G is for… Graffiti [ABC Sundae]

Graffiti is ubiquitous in the Western world and why would a University campus be any different. Graffiti is pretty much any writing or drawing on property and is thus literally everywhere, and it doesn’t have to be disruptive or a mere elaborate tag or pseudonym. Sometimes it’s for comedic expression, venting exam stress, or a statement.

The above is from the men’s bathroom downstairs in the Glasgow University Library, before the welcome desk. I’ll post some more photos of scribbled and painted words, messages and ‘words of wisdom’ every now and then, all under the tag ‘graffiti‘.

ABC Sundae is a fortnightly theme day, occurring every other Sunday, one letter of the alphabet at a time. Click here for more ABC Sundae.

[Poll #6: What is the UGLIEST BUILDING at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

F is for… Food

Students have to eat, don’t they? Although there are numerous cafés and other such dispensaries of food just off campus on Byres Road, Great Western Road and Gibson Street, why make the extra trek to them when there are cafés and cafeterias sprinkled around campus, such as the Food To Go pictured above. There’s surprisingly quite a few cafés around campus:

• Food For Thought, Fraser Building
• Food To Go, Fraser Building
• One A The Square Café
• One A The Square Brasserie
• John McIntyre Café
• Atrium Café, Wolfson Medical School Building
• St Andrews Building Café
• Café Picolino, Boyd Orr Building
• Links Café, Wolfson Building
• Food Farm, Faulty of Veterinary Medicine (Garscube)
• Food In Focus, Library Level 3 Annexe

If that’s not enough, there are a few more in the student unions:

• Hetherington Research Club
• Food Factory at the QMU
• Lacuna at the QMU
• Union Cafe at the GUU
• Subway at the GUU

The opening times and etcetera can be found on the University Website under Catering. In writing this post I discovered a further three cafés I’ve yet to visit, although most of them I only visit for the occasional cup of coffee on my way through. Which one’s your favourite cafeteria?

ABC Sundae is a fortnightly theme day, occurring every other Sunday, one letter of the alphabet at a time. Click here for more ABC Sundae.

[Poll #6: What is the UGLIEST BUILDING at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

E is for… Education [ABC Sundae]

The Faculty of Education is the youngest faculty at Glasgow University, formed when the University merged with St Andrew’s College of Education in 1999. In 2003, the building in the photo above, the St Andrew’s Building was opened to house the Faculty of Education. The St Andrew’s Building is located just to the east of Gilmorehill, over the River Kelvin in the Woodlands area of Glasgow. (See Map) Within the umbrella of the Faculty of Education you can find the Department of Curriculum Studies, Department of Educational Studies, and the Department of Religious Education and the Department of Adult & Continuing Education. If you want more, the Faculty of Education website is at http://www.gla.ac.uk/education.

Although the building looks a bit gloomy in the photo right now, the large glass front of the building is typically lit up in the evenings during the week (Picture taken on a Saturday evening), in several different colours. I need to trek there one evening with a tripod, and get a day time shot too at some point.

The big sign prominent in the photo is a new addition, which is potentially unfortunate timing-wise as there is talk of a reshuffle of the nine faculties which exist today. The new plan, proposed by the new principal Anton Muscatelli, would combine the nine faculties into 4 Schools or Colleges. The Faculty of Education would cease to exist, becoming a part of the newly formed School of Law, Business, Social Sciences and Education (LBSSE). I can’t find the original article right now, but I will talk more about this when I hear more.

ABC Sundae is a fortnightly theme day, occurring every other Sunday, one letter of the alphabet at a time. Click here for more ABC Sundae.

[Poll #6: What is the UGLIEST BUILDING at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

D is for… Deadline [ABC Sundae]

One of the less enjoyable aspects of University are essay deadlines. Yes, you know about them beforehand. Yes, writing essays is an integral part of your University career, especially in Social Sciences. Yes, the closer you get to the deadline the more stressed out you get. And yes, you will feel oh so fantastic once you’ve handed in your essay 20 minutes before the deadline. Welcome to University.

What I’m trying to say that I have a Politics essay due tomorrow comparing Aristotle and Machiavelli in relation to political life. Hence the Red Bull. =)

ABC Sundae is a fortnightly theme day, occurring every other Sunday, one letter of the alphabet at a time. Click here for more ABC Sundae.

