. PGs don't associate outwith their respective departments because there is no way to meet other PGs. And there is no way to meet other PGs because there is no way to associate with them outwith their department.

A dining hall, a common room all sound like a great idea. More PG events (and advertisement of such events) wouldn't go amiss. There have been a lot this summer, but we need more during times when a lot of people aren't away on research trips, etc.

[hr]That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

[Rilla]

[s]RJ Covino wrote on 17:15, 12th Aug 2004:

There is currently talk at the upper levels of University government about bringing back some manner of staff/postgraduate social space. Do the readers have any thoughts?

Through the Sinner, the Postgraduates now have a forum for discussion. With the kind permission of the Principal, we now have permission to publish the postgraduate magazine, Lens, again; at the start of next term, it will make a reappearance for the first time in nearly a decade (for previous issues, see http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~lens).

Over to you. Again.



Well I think definitely more needs to be done for postgrads. (I'm not giving out - I think there has been a big improvement over the summer there were lots of well organised well publicised events, and hopefully the meeting in venue 2 on saturday is still going ahead and will be advertised?). I know it has been said alot on this list and on others that postgrads are free and should be encouraged to take part as much in undergraduate social life and in the clubs & societies. Again, I totally agree. It is not ideal though. Am I the only one feeling slightly uncomfortable that some freshers arriving in the past week were born in 1987? I'm not sure how comfortable I feel "bopping" away with them. It is not entirely one sided either. If I do make an effort and start to talk to undergraduates alot of the time when they hear that I'm a postgraduate they look at me with awe and fear, as if they think I'm a substitute parent or a spy from their lecturers. It doesn't help that I tutor alot of these people. Obviously I am generalising here, but I think it needs to be (and has been really) acknowledged that we've done the whole freshers thing already. Does this make any sense? Have other people seen that look of fear in people's faces when they realise you're "old"?

[RJ Covino]

[s]Rilla wrote on 14:14, 21st Sep 2004:
I'm not giving out - I think there has been a big improvement over the summer there were lots of well organised well publicised events

Thanks - they set me the task when I was elected last November to prove that the entire budget of £1000 could be spent over the summer and, if I did that and the events were sufficiently revenue-generating, well-attended etc., then we could get more out of the new budget so as to be able to put on an entire year's worth of events.

With the help of Ben Spiers, James McLaughlin, Bonnie Ryder and Oli Walker I think we managed to pull it off - and learn quite a bit to pass on to next summer's PG officer and the sabbs.

Anyway, we've got the money now, so roll on winter term. The PG Society's AGM will be announced tomorrow, so come along if you have any ideas etc.

hopefully the meeting in venue 2 on saturday is still going ahead and will be advertised?).

Absolutely. It's in all the adverts that the Union's put out and will be going out in the Wednesday memo for the rest of the PGs. Of course, as is only natural, as Tiffany has largely been invited solely to cater for the PG audience who remember her from back in the day, the event may taper off when she comes on stage, however, that could be fun as well if we troupe down to the bop en masse...

[Marco Biagi]

Um, it's not just the postgraduates that are scared by the fact that students could be born in 1987 - actually 1988 (Scots can go to uni at 16, and I know one who graduated with a First at 19 - ok, it was from Stirling...). I may be in 5th year and therefore the same age as a starting postgrad, but I'm still an undergrad. And what about mature students? Sliding scales anyone???

Oh to hell with it, right now I'm just trying to be gratuitously argumentative.

[hr]What's the point of curry if it doesn't make your mouth bleed?