Graduate Centre Policies

The Graduate Centre is open to all currently enrolled postgraduate students at Cardiff University; this includes students enrolled on postgraduate certificate and diploma courses, as well as those on masters courses and research degrees.

There is no additional membership process, but a current valid Cardiff University identification card must be carried at all times and must be shown upon entering the Centre and/or when requested by a member of staff.

Current staff of Cardiff University and registered Cardiff University alumni are also entitled to use our facilities and attend our events, but priority is always given to current students when space is limited, for example on coach trips. Please note that undergraduate students who are employed on a temporary basis by the University or the Students' Union are not eligible to use the Graduate Centre.

However, students enrolled on undergraduate degree courses at Cardiff University who already hold a first degree (BA, BSc) may apply for and be given access to the Graduate Centre. Such users will be issued with a card which must be produced in addition to their University ID card on entry to the Centre.

Eligible users are welcome to bring up to two guests to social events and into the Café Bar, but guests are not permitted in the study areas. Guests must be signed in at Reception. [See additional notes about children below.]

3. Safety and Security

Graduate Centre users are responsible for taking reasonable care of their own health and safety, to co-operate with staff on health and safety matters and not to interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety. If you have any concerns about health and safety in the Graduate Centre, please report them to a member of staff at Reception.

Although the Graduate Centre is equipped with closed circuit television (CCTV), the cameras are not actively monitored and should not be relied upon to prevent theft of belongings. You are advised not to leave valuables unattended at any time.

Graduate Centre staff are available from 8.30 a.m. until closing on weekdays and throughout opening hours at the weekend. Staff are at Reception in the foyer of the Graduate Centre and can be reached via telephone on 029 2087 4748. Additional staff cover is provided by the Students’ Union, who can be reached via Union Reception on the second floor of the building or via telephone on 029 2078 1412.

4. Fire or Emergency Evacuation

In the event of the fire alarm sounding, you should leave the building by the nearest fire exits which are sign-posted throughout the Graduate Centre and Students' Union building and should assemble outside the building as directed. Do not use the lifts in the event of a fire.

5. Smoking

Smoking is not permitted anywhere within the Graduate Centre. The majority of the balcony is also non-smoking, although there is a designated smoking area at the south end of the Café Bar balcony.

6. Policies for Individual Spaces

The Graduate Centre has been “zoned” to provide a variety of spaces to meet the needs of postgraduates - from quiet spaces for individual study to group study spaces, social spaces to hireable meeting rooms. It is expected that postgraduates will respect the agreed rules of each room and that there will not be a need for active monitoring by staff. If you do experience problems with other users that you cannot resolve, please report this to a member of Graduate Centre staff.

7. Computer Room

The Computer Room is for quiet individual work on the networked computers or on your own laptop. Group work, chatting, discussions, and use of mobile phones are prohibited in the Computer Room. No food or drink, except bottled water, is allowed on the tables by the networked computers. You should be aware that the Computer Room is immediately above the Students' Union's Solus nightclub and therefore is affected by noise from Union events on specific nights especially in the autumn term.

If you give your username and password to another person or allow someone else to use your account, you will be in violation of the University's Computing Regulations.

Computers may be locked for a maximum of 20 minutes; staff will unlock and reboot any machines locked for longer periods. We do not take any responsibility for work lost if we reboot a machine because you have exceeded the allowed period.

Printing and photocopying are available at a charge. You must use your network account to pay and you can add credit to your account using cash or credit/debit cards. See details here.

These services are managed via Information Services, so only INSRV staff can give refunds for photocopying or printing problems. Contact them via INSRV Connect on extension 74487, using the University phone in the room, or on 029 2087 4487.

8. Reading Room

The Reading Room is for quiet individual work. Group work, chatting, discussions, and use of mobile phones is prohibited in order to provide the quiet work space requested by many students. Mobile phones must be switched off and listening to music or videos is not permitted - either out loud or via headphones.

The use of laptops is permitted in the Reading Room, however the sound must be switched off and headphone use is not allowed.
You may consume food and/or drinks but must clear up after yourself and refrain from making excessive noise.

You should be aware that the Reading Room is immediately above the Students' Union's Solus nightclub and therefore is affected by noise from Union events on specific nights especially in the autumn term. The Graduate Centre will endeavour to provide additional reading space at the busiest periods by opening meeting rooms for this purpose. When meeting rooms are designated as Reading Rooms, the Reading Room rules will apply.

