Student union bar has opening hours extended to 5am

“On the one hand, as a non-drinking student, I kind of don't care; if they fail that bumps up my grades. However, if you have to live on campus like I did last year you'll find that giving stupid people (for alas, Keele is full of idiots sometimes) an opportunity not only to continue the party in the hall kitchen as they always have done, proving a menace to anyone wanting to get things done the day after, but to do so at 4-5am, is not the best idea going. At the end of the day Keele loves taking your money and the Union rarely deliver on any of their useful promises, so it's hardly a surprise.”

“Somebody wants Keele university underachieve academically. Umm...the wealthiest families' children usually do not go to Keele, I assume. They want ordinary uni students to work part-time with minimum wage and spend spare time and money on drinks. I hope students are wise enough to see it and spend enough time to study and research. Less drinks = less spending = more time for what you are there for. You can't learn much if you work long hours and have fabulous social life.

Former Keele lecturer”

“Just like the '24 hour drinking' that our society as a whole is supposed to have, in reality it will only happen on special occasions. Okay, so that special occasion might just be 'cos it's Saturday', but honestly I don't begrudge them it. So people miss some lectures - so long as they get the work done, somehow then what difference does it make?

I only attended uni part time in my late twenties but one subject I only attended two lectures of cos I thought the lecturer was rubbish. I still passed cos I had the course notes and was passed the assignments when they were given.

If students can party it up and still get a degree at the end of it, good on them.”

“It's most apparent here that 'wisdom' is suddenly in fashion. So many quotes -so much sudden awareness that there's more to life than meets the eye. Like getting as much down you as possible before 'serious responsibility' kicks in and the banal threatens to become the norm. Go for it lads and lasses, while you can.”

“I'm not doubting that most students go to university with the intention of getting a good job and paying their way, the Institute of Fiscal Studies project that only about 10% of students will pay back their loans in full whereas other government focus groups estimate that the average student will only pay back £10-20k of anything that they owe... so the probability is that despite the good intentions and aspirations of students, the taxpayer will underwrite a huge amount of student debt in 20-25 years time.

Actually, I have been to university myself not so long ago and having been working for a few years now I can honestly say that my university years were the easist of my life. Studying a subject that you're passionate about, managing your own time to pretty much study and do a majority of work whenever you like to meet a deadline... much easier than having a heavy workload doing jobs that you're not overly keen on with bosses and clients making demands.

Aside from the pressure when deadlines are approaching, so long as you turn up to lectures, read the books you're supposed to and have a mature attitude, university is a walk in he park. (although if you're doing something like nursing/paramedic/social care etc, it might be a different story)”

“Another quote.
Remember "I" before "E" exept for Budweiser.”

“OK, so controversy has hit us once again. I concur with the point my fellow Keelite posted that yes, the union can now open until 5, but the union isn't open for events of such calibre every night! This leads me to my second point, extending drinking hours will mean that there is less pressure to go out and get "wrecked" as quickly as possible! Why can't those aiming to better themselves also enjoy themselves? You may have a job and earn money and pay taxes, but who says students don't? I earn money along side working on my education and therefore should and am allowed to spend it whichever way I deem possible! Student loans are in place to encourage budgeting, and who's right is it to judge on what they budget it on? Because we're young and learning the boundaries of life and when we're as sad and lonely as some, for example Ponta, we won't want to go out and we will then be able to judge and ***** at others for how jealous we are of their lifestyle! And to comment on a point by WMCRG, we are educating ourselves to get a job where we can pay back the generosity of the tax payer, do not think we are at university just for the fun of it! It'snot as easy as you think!!!”

“I take great offence to Ponta's comment of
"WHat an excellent idea the future of britain who sponge off this country with student loans get to have a late night binge everday of the week do us a favour you muppets grow up and get proper jobs."

Being a Keele student myself, and a masters student at that it is not fair to make such derogatory comments towards students when you are clearly just putting us all in that overly stereotyped student category - which in general is not a true representation of what students are really like...yes we go out and have fun, but we also work extremely hard to get the grades and qualifications we want and need for life. It clear states in the article that the union most likely will not be open until 5am every night, just that the option is there if ever needed or there are any special events at the union itself. At the end of the day we chose to go to university to further our education to enable us to get better jobs and to potentially be able to contribute greatly to society once we have all fully graduated.

Oh and we do not sponge off the country via student loans, it is these loans that allow students such as myself who do not have any other way of finding funding for university, to further our education. I resent the reference to a "sponger" as we do in fact have to pay back the loans we borrowed, with interest where as "spongers" do not.”

“Quote for Keele Student.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.
Me just.”

“wlosco86 - Since when was there a block directly opposite the Students Union? There is a tree line and a few other buildings before you hit any of the blocks...and Ponta 'do us a favour you muppets grow up and get proper jobs' I believe by attending University we are trying to achieve this...the incentive is quite high to better yourself if you look at the Stoke-On-Trent inhabitants. All you have to do is go top Hanley and see the low life causing more harm and damage to themselves, their surrounding and the reputation of young people and professionals. As a student, I admit we do drink, but the student union won't open every night, it just has the capacity to do so. Don't you agree that on a Friday there is no reason for it to stay open so late? And your forgetting important things us students are involved with, like charity events that run throughout the night.
Don't brand us students like you brand the yobs of your neighbourhood. The people that go to Hanley and cause trouble, and I use people very lightly here as they mostly represent animals, are far worse than any student, yet you don't see the media attacking that.

Whatever you may think, us students are actually credible hard working citizens who want a decent job, is it no wonder that we want to let of some steam and party with the amount of pressure, both financially and from the media we are on.

I end my rant with two quotes for you to think on, both by the same man:

'When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all'
- Theodore Roosevelt

'The only man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything.'
- Theodore Roosevelt

Think about it!”