ANU can’t demolish Union Court if students do it first. That’s the spirit behind ANUSA and PARSA’s Union Court demolition party, taking place at 12pm this Thursday (25 May). This party, which has been approved by Chancellery, will supply students with over 80 cans of spray paint, and set them loose on the court.
Other activities are planned, including a speech from Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt. The event will be held during the day, although many expect it will continue into the evening. Schmidt encouraged students to “Come along, make your mark and say your final farewells to Union Court as we know it.”
The destruction of Union Court is made possible by the student hub’s impending doom, due to the $220 million redevelopment of Union Court and University Avenue. During the revitalisation of the area, a temporary Pop-Up Village will provide a platform for food, retail, services and events from the middle of 2017 to early 2019.
Construction of the Pop-Up Village began in March, and will continue into late May and early June with the transitioning of vendors and services into the new space. Construction for the revitalised Union Court will begin in July, with the formal opening scheduled for 2019.
This party is the first of many bigger and better events, according to Social Officer Cameron Allan. Next semester’s social calendar will include community-based weekly events, and more large, one-off events. Weekly events include handball, how-to’s during Universal Lunch Hours, and theatre sports. The planned larger events include a homeless sleepout, an RAOK day, and a student-run TED talk-esque speaking event.
