Cardiff University announces the closure of its Postgraduate Study Zone

The space is being shut down due to ‘low levels of usage and maintenance issues’

2 months ago

Immy Clark | News

Cardiff University has recently announced the closure of its Postgraduate Study Zone on Colum Drive.

The university has said this is due to “low levels of usage and maintenance issues”.

However, a poster pinned to the door said it’s looking to “identify other suitable spaces for postgraduate study” and that students are welcome to use other spaces, such as the Art and Social Sciences Library.

The Postgraduate Study Zone, which is also known as the Guest Building, was only accessible to taught and research students completing their Master’s courses, PhDs and other degrees, meaning it allowed students to have an area away from undergraduates, who make up the majority of Cardiff’s student population.

The Cardiff Tab asked students on their socials about their opinions on the closing of this space, with one saying that it is “not ideal” and another stating that it was not “advertised” much to Master’s students and perhaps this was a reason for its lack of use.

A PhD student, Nursi Er, has spoken with The Cardiff Tab about his experience with the closure of the space.

Nursi first posted about the incident on X, as a form of “protest” against the closure of the space. This post was responded to by Micaela Panes, the VP of postgraduate studies, who stated that she was also “furious” about the closure of the space and has been “working on a solution”.

In his statement, Nursi stated that the study zone became “more than a study spot” and is like a “second home” to many students, as it is much more of a quiet and focused space compared to other libraries and study areas across the university.

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He claimed that the reason for its closure being due to “low levels of usage and maintenance” isn’t reflective of the space, stating that the study zone only had “basic facilities” that were taken care of by the students using it. He also said the space was used by eight to 10 students on a daily basis, and that this would be increased if more postgrad students had known about it.

Nursi also told The Cardiff Tab that the students feel “completely ignored” by the university, due to the “lack of communication” from both the president and vice-chancellor.

The Cardiff Tab has also spoken to the VP of postgraduate studies who explained that the closure is “deeply frustrating”, as this was the second time a postgraduate study space had been shut down in the space of five years. Micaela continued by saying the SU was only notified “a day before the rest of the student body”.

As stated on the poster, the university had been looking for other suitable areas for postgraduate study zones. Unfortunately, Micaela told The Cardiff Tab that as of the 16th September, the University Estates informed the SU that they had “no intention of [sorting a replacement]”.

“The Students’ Union firmly opposes the closure and demands that Cardiff University reverse this harmful decision immediately.”

A Cardiff University spokesperson said: “The Guest Building used by members of our postgraduate community will be closed as part of a university-wide review of our estate. We understand and appreciate that this will be a cause for concern for some in our postgraduate community and that our communications could have been better.

“The Guest Building is a temporary building structure and was always intended to be a temporary provision whilst existing facilities were improved. We have invested in a number of alternative areas to provide study space elsewhere on the campus for all students including our postgraduate student community. The Student Hub in the Aberconway Building is a newly refurbished large area for study. It has been designed around being a large and calming area for students to work in and is available to all students. This used to be the Library space, and when it temporarily closed for refurbishment the Guest Building was provided to compensate.

“There are also other areas available across campus in the refurbished area in the ASSL, the Doctoral Academy in 1-3 Museum Place and the Post Graduate Centre on Colum Drive.

“However, we recognise that our postgraduate students have specific needs and requirements. We are committed to working with the community to look at the provision of all our post graduate study spaces. This will form part of our on-going review of our estate and will involve Library Services and postgraduate representatives from our Students’ Union.”