By Will Charley, Comment Editor
Bristol SU is a well-equipped facility that is empty due to their belief it is an empty building in a distant oasis. It is time that changes.
If you ask Bristol students what buildings they use most, it will be a familiar list. Wills Memorial, the ASS Library, Beacon House; sometimes even the Victoria Rooms gets said.
One name that is unlikely to be heard is the Richmond Building.
Otherwise known as Bristol’s Students’ Union, it is a multi-storey complex comprised of study spaces, meeting rooms, and offices. It also has a bar, a discounted cafe, a theatre, a media suite, music rooms and a pool, amongst its excellent facilities.
Funny then, that it is less known than Taka Taka, the ‘restaurant’ that serves greasy, albeit loveable gyros, chips and Greek food. Even more so, the (in)famous Jason Donervans, serving everything from curry chips to chicken nuggets, is definitely more well-known - and more used - than Bristol SU.
Do not believe the rumours - you do not need a chinook helicopter to get in and out of the wasteland where it is located.
So, why is it that one of Bristol Uni’s best buildings, the SU, is largely only visited by student actors, journalists and swimmers, rather than the entire student body?
Some say that the SU is simply too far away, that the 15-minute walk, or more precisely nought-point-six-mile hike from the ASS library to the Richmond Building is too far. And to an extent they are right.
Bristol SU might as well be in Afghanistan for all the difference the 15 minutes makes.
It is not near libraries, it is not near the many cafes located on The Triangle, it is neither close to shops nor to open green spaces. For many students, the SU is a 30-minute round trip to somewhere that is located on Mars, away from the student campus. Why would they go when The Triangle is a third of the distance?
So, yes, the Student’s Union is far away and removed from all other Bristol University buildings. But this is not the real reason that the SU experiences less traffic than a country road on a quiet Sunday.
The problem with the Richmond Building is that no one actually has a clue what is in it.
I have to admit, I spent much of first year avoiding the SU simply because it was a building that was ugly on the outside and unknown on the inside. Apart from splashing around like a drowned rat in the pool below, I did not know a whole lot about what was there.
Too many students have little idea of the availability of study spaces, and excellent facilities that can be used at the SU. Whether it is the freely available meeting rooms and computers, the dance studio or even just the full English breakfast for £3.50 from the Balloon Bar, too few students know the SU’s facilities.
The Richmond Building is one building I wish I had used more in first year and one that I would recommend to all students, especially this year’s freshers.
Do not believe the rumours - you do not need a chinook helicopter to get in and out of the wasteland where it is located.
Whilst it is solitary, it is not far when 15 minutes is put into real terms. More importantly, it is an amazing resource, so it is time more students actually use it.
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