Moderate success declared for YUSU ‘Save the Bars’ campaign
The high profile SU “Save the Bars” campaign met with moderate success at the end last term, when the University agreed not to take any action to reduce opening times before October.
However, the apparent intransigence of the University during recent negotiations with the SU has caused concerns that college bars are still under threat of partial closure.
Talks between University staff, the SU and the GSA are currently underway with a view to finding a way of making college bars more marketable, though relations between the parties involved appear strained.
SU President Mickey Armstrong said in a recent interview that the SU had “met with quite a lot of resistance” during negotiations, adding “I got very angry…we may need to take serious action”.
SU Services Officer, Nat Thwaites McGowan, said in an interview lastweek that he did not “know what direction the University is going to go in…the ball is in their court”, but added that they seem “intent on following the same plan as they had previously” to cut the opening hours of college bars. He added “Certain people in the meeting did not respect the Students’ Union”.
The possibility of attributing a different theme, such as sports or cocktails, to each bar is one of several options that have been mooted during the talks.
Thwaites McGowan claims that this might remedy a situation in which, at present, “every bar tries to be everything to all its students”.
However, a proposal by the University to convert the Langwith facility into a juice bar, has caused concerns among residents that alcohol provision will be withdrawn.
Of this, Micky Armstrong said last week “I see the need for a non-alcoholic space on campus, but not at the expense of a bar. I’d support the idea of a juice bar, as long as Langwith can keep its alcohol provision.”
Neither the Bars and Catering Manager Andy Summers or Deputy Vice Chancellor Felicity Riddy, both of whom have recently played a key part in negotiations, were available for comment.
Speaking for the University last week, Press Officer David Garner said: “Discussions with the SU and the GSA are ongoing. We intend to consult colleges on a range of options over the coming year.”
Despite the apparent impasse in negotiations, the SU insist that their “Save the Bars” campaign was “very successful” and claim that it “shocked the university”. During the week-long boycott organised by the SU last term, all but two of the campus bars were closed by the university.
Armstrong said last week “We would still like to remind students that if they want to keep their bars they need to use them.” The SU will continue to encourage students to use their bars as much as possible.
To this end, a new ‘feeder’ ticketing system has been implemented, by which tickets for campus events are sold in the bar of a separate college, in order to encourage students to drink there before going on to the main event of the evening.
