STUDENT ACCESS to the notorious Arthur Lewis building is to be improved in the aftermath of the "Reclaim the Uni" protest last week.
A number of changes are being planned by the University to address problems with the building raised by students.
The School of Environment and Development (SED), which is housed in the £31 million building, will open its doors to undergraduates for three hours a day to coincide with staff office hours.
Meanwhile the School of Social Sciences is set to employ new, professional reception staff, so that students will be able to go and see their tutors without necessarily having to make an appointment first. Provided their tutor is available, students would then be buzzed in to see them without having to be accompanied by a member of staff.
The changes were agreed upon in a meeting between University officials and Students' Union Academic Affairs Officer Jeff Meddemmen. Meddemmen had received 80 emails from complaining students last week alone, with most of them upset about the lack of access to tutors and lecturers.
The faculty also agreed to spend "thousands" on refurbishing the Arthur Lewis Café, introducing more and better seating options. Resource rooms were to be outfitted with new tables and comfortable chairs to encourage tutors to meet with their students over a coffee to discuss academic matters, rather than in their offices.
Contacting staff by email was also set to become easier, with new guidelines ensuring improved email response times, so ideally students would only have to wait hours for a reply, not days.
To continue to work towards solutions to student issues, the heads of the relevant schools also agreed to have regular meetings with the Academic Affairs Officer in the future.
"They are happy to listen to students, and will continue to listen to students," said Jeff Meddemmen, who called the meeting "good and helpful."
"The changes should be promptly implemented and I am sure they will satisfy the students."
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