Freshers and returning students alike are in for a treat this term as the newly refurbished Students’ Union Building opens its doors for the first time. All summer, work has been taking place to reinvent the hub of student activity on campus, and the result is a beautifully reconfigured space that scores top marks for both style and practicality.
Returning students will be most surprised by the new decor, as the new rooms have been painted in bright colours that give the building the modern feel that many have craved. However, the Union Building has undergone much more than a mere face-lift. As the SU’s website reports, workers have created “a newly refurbished upper floor with dedicated social space” and finished the “reconfiguration of Tommy’s Bar, Reception areas, main toilets and administration areas.” No area has gone untouched: old hands will notice that the old ‘Bake ‘n Bite’ eatery has been transformed into a trendy new snack stop- ‘Realto.’
This news will be music to the ears of many returning students who have long nursed a grudge against the drab and cluttered atmosphere of the building. In fact, it was because of student feedback that the SU gave the refurbishment the green light in the first place. According to their report, the amount of complaints about the building’s image and decor “highlighted as a priority activity” its refurbishment in order to “help improve the overall student experience at Royal Holloway.” Congratulations, then, to all who kicked up a fuss in the first place!
However, has the refurbishment been everything everyone dreamed of? So far, everyone asked about it has given it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Speaking to The Orbital earlier this month, SU President Dan Cooper said “the SU reconfiguration is going well, everything is on track to finish on time and we’ve had a fantastic team running the whole project.” SU General Manager, Sean O’Donnell, was even fuller in his praise, describing the “fantastic new social space” as “worthy of the tradition of excellence here at Royal Holloway.”
What seems certain is that the refurbishment will lend the first few Union nights of term that little extra sparkle.
Okay, so they’ve spent lots of money making it look nice, but if all they are going to do is play the same old music and cater for people that want to get off their faces, then good for them. Some of us would just like to be able to chill with a few drinks and listen to some rock and indie music. What about catering for us too.
Isn’t the SU supposed to be for everyone?
I reckon that’s a good point – the SU is supposed to be able to cater for all students, whether it be for music or the general layout of the place and what it offers.
Then again, the guys that run it aren’t mind readers…so if you actually talk to them and make suggestions, which sooo many students don’t actually think to do, then maybe something will be done? I think the place looks incredible now and fortunately for me it caters for my music taste. But if there’s ever a problem, I’ll raise it with the Sabbs or the general SU staff.
The SU is for everyone, but how do they know what everyone wants when they aren’t told?