Vice chancellor inaugurates Leamington study space

**Vice chancellor of the University of Warwick, Nigel Thrift, officially opened the Leamington Learning Grid at 12.30pm last Tuesday.**

The Grid had already opened its doors at the beginning of last November, but this is the first time a senior member of the University has given it his official approval.

Mr Thrift was given a tour of the facility, as well as Leamington Town Hall in which the Grid is located.

The vice chancellor believes the Grid will be a success: “People are genuinely properly using it. They’re using it all the way through the week. It’s clearly a resource that students have wanted and we’re very pleased to be able to supply it.”

He added that, although there are no current plans for a study space in Coventry, it is not something the university would oppose.

“This is a model that we’re looking at seriously,” he said, but noted that there might be affordability issues and that students living in Coventry are closer to campus than those in Leamington.

He said the University would assess usage during Term 3 in particular and will make a review at the end of the academic year.

One of the students using the space during the chancellor’s visit was second-year PPE student Robert Ankcorn, who said he studies at the Leamington Grid because of its convenience.

“Working at home can be distracting, but getting on a half-hour bus simply to revise can be pretty tiring,” he told the _Boar_: “The Grid’s perfect for that situation. It’s very similar to the campus Learning Grid without the depressing atmosphere of 24-hour work.”

He added: “It’s taken a lot of pushing on behalf of students to get this space but, come Term 3, chances are we’ll be pushed for space yet again. We need to make sure that study space keeps up with the pressures of student demand.”

Students’ Union (SU) Sabbatical Officers Nick Swain, James Entwistle, Cosmo March and Anna Chowcat also attended the opening.

Education Officer James Entwistle praised the “amazing success” of the Grid so far.

“I’ve had texts from friends telling me how filled it’s been at weekends,” he said. “And that popularity is not going to go away during exams.”

However, Mr Entwistle does not think the current amount of study space available is enough.

“We have thousands of students in Leamington and the Grid only has 50 spaces,” he said. “There is [also] a large percentage of the student population in Coventry and their learning needs should be equally met.

“The Students’ Union will continue to lobby to make sure members get the study space they need.”

The Leamington Learning Grid is located on the ground floor of Leamington Spa Town Hall. It is open from 12.00-22.00 Monday to Friday, and 09.00-17.00 on weekends.