Club nights at Dundee University’s award-winning union are to end after bosses blamed reduced demand for making the previously popular events “unviable”.
Plans to remodel DUSA The Union have “come out of nowhere”, according to those behind a petition signed by hundreds.
They hope to pressure DUSA into a rethink with the student body already promising to find a “workable solution”.
DUSA criticised for lack of consultation
The venue, which regularly wins awards for its popularity with students, is set to scrap its weekly club events and instead offer festivals throughout the year.
Decision-makers at DUSA say the plans would be part of measures to “support a kinder, greener and more diverse global student community”.
Jake Mace, a third year student at Dundee University, said the decision was made without any discourse with those who attend the club.
The Philosophy and Politics student has launched a petition calling for an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) to be held to discuss the matter before any changes take place.
The petition has already garnered nearly 500 signatures as students supported more consultation.
‘The Union is a safe place’
Student activist Jake said: “There is a feeling that this has come out of nowhere for a lot of people.
“For many The Union is a safe place to go out and we’ve been hearing that often in the feedback.
“People have enjoyed how well implemented the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign has been rolled out at The Union [an initiative used by bars and other venues to keep people safe from sexual assault by using a codeword].
“The night bus provided is also something that makes them feel safe to go out and regularly enjoy events.
“There is a worry that this is all just going to disappear as DUSA plan to take The Union in a new direction.
“No one is opposed to changes being implemented but the missing piece for many is the lack of discourse with students.”
Dundee University itself has described reports of an incident in Dundee as “extremely distressing”.
Petition generates hundreds of signatures
Jake added: “People are concerned by the disconnect between DUSA and its members.
“The petition has been back by hundreds of people now and as a result DUSA have got in contact to discuss the matter.
“One of the messages they’ve alluded to is having ‘a kinder, greener and more diverse global student community’ and we all support that.
“There is a firm belief that this vision can go hand-in-hand whilst holding regular club nights.
“We agree that club nights alone don’t make a students’ association but they are a part of it for a lot of people and we don’t want that to go away.”
‘We did not foresee this level of response’
A spokesman for DUSA said the decision to remove the weekly club nights is based on “reduced demand”.
He added: “Since our Freshers Festival experience, we have seen significantly reduced attendance at our club nights, with many students choosing to go elsewhere.
“We did not foresee this level of response from our students as it hasn’t to-date translated to actual attendance of our club nights.
“As things stand, the attendance levels mean that the club nights are not currently viable.
“We made a difficult decision to protect the long-term interests of the student body and DUSA.
“We are open to dialogue with students to seek a workable solution.”