Lack of Derwent Bar consultation slammed as YUSU plans to step in
Derwent JCRC Chair Joe Rankin has described the recent shock decision to close Derwent Bar as “entirely unexpected and extremely disappointing” after he was left out of the decision-making process, despite claims of University ‘consultation’.
The bar, which was not known to be under threat at the end of last year, will only be open for two nights a term under the plans, which have been attributed to ‘a lack of financial and human resources’.
In response to the announcement, Lewis Bretts, YUSU Democracy and Services Officer, has proposed for the Students’ Union to step in and run the Bar for the initial five weeks of the Autumn Term.
“The loss of an important managed social space would be of huge detriment to a College that traditionally thrives on social interaction and community. This would also severely impact on the financial position of the JCRC, and subsequently our ability to provide students services,” said Rankin.
Rankin, who claims he was “certainly cut out of the decision”, has expressed fears that the announcement was made during the summer break, without direct student input, to minimise uproar.
“I think that it’s easy to assume that the timing was planned to make it as easy as possible to push this through… [The University] has a track record of such convenient timing – like with the loss of 24 hour portering that came two days before the end of the academic year,” Rankin said.
In a statement, Rankin announced plans for Derwent to prove to the University that the college bar could be financially viable. “With the help of Derwent JCRC and YUSU, we will work to meet the bar’s performance targets and ensure the survival of our bar, for this academic year at least,” he said, echoing the aims of the Alcuin JCRC who successfully prevented the University from closing B’Henry’s last year. A group in support of the Bar has been set up on the social networking site Facebook.
Bretts, who said that YUSU was “extremely disappointed that the seriousness of the situation facing Derwent Bar specifically was not communicated at an earlier point in time”, proposed for the Union to operate for the first five weeks of term, before assessing whether the bar was making a loss.
“This solution would offer Derwent Students social provision and an opportunity to demonstrate their support for their college bar, while keeping the financial risk to YUSU to a minimum,” Bretts explained. It is understood that the proposal now rests with the University administration.
Rankin placed blame on Commercial Services’ failure to market the Bar effectively. “For too long [The University] has failed to invest in better bar facilities, and comfortable, attractive social spaces. Previous work carried out on Derwent Bar was poorly designed and was a half measures. Moreover, too often have they been inflexible and reactive to opportunities for improving their service and their takings,” he claimed.
Bretts, who will oversee the continuing success of the YUSU-run Courtyard Venue this year, agreed with Rankin’s comments. “While commercial services have undoubtedly been the victim of national and local trends over the past 5 years, we must also look to the university’s failure to invest in managed social space to explain the poor commercial performance of campus bars. A robust and thorough re-examination of campus social space is necessary to avoid the unnecessary closure of bars as student numbers grow,” said Bretts.
“In no way should it be the responsibility of a volunteer organisation (JCRC) to prop up a business. No other successful commercial venture requires this to prosper – let alone remain open. For the duration of my time as Chair and Bar Rep before that, it seems Campus Bars have relied on us to encourage, enthuse and bring people in,” Rankin added.
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This is a great shame. I WILL not let this happen during my time
This is a disgrace.
Me and Joe may be chairs from rival colleges and we enjoy the banter but we have always seen eye to eye about the future of college bars, and the relationship between students and commercial services.
Joe was extremely successful in his year as a bar rep in getting people down to the bar (I know I always favoured Derwent as a drinking hole in the absense of a Langwith bar (dont tell Langwith!)). This year has also been extremely successful for Derwent in terms of events, and I cannot believe that the bar is running the highest loss of all campus bars.
As much as I love having the Courtyard in Langwith, and how much it has been a success, I think most of York students want to see Derwent Bar remain just that, a Derwent bar, one of the last really large licensed spaces on campus.
I think this is absolutely disgusting. The University of York does not seem to know its own merits.
The people making these decisions seem to be systematically taking everything away from the students that made them apply to this university in the first place.
YUSU have proven with The Courtyard that students are willing to go to bars on campus. That they like going to bars on campus. All it takes is a little bit of effort and a good paint job.
I think the University will have a fight on their hands here and I’d dare to say that they’ve underestimated their own students.
I agree wholeheartedly with Joe. It’s a disgrace that the University didn’t have the courtesy to discuss this issue earlier.
