DUSA refurbishment unveiled

Freshers' Week 2004 marked the unveiling of DUSA's new state of the art interior, just over a year after the refurbishment and building work began.

A total of £3.8m has been spent on upgrading the building, £1.1m of which came from University Court, £1.9m from a bank loan and £800,000 from DUSA itself. £35,000 was also donated by local charity the Mathew Trust. Together with the construction of the new Mono bar in 2001, a total of £4.5m has been invested in DUSA over the last three years.

The project has brought changes to most parts of the building, including the creation of the North Extension, which houses the new retail shop and Air Bar which opened earlier this year. A new reception area has been created on level 2, along with a new games room and a fast food restaurant. The refurbishment of the Liar Bar, Pete's Bar and the main staircase has also been completed.

One of the more high-tech changes to the building has been the creation of an iWall - a wall which incorporates PCs where students can log onto the Internet and access Blackboard.

The final stage of the project is due to be finished in October with the completed refurbishment of the existing office space and the creation of two new meeting rooms and a debating chamber.

As well as the physical changes that have taken place within the building, some areas have also been re-named. Pete’s Bar will now be known as Level 5 and the Liar Bar, named after the book by former Rector Stephen Fry, will now be called simply the Liar.

University staff are automatically members of the Students' Association and can sign in two guests every time they visit the union. DUSA President Fraser Miller is keen to welcome staff to see the changes for themselves. He said, "DUSA now has the best facilities of its kind in the area. I would urge staff to come and try out the food and drink at the new-look union. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised."

He added, "I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to all the parties who have been involved in the redevelopment project. It could not have been realised without the strength and effort of the DUSA management team, the support of the University and the vision of previous student executives."