Goldsmiths University of London

Goldsmiths, University of London
Established	1904, Constituent College of University of London 1891 – Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute
Type	Public
Endowment	£2.28m
Chancellor	HRH The Princess Royal (University of London)
Warden	Pat Loughrey
Students	7,615
Undergraduates	4,815
Postgraduates	2,585
Location	London, United Kingdom
Campus	Campus
Colours
Affiliations	University of London Association of Commonwealth Universities 1994 Group
Website	www.gold.ac.uk

Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in New Cross, London. It was acquired by the University of London in 1904 and was renamed Goldsmiths' College. The word College was dropped from its branding in 2006, but "Goldsmiths'", with the apostrophe, remains the institution's formal legal name.

The College has a distinguished history of contributing to arts and sciences. Its Department of Art is widely recognized as one of Britain's most prestigious, producing the YBA's art collective and over 20 Turner Prize nominees. Goldsmiths is also famous for Psychology, Sociology, Media and Cultural Studies, Languages and Literature, Visual Cultures and Anthropology.

Nearly 20% of students come from countries outside the UK, and 52% of all undergraduates are mature students (aged 21 or over at the start of their studies). Around a third of students at Goldsmiths are postgraduate students.

A member of the 1994 Group of smaller, research oriented universities, in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise Goldsmiths came 9th in the UK for world-leading research (shown by the top 4* grade). The Department of Sociology performed particularly strongly, and was placed joint first with three other institutions. And in the Department of Media and Communications 80% of activity was in the highest two bands.

History

The Richard Hoggart Building

The Ben Pimlott Building

 

In 1891, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, one of the City of London Livery Companies, founded Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute (more commonly referred to simply as the "Goldsmiths' Institute"). The Goldsmiths' Company was established in the 12th-century as a medieval guild for goldsmiths, silversmiths and jewellers; as such, the College is proud to remain connected with its original educational roots. The Livery Company dedicated the foundation of its new Institute to "the promotion of technical skill, knowledge, health and general well-being among men and women of the industrial, working and artisan classes". The original Institute was based in New Cross at the former Royal Naval School building. (This building, which was designed by the architect John Shaw Jr, is now known as the Richard Hoggart Building and remains the main building of the campus today.)

In 1904, the Institute was merged with the University of London and was re-established as Goldsmiths' College. (The apostrophe was removed in a rebranding in 2006!) Shortly after the merger, in 1907, the College added a new Arts building, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, at the back of the main building. During the Second World War it was decided to evacuate the faculty and students of the College to University College, Nottingham, a decision which proved wise both at the time and in hindsight, since the main building was struck by an incendiary bomb and gutted in 1940 (and not finally repaired until 1947).

During the 1960s the College attracted a rapid expansion in its number of students. It is during this period that Goldsmith's began to establish its reputation in the arts and social science fields, as well as offering a number of new teacher training qualifications. The original main building was expanded, and the Lockwood Building, Whitehead Building, Education Building, Warmington Tower and St James's Hall were all built during this period in order to accommodate the influx of new students. The College also acquired a number of historic buildings in the surrounding area, including the splendid former Deptford Town Hall and Laurie Grove Baths buildings. The Richard Hoggart Building, Deptford Town Hall and the Laurie Grove Baths all retain Grade II listed building status.

In 1988, Goldsmiths became a full College of the University of London and in 1990 received its Royal Charter. Among its wardens have been Richard Hoggart and Ben Pimlott. The current Warden is Pat Loughrey.

Between October and December 2010, Goldsmiths was "occupied" three times, by students protesting proposed increased in tuition fees and government cuts to higher education budgets.

The first occupation, of the Deptford Town Hall building, helped initiate a series of occupations across other UK universities. In the aftermath of the twenty-four hour occupation, the Goldsmiths' Senior Management Team (SMT) informed the Student Union that due to the immense damages caused, further occupational protest action would result in the retroactive imposition of a £15,000 charge taken from the following year's budget, in order to pay for the damage that the students had caused. The SU has suggested that this constitutes blackmail.

