Friday, 13 April 2012

Still toating over the Undercroft... UWI Cultural Heritage GONE...

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus sent a message from the Marketing and Communications department on Tuesday 2nd February, 2012 at 12:09p.m.  The message stated: 

"The UWI Campus Projects Office has advised of the following construction work on Campus:
·   Work on the Undercroft Enclosure at the Faculty of Humanities will begin tomorrow, Wednesday 8th February, 2012.
The works will be executed by a Main Contractor and will run for a period of approximately 16 weeks.
The site will be properly hoarded-off during the execution of the works.
Please note that contractors will be transporting materials, equipment and refuse from the site through the passage way alongside Trinity Hall. Students and staff are asked to proceed with caution around these areas."


Thank you for a well detailed letter explaining your plans to destroy a part of the University that is unique and irreplaceable for countless thousands of past and present students.   If  there are plans that will affect students, it is only fair that they are not notified of all the details.  Why should they?  Their only purpose is to give the University millions of dollars, most of which comes from the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and then waste time.  Go to class, pass exams, get a degree... Not like they need or use the undercroft for anything productive...
The "Update on Construction at FHE Undercroft" came as follows on Tuesday 28th February, 2012 at 12:57p.m.  This is 11 days after destruction has started and STUDENTS were not notified of this move.
"On Friday 17th February, 2012, the Campus Projects Office, together with the Construction Team (Architect and Contractor) met with the Guild President Mr. Amilcar Sanatan to discuss the way forward with respect to the construction at the Faculty of Humanities and Education’s Undercroft.

This discussion was held to fully inform the student population about the details of the project, and a decision was made to commence the construction of the Undercroft Enclosure.

The Contractor, Rio Claro Construction Company Limited, has since re-mobilized on site and utilized the Carnival weekend to carry out critical construction activities. At this time those are proceeding  on schedule and should last for only four months. Currently the site has been boarded off for the safety of all staff, students and visitors of the University. Every effort is being made to minimize the disruption during the construction period."

Clearly someone dropped the or their balls because the student population DID NOT KNOW about the work to be done during the Carnival weekend.  It went like this: Go for Saturday evening walk on campus... SURPRISE!!! The most diversely used undercroft gone!  Whatever, students only lime and waste time there anyway... No one will miss it.



I hope that after this semster has passed that people have realised the value of the now deceased Undercroft.  Rest in Peace my dear friend, clearly your purpose in this world could not have been tolerated or allowed... We'll wait for the promised replacement... someday... maybe after I get my PhD... for the second time?


More comments about the Undercroft's destruction can be found here: UWIs students talk about destruction of Undercroft on Facebook

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