We need to fight hard to make the Uni realise that they are not helping themselves and that they are disappointing students more and more. Bar provision is crucial – it is not simply a business at a University, it’s a service for social space and interaction of students.
I hope that a YUSU/JCRC spearhead to save the bar will echo the success of the B Henry’s Plan B Campaign.
this is totally WHACK man!!!
I’m amazed at this.
While I never quite understood the uproar about B-Henry’s (I mean, honestly, I don’t actually know anyone who drinks there) I can certainly see this closure causing waves. My entire university experience would’ve been different if Derwent’s bar wasn’t there; to call it a prime student location is an understatement. This ‘decision’ will be resisted absolutely, and rightly so.
I can honestly say I have never felt more betrayed by an organisation as I have by our own university today.
To announce this in the middle of summer when minimal formal resistance can be organised is frankly insulting, underhand and just sneaky. To think that by announcing this before the term starts they will get away with it is just wrong. I have spoken to a number of Derwent Freshers (soon to be starting) who are already disappointed in how our uni treats the needs and wants of it’s very own.
We as Derwent will fight this and I’d like to say a massive thank you to, not only my fellow Derwenters but, to people like Sam Asfahani and Dan Walker who have stressed their own college’s full support.
Hopefully we will see a suitable and happy resolution to this absolutely shambolic disregard for student opinion and welfare.
And just like that… the heart of a college environment is ripped out.
Just when you think that students could not be undermined any further by campus authorities, they just tug it out further.
Simply a disgrace, nothing less.
It really is a poor bar compared to the good old days – blame YUSU for that. When freshers’ lifes used to revolve around campus bars, Derwent and Club-D were at the heart of it all. After YUSU decided that more emphasis should be placed on ‘off-campus’ events, the death knell was well and truly struck for bars such as Derwent. The fact that it has lasted this long stands as a testament to a series of hardworking JCRCs.
YUSU are ultimately to blame for the demise of campus bars and, moreover, have known about Derwent’s imminent closure since mid-way through last term.
Fact.
Shame about N*Sink
Commercial Services must have had an idea this was going to happen and could have organised something during term time, although there have been issues that i have not been informed about in Vanbrugh so it does not suprise me that this has come out of the blue.
I really hope there can be some other arrangement other than a closure so we don’t lose more students to the bars in town.
Perhaps this could be the catalyst for improvements in the bar? Is this Derwent bar’s calling? At the very least, this sneaky manoeuvre by the University will drum up custom and further improve the Derwent spirit. After all, you only you’ve got until it has gone.
**After all, you only know what you’ve got until it has gone.
Let’s not beat about the bush here. The resonsibility for this failing lies solely with Commerical Services and heads should roll.
Comment edited by a moderator
Pie-man, are you having a giraffe?
Or are you one of those “hate YUSU” twats who thinks he’s got an intelligent argument against the people that make decisions because he can’t be arsed, by feigning some made-up institutional knowledge?
Oh wait… yes you are.
Commercial Services are so so so rubbish.
I wrote a 2 page letter to Phil Kember two terms ago about the bars and handed it to him personally. He said he’d get back to me that week…. I never heard back.
Boooooo the University of York!
And they wonder why we’re dropping in the leagues in the ‘student satisfaction’ area!
An absolutely disgraceful display by Commercial Services, showing a complete disregard for Derwent students and their JCRC. Commercial Services argue that it is the responsibilty of the JCRC to get people into the bars and make them financially viable, yet leave them totally out of the loop when serious problems arise…they can’t have it both ways!
At least now YUSU can actually run the bar well (which after the success of the courtyard Im sure can happen) and now actually know what’s going on with its finances. In some ways I hope if this is successful, it can set a precedent for other college bars to go either into YUSU hands, or even better… actually being directly run by JCRCs, either for a minimum of profit that can be directly channelled back into services for students, or for no profit at all to allow students to get the most out of having great bars on their doorsteps (just an uninformed idea).
I take my hat off to Joe Rankin and Lewis Bretts for acting so quickly on this and hopefully, with YUSU running the bar it can succeed and continue to be the great social hub of Derwent college.
Rankin OUT!
I neither like or dislike YUSU, but Derwent’s closure was definitely being discussed last term. Believe it, don’t believe it, I don’t care. Do you honestly, after all the fuss with Langwith, then Halifax, then Alcuin, honestly believe that CS would have assumed that closing the bar without giving YUSU even a heads up would have worked out for them? Granted, Bretts himself may not have known, but his predecessor definitely did.
