City South Student Voice
You said...
Students were unhappy that they were charged by the cash machine on campus.
We listened...
The Students' Union has now installed a new cash machine that doesn’t charge.
You said.....
Students are annoyed that lecture locations change repeatedly and the timetable does not appear to have a clear structure. Some students commented that they have difficulty in managing their part-time jobs as the timetable changes on a monthly basis.
Students also pointed out that they have large gaps, sometimes up to 3hours, between lectures.
We listened...
The Union has raised these issuse with the Health Faculty. The Faculty responded that room bookings are arranged around availability of the space, equipment required and the staff running the session. Gaps between lectures are built in so students have time to relax, eat, socialize and make progress on their independent learning or preparation for assessments.
The Faculty added that its priority in planning timetables is academic need rather than childcare/student work arrangements and reflects what the students will experience when they graduate and start working. The Union is campaigning on timetabling issues as part of the Academic Manifesto and will continue to push the Faculty to make timetables as student friendly as possible.
There is a project underway to look at how teaching needs can be coordinated to accommodate the various programmes across the Faculty. Students have been invited to participate in this. The Union welcomes this initiative and will be interested to see how it develops.
You said...
Students are happy with the library, but feel there aren’t enough books available at critical times, especially around assessments. Students asked whether the course or university could help with information on where to find the books if they need to use external libraries or the internet.
Students commented that having more computers in the library would be beneficial. They felt it was difficult to work in the ICT room because it was too noisy. They would also like study rooms and for the library to be open 24 hours, as in City North.
We listened...
The Students' Union raised these issues with the Faculty. The Faculty responded that students should discuss book numbers and needs with their programme directors so the numbers available can be considered in the planning cycle, however, very high usage books will be on short term loan so all students can get access when they need to. The library runs a number of courses to help support students to perform online searches.
The Faculty also responded that the library has a large number of laptops which students can borrow if they wish to work there. They do not believe there is demand for a 24 hour library and the Faculty does not have the security staff available to provide this. The library has a number of study areas that can be used by students in groups or individually.
You said...
Students feel there is a lack of social space at City South. They are keen for there to be more student activities down at City South, including events at Lounge South and sporting or society events. They still feel that activities are focussed on City North.
We listened...
The new Students’ Union space is for students to relax in and use. The Union has already started to promote the use of the space as a social area and some groups have already started using it for a variety of activities
Students' Union Activities staff are spending more time at City South, to help get more student activities set up on campus. Health Soc also exists so students can work together to organize whatever events/activities they wish to see at City South campus. the Union plans to offer a more diverse range of opportunities.
You said...
Many students would like to see a gym at City South.
We listened...
The Faculty responded that there are no current plans for a gym at City South, however, students can use the Munrow Centre at the University of Birmingham at a concessional rate if they wish. The Students' Union is hoping to develop better links with existing sport and leisure facilities close to other campuses without specific sporting provision
You said...
Students are happy in principle with latecomers not being allowed into lectures, however, they feel there should be some leniency exercised on occasion. They suggested a break in lectures so late comers don’t have to miss a whole lecture. Students suggested the register of who is in attendance to be passed out at the start of the lecture and not at the end.
We listened...
The Faculty responded that the request to be stricter on late students causing disruptions came from students and is well supported. The emphasis on punctuality also reflects a real life “work or placement” situation. Lecturers do, however, have discretion to allow late students in to a lecture. The Union will pass the suggestion on registers on to the Faculty.
You said...
Students frequently complain about the heating in the building and in particular room 151. They are also unhappy with towel dryers in the toilets and believe them to be unhygienic. They would like air dryers.
We listened...
The Union has raised the heating issue on several occasions now and the Faculty has responded by asking that students report issues to Building Services in order to build up a picture of the problem across the campus. Building Services has had a policy of using towel dryers but the matter will be investigated further as some areas at City South now have air dryers.
You said...
Students expressed dissatisfaction with the food in South Café in terms of quality and price. They like the fact there is plenty of choice with Shop, Café, lounge, and so on but it gets quite busy and full at lunch periods.
We listened...
We have passed this on to the Faculty.
You said...
Students can’t understand why they were not allowed to take hot drinks in to lectures.
We listened...
The Faculty responded that this is due to several serious incidents of scalding in lectures. Cold drinks, preferably water, are allowed in at the discretion of the lecturer. Eating and drinking in lectures is discouraged as there have been complaints from students about rubbish being left in the lecture rooms