Since the Deptford Town Hall incident, two further occupational protest actions have taken place in Goldsmiths. Both occurred in the College Library and have sought from the SMT a public condemnation of fees and cuts in Higher Education. The SMT are yet to present a position either on increased tuition fees or on the proposed 100% cut to the Humanities and Social Sciences teaching grant.

Campus and location

Deptford Town Hall Building

The College is situated in New Cross, a highly populated area of south-east London with a considerable art and music scene. The area is not well served by London Underground, but is serviced by London Overground trains at New Cross and New Cross Gate. These former East London Line stations were integrated into the London Overground network in May 2010 with services northbound to Highbury and Islington; and southbound to Crystal Palace and West Croydon from New Cross Gate only. National Rail services still run from both New Cross and New Cross Gate stations to central London termini (i.e. London Bridge, Cannon Street and Charing Cross).

The College's main building, the Richard Hoggart Building, was originally designed as a school (opened in 1844) by the architect John Shaw Jr (1803–1870). In addition to this the college has built several more modern buildings to develop the campus, including the RIBA award-winning Rutherford Building completed in 1997, the Ben Pimlott Building designed by Will Alsop and completed in 2005, and the New Academic Building which was completed in 2010.

The library, or the Rutherford Building, has three floors and gives students access to an extensive range of printed and electronic resources. The third-floor library is believed to house the largest collection of audio-visual material in the UK. Goldsmiths' students, like all other students in the University of London, have full access to the collections at Senate House Library at Bloomsbury in central London.

The £10.2m, seven-storey Ben Pimlott Building on New Cross Road, complete with its distinctive "scribble in the sky" (made from 229 separate pieces of metal) has become a signature of the modern college. It contains studio and teaching space for the Department of Art, as well as housing the Goldsmiths Digital Studios and the Centre for Cognition, Computation and Culture.

The New Academic Building, situated next to the College green, is now home to the Media and Communications department and the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (ICCE).

Facilities include a new 250-seat lecture theatre, seminar and teaching rooms, as well as a cafe with outdoor seating.

Research and teaching

The Library

Faculties and departments

Goldsmiths is best known for courses and research relating to creativity and culture, and has a reputation for producing visual artists, particularly those collectively known as YBA. Its Art Department is widely recognised as one of Britain's most prestigious and culturally important, producing the YBA's art collective, 29 Turner Prize nominees, and 6 winners. This reputation was largely established by the influence of Michael Craig-Martin, Richard Wentworth, Jon Thompson, Anton Ehrenzweig and Nick De Ville as teaching staff. Alumni of the Department of Art include Mark Wallinger, Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Sam Taylor-Wood, Lucien Freud, Mary Quant, Bridget Riley, Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume and Steve McQueen.

Goldsmiths' Sociology Department has been extremely important in the recent development of the discipline in the UK and internationally, with leading sociologists such as Paul Gilroy, Bev Skeggs, Nikolas Rose, Celia Lury, Les Back, Kate Nash and Jeffrey Alexander, working in the department in recent years.

The Department of Design's comprehensive approach to design practice grew from a concern for ethical and environmentalist design. This developed alongside research by John Wood, and others, which informs their research into metadesign. TERU, the Technology Education Research Unit, has been instrumental in understanding how design & technology works in schools, how to encourage learners towards creative interventions that improve the made world, and how to help teachers to support that process. The Writing Purposefully in Art and Design Network (Writing-PAD) has its main Centre at Goldsmiths. The Network now spans some 70 institutions across the art and design sector with 6 national and 2 International Writing PAD Centres.

Goldsmiths is well known for Cultural Studies. The Media and Communications Department, as well as the Centre for Cultural Studies, is home to some of the leading scholars in this field including James Curran, Scott Lash, Angela McRobbie, Sara Ahmed, Nick Couldry, Aeron Davis, John Hutnyk, Sanjay Seth, and David Morley. Goldsmiths is consistently highly-ranked by The Good University Guide as the top London education institute for the study of media, communications, music and visual arts.

