WEEK 25 - Pittville Special
nb This is my own personal belief and in no way represents the thoughts of my colleagues, students, employers and friends. If you like this particular post, please feel free to share it however you wish.
RIP PITTVILLE?
A lot of people have called me over the last couple of days to ask how I feel about Pittville campus closing in 2011. For those of you who are unaware it was announced that Pittville (the arts & media campus) would be closing in summer 2011 and moving to different campuses ending speculation over silly rumours and whispers that have circulated for over a year now.
To my mind certain members of management have taken the brave (and fully necessary) step and made some very tough decisions - if the consultation process they’ve outlined into ensuring the students needs and staff/facilities balance are met in our new homes then I’d argue there’s a very bright future for all those involved. We will lament the unavoidable loss of jobs, but considering the internal and external factors facing the University not to mention the financial mess the country is in as a whole I would still have to say that we’ve got off lightly when all is considered; I’ve read/seen/heard a lot of knee-jerk nonsense in the last few days. Bad things happen, no one will ever be happy about everything and it seems professionally destructive to romanticise the loss when it is already inevitable.
Firstly, I think that (erroneously) a very negative interpretation has been cast by (in my opinion) a poorly constructed press release. It seems to be that people are making the mistake of thinking the the University in closing the campus and all of the courses - this in untrue. Secondly - and remember that I’ve been in and around Pittville Campus for the last ten years (I even lived on the same road for two years!) - I find it very difficult to agree with the traditionalists over the University’s position on the sale of the campus being a mistake.
Now, before I continue I need to make this clear:
I love Pittville and will miss it dearly, along with all those who sailed within her 1970s comprehensive mismatched and decrepit bowels. A lot of commentators I’ve read who are making wild and inaccurate accusations have never known the pleasure of working in this beautiful character. Pittville is great, real, gritty and sexy. It smells a bit funny, there are strange corridors and bridges, it has extremely odd buildings and within a couple of minutes walk you feel like you’re somewhere completely different - a bit like “Ken Loach does Hogwarts”. We have a genuine community spirit as a campus (that ironically this announcement has only reinforced) and walking around it’s difficult not to get excited by the sense of creativity and genuine goodwill to every aspect of the place.
You only have to spend ten minutes sat in reception to hear ideas being spouted about all manner of subjects and see wonderful art being dragged too an fro; the sounds of Caroline, Mary & Rose answering questions from lost and scared freshers about anything. Sit in the atrium with its five second reverb time and have an airy chat with Sue at the coffee pod. Go to the SU building and you’ll see Robbie sat designing/running a radio station with his door always open - explaining why he knows nothing of the snack machine on the right that has swallowed someone’s change. Again. Gail in the bar, Glo & Jude in the refectory, bellowing Dave from estates along with the best comedy double team there is - Shaun and Mike. Rob from ICT who appears to be in a hundred places at once; I’m not even going to get into the academic and support staff! You really have to be here to understand what a wonderful place it is to work in.
Yes - I am in love with Pittville and still think moving is the best idea in our circumstance.
Why?
I take full pride in saying that I personally believe (along with many others) that, without detriment to the rest of the University, we have the best staff, the best courses and - most importantly - the best students. It won’t be a case of Pittville losing something special, it will be the fact we have a chance to share what we have with the rest of the university.
Whatever happens I genuinely believe that Pittville won’t lose it’s character or spirit or strength to the ether of obscurity on another campus - the spirit will change the rest of the university and we will all be better for it.
Call me a romantic fool but, like ‘that’ song, I’m Pittville till I die.
