That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
The Justin Sane song that inspired this article’s title is about choosing money over any other principle. Lyrics such as "If genocide is good for the economy, then I'm for it; if genocide is bad for the economy, then I'm against it" may sound like the babbling of a teenage activist, but with the university's history of investing in the arms trade, they resonate closer to home than we'd like.
When I lived in Alcuin in my first year I rarely used B Henry's. It was a good venue during Freshers' Week for all the events, but aside from a few burger lunches, B Henry's was less convenient to meet friends and go for drinks than the more centrally located bars, such as V-Bar. I'll also admit that there are problems with the design of the space: the bar feels segmented because of the internal walls, so it makes a poor arena for comedy or music nights.
So, yes, there's definitely room for improvement, but that doesn't mean the bar need be closed! Surely the internal wall problem could be solved by replacing the walls with columns. If the turnover of the bar is so poor, then why not focus more on the restaurant, which is doing well.
However, the university appears to think that anything that isn't making them money isn't worth the time or the effort. But Alcuin's bar is an integral part of the college's social life, so if it is unable to sustain itself then the university should subsidise it.
The university have the audacity to believe that their upper management know more about the day-to-day running or needs of Alcuin College than its provost Tony Ward, or than its students. So when Commercial Services looked over the figures and, on the basis of the bar's losses alone, took action to try and close the bar, they did so without consulting the staff or students of Alcuin College.
How difficult would it have been to have brought the bar's financial problems to the attention of the JCRC, Tony Ward and the rest of Alcuin in order to allow them to decide for themselves what they wanted to do about the situation? Why not have a focus-group discussion?
It is after all Alcuin students who pay their accommodation fees to the university expecting to have a bar and restaurant and they are the ones who will be hit the hardest by losing a social space.
Instead, the JCRC have been forced to run their own campaign, 'B Henry's: There is a Plan B!', in order to have a say in what happens in their college. The campaign has been fairly successful thus far with 168 votes for the UGM motion of keep the bar.
The university's failure to listen to students and their commitment to money above all else disappoints me more than the idea of not being able to have a cocktail or a burger at B Henry's. However on the flip-side I can't help being impressed by the collaborative efforts of Alcuin, YUSU and Langwith in dealing with the university on this issue.
The Facebook campaign group, 'B Henry's: There is a Plan B!' can be found here.
Update: The university have decided to keep B Henry's open for at least one more term, as reported here.
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