They really have no excuse now that a successful and financial viable campus bar is a proven concept.
Although, in order to meet my quota for contrarian cynicism for the day: How many of the people complaining about commercial services role in this voted against moving the Grad Ball to campus (and plunging all that cash which changes hands there back into the student bars in the process).
I think we need to lose a bit of middle management rather than our bar. Can we start a campaign to get some people out of Commerical Services?
Incredible. Such a flagrant display of sheer incompetence by the University.
This is another example of the University looking to save some money, and not caring about the students.
The University was certainly aware that students would fight to keep Derwent bar open, just like we fought for the Courtyard. They wanted to ensure that the backlash was at a minimum, so they announced its closure when students were not around to say something.
Although I’m from Langwith, I am more than willing to fight for Derwent bar, just like Derwent students who came out in support for Langwith last year. We cannot allow the University to act in the manner that it has, and take an important part of student life away from the students.
Terrible decision, but not unexpected, Derwent bar does seem to be getting emptier and emptier, particularly on Wednesdays when it used to be so full.
As mentioned many times, the Courtyard is proof that a campus bar can be popular and full every night of the week. Lack of potential customers isn’t the problem, poor management is.
Commercial services have failed to diversify their bars and failed to market them successfully to a captive market. Sterile environments, boring drinks selections and stupidly early closing times are the three major issues i can see with the bar. Derwent bar most evenings has the atmosphere of an airport, and decor that belongs in the past.
Of course, part of the other problem that Derwent has is the dining room – events can’t start early because of dinners, and the place can’t be styled too outrageously because it’s supposed to be a canteen first and a bar second.
YUSU are right to want to keep the bar open, but really do need to watch the balance sheet! £500,000 spent on bars already in the past year…
>> Can we start a campaign to get some people out of Commerical Services?
That would probably get you into trouble with the University’s harassment policy.
The problem is simple, the bars are old and ugly. If Derwent Bar (or any college bar) was open in town no one would drink in it.
It is as Joe mentioned, there is no investment in college bars. Drinking in campus bars is not cheap, especially compared to other student unions across the country. I mean even London’s unis are cheaper to drink in, a pint of ale being £1.40 in King’s riverside bar.
You have a lot of students pre drinking in kitchens because its much cheaper, and the atmosphere isnt any worse.
I mean the Courtyard isnt cheap by any standard but its got a good feeling in it that encourages people to go enjoy a drink there.
Simple business suggests investment will increase custom, but Commercial services have always said there is no money for it; suggesting buying couches or TVs rather than what is needed, a complete redesign of our college bars.
Langwith bar is an example, it was crap and ugly, now, same location, same size, same prices, just better looking and better P&P from YUSU.
I am horrified by this. Derwent is probably the most popular of the Commercial Services outlets and to even consider closing it proves that the people that are in charge there are mad. The arguments for keeping College Bars open were massive and Derwent has never been one that is especially empty, even since the Courtyard has been open. Maybe if the drinks were affordable I’d actually buy some when I frequent it.
Anyway, I hope that people cause some trouble over this. I hope that YUSU don’t need to step in and Commercial Services actually think about what they’re doing – good luck to the Derwent JCRC and anyone else who campaigns for it!
As much as Derwent bar is busy, its highly likely that it makes very little profit and this profit will probably vary year on year
A pint for £1.85 will bring in very very little profit for the bar, the same for soft drinks and spirits. the most profitable drinks, such as bottles, are the worst sellers as they are expensive compared to the above
I don’t think it was necessary to moderate my comment.
Only joking, what I wrote was fucking ridiculous and could easily have seen legal action, bravo moderators, bravo!
Of all issues on campus our college bars are at the forfront of debate and discussion, but some things need to be clarified.
1) Commercial Services no longer operate on a “service” basis. It is run as a quasi-independant business designed to return a profit to the University – and why not? Universities faced dire financial problems in the 1980s and the move towards a viable business model was needed.
2) The people at Commercial Services work incredibly hard to ensure services are efficient and welcoming. We are in a recession and budgets are tight. What business that is facing a loss or shortfall is going to sustain a bar, or for that matter any enterprise, which is unprofitable? Do students not understad this concept?
