On Wednesday the 1st of November, postgraduate masters students on taught programmes (PGT) were banned from accessing the postgraduate room in the Royal Holloway library. According to the Acting Director of Library Services, this is " in order to provide this community with a space in which to carry out their research, and meet fellow research students to help foster more of a sense of community." Furthermore, "PGR (Post Graduate Research Students) students have been put off using the room as many non-PGR students have been using it, and there have been requests for us to resolve the ‘locking down'." By separating research and taught postgraduates this is by no means achieving a community feel among postgraduate students. There is no way to tell "us" apart from "them" to the point that they are "put off" by us - how do they know that it is "us" disturbing them?
If you feel that the PGR room in the library should be an area to focus and study in a more secluded space for ALL postgraduate students, please sign this petition. There are other areas of the building that can be used for PGR students to create relationships and a community feel. We should be treated with as much regard as the postgraduate research programmes. Either let us access the room or create a study space within the library for us. Why are we the only postgraduates who have should we have to fight for space with the undergraduates? Why isn't our sense of community important?
We have been banned half way through the semester, which means we had already grown to love working in the space, had taken advantage of the printing facilities, the use of our lockers to put all our heavy belongings in as we are here most of the day studying and the free library spaces to do our work, which is not any less important than the PGR student's.People who are commuting to attend lectures also use this space as a place to go and study between lectures as they have no accommodation to go back to.
This is a display of overall poor organisation, communication and unfairness that we should not be punished for.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
November 14, 2017
19 Comments
Used it everyday for the first two months and now I can't get in to get my things out of a locker!
Given that we pay a higher fee and over the course of a year we still have to write the same amount of words (through essays and a dissertation), it’s ludicrous that there’s this elitist attitude that research students need to work and mingle together without lowly taught students. Postgrad is postgrad. We want somewhere to work that isn’t noisy and chaotic. The ‘us and them’ rubbish between the types of postgrad course offered is ridiculous. There needs to be an offer of work spaces for ALL postgrads.
HOW on earth will PGR students be able to cross fertilise with their taught colleagues? Barmy decision!
Just not fair to change rules so far into the term and the issue is other UG entering when a PG uses their card to enter and then inviting their friends...I have seen this numerous times.
Why should we be fighting to find a space in the library alongside first year students, most of which use the building as social area. Why are my studies less important than a research student? My coursework revolves entirely around my own research anyway!
Note worthy that PGR Room is now the emptiest part of the library now and everyone has to fight for space. Was a balcony that big necessary instead of more study space? - no.
Please let all PG students to use that space.
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On Wednesday the 1st of November, postgraduate masters students on taught programmes (PGT) were banned from accessing the postgraduate room in the Royal Holloway library. According to the Acting Director of Library Services, this is " in order to provide this community with a space in which to carry out their research, and meet fellow research students to help foster more of a sense of community." Furthermore, "PGR (Post Graduate Research Students) students have been put off using the room as many non-PGR students have been using it, and there have been requests for us to resolve the ‘locking down'." By separating research and taught postgraduates this is by no means achieving a community feel among postgraduate students. There is no way to tell "us" apart from "them" to the point that they are "put off" by us - how do they know that it is "us" disturbing them?
If you feel that the PGR room in the library should be an area to focus and study in a more secluded space for ALL postgraduate students, please sign this petition. There are other areas of the building that can be used for PGR students to create relationships and a community feel. We should be treated with as much regard as the postgraduate research programmes. Either let us access the room or create a study space within the library for us. Why are we the only postgraduates who have should we have to fight for space with the undergraduates? Why isn't our sense of community important?
We have been banned half way through the semester, which means we had already grown to love working in the space, had taken advantage of the printing facilities, the use of our lockers to put all our heavy belongings in as we are here most of the day studying and the free library spaces to do our work, which is not any less important than the PGR student's.People who are commuting to attend lectures also use this space as a place to go and study between lectures as they have no accommodation to go back to.
This is a display of overall poor organisation, communication and unfairness that we should not be punished for.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
November 14, 2017
19 Comments
I find this room so useful as a taught student as otherwise I have to fight for a space with the undergraduates. The room has never been full to capacity, there is always sitting so this is not an issue of space. PGT also have a lot of research to do and shouldn’t be regarded lesser than the PGR students. I also commute so this room is perfect for me to be able to spend long hours in and focus on my work and use the lockers for all my belongings I have to bring with me.
Used it everyday for the first two months and now I can't get in to get my things out of a locker!
Given that we pay a higher fee and over the course of a year we still have to write the same amount of words (through essays and a dissertation), it’s ludicrous that there’s this elitist attitude that research students need to work and mingle together without lowly taught students. Postgrad is postgrad. We want somewhere to work that isn’t noisy and chaotic. The ‘us and them’ rubbish between the types of postgrad course offered is ridiculous. There needs to be an offer of work spaces for ALL postgrads.
HOW on earth will PGR students be able to cross fertilise with their taught colleagues? Barmy decision!
Just not fair to change rules so far into the term and the issue is other UG entering when a PG uses their card to enter and then inviting their friends...I have seen this numerous times.
Why should we be fighting to find a space in the library alongside first year students, most of which use the building as social area. Why are my studies less important than a research student? My coursework revolves entirely around my own research anyway!
Note worthy that PGR Room is now the emptiest part of the library now and everyone has to fight for space. Was a balcony that big necessary instead of more study space? - no.
Please let all PG students to use that space.
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I find this room so useful as a taught student as otherwise I have to fight for a space with the undergraduates. The room has never been full to capacity, there is always sitting so this is not an issue of space. PGT also have a lot of research to do and shouldn’t be regarded lesser than the PGR students. I also commute so this room is perfect for me to be able to spend long hours in and focus on my work and use the lockers for all my belongings I have to bring with me.