It makes us feel like a low priority

pull out. Marie Josund Kleppen and Christine Helgheim had to leave the reading room in the middle of exam reading. Photo: Aurora Aga Åsheim

– It was completely packed inside the room, maybe closer to 60 students. Suddenly I quit because a group of employees, maybe 15, would have some kind of plan there, says Marie Josund Kleppen (21).

She and her friend, Christine Helgheim, 22, both have a BA in Comparative Politics from the University of Bergen (UiB).

They usually read in the house of Ulrike Pihl, better known as U. Pihl, and were happy in the house as long as it was open.

Student’s house Recently opened after renewal Almost two years. Although there were no reading spaces, they struggled with having to leave the reading space on Monday and Tuesday last week because staff had booked the area.

The room they were in is an open area with screens and blackboards, where many students read for exams these days.

– I felt that I was very angry. After all, there are no reading spots available at twelve o’clock in the middle of the exam period. I don’t want to read at home either, because in my apartment it’s 14 degrees, Helgheim adds.

To make sure there is a place to read, students have to be there early, they say.

– If you’re here after 8:15, there’s often not much space left in the middle of exam time, says Kleppen.

It would have been something different in August

Students react to the fact that staff cannot use their meeting rooms for such gatherings.

– It would have been different if it had been August, and the reading rooms were not full. But I don’t think they can reserve a full reading room for this time in the semester, when we students don’t have the chance to do the same, Helgheim says.

As students, this makes us feel like we have a lower priority, Kleppen explains.

Klepin thinks it is not fitting for her to read so much elsewhere in the city.

– I do not feel very welcome in other colleges, and in any case I am not in law. Then it means that we SV students have to fight for places in the SV library and now finally at U. Pihl as well.

Experimental semester

The head of studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Hilde Marie Rognos, confirmed that the room had been booked by a group made up of staff from the Faculty of Social Sciences from ten o’clock until twelve in the morning on Monday.

– The reason for booking this particular room is because, as you say, the work was to be carried out in groups, using a screen and a blackboard.

She adds that they want to make the best use of the capacity and equipment in the room.

– At the same time, we do not have the opportunity to check how many people use the rooms when they are booked by staff or students.

Rognås points out that this is the first semester after U. Pihl opens again.

– In other words, this is a trial class, where we gain a lot of experience on how to use the house in the best possible way, you say.

From last week they are closed to new bookings until 15th December, and they are looking into the possibility of closing also during the next exam period, to see if there will be the best possible exam preparation space.

– Many bookings from students who have booked rooms for seminar groups and exam preparation, but there are also many meetings, seminars and the like sponsored by staff from SV faculty, other faculties and central UiB.

Teach in a proper way

The room was booked on Tuesday by a group of employees from several colleges, departments and departments For an hour and 45 minutes. This was confirmed by John Echog, Director of Strategy and Business Support.

– It’s sad to hear the students’ reaction to the room we’re using, he says.

Eikhaug says they used a “well-established practice” at UiB, whereby administration can book rooms after entering classes.

– We informed those present in a reasonable manner. So there was a relatively short period when the room was not available to students.

He points out that the room had as many flat screens as they needed for the event, and that the alternative was to pay for the conference hotel.

– We hope to have a good interaction in the future, says the department commander.

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