I also don’t understand the reasoning. I’ve heard from staff and students that it is because some staff feel unsafe in the building following protests over the past year. Which staff? I don’t know any.

 

Making services appointment only feels like creating another barrier for students who already face too many barriers. I worry for the students. And for the staff who are being asked to action yet more decisions they don’t believe in. 

So how come a decision like this gets made? I suspect I know. All the dissenting voices have been eliminated. There’s been a big clear out of senior university management under this new regime. I suspect anyone who shows a bit of disagreement is out. Hence management meetings become merely an echo chamber of what the most senior person says. 

"The next few weeks will be challenging for us all. We know and trust that whether or not colleagues are participating in industrial action, it is our dedication and commitment to our students that unites us. 

 

Our mission 

Through collaboration, we harness our expertise in research and education to advance knowledge, transform lives and shape a better future for our communities, our region and the world.   

The Lifelong Learning Centre exists as part of the University of Leeds with a complementary aim of reducing social inequalities and increasing social justice in Leeds communities and beyond. We work to support students and potential students who might otherwise not have an opportunity to enter higher education and use their skills and experience to flourish. Our students come from a range of backgrounds and face many issues relating to inequalities. The person-centred approach of the LLC reduces these in many ways, leading many of our students to act as ambassadors for the University of Leeds and education more broadly within their communities. Having a physical ‘home’ is crucial for these students who live within the Leeds community and do not have the opportunity to come together in student halls.  

 

Our values 

The timing is highly convenient. Did the management assume we wouldn’t get wind of this before the end of term and not say anything?  Forcing a fast change is very poor management. As customers we deserve better. Whose services are next???”

 ….suffice to say trust seems to have been irrevocably broken. What a shame that those careful, trusting relationships that have taken years to nurture with mature students seem to have been shattered into pieces by the University in less than a week. 

1. Actions such as this, directly opposing our University values, undermine everything the University community is doing to uphold those values.

2. Ditto the opaque, unconsultative, topdown manner in which this decision has been made.

3. The widening gap between the values the Senior Leaders purport to hold, and their actions is completely destroying trust in their competence. This includes but is not limited to the VC's stance on EDI, which we have to get right.

4.  I have worked here under several VCs and am most disappointed in the current administration, after having such high hopes in Simone’s original messages. We were the envy of the sector for her progressiveness. 

5. The toll on University leaders (e.g. Deans, ProDeans, Directors, Heads of School, etc.) will be heavy as they scramble to hold a unified, coherent line.

6. Many are affected, but it is the LLC and their amazingly progressive, inclusive work that is the biggest sacrifice in this decision.

I hope we see a U-turn soon, or at least a statement that explains - authentically - what's going on re the closure of the Ziff and the wider issues detailed in this padlet.

The Ziff building was opened in 2008 as a student facing central hub. The University's website explained the key purposes of the building...and that senior management would be located there. This current action by senior management has ignored these key aims completely.
".... The new £15m six-storey building will consolidate key student administrative services under one roof, bringing into one place, functions currently carried out at six separate locations across the University, providing a 'one-stop shop' to offer improved and integrated support to students. 

https://manchesterhistory.net/architecture/2000/ziffbuilding.html

 

We are writing to update you on the proposed changes to how we use the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building. It’s clear that aspects of these plans have caused distress to some of you, and we want to apologise for that.  

 

The plans for the Ziff building are part of a broader review of how we use campus and are also a response to concerns about student experience and the security of everyone who uses the Ziff. This context has made the issue more pressing for this building. Every time the building is compromised, student experience suffers, which in itself impacts on wellbeing. 

 

However, we appreciate that this situation emerged quickly, meaning it has felt rushed and lacking consultation and collaboration. This was never our intention. 

Our intention was always to listen. We have now listened and as a result of your feedback we will be slowing down the pace of the work to ensure our solutions take account of what staff and students need – both now and in the future.  

 

To those who have participated in productive and passionate conversations about student and staff engagement, thank you. We will work together with you over the coming months to shape how we grow the sense of belonging this space and our campus clearly provide for so many in our University community. 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out through our Ziff questions inbox: sescommunications@leeds.ac.uk

 

Best wishes, 

 

Professor Simone Buitendijk 

Vice-Chancellor and President 

 

Professor Jeff Grabill 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education 

What this means in the short-term: 

What this means in the longer-term: