SCENARIO
TROUBLE AT LAKESIDE
62
6.4
SITUATION
1
Read the situation below and the extract from the
Lakeside College prospectus. Work with a partner to
discuss the following.
1
If you were planning to go to university, which
of Lakeside College’s facilities would particularly
interest you?
2
What sort of things do students at university often
complain about?
Lakeside College is located in Switzerland. It is a
private university with a board of managers led
by the Principal, Marie Laforêt. There are four
student representatives on the board and four staff
representatives. During the last three years, serious
problems have arisen. The number of students at
Lakeside College has fallen from over 5,000 to 2,600,
while complaints from students have greatly increased.
2
A student representative sends an email to Marie
Laforêt mentioning a number of problems that the
managers need to deal with. Read the extract about
two of the problems. Then work with a partner to
discuss this question.
Which do you think is the more serious problem? Why?
LAKESIDE
College
Our college has an informal,
friendly atmosphere, and enjoys
excellent facilities, including:
• a spacious campus
• a peaceful atmosphere for studying
• well-equipped lecture rooms
• a hall of residence
• a well-stocked library
• state-of-the-art computer
laboratories
• excellent sports facilities.
We have an outstanding teaching
staff and tutorial system. Students
meet lecturers each week and have
lively discussions about the subject
they are studying.
To
In the university prospectus, it states that the university
has ‘a well-stocked library’ and ‘a peaceful atmosphere
for studying’. Neither of these statements is true.
A lot of us are unhappy about the library. There are not
enough books in many subjects, and essential books
and journals are often not on the shelf where they are
meant to be. Furthermore, the internet connection is
very slow and this puts students off doing research in
the library. There are also not enough sockets available
for the students to recharge their devices. The reading
rooms also are not up to standard. The tables are too
small, and there are not enough lights in some areas.
There is another serious problem I’d like to draw
your attention to. It’s about noise in the evening. It
seems that some students like to play loud music
in their rooms. The noise they make is preventing
other students from studying properly, and I get the
impression the noise level is increasing week by week.
It’s not true, therefore, to say that there is a ‘peaceful
atmosphere for studying’ in our college.
