The latest meeting of the student reference group (SRG) was the first since the hub opened its doors. A meeting was called in order to address some issues raised by staff and students that required student input. Since the Hub is a unique space, a lot of the discussion revolved around what the culture in the Hub should be, rather than follow a status quo.
A couple of issues (but not all) that were mentioned included:
Signage for the Maths and Writing Centre
There were a few suggestions in improving signage plans for the Maths and Writing Centre in level 3 of the Hub. The Centre (run by the CLPD) is placed in a relatively secluded area of the Hub to provide students a quieter and more private space. The space separation in level 3 east is a bit fluid, so some extra signs will be placed to help make things a bit clearer.
Sleeping overnight in project rooms
Services staff have had to wake up students sleeping overnight in project rooms. Some have used furniture to barricade themselves inside to create privacy. As a result, cleaners have been unable to do their job and students wanting to do group work miss out on valuable study space.
The university’s duty of care was mentioned in the SRG meeting. By barricading the door, and blocking line of sight into the project room, student safety becomes compromised. It was noted that there is a difference between full-on overnight sleeping and just a light napping, the latter was not considered an issue.
A set of principles for staff and students are being drafted. These principles will help make it clear what is acceptable behaviour in the Hub. Essentially it is common sense codified, but it will empower staff and students with something to point to if there is an incident. For example, staff would be able to cite a principle about duty of care to tell a student that sleeping overnight in a project room is unacceptable.
A copy of the draft will be available online shortly.
Discussion
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