The Department of Anthropology at Goldsmiths is considered to be one of the best in Europe. On the teaching staff are figures such as Stephen Nugent, Sophie Day, Catherine Alexander, Keith Hart and David Graeber, whose contract at Yale was not renewed in 2005 because of his political commitments. The Goldsmiths Anthropology Department is also well known for its focus on visual anthropology. The realm of continental philosophy is represented with academics such as Saul Newman, Alexander Düttmann and Visiting Professors Andrew Benjamin and Bernard Stiegler. In the area of Psychology there is Chris French a vocal sceptic of the paranormal.

The English & Comparative Literature Department is one of the College's largest, and is particularly noted for its creative writing department. Current academics include Bart Moore-Gilbert, Blake Morrison, Lavinia Greenlaw, Chris Baldick, Uttara Natarajan and Peter Dunwoodie, and its reputation developed from the influence of Margaret Brunyate and Donald Adamson in modern languages.

The Department of Music has a number of distinguished alumni, including Malcolm McLaren, Katy B, James Blake and John Cale. the Centre for Russian Music director Alexander Ivashkin is internationally renowned for its outstanding archives (Prokofiev, Schnittke) and unique collections (Stravinsky, Russian Piano Music first editions), for instance.

Rankings

League tables based on the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise all place Goldsmiths within the top 35 research-intensive universities in the UK: 33rd in the Times Higher Education, 34th in The Guardian and 24th in The Independent. The 2008 RAE placed Goldsmiths 9th in the UK overall for the world-leading quality of its research. The following departments were ranked in the Top 20 nationally:

• Sociology (ranked 1st equal with Essex, Manchester and York)
• Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (ranked 4th equal with London School of Economics)
• Anthropology (ranked 8th equal with Oxford, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Queen's University Belfast)
• Art and Design (ranked 14th equal with Birmingham City and Dundee)
• Music (ranked 14th equal with Bristol, City, Huddersfield, Royal Academy of Music and Glasgow)
• Drama, Dance and Performing Arts (ranked 15th equal with Birmingham, Roehampton and Aberystwyth)
• History of Art (ranked 17th equal with Cambridge, School of Oriental and African Studies and Aberdeen)

10 of the 15 units of assessments submitted by Goldsmiths had at least 50% of their research activity in the top two categories. The Department of Media led the way with 80% of their research in the top two categories followed by Music (70%), English and Drama (65% each) and Sociology and Computing (60% each). In the previous (2001) RAE, Goldsmiths was awarded either 5 or 5* ratings in Anthropology, Art, Design, English, Media and Communications, Music, and Sociology departments.

UK University Rankings

	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998	1997	1996	1995	1994	1993
Times Good University Guide	52nd	45th	46th	52nd	45th	54th	59th	62nd	63rd	53rd	48th	48th	50th	51st	50th	54th=	55th	44th=	46th=
Guardian University Guide	58th	39th	42nd	52nd		18th	23rd	31st	59th
Sunday Times University Guide		44th	45th	45th=	46th	45th	45th	41st	34th	40th	46th	46th	43rd	49th=
Independent / Complete	57th	37th	44th	51st
Daily Telegraph					51st				53rd=
FT									54th		54th	56th	58th
THE World Rankings		386th	361st=	394th=	426th=	407th=

Student life

Students' Union

The College provides, among other things, catering facilities, a chaplaincy, a medical clinic, an advice service on academic and welfare issues, and a state of the art gym for students' use. Its Students' Union has taken an increasingly activist stance in recent years, campaigning on issues such as government cuts to university arts and humanities budgets, tuition fee rises, and advocacy around the occupation of Palestine. In 2010/11 the Union ran a successful "Save the Nursery" campaign, after the Warden announced plans to close the college nursery services.

