I understand that if you build a department a new building, their students deserve priority use of the space. But when you spend £150 million pounds developing a new building that covers 5 floors and 6 wings, gatekeeping study spaces for the meagre 150 postgraduate students who study there feels excessive.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s important they have space to study, conduct research, and feel at home at the University. But cordoning off whole corridors with open study areas for them alone because you’ve noticed lots of students have flooded the building, should make you realise that there is a wider issue; there is a lack of study space for students.
The Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) is massive, many friends still get lost in its rabbit warren of corridors and staircases. But whilst Goliath in size, it lacks accessible study spaces. Yet lots of the classrooms remain empty and unused – why not section these off for EFI students to use? This is their building, afterall. If those classrooms aren’t being used, why not turn them into EFI-specific spaces where they can work in peace? If you want to prohibit access, at least prohibit all of the secondary school students who camp out in the study spaces throughout the day – seemingly unperturbed about going to classes or taking away study space from students who go to the University, who’s fees paid for the building.
Instead, by limiting access to the open study spaces on the 2nd floor corridor, the University is exacerbating a growing issue; there isn’t enough space for students to work. The University is increasing its intake each year, but they’re not creating more spaces for them to study on campus, which certainly isn’t helped by the closure of Teviot (granted, that’s a EUSA issue).
We need more places to study, and the University is wasting space on empty classrooms.
“Edinburgh Futures Institute under construction” by Magnus Hagdorn is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.