Does Loughborough Provide As Well For Its Students As For Its Clients And Guests?

I hate to begin my first column by stating the obvious, but London 2012 has begun, and anyone who has been on campus for the last few months will have noticed the flags hanging from every spare lamppost reminding you of the close link between Team GB and Loughborough Sport.

Along with our student elite athletes, campus has in recent months been home to Team GB’s preparations, and along with programmes such as the Nike Football Academy or conferences such as the Corporate Games, Loughborough now provides a home to many events and many non-students.

Outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Shirley Pearce (pictured), has been hailed for promoting exceptional links with outside bodies such as the BOA. (Photo: DIUS)

The University has clearly spent time and money investing in world class facilities that can cater for these needs, but have similar investments and improvements been made for us, the students?

Does Loughborough now honestly provide as well for its students as for its clients or guests?

Miss Adlington OBE (Becky, if that’s ok?) don’t read this and think I’m saying we should stop you using our pool, I’m not. I’m proud that my university has played its part in your training and the preparation of many other athletes, whether they were a student here or not.

Indeed, when anyone with a medal and a loose link to our campus comes on screen I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen how Loughborough played its part for Team GB, and with a slight, and totally unnecessary,  hint of ‘you’re welcome’ in my voice reel off a list of the athletes that have gone from Powerbase to the podium.

The ability to accommodate such guests has clearly come from long term progress by the University, and a good dialog between relevant bodies about what is needed.

The nature of student life means that in three or four year cycles a batch of students move on, whereas athletes can be using the campus for longer, but in the seven years since London was awarded the games, do you think the University has made similar progress in listening to students as to the BOA? Personally, I sincerely doubt it.

Not because of an outright reluctance by staff, but the lack of appetite and structure from both sides has been convenient for those responsible. Without demand, the necessity to improve seems far less pressing.

Perhaps I’m simplifying too much. Its misleading to talk about ‘the University’ as one giant form we work with every day, and in reality our interactions go through different channels  – Imago, student services, the library, or our departments, but maybe this is even more revealing.

Undeniably two of the primary needs of most full time undergrads are accommodation and academic progress, so for this the links to the University would be Imago and departments.

Now, let’s not dive too much into the pros and cons of Imago, I’ve a word limit after all, but how many of you would rate the relationship via Imago as an effective communication between students and the university? Similarly in departments, with module feedback forms or conversation with tutors, do you feel as capable of influencing the direction of the department as say Jess Ennis does about the facilities offered in the stadium?

Yes I know, comparing one student to one superstar athlete might not be fair or realistic, but it matters how we perceive our ability to make change. If students don’t stand up for students, who will?

No doubt some of you will be poised at your keyboard to reply with “the executive”, and at a combined ballpark figure of £150,000 p.a. in wages, you’d hope so too. That’s a whole other debate and, sadly, I only get one column each fortnight.