3) YUSU is the victim of its own success. One bar on campus is not sufficient to provide for the needs of students on campus. If bars continue to close YUSU will not be able to provide sufficient space. The reason YUSU never had the much quoted “student Venue” is because the University provided several of them. They were our bars!
4) YUSU, if it does indeed take over another bar will eventually suffer. They profit at the moment because they run one bar only. If they open too many, far from benefiting from the economies of scale they will encounter what Commercial Services have encountered – too many bars to small a footfall through the door.
5) Dinners under the “MAD” scheme used to be served in the Derwent Canteen. People woudl stay after dinner, after a drink and socialise. the MAD scheme was withdrawn and the bar suffered.
6) Derwent bar was frequnetly empty most evenings of last term, especially when the courtyard had an event on. Discussions with staff revaled takings were very low. It’s the sorry story of Use it or lose it!
7) In fairness to those probably now shouting at the screen, this decision was probably made for a number of reasons. Mainly
- Derwent has no Provost at the moment so not point of contact
- It is summer – there are no students about to mount support
- Alcuin mounted a very good “Save B-Henrys” campaign (and well done to them). It is far easier to shut a bar without this campaign in place than to shut one with awareness and support.
9) Students choose to drink off campus now. Alcuin was saved by a sustained effort to get people into the bar. This needs to be maintained. If you ask any student if they purposefully go to the bar on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and STAY there until closing time you will find very few positive replies. If students spent in campus bars what they spend in clubs in town then bars would undergo more renovation and have more offers.
I wish Derwent the best of luck with their campiagn, but, honestly I think we can say that Derwent won’t be opening again except under YUSU control.
Insp. Endeavour Morse.
Interesting points Morse, but I my main issue with your points is that students aren’t there to be monetised. Sure, the bars shouldn’t be run as a loss, but are we really there to make a profit from?
Chris,
You raise a good point. However with fees of over £3,000 p.a. are students not monestised already? As a student myself I don’t mind paying for a service as long as the return is of good quality. I think students have become too accustomed to freebies and not paying for their education and University services. (We could discuss the damage done by students in the 1960′s and New Labour but that is another story)
In certain respects the tuition fee gives students more power as they now have a greater right to demand high quality services. It is like paying for goods in a shop. You want them to be of a high quality. In this respect you want your investment in your University to give a good return.
You say bars should not be run at a loss so the alternative is profit (it will never and can never balance exactly). The profit does not get dumped into a bottomless pit but is returned to students in other ways. Let us not forget Commercial Services and the University have invested in much building stock recently. All this costs money. Since we use these facilities why should we not part pay for them?
Insp. Endeavour Morse.
Inspector Morse,
Commercial Services do work hard – like most employees of the University. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are doing a good job. Students’ frustration is probably not directed at the fact that they think the fat-cats of Commercial Services are sitting on their backsides doing nothing, rather that they are sitting on their backsides doing the precisely wrong things.
As I student I think that Commercial Services actually do a pretty good job when it comes to catering. And they probably do quite a good job of logistically running things behind their bar – making sure that stock is in and the lines are clean. But in terms of bar strategy? I’d say that things are utterly, utterly dire – so much so to an undoubtedly unacceptable state.
Students are now directing their frustration at the hierarchy that runs student bars. And why not? Their most popular bar is now closing down with no notice and no consultation whatsoever. This is clearly a cheeky move from the University as a whole – and they should prepare and accept the wrath.
And I would say to the University top-dogs that for too long they have put their fingers in their ears and said that it’s not the fault of their commercial managers. Well I’m afraid that the figures there simply don’t add up. Yes we are in a recession. Yes student trends are changing. But is this an excuse to revert to the default Commercial Services trend of shutting down? Absolutely not – and if managers think that, then heads should frankly roll – as they would in any business which is expected to make money.
And if they have realised that these managers are incompetent when it comes to organising a piss-up in a brewery? Well then someone needs to grow some balls and take action on this, before one of their major profit making areas shuts down altogether because of a lack of strategic foresight.
Finally, I cannot believe that Commercial Services have the gall to think they could get away with this without consultation. As they continue to alienate their major stakeholders it is only a matter of time before more and more of their venues shut down, and hopefully YUSU – who may not be as experienced but seem to have a bit of a clue as to what’s required – can continue to take them over.
> However with fees of over £3,000 p.a. are students not monestised already?
