The Computer Science Staff-Student Consultative Committee (SSCC)

Agenda for meeting to be held 1-2pm on Tuesday 28th February 2006 in the South Wing Council Room.

1. Apologies for absence.
2. Notification of any other business.
3. Approval of minutes of the last meeting (Nov 23rd 2005).
4. Matters arising from last minutes:
   - Wireless Network (Graham Roberts). 
   - Meeting places and Lockers on 5th floor of Roberts Building (Jill Saunders), see next item as well. 
5. Request for More Dedicated Study Areas (Andrew Cox).
   - More tables for 5th floor common room in Roberts building.
   - Stop 5th floor common room being taken over for other activities. 
   See additional comments below. 
6. 1st years - feedback on 1B10 Computer Architecture tests and past exam papers (Asset Tarabayev, Stefanie Foerch).
7. 1st years - B45 Mathematics for Computer Science, syllabus includes too much (equivalent to what Maths students cover in two terms) and lecture style is hard to follow (Asset Tarabayev).
8. Exam and revision lecture timetables for May exams (Stefanie Foerch).
9. BCS/IEE Accreditation (Graham Roberts, Jill Saunders).
10. Closing/disabling of computer accounts (Andy Maule). 
11. Course feedback process (Steve Hailes).
12. Undergraduate wrap-up sessions and option talks.
13. Any Other Business.
14. The next meeting is due in November 2006. In late May/early June 2006 there will be end of year wrap-up sessions for each undergraduate year and for the MSc groups, providing a forum similar to that of the SSCC.

Additional comments for item 5. 
"The department timetables our days such that we may have to be on-site for
many hours with large gaps between scheduled items. It also both encourages
us to form informal study groups and demands that we complete a number of
group projects but it doesn't provide us with anywhere to meet and do this
work together.

The recent change of common room location has made the situation worse.
The table in there is perfect for a group meeting but there is space only
for one single group to meet at any given moment and no arbitration if there
are conflicts between groups or with casual users. The solution we ask for
isn't a table booking system, but simple oversupply: give us more tables
than we are likely to need at any one time. The room is also simply too
small and dark and has claustrophobic feel.

Those responsible in the department may point to the fifth floor common room
of the Roberts building as holding the solution to all our problems. Several
of us have however turned up there on different occasions to find it taken
over by exams or other exclusive activities. It is also far more busy this
year than the last and taken as a whole we feel these factors of
overcrowding and lack of access mean this room does not currently answer our
needs."