September 29, 2014 3.52 pm This story is over 114 months old

Lincoln students’ union lays out members only Tower Bar plans

No overnight changes: The University of Lincoln Students’ Union is monitoring the use of the Tower Bar venue in order to enforce a ‘university family’ entry system.
Photo: Emily Norton

The University of Lincoln Students’ Union is monitoring the use of the Tower Bar venue in order to enforce a ‘university family’ entry system.

Since taking over management of the Tower Bar and Engine Shed venues on campus on August 1, the SU has been supported by the university in “improving the student experience”.

After announcing the takeover, the SU introduced the idea of a new student admission policy making the space students and guests only. Now, plans also include a non-student membership option.

James Brooks, University of Lincoln Students’ Union CEO, said: “Our priority so far has been making sure the student experience hasn’t been affected in terms of freshers week and launching the new student night on a Wednesday, Quack.

“We’ve also been monitoring the use of the Tower Bar. We are going to make it so that it it students and guests only.

“This isn’t in force yet but we are taking a different stance and if we’ve got people in there that are being offensive towards students then we are asking them to leave.

“After monitoring what’s going on at the bar we will look to enforce a student only or student and guest system, as part of a university family entry policy.

“Realistically we want the people using the bar at the moment to carry on using it. That’s not for business reasons, it’s because the atmosphere in the Tower Bar is really good. We just want students to be able to feel that it’s their venue and that they are part of the venue.

“For people that regularly use it that aren’t students, they can apply to be members and have a right to use it. So it will become more of a members bar.”

While the venues are still bookable to members of the public, University of Lincoln students have priority, and the spaces are being used for sporting activities for the first time.

James said: “It’s exactly the same as every other students’ union in the country. What we are doing is being the Tower Bar to exactly the same level as every other students union which has proven to work.

“We don’t see the Engine Shed’s model changing at all. We are however looking into expanding the staff who book the acts because I am concerned that in the last 18 months there hasn’t been the same caliber of acts that there was previously.”

The SU President, Brian Alcon, added: “Before, students were told the bar couldn’t be closed to the public for their event but now it can.

“What’s the point of being a students’ union if there is no benefit to your members?

“Through our consultation as part of our strategic review two years ago we had positive and negative feedback from students and local residents.

“People have actually emailed in saying thank you because this is the first year in a number of freshers weeks that we haven’t had any disruptions.”

Profits made between the venues will now go towards the running of the students’ union directly.

Brian said: “That will enable us to provide a better quality of service provision for our members and offer more to our members. Now having commercial services, and we have seen with the boost from our takeover of The Shed in January, we can improve the quality of what we already deliver.”