Tuesday 29-01-2019 - 09:00

We spoke to Stanford, your Union Affairs Officer about the opportunity for students rename Senate House, now that it’s becoming the home for students on campus. Here he gives us his thoughts on renaming Senate House, and why it matters. 

Why does renaming Senate House matter? 

We want students to have faith and pride in their university, so it’s good to start with something people on campus walk past, and see, every day.  

What we call places matters. When we look at places like Colston Hall or Wills Memorial, their names can embody the spirit of a place.  There have been challenges to these names as they sometimes represent values or times in history that people no longer want to associate themselves with, and those challenges demonstrate the resonance a name can hold. 

In the past a building’s name has generally reflected an aspect of university operations.  A building’s name was rarely, if ever, put to students directly.

And why is it important that students are being asked to choose a name?

So students wouldn’t normally have a hand in choosing a name for a building on campus, but that doesn’t stop them from naming places themselves. The official name of our base at the University is The Richmond Building, but I’d challenge you to find me any student who calls it that. They’d just be like ‘meet you at the SU’.  Renaming Senate House is a more formal opportunity for students to really take ownership of the place, and feel connected to it.

Why do you think this has come about now? 

The Bristol SU Living Room is a great example of the University trying to do things differently – it required a certain level of letting us try something totally new. That way of working – following new approaches that haven’t been tried before –  can really ‘nail’ stuff here at Bristol (as we’ve seen from the feedback we’ve been getting so far). So, I’m totally up for trying a different way of naming the whole place!

Why do you care so much about this? 

My own student experience was valuable for me, but also very challenging at times. I want students to want to come here and study, but to make that experience easier to navigate and more impactful.
This university has a lot of great things, including most degree programmes, great research, volunteering opportunities, extracurricular variety, sport – and it has all these things at a very good standard. 

One thing I definitely missed from my student experience though was a hub –  a central place to go to as a student. That’s one thing that this university didn’t have, as a civic university. 

I feel that central location is now being created in Senate House, as part of the Campus Heart programme, along with more of a campus feel. That’s something that has great value to me, personally. It will make this a better place to go to University, for future generations too. 

I want students to care as much as I do – and a great place to get involved starts with this formal renaming. Students – suggest your names and get involved, and let’s make Senate House something that is owned by our community! 

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More Information

We’re looking for a new name for Senate House – and we need your ideas.  

Take part online  
Give us your ideas for a name via bristol.ac.uk/campus-heart. In the next few weeks, you’ll also be able to help shortlist, and vote for your favourite name. 
 
Come and see us at the Make this Yours stand on campus. We’ll be at:
•    Indoor Sports Centre, 30 January  
•    Senate House, 31 January and 1 February 
•    ASSL and Beacon House w/c 4 February  
 
Get involved in a naming workshop  
Join artist The Fandango Kid for a naming workshop on Wednesday 6 February, and help shortlist the names at a workshop on 13 February.  
 
Vote for your favourite name 
The student’s shortlist of names will be open for votes from the end of February. Or vote at the Student Union Annual Members Meeting, 26 February.