[Poll #5: What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

C is for… Chapel [ABC Sundae]

Another ABC Sundae post right now, the letter C this time. The letter C is an easy one, and I could think of a lot of things to feature. Coincidentally, October 4th is also the day that the University Chapel was “dedicated to the glory of God” back in 1929. So, the Chapel also turns 80 today. Happy Birthday!

Between 1871 and 1929 the West Quadrangle remained open into The Square. Construction on the Chapel begun all the way back in 1914, but was put on ice because of the Great War. The building of the Chapel in its present spot by 1929 completed the Main Building as it is today.

The Chapel goes by the name of the War Memorial Chapel, or Memorial Chapel, as it is dedicated to the students and members of staff, past and present (at the time) who perished in World War 1, and subsequently in World War 2. Within the Chapel are memorial tablets with the names of all those associated with the University who died in the two World Wars. The WW1 tablets are behind the altar, and the WW2 tablets are on the wall on both sides of the Chapel, near the altar. I’ll feature them in another post each.

Graduates, students, members of staff and the children of members of staff are entitled to be married in the Chapel. I heard at one point that there didn’t use to be a restriction on who could get married at the University Chapel, but when graduates and such complained that they had to wait months, maybe even years to get married at the Chapel of their alma mater, the University restricted who could get married there. Or so I was told. If you’re around the Chapel on the weekends, a wedding procession is a very common sight.

For more information about the Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, check out the corresponding Wikipedia article.

More “On This Day” entries can be found on Glasgow University Story website at universitystory.gla.ac.uk maintained by the Archive Services. Information also from University Story site.

ABC Sundae is a fortnightly theme day, occurring every other Sunday, one letter of the alphabet at a time. Click here for more ABC Sundae.

[Poll #5: What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

B is for… Bus Service [ABC Sundae]

Many first year students (who begin their university careers tomorrow by the way) live in student halls of residence at either Murano Street, Cairncross House, Kelvinhaugh Street, Kelvinhaugh Gate, Winton Drive, and Wolfson Halls, all of which are between 10 and 45 minute walks away. Mercifully, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) offers a free minibus service to the student halls  Monday to Friday from 5.45pm to 10.55pm, as well as some morning runs to and from Wolfson Halls which is 45 minutes away by foot at the Garscube Campus.

This is extra handy for the students new to Glasgow who aren’t well acquinted with the area between their halls and the campus and especially those who don’t wish to brave the cold and dark autumn nights by foot. The buses run from behind the John McIntyre Building by the Main Gate. For schedules see the SRC website at glasgowstudent.net.

ABC Sundae is a fortnightly theme day, occurring every other Sunday, one letter of the alphabet at a time. Click here for more ABC Sundae.

[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

A is for… Adam Smith [ABC Sundae]

Adam Smith (1723-1790), considered by many to be the the father of modern economics, is probably Glasgow University’s most famous son (at least according to the Social Sciences Faculty). The University has a building, a library, a chair and a research foundation named in his honour. The Adam Smith library is located in the Adam Smith Building. Just to avoid any confusion, the chair is not a physical chair, but an academic post of Political Economy, referred to as the Adam Smith Chair, currently held by Professor Ronald MacDonald.

Adam Smith entered Glasgow University at the age of 14. During his time at Glasgow University he was was appointed Professor of Logic in 1751, Professor of Moral Philosophy in 1752, and he was elected Rector from 1787 to 1789. 2009 marked the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments which was based on his lectures on Ethics. The University held a seminar on Adam Smith called Smith in Glasgow ‘09 between March 31st and April 2nd.

Adam Smith, being one of the most celebrated alumnus of Glasgow University, is a fitting subject to kick off ABC Sundae, a fortnightly theme day highlighting important people and objects and history of Glasgow University. More information about Adam Smith can be found at the University of Glasgow Story website, where most of the information above comes from. The site also contains information on alumni who graduated from the University between 1451 and 1896.

The photo above is from the Memorial Gates outside the Main Building (which is visible in the background.)

ABC Sundae is a fortnightly theme day, occurring every other Sunday, one letter of the alphabet at a time. Click here for more ABC Sundae.

As Freshers’ Week ‘09 is just around the corner, help me out by having your say in the poll below!

[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com