With the exhibition WORK=LIFE OF CAMPUS RESET also features the face of the sites on campus, where rest and regeneration, as well as support for the everyday life at universities are offered. With this, we also want to offer inspiration from different RESET.
Here, we feature the Centre for Campus Life at the University of Bordeaux.
A Centre for Campus Life is situated on the university campus of Carreire – home to students in the health sector and numerous research laboratories. Close to the Pellegrin University Hospital, this campus has recently been developed to offer a more pleasant and easily accessible environment for the 14 000 students and lecturer-researchers who study and work there. This Centre for Campus Life (“Pôle de vie de campus”) is one of the main new facilities and is already accessible for students and personnel. Its official opening will take place in September 2023.
To know more about this emerging place, the RESET team of the University of Bordeaux met Romain – the Vice-President for Students of the Campus and Maxime – the President of the “Carabins” – association for students in Medicine, working at the Centre.
The Centre was developed within the framework of the call for projects “Opération Campus” (2008) aiming to renovate and revitalise campuses of the University of Bordeaux, create real living spaces and increase international visibility. According to Romain, it is the multi-purpose of the place that qualifies it and presents its strength. In this centre both students and staff can find sports and leisure facilities (fitness room, dance room, gymnasium, piano, table football), offices for students’ associations and theatre workshops, a co-working space, catering areas, and a multi-purpose hall available for campus events: councils, meetings, after-works, events, exhibitions. The Centre is open from 8 am to 10 pm during the week.
The multi-purpose hall is particularly appreciated by users, since it enables organisation of after-works, movie nights, lunches and meetings. At lunchtime, there are students responsible for welcoming users: they answer to questions and ensure security. According to Maxime, who fulfils this mission: “users tend to “play the game” and take advantage of this place”.
In his turn, Romain accentuates a fact that the campus community was integrated to the co-design of the place and its organisation. Task forces reunited members of the Students’ Life Office, representatives of personnel, students and associations. They were able to express their needs and ideas. Moreover, Maxime says that “nowadays, students and personnel are continuously included in the management of the place, in order to decide on the general rules and regulations, opening hours and needs in furniture”.
The Centre also enables better balance between work, studies, personal life and social activities.
Playing a football game with friends or colleagues during lunch, enjoying quiet and cosy working environment or attending a workshop in a large and bright meeting room makes the everyday life of students and personnel more comfortable, offering them a space for relaxation and favouring excellent results.
The local RESET team of the University of Bordeaux is looking forward to the official opening of the Centre for Campus Life and will monitor its development in terms of impact on work- and studies-life balance.