The Students Union "Stretch" Bar, which links across Dixon Road from the Richard Hoggart Building, hosts numerous entertainment events including Quidz pub quiz on Mondays, Open Mic Night, Film Club Night where a themed film serial is aired in the huge pull down screen in the SU, and the 'Club Sandwich' club night open between 10 pm and 3 am on Wednesdays. The SU also provides a walk-home and special night bus service for students who live in the borough. The Stretch has several 40 inch High Definition LCD screens, and shows the latest music videos and news, football is also shown on some nights. In 2011, for Election night, the SU was fitted with an extra LCD screen downstairs on the bottom floor of the SU Building and brand new red lights across the SU. Goldsmiths also rents out the Stretch on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for shows by local and international groups. Famously, alternative rock band Blur formed at Goldsmiths, (guitarist Graham Coxon studied Art whilst bassist Alex James studied French), and played their first ever gig at the Goldsmiths Student Union bar in 1989. The band returned for a "homecoming" gig as part of their reunion shows in summer 2009.

The second floor bar in the Union building was closed in 2008, renovated, and reopened as a cafe (under the management of local independent coffee shop 'Cafe Crema'), complete with large exhibition space displaying students' work and that of various university societies. The Union is also proud to provide student representation and runs both a student magazine (Smiths), The Leopard newspaper, and a radio station broadcast online and locally by FM (Wired). All Goldsmiths students automatically become members of the National Union of Students on enrolling, thus can make use of the facilities of the University of London Union too.

Sports, clubs, and traditions

Sports teams and societies are organised by the Goldsmiths Students' Union. The Union runs 18 sports clubs, 11 of which compete in either University of London Union or BUCS leagues. In May 2011 Goldsmiths won the Arts Varsity Challenge Cup against University of the Arts London (UAL), for the third year running.

The students' union runs 35 societies, ranging from political societies and identity-based societies (for example the Jewish society and the LGBT society) to interest-based societies (the Film Society and the on-campus radio station Wired are the two largest Societies at the College) and more. An amateur opera company based in the College, Opera Gold, draws its cast from College members past and present.

Goldsmiths regularly features in lists compiled by the Brand Council of the UK as one of the world's "Coolest Brands", something which the Warden and Fellows like to play down.

Student housing

The university owns 9 halls of residence which offer accommodation for students:

• Batavia Mews
• Chesterman House
• Dean House
• Loring Hall
• Surrey House
• Surrey House Annexe
• Raymont Hall
• McMillan Student Village
• The Abla Mansion

Several of the halls include electricity bills and gas bills as part of rent. Free internet is also offered in some of the halls. Visiting international students are generally assigned accommodation in Loring Hall, Dean House or Chesterman House. Loring Hall currently holds around 400 students.

Notable alumni

List of Goldsmiths College alumni

Goldsmiths' alumni have been influential in the fields of film, journalism, literature, theatre, music, politics, history, sport and the visual arts.

Notable alumni including  

• Lucian Freud
• Damien Hirst
• Tessa Jowell
• Antony Gormley
• Sam Taylor-Wood
• Brian Molko
• Mary Quant
• Bridget Riley
• Malcolm McLaren
• Princess Beatrice of York.

Departments

Academic departments, centres and research units

• Anthropology
  • Centre for Visual Anthropology
• Art
• Centre for English Language and Academic Writing
• Centre for Cultural Studies
• Computing
  • Goldsmiths Digital Studios
• Design
  • Interaction Research Studio
  • Technology Education Research Unit (TERU)
• Educational Studies
  • Centre for Identities and Social Justice
  • Centre for Language, Culture and Learning
  • Centre for the Arts and Learning
• English and Comparative Literature
  • Centre for Caribbean Studies
• History
  • Centre for the Study of the Balkans
• Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (ICCE)
• Media and Communications
  • Centre for the Study of Global Media and Democracy
  • Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre
• Music
  • Afghanistan Music Unit (AMU)
  • Centre for Contemporary Music Cultures
  • Centre for Russian Music (CRM)
  • Unit for Sound Practice Research
• Politics
  • Centre for Postcolonial Studies
  • Research Unit in Governance and Democracy (RUGD)
  • Research Unit in Politics & Ethics (RUPE)
• Professional and Community Education (PACE)
  • Centre for Lifelong Learning & Community Engagement
  • Faiths and Civil Society Unit
• Psychology
  • Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit (APRU)
  • Centre for Cognition, Computation and Culture (CCCC)
  • Unit for School and Family Studies (USFS)
• Sociology
  • Centre for the Study of Invention and Social Process (CSISP)
  • Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR)
  • Unit for Global Justice
• Theatre and Performance
  • Pinter Centre for Performance and Creative Writing
• Visual Cultures
  • Centre for Research Architecture

