You Said We Did Updates!

You Said We Did

November - Education and Community Officer

Published: 27th November 2025

You Said, We Did: Course Reps

One of the ways that you can make your voice heard through feedback is via your Course Rep, who feeds back issues you raise with School Reps, Student Voice Community Organisers, and your Education & Community Officer Bianca Holland.

Here is an update on some of the issues on campuses that Bianca has been addressing, based on Course Rep action.

Accommodation/Travel

N Bus
A concern was raised about the lack of an N bus affecting students with disabilities and those from Saint Paul’s in Cheltenham. Bianca and the SU try to meet regularly with Stagecoach and she has asked for anyone with the same issue to contact her. Strength is in numbers; if we can prove many people need that bus, we can put that case to Stagecoach. Bianca will also be raising the concern with the newly elected Students with Disabilities Rep, Tamara.

City Campus

Printer
Bianca has met with the University Head of Estates to raise concerns around the printer location on City and for an update on monitors and printers due to be installed. The location move will be considered in phase 2 of City Campus due to the need for correct outlets. The monitors and printers students have been waiting for were delayed due to staffing issues and are due to be installed soon.

Bins
Some toilets have no sanitary bins. Estates have said there should be sanitary bins in every bathroom. They followed up with Bianca saying there was an issue with the supplier, and sanitary bins should all be in place now.

Bins in lecture rooms were requested. This cannot be facilitated in every space. Estates have confirmed they will look at the placement of existing ones and get them more effectively spaced out across campus.

Couches
Moving the couch seating to the first floor was requested. Moving the couches upstairs is unlikely, but Estates will be ordering more couches and seating to go in that upper space.

No food zones
Students raised concerns about no food zones in non-teaching spaces. Estates understand the issues raised. The rule downstairs exists because it is a shared community and university space and connects to the public library, so the University aligns its rules with the library for consistency.

Bianca has challenged this and moving forward the University is going to stay with the agreement for now but monitor and review. Keep your feedback coming to your reps and the SU so we can add your voice to the review.

Vending machine
Issues were raised about low or no items. The vending machine is externally managed, and the contract manager will look at whether more stock can be added.

Bianca also talked to Estates about having hot food pop-ups from local cafes and restaurants. Bianca will be kept updated and will share updates.

Doors
This was a top piece of student feedback. The University has confirmed that an engineer will be coming to look at the doors and hopefully fix the issues in November.

Oxstalls

Microwaves
There is a limited number of microwaves on Oxstalls. Estates have ordered more and they will be placed where the existing microwaves are located. Bianca is also going to create a microwave map.

Global Room closure
This year there are more students than ever on Oxstalls who will be using the library, which meant the University needed to create more study spaces, so the room was converted. The room had been misused as a living space, which created safety concerns for all students accessing it.

FCH

Future of FCH
An email and newsletter went out from UoG regarding the future of FCH. The University has asked for student voice to be consulted in the process. To support this, Bianca and FCH SVCO Maisie have created a survey that should have gone out to FCH students via your lectures. The results will be sent to University Council to support the decision.

Social Sciences Move
An email from the University updated students on Social Sciences moving to Oxstalls. In early November there was a meeting which students were invited to discuss the move, attended by some Course Reps.

The Head of School will be sending a separate email to all students on those courses with more details. Bianca wanted to summarise the meeting on behalf of the Students’ Union and send that message to Course Reps to update their cohorts.

There was a mistake in the original email. First years do not have to move to Oxstalls; they will be asked if they want to move.

Location of Study