Guidelines for Use of All Quiet Study Areas in the Faculty of Social Sciences

  • The clusters of benches within the Faculty were established several years ago to provide a space where students could engage in quiet study between classes.
  • A concerted effort is now being made to ensure that these clusters are used for the purpose for which they were built. All users are therefore being asked to assist in this effort.
  • At the same time, there is more to student life than classes and quiet study. In recognition of this a Faculty of Social Sciences Meeting Point has been created so as to provide a space for other types of activities.
  • Students who wish to engage in activities such as informal discussions, quiet recreation or who wish to take a study break are being asked to relocate to the Faculty of Social Sciences Meeting Point which has been developed to accommodate these pursuits.
  • The Space within the boundaries of the Faculty is primarily an academic space and must be protected as such. Thus, the culture that we construct within these boundaries must be one that fosters and promotes an ambience conducive to teaching, research and study.
  • In recent years, some of the clusters of benches have been used for purposes for which they were not intended. This has not helped to build the kind of atmosphere that is necessary for academic pursuits within the Faculty.
  • Some activities are obviously disturbing. These include noisy exchanges which can disrupt classes and prevent other persons from doing their work. Yet these are not the only activities that are of concern.
  • Simply put, the playing of games, discussions of a non-academic nature and the general meeting, greeting and chatting among friends and colleagues within the Faculty all tend to “kill the study vibes”.
  • The Faculty supports a balanced student life and encourages wholesome recreation, the building of lifelong friendships and the lively debate of issues. At the same time, we must insist that there is a time and a place for everything.