Dublin City University’s new student centre which lies in the heart of the Glasnevin Campus is a multi million state of the art design.
Some staff and students of DCU were given a sneak preview of the student centre before its completion in August.
The President of DCU, Brian McGrath and outgoing students such as former Student Union President Niall Behan were given a tour of the new DCU Student Hub which will greatly improve student life.
This project was part of an extensive five-year €230 million Campus Development Plan of Dublin City University, Ireland’s fastest growing university. In 2015, students voted in favour of a levy to fund this centre.
Together with the generosity of students, the support of the Bank of Ireland and the Tony Ryan Trust, students can enjoy a purpose built space for clubs and societies and social activities.
The project which was initially due for opening in early 2018, is now open to students for the 2018/2019 academic year. The student centre is capable of holding 3,500 users at maximum capacity.
Some features of the student centre include an entrepreneurship area for students work space, three meeting rooms and three quiet offices, four multipurpose rooms for over 350 users at max capacity, a dedicated student venue called “The Hive” with maximum capacity of over 500 guests, DCU’s first purpose designed gender neutral toilets on campus, a purpose built radio station suite and five retail outlets consisting of a bar, a convenience store, a hairdressers, a bookstore and a campus print.
The current Student Union President, Vito Moloney Burke said that the opening “marks a collective contribution from generations of DCU students that have passed through these doors, all for those who pass through today. Once again, we have a hub of activity, where DCU students have a home.”
This extra space will greatly bolster student life in terms of general socialising because there was no one dedicated spot in DCU for relaxing after class as the canteen closes at about 5.30 every evening and the library is a space for academic activities only where noise levels are monitored.
The new student hub is a relaxed space where students can socialise without having to worry about noise levels, where students can participate in clubs and societies as before most clubs and societies would have to meet in a classroom in the Henry Grattan building.
When asked about how the new student centre will help clubs and societies, Vito said: “The place will be alive with club and society life, and will serve as a platform for more students than ever before to engage. Today really represents quite what a culture of collaboaration between students and the university can achieve; the legacy starts here.”
Speaking to a second year Journalism student, Beibhinn Thorsch, about how the new student centre will improve student life, she said: “The student centre will definitely be a huge welcome and comfort for incoming first years who may have been previously intimidated by having to find random rooms for club meetings; rooms that were never really equipped for these meetings in the first place. I think it will really have a huge impact for the better.”