Thoughts on the proposed student centre

REPSOC1916 · 02-02-2011 01:00PM #1

Anyone heard of that proposed student centre. The first I heard of it was at the CSC Hillery Term General meeting.

The proposal is dependent on the outcome of a student referendum on whether to charge a student levy for the funding of the building. The levy will be commenced once the building is complete.

JonJoeDali · 02-02-2011 03:07PM

They should concentrate on giving students a proper JCR.

"Student centre" reminds me of something you'd find in DCU or UL.

Kwekubo · 02-02-2011 03:28PM

The plan is to locate the centre in Luce Hall, with number 6 in Front Square retained in something like its current guise as a "focus" for student activity.

andrew · 02-02-2011 04:10PM

By the time this is actually built, anyone currently in college will have already finished their degree, a post-grad, emigrated, and then returned home. My parents won't be the one paying that student levy, I'll be paying for it in my children's fees.

Morgase · 02-02-2011 05:37PM

It's the worst idea ever. When I was in Trinity a decade ago, I and my fellow students had to pay for the building of the new gym, which only benefited students coming in a few years down the line.

Now I'm an undergraduate in Trinity once again and I'm going to be asked to pay for a centre for the use of future students? It's a "No" from me.

boblong · 02-02-2011 05:50PM

I'm not sure this is a good idea at this time considering all the talk of apparent austerity and I would imagine there would be quite a bit of opposition to further levies, considering many people's dissatisfaction of currently having to pay for facilities they have no wish to use.

Sir Ophiuchus · 02-02-2011 06:21PM

Do we need it? Honestly?

I mean, the whole campus is "a hub for student activity": it's really small! It's not like we're 365 acres in size like UCD and need somewhere you can actually find other students.

I think it looks good in principle, but the costs won't be worth the payoff.

REPSOC1916 · 02-02-2011 06:28PM

Morgase wrote: »

It's the worst idea ever. When I was in Trinity a decade ago, I and my fellow students had to pay for the building of the new gym, which only benefited students coming in a few years down the line.

Now I'm an undergraduate in Trinity once again and I'm going to be asked to pay for a centre for the use of future students? It's a "No" from me.

You could have some consideration for the future generation lol.

It won't be charged until the building is complete and I'd say you'll be gone by the time it's completed.
To be honest it would be making some use out of Luce Hall. House Six is a bit cramped. Don't know what they plan to do with the botanists though

Morgase · 02-02-2011 06:52PM

I honestly don't see the need for such a centre. The whole thing smacks of the SU looking for something to do.

REPSOC1916 wrote: »

You could have some consideration for the future generation lol.

It won't be charged until the building is complete and I'd say you'll be gone by the time it's completed.
To be honest it would be making some use out of Luce Hall. House Six is a bit cramped. Don't know what they plan to do with the botanists though

Right now I only have consideration for getting myself through college. It's difficult enough finding the money to pay fees without a levy on top of that.

How could it possibly not be charged before the building is complete? Where will the funds come from otherwise? It will be a levy on students who will get no use from the centre.

Kwekubo · 02-02-2011 07:15PM

IIRC, the proposal is that the levy will be charged from the year following the passing of the referendum.

amacachi · 02-02-2011 07:56PM

Unneeded and a waste of money. I don't think, however, that the economic climate should be used as an excuse since TCD seems to not be running a deficit like certain other institutions. Of course since the state is basically running the entire show that'll just mean that TCD's income will be more likely to fall than other places as a punishment for balancing their books.
There's little or no need that I can see for such a thing though, I can keep myself entertained alone for quite a few hours, if a group of people run out of ideas quicker than that then they can't have the keenest minds in the world.

theowen · 02-02-2011 09:08PM

Is there any guesstimations as to how much each student will have to pay?

blubloblu · 02-02-2011 11:25PM

What facilities will this centre provide that we don't already have?

gearoidof · 02-02-2011 11:46PM

The student levy will only be charged from the year the centre opens.

There'll be a music venue in the centre (rumours of MCD running it, bah)
I'm under the impression that it's not so much adding services as centralising stuff so everything is under the same roof.

Steve Higginson · 02-02-2011 11:48PM

Typical fucking boards.

amacachi · 02-02-2011 11:52PM

INORITE~!?

Denerick · 02-02-2011 11:53PM

Steve Higginson wrote: »

Typical fucking boards.

Lol. Damn plebs getting under your royal SU boots. Must be an awful nuisance.

WhosUpDocs · 03-02-2011 01:44AM

It'll just become another cold uncomfortable lecture hall. Goldsmith was supposed to be a "music venue" and student "hub" at the time it was built apparently. It's not going to add anything that we don't already have access to. Improve what we have now cheaply instead of throwing money people don't have at the problem.

REPSOC1916 · 03-02-2011 01:22PM

Denerick wrote: »

Lol. Damn plebs getting under your royal SU boots. Must be an awful nuisance.

Denerick you're a right wing hack. You're one to talk.

Denerick · 03-02-2011 01:27PM

REPSOC1916 wrote: »

Denerick you're a right wing hack. You're one to talk.

I am not right wing and am not a hack. I have never been affiliated with a political party. If you were going to pigeon hole me then I am very clearly a Liberal centrist.

Morgase · 03-02-2011 03:07PM

If the SU wish to be seen to be doing something, why don't they concentrate on important things like having the library open before 9am?

I can't speak for everyone but I'm at Trinity to learn. If I want to listen to a band or go for coffee, well Dublin city centre is on our doorstep.

amacachi · 03-02-2011 04:44PM

Morgase wrote: »

If the SU wish to be seen to be doing something, why don't they concentrate on important things like having the library open before 9am?

I can't speak for everyone but I'm at Trinity to learn. If I want to listen to a band or go for coffee, well Dublin city centre is on our doorstep.

If only more were like you.

gearoidof · 03-02-2011 06:52PM

Oh come on...

There's more to college than studying...

Jammyc · 03-02-2011 07:47PM

Can anybody link to these plans?

Denerick · 04-02-2011 12:08AM

gearoidof wrote: »

Oh come on...

There's more to college than studying...

Yes there is. Very little of which needs a Student Union. I think its the arrogance of SU hacks that annoy me more than anything, the presumption that a tiny house 6 clique is the epitome and hence the heart of student life in Trinity.

Tragedy · 04-02-2011 12:47AM

I don't trust the SU to organise a piss-up(proof being Ents struggle to do more than have the same nights in the same clubs week in week out, YAY), so I don't trust them to build a student's centre and not either **** it up, or make it a flagrant waste of money(as they are wont to do).

Besides, they'll probably blow the budget for it on printing t-shirts in support of the referendum.

gearoidof · 04-02-2011 12:52AM

it will be built by the college's buildings department, the SU has been asked to put money up to fund it...

Tragedy · 04-02-2011 12:57AM

gearoidof wrote: »

it will be built by the college's buildings department, the SU has been asked to put money up to fund it...

I wasn't suggesting the next SU El Prezidente would be out there laying bricks.

Hornd · 04-02-2011 01:28AM

The big plans.

Tragedy · 04-02-2011 01:40AM

€22million for that? HAH

Sounds cool and all, but really, €22million?

JonJoeDali · 04-02-2011 10:42AM

Tragedy wrote: »

€22million for that? HAH

Sounds cool and all, but really, €22million?

You can be guaranteed that for €22 million, this "student centre" will have the architectural significance of the Lloyd building and the atmosphere of Q bar.

Anyway, the Buildings Office are always on a look out for ways to spend money. It doesn't matter what the end goal is as long as money is being spent.

Trinity really should aspire to better things.

Small things can make a big difference: like a grand piano for students to practice on for starters. Or getting the rugby pitch resurfaced to 1st division standards. Or providing a quaint JCR with high quality furniture, fixtures and fittings. Or allowing smartphones on the college network. Or making the ground floor of No. 27 back into a nice little coffee shop with table cloths. That wouldn't cost €22 million.

Thoughts on the proposed student centre

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