Spring has sprung, and whether you’ve been out of town, bogged down in exams, or just drinking in denial of another six weeks of university to come, here’s the news you might have missed.
The ANU
Schmidt has announced that, in an expansion of engineering and computer science, a new institute of Autonomy, Agency and Assurance, or the 3A Institute will be developed. This will deal primarily with advancements in artificial intelligence, and will be headed by Professor Genevieve Bell.
“As foreshadowed,” Brian said, the 18th of August saw the dissolution of College of Medicine, Biology and Environment (CMBE) and College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (CPMS). These were replaced by the College of Health and Medicine and the College of Sciences. However, there are no current changes to teaching.
Campus developments
The Union Court demolition is progressing on time, and the Arts centre, as well as major parts of Manning Clark, have been demolished. Access to the Pauline Griffin building has been limited, and access is now through the Melville Hall stairs and a lift in AD Hope accessible for students with disabilities.
Gods at Hedley Bull will be remaining open, despite financial concerns voiced by the owner before the closure of the larger Gods Café in the Arts Centre. While the dispute between Gods and ANU was settled for an undisclosed amount, it can be speculated that this settlement is currently sustaining the smaller Gods cafe.
A new ‘Campus Traveller’ shuttle bus will be travelling between major car parks and common class areas, in a university attempt to alleviate continuing parking problems and lengthened travel times caused by the redevelopment. It can be tracked through the ‘ANUOK’ app, and will be trialled for two months initially.
The Pop- Up village now has ‘Empanadas’, and Molo has a new pizza menu. Empanadas are $4.50, but too small for a full meal, continuing the trend of high Pop-Up prices.
Student Politics
The University of Canberra has disaccredited from the NUS, making the ANU the last
tertiary education facility in the ACT to remain accredited. This raises the question of whether the ACT branch will remain open; ANU voted to accredit this year, but only when NUS met certain transparency requirements, which they have not yet met.