Yes, and its things such as these which makes me wonder whether Hes Hall sees us as cost centres, or as students for whom they exist to teach (not solely to teach, research does make a large part of what a University does)
> In this respect you want your investment in your University to give a good return.
I never thought of my investment in University as financial, but rather an investment of my time (4 years of my life is quite a long time).
> You say bars should not be run at a loss so the alternative is profit (it will never and can never balance exactly).
True. Maybe I was not clear, but what I meant was that so profit would not be a driving factor, but rather providing a service is. I would imagine that’s how YUSU run The Courtyard, and that’s been the most successful bar on campus in recent memory. Why is this? Possibly because the drive behind the bar was different, leading to it manifesting itself in different ways.
I think one of the main problems with campus bars is that they don’t know what they want to be – they only want to be bars at night, at cafés/canteens during the day. It’s this that led to, for example, Commercial Services clashing with Alcuin when the current JCRC attempted to return the sofas to B Henry’s after Commercial Services removed them in 06/07.
The bars are suffering from a lack of investment, not just recently but over a considerable amount of time. I don’t think that Goodricke/James sells food during the day, and is one of the few places that actually feels like a bar (imo).
The problem, it seems, is that Commercial Services seem more interested in taking the easy route out – that of closing the bars – than actually taking a risk, investing some money in Hes West to improve the bars with an eye to increasing turnover and allowing them to pay back going into the future.
The University seem chronically unable to carry forward on ideas:
* The current version of Alcuin bar was always supposed to be temporary
* Promising a return to full 24 hour portering, which afaik, hasn’t happened
* Rebranding the different bars on campus to differentiate them. Alcuin became a cocktail bar, what about the others? JJ’s was supposed to become a sports bar (but closed down) and I forget what the other ideas were
* The bridges. Oh, the bridges. The new bridge across the lake (to replace the Vanbrugh/Goodricke one) was supposed to be built by now.
* Derwent Bar was supposed to have major works done – what happened?
anyone thought there might be two many campus bars anyway.
I would much rather have a select handfull, that are reall great places to be, look good and feel like real bars (YUSU got the right feel with Langwith) other bars feel empty and shallow. All we need are a few places like langwith and it’s job done.
There is no need for every college to have a bar.
I think it is insulting the way our bar has been stripped from us without warning. Fair enough if it’s not making as much money as it should be but takings in excess of £6000 from Big D alone, several other very successful nights this year. I have never understood why our university is so obsessed with profit at the detriment of welfare. Alcuin students have to move out for 5 weeks every year and store their belongings at, sometimes, large personal cost. Bars are closing. Costcutter is one of the most ironically named businesses ever conceived. Other university bars offer much cheaper drinks than ours and still turn a profit. Some universities even run at a loss because for them student welfare and well being is more important than cash. Our university comes across as selfish, greedy and ignorant. Ignorant to our needs, ignorant to our wants and completely ignorant when it comes to running a bar.
In response to the above comments,
Chris I do agree with a lot of what you say. For any new student or visitor, and I suppose for current students, it is difficult to say what purpose the spaces have – are they bars, cafes or canteens? Then again Alcuin’s B-Henrys manages to feel like a bar very successfully and most people love the colour scheme and the bar staff. It is strange how the best looking bar on campus was itself under threat. In Alcuin’s case students just don’t know it is there.
I’m not one to moan without action so, how about this for an idea:
Why do student’s not re-organise the Campus Wednesday event but get student advertising in. We have very talented people out there who could do great posters. Maybe instead of having one event in one bar, have several events on the same night and encourage a rotation of students? I don’t think we should focus just on one bar – momentum is lost each time we do this. Students should visit all bars all the time and spread their drinking out. Derwent to Alcuin to Vanbrugh to Goodricke (now James)? Each college is proud and defensive of its bar but why not encourage freshers to visit all bars and actually get STYCS to do a tour of campus at night visiting all the bars?
What do you think Nathan? And Chris, don’t even get me started on campus bridges – being an Alcuin student, losing the Langwith bridge was a major upset!
Insp. Endeavour Morse.
The closure of derwent bar is exremely unfair especially to us freshers starting in oct 2009. So what realistically can be done?
I have also found about about the 24 hour porter service being cut.
What’s proposed to happen is the reception will be open office hours (9-5 Monday to Friday) but at night and weekends there will be one porter for three colleges!!!
He or she will be shared between Derwent, Langwith and Vanbrugh colleges.
