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ELECTIONS
Student slams University for 1 negligence1
Select your dream team for 194/'95: election lowdown
NEWS
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GLIDING Up, up and away in a flying machine .. .
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INSIDE: • NEWS • FEATURES • ENTERTAINMENT • SPORT • LETIERS • CLASSIFIEDS • LOCAL NEWS • CAMPUS TO CAMPUS •
Issue 31: Wednesday, March 2, 1994
Exclusive report by Jo Stubb/ngton Fifers Lane is to remain 'open' next year... at a staggering cost of £185,000. But not one student will be living in the residences. For 'Concrete' can exclusively reveal that this is the estimated cost of maintaining Fifers each year until the University's lease runs out in 2017. Secret figures obtained from a University source last week reveal that: e£95,000 will be spent on rent and rates e£65,000 will be spent on maintaining Fifers Lane next year including regular visits from a pest-control company e£25 ,000 will be spent on portering and security services at the abandoned residences. The buildings, which are rented by UEA from the Norwich City Council, are leased until well into the next Century under an agreement which, it is rumoured has no 'get out clause' . The terms of such an agreement mean that the university would be obliged to look after the run-down residences until the lease expires, even though all Freshers will be
UEA to get a campus chippy: it will be open by Christmas A TRADITIONAL style Fish and Chip shop Is to open on campus by Christmas, Concrete can reveal. Plans for the brand new outlet - which will ,.·•nu.•naiU between Breakand The Back Bar- were given the go-ahead late last month, at a meeting of UEA officials. But although heralded as good news by UEA Catering Manager, Roger Hawkes, the uncosted proposal left many existing catering staff fearing for their jobs. For at a meeting last Wednesday, employees were warned there could be some redundancies: as popularcampuseaterie, The Diner, will be closing an hour earlier by September. The plans were also attacked by Student Union Finance Officer, Lizzi Watson. She said: ''To say they don 't have an idea of what it will cost to build the place is surely poor business sense. Maybe this could reflect other aspects of the University's financial management. .. such as Fifers Lane."
,----By----. Peter Hart But designers at UEA have already moved into action, planning exactly how the outlet will look. Many details are still under wraps, but it is thought there will be a strong emphasis on the 'traditional' chip shop theme. Roger Hawkes told Concrete that there would be a traditional chip shop front, with real deep fat fryers and an authentic servery area. And the food would include not just the great English meal - fish and chips - but "one or two pies, and perhaps the odd spring roll," according to Mr Hawkes. He added, though, that the range of food would not be as extensive as that found in similar City takeaways. Opening would be during lunchtime(ll.30-2)andevenings(from 5 or 6 o'clock until about 9pm).
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accomodated on campus or at Wilberforce Road. It is proposed that each year's costs would be charged to the Residences Account, which is already more than £I 00,000 in the red. Said Lizzie Watson, Student Union Finance Officer,"l think it' sdisgracefultoeven consider charging this deficit to the Residences Account. ''The Residences Account is already forecast to make a huge loss both this year and next, and to charge £185,000 to the account would only exacerbate the problem." She added: ''The site will not be used for student residency and therefore has no place with the account." eTwo blocks at Fifers Lane were closed earlier this year. a move which it was hoped would make an estimated saving of £40,000 to £50,000. Theclosureofblocks '0' and 'P' infact saved the university just £10,000. Despite numerous attempts by Concrete to contact Dennis Brown, Acting Director of Residences, he remained unavailable for comment at the time the paper went to press.
'Vote for me!' FIFTEEN candidates have been nominated for this week's Sabbatical Elections - when UEA students have the chance to choose their Dream Team for the 1994-5 Union Executive,
writes Nia/1 Hampton.
PHOTO: Courtesy of the Potato Marketing Board
And voting for the posts of Academic, Communications, Finance and Welfare Officer will take place on March 3. The successful candidates will find themselves responsible for two commercial companies and a large number of staff in addi-
UEA's Independent student Newspaper 6000 copies every fortnight
lion to their obligations to the members of the Union. Nominations this year are the highest for some time - showing that students are becoming increasingly interested in becoming involved in their Union. •voting for the 1994 Sabbatical Elections takes place on Thursday March 3 from 11 am to 5.30 pm in the Bill Wilson Room (Union House) and from 7.30 am to 10 am in the Porters Lodge at Fifers Lane.
Tel: 0603 250558
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