Appleton Café: From navy vessel, to collaborative student hub

Ever wonder what an Inf Rep does on a Thursday morning? Stressfully writing creatively for an application that's due 12pm!

Basically the Student Grant application deadlines were hours away and the night before (having deliberated for weeks on what I could submit) I came up with a cool idea.

What if we were given 5k to cosy up and transform Appleton Café. Decorate it so it doesn't scream 'so last season ??'. Many of you have heard the rumour that the Café was getting a makeover over the summer, however summer has passed and the only thing that's changed is now the Café is closed indefinitely. The rumour was true, it was going to get a makeover, however the University's financial climate this year has put many projects on hold, not just our Café. And while there are plans to renovate it next summer, let's face it, they are still plans. Wouldn't it be nice to have something now?

The last time our Café was updated was in 2014. I was not even in Highschool at that point. Should the application be successful, it would give us the funding to replace those solid rock chairs and cold metal tables with actually nice stuff, like sofas, beanbags, coffee tables, lamps, fake plants, cute fairy lights and EXTENSION WIRES. It's actually unbelievable that for a Café situated in a computer science building, finding a plug is almost comparable to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

The Café sucks. But there's a chance we can change it. And change it for next semester. So below is the application that I submitted to the Student Grant. Thank you so much Callum Paterson for giving me advice and aid literally hours before the deadline. All we can do now is twiddle our thumbs, cross our fingers and hope that the board approves this wish.

Appleton Café: From navy vessel, to collaborative student hub.

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Project Overview

Vibrant. Cosy. Welcoming. And Warm. These are not the words Informatics students use to describe Appleton Café. With your help, we can decorate this cold military naval vessel. So that vibrant, cosy, welcoming, and warm… is… how we describe the Café.

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Aims and Objectives

With its frosty steel tables, and its solid rock chairs, it gives the impression of a military naval vessel rather than a University Café. University Catering had plans to give it a makeover over the summer, however due to the current financial climate, this has not happened yet. Leaving Informatics students not only with an uninviting and uninspiring Café, but one that is also closed too. This has left us with a sea of tables and chairs, hardly any decoration and certainly no welcoming spirit. I personally have found myself gravitating to the Rainy Hall Café in the School of Divinity instead of Appleton, and many other students, my peers, can confirm this sentiment, Appleton Café is the last choice when it comes to thinking of places to sit and hang out.

The aim of this project is to change this, and change this so quickly that it is ready in time for the start of next semester. It doesn’t take much to turn a dull space into a vibrant environment, and it can certainly be done with the maximum awarded through this grant. For example, move the tables and chairs away, add in some sofas, stools, bean bags, coffee tables, lamps, extension wires and posters on the pillar and for a neat sum, you have a space that looks totally different, a space that no doubt would be filled to the brim with students afterwards.

The aim of this project is to bring students closer, but not in a campus so far away it is a pain to travel. NO. This project aims to bring students closer right at Appleton. Inside the home of Undergraduate Informatics. But this project needs the money so that we can turn the Café into a home for students during the day, a place to hang out, have a laugh, eat a meal and enjoy company.

This will be done through budgeting the 5k into 4 categories: 2k for seating, 1k for tables, 1k for decoration and 1k for utility i.e. extension cables, table tennis tables etc.

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How will this benefit students

This is going to bring students closer, improving the sense of community and wellbeing for all students who use the space, not just Informatics. Think about it. As soon as a dull and diminished space is transformed to something new, vibrant and welcoming, more students are going to start using the space. And in doing so will bump into other students, whether they be classmates, programme colleagues or even other students from across campuses. On the shallow face of it this project is a beautification of a not so beautiful space. But diving deeper, this is going to encourage community, foster friendships and inspire students, giving them a new profound sense of ownership.

Also, the café isn’t going to decorate itself. Volunteering students are going to come together, expressing their creative sides as they help assemble and decorate this place. It’s going to be a team effort that no doubt will result in growth as students will develop life skills that aren’t just academic. What good is being able to code the next Instagram if you don’t know how to assemble a Sofa. Or having a brilliant idea but are unable to articulate it effectively.

Another angle to look at it is, while there may be plans to renovate Appleton Café, it’s unlikely we will see it soon, due to finances, many projects including Appleton Café are likely to be on hold for a while.

Could you imagine hearing that Appleton Café has finally been renovated, featuring extravagant designs, warm lighting and comfy seating. Only to know that you graduated from Edinburgh already and are unable to utilise the finally-renovated space? How disheartening that might be: on the one hand you feel joy for the students that came after you, that get to use such an inviting space, but on the other, soul-crushed, wondering why a renovation like this didn’t happen while you were still a student of Informatics.

We can create a space now. For students who are here now. So they can use this space now and not hear about it later.

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What makes your project innovative

Sustainability. Some may argue that the Achilles’ heel of the project is that it will be redundant when the Café is finally renovated but look at it this way. Appleton Tower had a makeover a long time ago, and in doing so the cladding outside the building eased the reputation of it being the ugliest building in the UK. But the interior is a bit worn and torn now. Sockets falling out. HDMI cables going missing. The bathrooms on the ground floor approaching quality level of a public toilet in a park.

When the Café is renovated and the designers believe the furniture is no longer a fit, we’re not just going to scrap it. No! Instead the furniture and decorations will be dispersed to every floor of Appleton. So that, when the Café is renovated, the whole building gets something new. And since students will grow a fondness for the decorated café, when we move the furniture to other parts of the building, in a small way, it will give students the same feelings they associated with the café we decorated, but projected to the whole building instead. So the beneficial effects will continue long after the Café is renovated, just like a photograph from a polaroid. The moment you revisit that picture, you are flushed with cherished memories and feelings of the past.

Collaboration. As the EUSA Undergrad Inf Rep, I am able to collaborate with all the programme reps from across UG1 to UG5 so that we can create a space that’s inviting to all, a space where everyone feels welcome. So that everyone feels included as though we were one big family. A project like this is unique to our shared pain, it is going to be a memorable win for student voice to finally, finally do something about this sore spot of our building. We all want something nice for our School, we don’t even have a decent amount of usable plugs in the Café despite it being in a Computer Science building. Granting us this wish, will give us the opportunity to lead and bring about the change we all would love, together.

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How can your project be delivered in timeframe

The aim is to have the Café all decorated before the start of semester 2 this year, so that Informatics students get a seamless transition to a cosier café. Should this not be possible and the grant money arrives during the semester, if it happens over the flexible learning week, then the decoration of the Café will be done over the flexible learning week. If this arrives earlier or later than that week then it will be decorated by student volunteers over a couple weekends. Either way, it shall be completed as soon as possible, so that students get to enjoy a cosier and more inspiring Café for next semester.

Most of the decoration and furniture will be found online, and chosen for the lowest price that maintains quality whilst having a speedy delivery time. This balancing act of price, quality and delivery time is what will ensure that the project is completed before the semester or at the very least as soon as possible during the semester.

The Café isn’t open. The seats are as comfortable as rocks. The tables imitate a naval vessels canteen hall. Is this a space that will inspire? Is this a space that will foster collaboration? Is this a space that will lead the minds of the future?

According to the Head of Catering (retail) the last update to the Café was in 2014. I had not even started high school then. Not only is the space outdated, not functioning and uninviting, it alienates and haunts us. Given the grant, we can transform this within a few short weeks so that next semester students are invited into a Café where they feel they belong. A Café that represents us, not a naval vessel.

"I thank all the English teachers in my life for teaching me the skills to write a creative essay within 3 hours on a bus from Glasgow to Edinburgh"

- feel free to quote me ??