9. Lounge

The Lounge can be used for group work, web surfing and emailing, or just reading and relaxing. You may consume food and/or drinks away from the computer tables and must clear up after yourself. Bottled water, only, is permitted at the computer tables.

Computers may be locked by a user for no more than 20 minutes. Staff will unlock and reboot any machines locked for longer periods. We do not take any responsibility for work lost if we reboot a machine because you have exceeded the allowed period.

10. Café Bar

The Café Bar food and drink service is directly managed and staffed by the Students' Union, which holds the licence for serving alcoholic beverages. For opening hours, please click on our Opening Hours webpage.

As with other licensed premises, you may not take alcoholic beverages into or out of the Café Bar. You are permitted to bring your own food into the Café Bar, but you must provide your own cutlery, crockery and condiments; and clear up after yourself.

There is wireless access to the University network and additional power outlets have been provided for laptop use. The Café Bar is primarily a social area, so there is generally background music playing and we normally do not change the ambiance to a strictly study space.

The television is normally on for the lunch time news and for other programmes as requested by users. The Café Bar is equipped with a Wii game – the controllers for which can be obtained from reception, as well as several board games such as chess, backgammon, playing cards and Jenga. Please ask our Reception Staff for a full list. A Cardiff University identification card must be left in exchange for any items loaned, and will be given back on return of those items.

The Café Bar can be booked for parties or events but bookings during normal opening hours are not for exclusive access; the bar must remain open to general use. Specific areas or groups of tables can be reserved. The event must be compatible with the other uses of the Graduate Centre and the Head of the Graduate Centre or designee reserves the right to refuse events that are deemed incompatible.

A Booking Form must be completed in order to reserve a room. These forms can be downloaded from the Related Resources on our Meeting Rooms webpage and can be completed in advance if preferred.

Children are never permitted in the Café Bar during hours of alcohol service.

Please read the policies relating to 'Meeting Rooms' for further information on bookings and restrictions on use of the Café Bar.

11. Meeting Rooms: General Bookings Policy

The Graduate Centre meeting rooms and Café Bar may be booked by currently enrolled postgraduate student groups and individuals, and postgraduate societies.

Academic Schools and Directorates may also book the meeting rooms or Café Bar for events aimed primarily at postgraduates or for meetings to advance postgraduate interests.

The Graduate Centre rooms are not part of the University Pool Room system. In practice, this means that normally the Graduate Centre is unable to accommodate advance bookings by University Directorates for meetings or events that do not involve the postgraduate community. Exceptions are granted for university-wide events such as Open Days or Graduation. The Graduate Centre rooms are not available for use by Students’ Union Societies whose membership is not primarily postgraduate.

A Booking Form must be completed in order to reserve a room. These forms can be downloaded from the Related Resources on our Room Bookings webpage and can be completed in advance if preferred.

11.1. Meeting Rooms: Study Use by Groups and Individuals (see below for Other Use)

Groups
The rooms may be booked by postgraduate student groups (consisting of two or more individuals) for activities such as seminars, revision, meetings, group projects, research interviews, or presentation practice.

Student groups are advised to book in advance to obtain their preferred time slot. All advance group bookings will be restricted to a maximum four-hour time block once per day for any group.

The four-hour block can be extended on the day if no other requests have been received by the end of the original booking period, however groups will be required to give up the room if another booking is taken. In this case, groups will be given 15 minutes’ notice to finish and leave.

In the event that an individual member of a group shows up alone for a group booking, he or she will be allowed to wait in the room for the remaining group members up to a maximum of 15 minutes. After such time, the booking will be deemed an ‘Individual Booking’ and the policy below relating to individual bookings will apply.

If we learn that different members of the same group have booked separately in order to bypass the four-hour booking regulation, the group and all its members will lose its booking privileges.

Individuals
Except where an individual student requires the use of a room for confidentiality, e.g. telephone interviews, group bookings are normally given priority over individual bookings as provision is already made for individual quiet study in the Computer and Reading Rooms. A meeting room may not therefore be booked in advance by a single individual.

Rooms may be booked at the time of requirement by individuals, if available, for a maximum of one hour. After such time, they may be asked to leave if the room is needed by a group.

Other restrictions may be imposed in order to enable a fair allocation of space to revision and project groups.