They are there to deal with all kinds of situations and are first aiders can you imagine if something was to happen at each college and have to wait longer for the welfare team to arrive. If there was a porter there it would be addressed quicker!
As a student at York who isn’t even there yet I am allready disillusioned with the way we students are treated.
What can be done to tackle this? I want to help!
Louise
Chris Northwood for Democracy and Services?
I’m not only bar rep for Derwent but I’m block co-ordinator (posh name for head STYC) for B-Block in Derwent (our largest block) and I’ll be taking those freshers who fancy it on a Power Hour in the first few weeks so they can get a good look at all the campus bars in a short space of time. Noone will be forced to drink quickly, or at all, and it will just be to show the freshers what our bars are like when not being used for an event like Access All Areas. After all Freshers are the life blood of our uni and it’s bars. The sooner we get them to realise how important bars are to the feel, atmosphere and any other abstract nouns we choose to throw at this.
What sort of impression is Jane Grenville et al making for the freshers? Already they can see that they powers that be don’t care about welfare and are greedy profit mongers.
Personally, as someone who is often paid to talk to perspective students about the University, I’m finding it harder and harder to find anything nice to say.
Perhaps I will conduct campus tours in silence from now on.
Just a thought, but hopefully a group of people will run with it:
Why not form a studentwide, all college bar strategy group? I know college’s have committees etc but why not form another campus wide committee focused purely on bars, bar events etc. Poster designers could be grouped, strategy discussed and a more inclusive feeling adopted? Instead of each defending his own it should be everyone defending ALL bars at the same time.
We can make this work – The University has Commercial Services etc why not form a committee or working party and call it something catchy like Student Bar Support (SBS) or a cool acronym? Set it up over summer, have a rep from each college present along with a secretary and trasurer (maybe pool some money together for bar campaigns – £50 from each JCRC?) Then we’d have a co-ordinated group that coudl hold meetings with Commercial Services instead of each college having meetings every now and then?
I’d be willing to help set something like this up Nathan/Joe R/ Chris?
Thoughts appreciated.
Inspector,
Sadly, such a group already exists – It’s called ents committee and it meets every week during term time – Jon Greenwood and Phil Kember have always simply flat out refused to come though, it always meant we had to wait weeks for a response while Ed Durkin tried to get a reply out of commercial services – i think it would be great to actually talk to them- but they’re just not interested in listening to us.
Bar Strategy group also exists which I think is similar but only with college chairs, I think it rarely meets though as it’s a university thing rather than a student thing.
Ah shame that.
A student bar strategy group would still not be able to combat the main problem with campus bars and that is their outdated look and their impractical approach to multi functional catering spaces.
A student group would have huge financial and legal restrictions.
There are some great responses and spell out all the problems we are facing on here and the university will take it’s typical action of ‘considering all potential proposals and solutions’, but until term starts and we, the students, can prove to the university that the bar is vital and viable then are stuck in a rut.
I am fully behind a college-wide YUSU run co-ordinated campaign taking any means possible to save the bar but to set up more committees is a flawed solution…
Ents committee is a joke that the university representatives still refuse to attend or even take note of.
Bar Strat meetings that I also attend in my capacity as a college chair are also almost fruitless in getting down to the nitty-gritty of investment into bars, and solutions to the inflexibility of commercial services.
After Jane Grenville’s retort we can see that the university is going to try and force this issue to a conclusion to a close before term starts and the protest action really starts.
Derwent’s not even my college, let alone my bar but being involved in the fight against the closure of JJs we cannot let Derwent Bar close!
It is unbelievable that this news had to be leaked on Facebook before the University finally admitted what was going on. This decision was made months ago now, and its knock-on effect, with the closure of Derwent (and Vanbrugh) Porters’ Lodge at night also in the pipeline before the end of summer, will result in student’s protesting vehemently at the start of October; what a great image the University is presenting to our new freshers!!
Also, in response to Louise, it’s not as ‘bad’ as it sounds. Most of the spare porters are being sent across to security, and they’ve all been sent voluntary redundancy packages should they so wish to leave. Furthermore, officer hours are out of the question. They may revert to the current Langwith system of 7-10, and if it was less than this the union chiefs would instigate a mass walkout. Decisions will not be made until Keith Lilley meets with the union reps on September 19th. It’s advertised on the university website, so students may gatecrash it, something which personally I wouldn’t recommend!