Bar Wars return: Plans for Pendle Bar to only open ... - Scan - Lusu

14NEWSWeek 2 - Summer Termscan.lusu.co.uk/newsPendle Bar to close “in stealth”• LUSU Officers and College Principal express dismay at thedecision to close Pendle Bar• Bar was refurbished just two years ago and recently renamedCONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGEis clear that without activities suchas bar sports or Pendle Live there islittle trade: in February the nightsthat had no events took under £50on average, whereas the nights thathad events took a little over £200,which is still low.”Hardman suggested that althoughPendle Bar may be closed downfor now, there will be an effort to“look how more activity can begenerated for the rest of this term, andimportantly how it can bere-launched in October.” Until then,Hardman tells SCAN that the bar willbe open for darts on Wednesdaysand Pendle Live.“There seemsto be conflictedmessages. I’mnot sure if theUniversity arepulling the rug fromunder Pendle or ifit’s a matter to dowith the JCR.”Laurence Pullan, former presidentof Pendle College and LUSU VicePresident (Union Development)-elect told SCAN that he wasdeeply concerned for the future ofthe bar. Whilst he agrees with thesentiment that if the bar is notsustainable it is difficultto keep it open andadmitted that the bar “hasalways struggled to get goodbusiness” because it has notalways received adequatesupport; he also stated: “Like aflower, if you don’t water it, it willdie”.Pullan emphasised that if thebar received more support and anattempt was made to invigorate itsstatus amongst the other collegebars, it had the potential to be “aprofitable college space”. He feelsthat closure of the bar threatens the“outstanding student experience thatthis University prides itself on”.Roger Gould, Principal ofPendle College, said that he hadrecently been on a trip away from theUniversity and had come back toconfusion. He toldSCAN: “There seemsto be conflicted messages.I’m not sure ifthe University arepulling the rug fromunder Pendle or ifit’s a matter to dowith the JCR.”Although Gouldargued that the bar“does need to beused to justify itbeing there, studentscannot use a bar thatis closed [and so]being closed mostnights of the weekis bound to reduceuse when the bar isactually open.”With regards tothe concession thatthe bar will openfor college events,Gould stated hisbelief that the baris not “an eventsbar.” He was however,quick to statethat he was “not abeliever in thegloomy view that theUniversity is lookingto close the bars,”but that the closureof Pendle Bar issure to lead to questionsabout how theUniversity supportsthe bars and howthey plan to encouragestudents to usetheir college bars.Gould emphasisedthat although thebar will be closed,Pendle is more than just a bar. PendleRooms, the building which holdsthe bar, will still be an active socialspace available to all students.“In February thenights that had noevents took under£50 on average,whereas the nightsthat had events tooka little over £200,which is still low.”Louise Davies, the University’sRetail Manager, concurred withGould and Pullan, telling SCAN“it saddens me that students arenot choosing to visit Pendle moreregularly… we are working hardto provide the sort of products,services and ultimately the experiencesthat students want, but we knowthat doing so will require collaborativeefforts”. She maintains that thecollege bars are an important part ofthe Lancaster University experience,and that whilst “students engage inso many activities and events – weTHE BAR WILL ONLYOPEN FOR COLLEGEEVENTS SUCH ASPENDLE LIVEPhoto by Jay Theiswould love to see them choosingPendle, or indeed, any other bar asa place to hold them and we activelyencourage it.”The college bars were takenover by the Commercial Servicesdepartment in 2008.Concerns were raised at thetime that these could lead toundermining of the collegesystem and potential closures. This wasexacerbated by the changes to thebars’ management structure thisacademic year, which saw the barslose individual licensees.