The common room provided a valuable community space during my time in UCD. The proposed new facility will not be a member-run, ground-up resource and does not fulfill the same community building function. Closing the common room club in order to compel staff to use the unwanted new facility while excluding users from it's governance is akin to replacing a community centre with a Starbucks!
C
Cathal Brugha
7 years ago
UCD is a community, not a bunch of buildings. The Common Room has been the best support of our Community
A
Anne Fuchs
7 years ago
The Common Room is a wonderful democratic space where people can meet and mingle informally. It is place where staff and postgrads debate exchange and develop ideas. It is popular because it is open, dialogic, friendly, and accessible - in short: it is loved because it is not a club.
R
Ruth Carden
7 years ago
Closing of the Common Room will be a huge loss to those of us who use it to form new collaborations and relax and chat with colleagues. We discover new ways of working together in the Common Room. Please keep it open. What’s the harm in keeping it open to those who wish to use it anyways? You can have your new building and the Common Room can also remain open. It’s paid for by the members.
J
Jess Walsh
7 years ago
As a final year undergrad, I realise the situation with the Common Room is emblematic of what's going on in the university as a whole. Structures and spaces which are of real benefit to staff, students and the UCD community as a whole are being cut in favour of nice, shiny new things which are more appealing to investors and the people who will buy into the University. The UCD Common Room wouldn't feature in any promotional material. I'd love to know how heavily the new Club is planning on being featured. Management doesn't care what the benefits of the specific community around the current Common Room are. The Common Room works as is, I'd argue it's impossible to put a value on all the things that have come out of conversations in that space. There's countless countless countless things more urgently needed for this University than a shiny new building (I'd bet with a hefty membership fee :) ) that excludes rather than includes.
G
Gearoid O'Connor
7 years ago
Surely there is scope for both ambitions!
M
Marie Doyle
7 years ago
A necessary social entity not under central control!
J
Jean-Michel Picard
7 years ago
Featured
The Common Room has provided an excellent service for the whole community of UCD staff for the past 43 years. It is cost- effective. Why can't it be allowed to run in parallel with a University Club that will serve a different purpose?
D
Diane Negra
7 years ago
The Common Room is a vital resource and there is no reason to eliminate it.
P
Paul Halferty
7 years ago
The Common Room is an essential space to the communal live of the Colleges and Schools housed in the Newman Building. It's loss would be a significant blow to the culture and work environment of UCD.
E
Eilis Almqvist
7 years ago
The Common Room is the oldest and best social room in UCD Belfield. We need a proper staff restaurant etc but the Common Room must be preserved. Everyone loves it.
U
Ursula Barry
7 years ago
The UCD Common Room is an essential part of the social network among academic and administrative staff as well as postgrad students in UCD and its informal atmosphere is crucial to maintain. The University Club will play a completely different role..
E
Elizabeth Jennings
7 years ago
Save the staff common room
C
Catriona Clutterbuck
7 years ago
The Common Room humanizes the working world of UCD, and is a very special resource - it should not be lost, but retained and developed further.
M
Miranda Fay Thomas
7 years ago
Getting rid of the common room is absurd. Why doesn't the President care about its staff?
A
Anonymous
7 years ago
A key part of the research culture at UCD and fundamental to my postdoctoral experience there.
N
Niall Whelan
7 years ago
Unfortunately college doesn’t care
D
Derek Dunne
7 years ago
Hope this can be saved
M
Mel Ó Cinnéide
7 years ago
Why not leave the Common Room and University Club co-exist, and see how they evolve together?
A
Anonymous
7 years ago
The common room is a friendly relaxed environment to meet with friends and colleagues
The common room provided a valuable community space during my time in UCD. The proposed new facility will not be a member-run, ground-up resource and does not fulfill the same community building function. Closing the common room club in order to compel staff to use the unwanted new facility while excluding users from it's governance is akin to replacing a community centre with a Starbucks!
UCD is a community, not a bunch of buildings. The Common Room has been the best support of our Community
The Common Room is a wonderful democratic space where people can meet and mingle informally. It is place where staff and postgrads debate exchange and develop ideas. It is popular because it is open, dialogic, friendly, and accessible - in short: it is loved because it is not a club.
Closing of the Common Room will be a huge loss to those of us who use it to form new collaborations and relax and chat with colleagues. We discover new ways of working together in the Common Room. Please keep it open. What’s the harm in keeping it open to those who wish to use it anyways? You can have your new building and the Common Room can also remain open. It’s paid for by the members.
As a final year undergrad, I realise the situation with the Common Room is emblematic of what's going on in the university as a whole. Structures and spaces which are of real benefit to staff, students and the UCD community as a whole are being cut in favour of nice, shiny new things which are more appealing to investors and the people who will buy into the University. The UCD Common Room wouldn't feature in any promotional material. I'd love to know how heavily the new Club is planning on being featured. Management doesn't care what the benefits of the specific community around the current Common Room are. The Common Room works as is, I'd argue it's impossible to put a value on all the things that have come out of conversations in that space. There's countless countless countless things more urgently needed for this University than a shiny new building (I'd bet with a hefty membership fee :) ) that excludes rather than includes.
Surely there is scope for both ambitions!
A necessary social entity not under central control!
The Common Room has provided an excellent service for the whole community of UCD staff for the past 43 years. It is cost- effective. Why can't it be allowed to run in parallel with a University Club that will serve a different purpose?
The Common Room is a vital resource and there is no reason to eliminate it.
The Common Room is an essential space to the communal live of the Colleges and Schools housed in the Newman Building. It's loss would be a significant blow to the culture and work environment of UCD.
The Common Room is the oldest and best social room in UCD Belfield. We need a proper staff restaurant etc but the Common Room must be preserved. Everyone loves it.
The UCD Common Room is an essential part of the social network among academic and administrative staff as well as postgrad students in UCD and its informal atmosphere is crucial to maintain. The University Club will play a completely different role..
Save the staff common room
The Common Room humanizes the working world of UCD, and is a very special resource - it should not be lost, but retained and developed further.
Getting rid of the common room is absurd. Why doesn't the President care about its staff?
A key part of the research culture at UCD and fundamental to my postdoctoral experience there.
Unfortunately college doesn’t care
Hope this can be saved
Why not leave the Common Room and University Club co-exist, and see how they evolve together?
The common room is a friendly relaxed environment to meet with friends and colleagues