11.2. Meeting Rooms: Late Arrivals, Cancellations and No Shows

Rooms will only be held for 15 minutes after the stated start time of a booking. If you do not arrive for your booking by this time, the room may be released to others.

Please inform the Graduate Centre in person or by telephone if you wish to cancel your booking. If you do not show up for the booking and do not provide prior notice of cancellation, you may lose any future booking privileges.

11.3. Meeting Rooms: Other Use

Meeting rooms can also be used for postgraduate conferences and small social events. The can also be booked by external organisations during off-peak periods. All such usage must be discussed with Graduate Centre permanent staff and approval is on a case-by case basis as postgraduate study usage takes priority over external use. A booking form must be completed for any use. A hire charge will normally apply for non-postgraduate use, currently at £60 per day.

12. Equipment hire and Other Services

You can book an LCD projector, laptop, speakers, flipchart paper and marker pens for use in the meeting rooms only. This equipment cannot be used outside of the Graduate Centre’s meeting rooms.

Extension leads, adaptor plugs for non-UK plugs and headphones can also be borrowed. Use of these items is not restricted to meeting rooms but they must not be removed from the Graduate Centre. Equipment used must be brought back to reception a minimum of 10 minutes prior to the closing time stated.

Students must leave a university identification card (or other ID card e.g. bank card, driver's licence if this is not available) at Reception when any equipment is borrowed and this will be held for the duration of the loan, however no charge will be made.

Charges for equipment use by other non-postgraduate users will be discussed at the time of booking.

The Graduate Centre can provide coffee, tea and biscuits at a set price per head for events and this must be agreed in advance.

The University or the Students' Union can supply food for luncheons, receptions, etc. Normally, such requirements must be arranged at least 10 days in advance.

13. Wireless Access to the University Network

All members of the University can access the University network via wireless service in the Graduate Centre; however your laptop must be registered in advance. Details are available here.

Guest usage can be arranged for conference delegates, but not for alumni or casual visitors.

14. Noticeboards

Certain notice boards within the Graduate Centre have designated uses and no other notices may be placed on them. There are designated boards for accommodation and items for sale. You must present your notice for approval and date stamping at Graduate Centre reception before displaying them. Authorised notices will be removed after one month and unauthorised notices will be removed immediately.

All notices which are primarily not in the English language must be accompanied by an English translation.

15. Vending Machines

The snack and drinks vending machines are operated by the Students' Union Shop. Unfortunately, the Graduate Centre cannot give change for the machines but the Union provides a change machine on the second floor near the main entrance.

Please report any problems with the machines to staff at Graduate Centre reception. We will organise for shop staff to resolve the problem during shop opening hours. Graduate Centre staff can issue refunds if necessary outside of shop opening hours.

16. Lost Property

Any lost property handed in to Graduate Centre staff is logged and retained, normally for a maximum of three months. The owner will be asked to sign for any property claimed. After three months, items are donated to a charity shop or discarded depending on condition. Students seeking lost property may also wish to check with Students’ Union reception on the second floor.

17. Children

Children are only permitted in the Graduate Centre when accompanied by an eligible user. The accompanying adult is responsible for the behaviour of the child[ren] at all times, including ensuring that they do not disturb other Graduate Centre users. Children are not permitted in the Café Bar area when alcoholic beverages are available for sale and are never permitted onto the balconies. If there is any disturbance to other users, the Graduate Centre staff reserves the right to refuse access.

18. Feedback and Suggestions

The Graduate Centre welcomes feedback from students about any aspect of the Graduate Centre's facilities, activities or policies. There are several options for doing so: you can use the comment card available in the Graduate Centre and deposit it in the post box located in the corridor near the Reading Room; you can email us at grad-centre@cardiff.ac.uk, or use the comment form on this web site. If you would like to receive a response to your comment - please include your name and contact email address.

19. Complaints

In the first instance, please direct your complaint to the member of staff on duty at Reception. If the complaint is not able to be resolved to your satisfaction and you wish to take the matter further, a written complaint should be made to the Head of the Graduate Centre.

The University Procedure for Resolution of Students’ Concerns/Issues can be found in the Academic Regulations Handbook.

20. Disciplinary Procedures

The Student Discipline Procedures as outlined in the Academic Regulations Handbook apply in the Graduate Centre.

The Students' Union reserves its right to handle disciplinary matters that arise within the Café Bar under Appendix 1 of its Bye Laws.