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Monday September 16th 2013 | freeword - Est. 1972 | Issue 1008
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Cardiff scientists pick up awards page 13
Guide to British politics page 20
£1.4m redevelopment
Attenborough to deliver Cardiff talk
opens ready for freshers’ Tom Eden Editor The third and fourth floors of the Students’ Union have undergone vast redevelopment over the summer, ready for the arrival of students in September. The investment, costing just over £1.4m, aims to provide the Union with an open plan, welcoming layout; a complete transformation from the previous structure, which has existed virtually unchanged since the Union building
was built nearly 40 years ago. It has been designed with more ‘interaction space’, intended to allow for greater ease and opportunity for interaction between staff, students and the elected officers. Located in the centre of the third floor are the Elected officers’ desks, in the officer bowl - a name bourne from its circular glass walls. Although students have always been welcome and encouraged to come and speak with the officers, the move away from closed offices to this new structure aims to make that even easier.
In addition to the open plan layout, there are 14 new meeting rooms; four on the third floor and ten on the fouth. The University, who provided the majority of the funding for the project, has hired the use of eight of the fourth floor rooms during weekdays, but students, societies and sports teams will be able to book them for evenings and weekends. While the redevelopment will be open and useable from the beginning of freshers’ week, there will be a formal opening ceremony that is anticipated to happen in October.
page 4
The gap year debate page 11