Students will have more space to study on the DMU campus this deadline season with the opening of The DSU Study Space.
Students will have more space to study on the De Montfort University (DMU) campus this deadline season with the opening of The De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) Study Space.
The Campus Centre Atrium will be converted into a learning zone for the final term of 2017/18 from Monday 9 April until mid-May as students complete dissertations, end-of-year projects and other important pieces of coursework.
The DSU Study Space is the brainchild of Ahtesham Mahmood, President of DSU, and he has encouraged as many DMU students as possible to use the space throughout the term.
“Despite having successfully lobbied for the Kimberlin Library to be opened 24/7, 365 days a year, in 2016, there simply isn’t enough space on campus at the moment,” he explained.
“What I really wanted to do was open the doors of the Campus Centre to welcome students in to work in our study space and make sure we’re actively representing your academic interests.”
The DSU Study Space is the brainchild of Ahtesham Mahmood, President of DSU.
The space will be open from 8am to 9pm during weekdays, with room for group work and charging points for your tablet or a laptop loaned from Kimberlin.
“Something I realised while campaigning last year was that as we get closer to exam period and deadline season – and because we have such an amazing library – students are always trying to utilise that space.
“I’ve been keen on providing an expanded learning experience, and so the best route to ensure our members aren’t missing out is to open up the downstairs of the Campus Centre into a learning zone for the duration of the final term.
“This is the centre of campus and is a hub for all students at DMU, so what we have done is convert it into a space that students can really benefit from during deadline season.”
Students will be encouraged to utilise the space for groups and other non-silent work.
Elsewhere, the university’s Library and Learning Services team will be opening Kimberlin 0.11 Lecture Theatre as a 24/7 silent revision room.
From Tuesday 3 April, you’ll also be able to make use of new ‘Pop Up Library’ revision rooms on the second floor of the Eric Wood Building, which will again be open 24/7 until mid-May.
Ahtesham was a key part of the team who campaigned for library fines to be cut at DMU.
The news comes after library fines at DMU were slashed to cut the financial burden on students following lobbying from your Officer Team.
As of Thursday 1 February, you will not be charged a penalty fine on an overdue normal loan book, DVD or CD that is not reserved by someone else.
Fines will continue to be charged for high demand items such as laptops and short loan items, as well as books and other resources reserved by others. Historical charges accrued before Wednesday 31 January will remain outstanding.
Richard Partridge, Head of User Experience for Library and Learning Services, explained at the time: “These changes reflect a shift away from penalties for forgetfulness on our ‘normal’ stock loans whilst retaining penalty incentives to return material that is in demand, either because it is reserved by other users, or it’s a high demand item such as short loans and laptops.
“We’re keen to get feedback from students on these changes and to promote the fact that we’re taking positive action to reduce the financial burden on students while still managing their learning resources – particularly those in demand – in an equitable and responsible way.”
The Campus Centre Atrium will be converted into a learning zone for the final term of 2017/18 from Monday 9 April until mid-May.
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