Scotland’s only postgraduate club closes down

 

hrc

Sarah Smith

Hetherington House has closed its doors for business after the Hetherington Research Club (HRC) Committee of Management (CoM) were told that any continued trading would be illegal.

After 54 years, Scotland’s only club dedicated to postgraduate, mature and international students ceased trading on February 19, after a period of operating on a day-to-day basis whilst its finances were being investigated.

The results of this investigation revealed that the Club could no longer operate as a business legally, due to its debts.

Treasurer and Convenor at the CoM, Desmond McKenna confirmed to Guardian that a meeting would be held for general members in the next fortnight to explain the situation.

Although unable to answer any specific questions relating to the Club’s accounts, McKenna did admit that the decision to close the business was taken for monetary reasons.

He said: “It was basically a financial decision and to keep us within the confines of the law.

“If you’ve got a business and you’ve run up a certain amount of debt with your creditors and you don’t have enough money to pay […] you’re actually trading illegally. Every time you open your door you’re incurring more and more debt […] so that’s why the club shut.”

McKenna was unable to confirm the amount of money currently owed by the Club to its creditors.

 

In a statement from the HRC’s staff representative, Eileen Doyle, it is claimed that the total debt is around £50,000.

“Staff were devastated to be told they had been made redundant and had to vacate the building.

Despite having to mortgage, rent, maintenance costs or council tax to pay, apparently the Club has been running at a loss for several years.

“The deficit is now somewhere in the region of £50,000 and the University and the Committee took the decision to close the club with immediate effect.

“The staff put forward a proposal to run the club as a co-operative, saving management costs apparently in the region of £40,000, but this was rejected by the University.”

Three full-time and twenty part-time members of staff have been made redundant as a result of the HRC closure.

A statement released by the CoM confirms that the business is no longer viable but that the HRC remains as an “entity”.

“Regrettably, the business is no longer viable and cannot continue in its current form. Therefore, after a period of consultation, the committee voted to wind down the business and asked for the assistance of the University in order that this be done in an appropriate manner.

“The HRC remains as an entity and the CoM will be meeting in order to discuss how this will continue in the future.”

For many members, the club provided more than simply somewhere to study or to drink.

Postgradate student Mark West explained: “I’ve been a postgraduate for a year and half and it’s a place we all go to […] It’s a great space for a postgraduate community — we’re not just lots of individuals working on our own. The Research Club allowed people a space that wasn’t just a study space or a bar.”

West also commented on the lack of communication between the CoM and club members.

“I’m in there two to three times a week and there was nothing posted on the notice board about this. Clearly [the CoM] could have been more communicative. Clearly they knew something might happen before [it closed]”

A University spokesman said: “HRC is an independent organisation, whom the University has supported with rent-free accommodation and an annual grant. It has been experiencing trading difficulties and the Club’s Management Committee felt it had no option but to cease trading.

“The University regrets the loss of the facility and senior managers will be considering the impact this will have on social facilities for postgraduate students.”

 

 

 

 

Posted on February 22, 2010

 

 

 

  • Steve

    You have to ask what the management was doing about the deficit. Is it possible the club was never run at a profit in order to secure funds from the University? Could it be that the manager had been running the place at a loss for years without ever being held to account? This certainly isn't something which "just happened" and the state of the CoM in the club has been disastrous for a number of years.

  • Citizen Smith

    If one were to be cynical. one would highlight the fact that the current university court has a pretty abysmal record with regard to student services. See also the closure of the university health service last year, with a number of redundancies and a large saving – replaced by the NHS. One also has to wonder how the GUU has obtained such massive bailouts over the last few years, and why the university is reluctant to lend the HRC the money. Wouldn't be surprised to see that building put on the market sooner rather than later.

  • Dingo

    Having been a member and I suppose I am still part of the albeit defunct entity. Mark West is corect in that there had been a long-term lack of communication between members and manangement. I'll go further, management had become so removed from membership that they forgot the purpose of the club. This and the state, the fabric of the building and questionable service made it an unpleasant place to spend time in. Let me recount all the postgrad and mature students I know who renewed their memberships this year 1 out of 17 and that was me!

    Let me congradulate the former CoM for bringing down the only postgrad club in Scotland. It was once a respected place, membership of the club was envied by many and was a thriving heaving entity. Sadly, no more. So, I say, "Well done!".

    Now get your worthless asses off our campus and never darken our doorstep again.

    RIP HRC

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