Administration & support departments

• Accommodation Office
• Alumni Office
• Business Development Office (BDO)
• Careers Service
• Conference Services
• Corporate Governance & Information Management
• Development Office
• Estates and Facilities
• Finance
• Graduate School
• Human Resources
• IT Services
  • Applications
  • Design and Print Services
  • Media Services
  • Web Services
• Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit
• Library
• Marketing, Recruitment and Communications
  
  • Admissions
  • Communications & PR
  • International Partnerships & Development
  • Market Intelligence
  • Publications & Publicity
  • UK/EU Marketing & Student Recruitment
  • Widening Participation
• Quality, Planning and Academic Governance
  • Academic Services
  • Quality Office
  • Planning Office
• Registrar and Secretary's Office
• Research Office
• Staff Development
• Student Services
  Chaplaincy

 

 Campus life

Accommodation/Halls

When coming to study in a major city like London, it's vital that you have affordable place to live where you feel comfortable and safe. At the Accommodation Office, our team is here to make sure that you are well informed about available options.

In our halls of residence, we provide accommodation of varied standard and price range. We also offer information about different types of student accommodation available locally and in central London.

Goldsmiths halls of residence

Current Vacancies

Waiting List

Our halls are currently full.  However if you would like to join the waiting list for accommodation in halls for this current academic year then please drop by the Accommodation Office and fill out a form.  Alternatively you can fill out an application (www.gold.ac.uk/accommodation/apply)online.

New applications received now will be added to our waiting list.  The Accommodation Office will be contacting you when we are in a position to offer you accommodation.  Please respond to any emails or phone calls received from us if you want to be made an offer.  If you have applied and are currently on our waiting list but no longer require a place in halls then please contact the Accommodation Office so we can withdraw your form.

Accommodation Fees

The halls finance team are collecting fees for the first term's hall fees.  If you receive a letter/email asking you to speak to the team regarding your fees, it is important that you see them. This includes those who at present have not yet received funding as regular communication with the Department about your individual circumstances is important even if you have spoken to us previously.

2010-11 Fees Payment Dates

Term 1 - 17 October 2011
Term 2 - 16 January 2012
Term 3 - 30 April 2012
Term 4 - 2 July 2012 (PG students only)
Term 5 - 15 October 2012 (MA Film only)

Information for Current Residents

Thinking of Moving Rooms?
Room change forms are now available from our website and from the Reception at Loring Management Centre. Room moves are not guaranteed and are subject to availability. They will not be permitted to those students who have outstanding hall fees. Please note there is an administrative fee involved in moving rooms (currently £50).  For further information and to apply please go(www.gold.ac.uk/media/2011-12%20Room%20change%20FORM.pdf) here.
Thinking of withdrawing from hall?
If you are thinking of moving out of halls, whether this is to live in private sector accommodation or you are withdrawing from course, please come to the Accommodation Office at Loring Management Centre to discuss the implications of your actions. You should fill out a 'Withdrawal From Hall' form which will notify the Accommodation Office that you are looking to move out. Please note a £50 administrative fee is involved in withdrawing from halls and you may be responsible for your accommodation fee until a replacement has been found.

