Tag Archives: Cadman

Concerns about the Cadman Courtyard

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QUESTION:
I’m concerned by the usage of the Cadman Courtyard over recent weeks and would appreciate Executive’s response to this. It feels more like a HGV / van terminus than a space that is welcoming and accessible for students and visitors – right now in the middle of Show & Tell there is a bin truck in the middle of the courtyard, as there was yesterday, with similar disruption and noise last week. Last week included one of the entrances (a fire exit at that) having a Brown’s recycling dumpster placed right in front of it. The Cadman Gallery, Careers Centre, Cashiers Office, Open Space, and Courtyard Café all open out onto what could be a real hub for this part of the campus but this I feel is having a negative impact on achieving that.

ANSWER:
The Cadman Courtyard is currently being used by the contractors who are working on the library refurbishment project, so there is more commercial vehicle activity than usual in this area.  Our Estates team have also been asked to provide skips in the courtyard for FACT and the activity around Show & Tell, although these will only be required on a short term basis.

Is more security needed in the Cadman building?

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Question:

I have a question about the security in the Enquires Centre in Cadman Building, College Road. This is an open office which members of the public are actively invited in to ask for course information and whilst most visitors are absolutely fine, on occasions, this open door policy has led to a few unsavory characters coming in. I have been in the office when people under the influence of alcohol have been talking to staff, and I have also witnessed one female member of staff being harassed by a male visitor.

It has occurred to me on a recent visit that there are no security provisions such as CCTV or panic alarms in case something does happen and help is required. Could this be looked at? It is understandable that we want to create an environment in which prospective customers feel welcome, but the safety of staff must also be taken into consideration.

Answer:

We are proposing to make more changes to the Cadman Building Including revisions to the Enquiries Centre which should create a reception point to improve facilities for people making enquires and also improve the security for people on reception. 

We will also review security provisions as necessary to ensure that neither staff nor visitors are put at risk in future.

Why do I have to sign-in to access Cadman out-of-hours?

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Question:

Why, in a time when we have these fancy new staff ID cards, do we need to fill in a bit of paper at the entry desk of Cadman to gain access to the building? I often start work at 7 or 7:30am on some days and find it odd how I have to ‘sign-in’  while I have an ID card round my neck? Surely a 6am cut off for sign-ins (for staff at least) would be beneficial?

Remember that I can get into most other buildings this early with no challenge! Is this simply a badly thought out or unrevised policy of the security contractor we use? It needs changing to reflect the flexible working hours that most of us work to.

Answer:

Information Services manages the reception to Cadman and we wish to maintain the corporate position of not distinguishing between staff and students during “self service opening hours”. This ensures that all users of the building are treated the same and the procedure is clear for the security staff – anyone wishing to access the building during these hours is required to show their ID card and to sign in.

It is our intention eventually to have a swipe card access system, removing the need for this paper based approach.

Are there plans to introduce cigarette bins by Cadman?

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Question:

Are there any plans to provide a cigarette/litter bin under the Cadman archway as the number of discarded cigarette butts on the ground don’t provide a very positive impression to visitors?

Answer:

We have now provided a bin for smokers in the location and will regularly review the use of this to ensure that other issues do not arise.

Thank you.

Cadman Building Teaching Room F301

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Question

There is a perennial problem in this teaching room. The windows in this room do not fit in the frames, so it is impossible to close them. The students have to sit in their coats and shiver. The atmosphere is not conducive to learning!

I emailed the Repair Line about this problem at the beginning of October after the students complained on one of the first cold mornings. I received an acknowledgement, but when nothing had been done after 3 weeks I emailed again but did not receive a reply. Last Thursday morning when I last taught in this room the situation had still not been resolved.

Last year the problem was solved by putting insulating tape around the frames to hold the windows closed. Of course, in the spring the tape was removed when someone needed to open them again. This solution is only a stop gap and a more permanent one is needed.

I hardly need to say that as well as causing the students a lot of discomfort, there are other implications too. The heating is shooting straight out of the open windows at enormous cost to the university and ultimately the tax payer, while the occupants of the room freeze. It’s not doing too much for the environment either.

Firstly, I would like to ask when something is going to be done about this.

Secondly, why has it taken so long?

Answer

The opening window frames in this room do not fit particularly well within the frames so we will be draughtproofing them again with a material which will be a permanent solution,unlike previously when masking tape was used – this will allow the windows to be opened in summer.

When visited, the room was cold but only because the windows had been left open and when closed the heating system quickly returned the room to an acceptable temperature.

This work will be carried out soon and we apologise for the delay in finding a solution.