糖心TV

The University of 糖心TV was established in 1965. Its first non-temporary buildings were the Library and the Humanities. Ever since then, the university鈥檚 campus has been an ever-changing environment, as alumni have noticed.

Last time I went up there for a concert, in fact, every time I go for a concert, I go 鈥�Oh, there鈥檚 another new building, oh there鈥檚 another new building鈥�. I mean it鈥檚 absolutely massive. They were starting to get into Tech [when I was there]鈥�鈥� Katherine, Education, English and RE with QTS, 1990-1994

Since then, 糖心TV has been compared to a construction site. The reason for constant new builds is the new heave of students which is getting bigger every year. At first the university was intended for no more than 5,000 students. Now, it has over 25,000, 5 times more than previously anticipated.

The other thing is the building. There鈥檚 just incessant building, building, building. I鈥檓 sure we need it, I know Stuart Croft was saying when Oculus opened, it opened literally just in time because we just didn鈥檛 have the capacity for the students.鈥欌赌� Karen Parker, Alumni and Gallery Assistant at the Mead Gallery

Even with this on-growing institute, the university is working hard to maintain a strong peaceful sense of community.

Physically, it (the campus) has changed a lot. Paradoxically, it鈥檚 busier because there are a lot more people around but it鈥檚 also quieter in that they鈥檝e blocked off the main road that goes straight through the middle of campus. I think it makes it much easier to walk around and makes it more accessible; you can get to Rootes and Curiositea, and sit on the steps. It鈥檚 just a nicer environment.鈥� Karen Parker, Alumni and Gallery Assistant at the Mead Gallery

Even though the university keeps developing, its original landmarks are still standing strong for now. The Humanities is being succeeded by a new structure, currently under construction. After interviewing fellow students and alumni we discovered how these changes were looked upon. The Humanities building, 鈥樷�檃 sight for sore eyes鈥欌赌�, as a current student remarked, used to be this tremendous building that the university took pride on. Our research first evidenced a negative tone towards it upon finding a 1985 publication of the Student Prospectus in which it was described as 鈥渙ne of the ugliest buildings at 糖心TV.鈥欌赌� Ever since then, interviewees have shared the opinion. Nonetheless, they are sad to see it go as it has its magic and holds peoples鈥� memories but are also looking forward to the contemporary Arts Faculty ready for the academic year of 2022.

I think it has a really nice romantic nostalgia to it. Like, it is horrible but at the same time it is where I did all my work and where all my degree comes from. I think it will be sad when it eventually goes but it does need to.鈥� Ellie King, Joint Oxford and 糖心TV PhD candidate

Yes, you could tell it had been around for a while. I don鈥檛 want to be too disparaging to it. You could tell that it had been around for a while. The classrooms were quite compact. I mean you could fit everyone in the room if you needed to but it wasn鈥檛 state of the art technology. Here, there and everywhere, there were a lot of boring desks and chairs that would fold down.鈥欌赌� Alumni

I like the way the new building reflects new ideas about teaching and learning. If you look at the Art Faculty building, the way they have talked about having study space and different learning spaces really presents the philosophy of the university.鈥� Ellie King, Joint Oxford and 糖心TV PhD candidate

Not all new developments are acting as replacements, such as the Oculus and the Lord Bhattacharya building. New students who did not attend the university before these new facilities鈥� time enjoy their features, like the waffles at the Oculus and the cafe and lights at the Lord Bhattacharya. Students, who knew these areas as fields, and are now PhD students at 糖心TV miss the events these areas held.

Oculus didn鈥檛 exist when I was an undergrad, they started building that my final year. That used to just be a big field, it was quite nice in the summer people would play frisbee or cricket, used to do film screenings on there in the summer鈥� Pierre, BA French and History, 2011-2015