Private Sector References
If you require a private sector reference please contact the Accommodation Office via email or by filling in 'reference request' form available from the Loring Management Centre reception.
Preparation of these references will take a minimum of one working day and cannot be done on the spot. Please note that we will not provide references for those students who have not managed their hall fees appropriately and/or those residents who had a conduct warning. In these circumstances your accommodation agreement can be used as a proof of your residency.

Office Opening Hours

The Reception opening hours are:
Monday to Friday     08:30 - 15:00 and 16:00 - 17:30
The Accommodation and Finance Office opening hours are:
Monday to Friday     09:00 - 15:00
Please note on occasions the administrative sections will be closed for staff training.
Loring Management Centre is open 24 hours a day and staffed by security officers outside of office hours.

Post & package collection for current residents
All mail that is not addressed correctly can be found in reception of your hall office. Please check regularly mail left in the office.

Contact

Intercollegiate Halls Accommodation Bureau
International Hall
Lansdowne Terrace
London
WC1N 1AS
Tel. 020 7822 3333
Fax. 020 7278 9720
Email: info.halls@london.ac.uk

Catering/Menus

Eating and drinking on campus

Loafers

Coffee shop serving a selection of hot and cold drinks and snacks, italian-style pizzas and salads. Hot food available until 45 minutes before close, with pizzas available to eat in or take-away.

Where »

In the Main Building, off the main corridor.

Open »

8.30am - 9pm Monday - Thursday
8.30am - 6.30pm Friday
10am-2pm Saturday
Last orders 15 minutes before closing.

The Refectory

Large canteen serving a variety of hot lunches.

Where »

In the Main Building, off the main corridor.

Open »

11.30am - 2.30pm Monday - Friday

 

Tastte

Serving Café Direct teas and coffees, sandwiches, pop, crisps, fruit and snacks to grab 'n' go.

Where »

In the Refectory.

Open »

9am - 4.30pm Monday - Friday

Staff Dining Room

The Staff Dining Room serves a selection of hot meals.

Where »

In the Main Building, on the first floor directly above the Refectory.

Open »

12pm - 2.00pm Monday - Friday

Students' Union

Food is also available in the Students' Union.

The Stretch (on the second floor) offers daily changing meat and vegetarian pizzas, it's a perfect place to relax with a paper between lectures.

The G Shop (on the ground floor towards the front of the Richard Hoggart Building) offers snacks, chocolate, soft drinks, newspapers, stationery and toiletries.

Cycling

Safety pointers for specific situations

Cycling Safely on Shared Use Pavements

Cycling on the pavement may feel like it is a lot safer but in fact it isn't for you or for others and this is true even when it is an official shared path. There are uncomfortable to ride on, dangerous at crossing points and you have difficulty rejoining the traffic stream coming from a point where drivers don't acknowledge you. By using the pavement you undermine your position as a vehicle. There are some official shared paths that you can use, but they err not without their problems. Always go slowly on a shared use path and give way to pedestrians, it is THEIR bit of space, they have the right to feel safe. Unfortunately they are erratic and can move sideways suddenly, if you are cycling slowly you are likely to be tipped into the road by a sudden sideways movement. Use your bell to warn of you presence. Avoid startling people by getting right behind them before ringing it, just ping it now and then. The problems don't stop there, you are likely to be attacked by angry old men with sticks even if it a shared use path, have to avoid moody gangs of teenagers and yapping dogs. But the real danger is at junctions. You will be approaching faster than drivers are expecting and at a quick glance they may not realize that you are approaching from the pavement not the road. You HAVE TO SLOW RIGHT DOWN and almost STOP AT to EVERY TURNING AND JUNCTION even if you think there is nothing coming. It is all too easy to think that is you don't really need to stop and look, that there is nothing coming. I have spoken above how when on the road you must act like a vehicle. Once you are off the road you have to act like pedestrian, you have to be much more cautious and you can't belt along as you can on the road. Switch mentality. If you rejoin the road this presents another danger point when you have to re-establish you position on the road. Please don't use pavements where you don't have permission to do so.

Cycling Safely on a Minor Road

The main things to look out for are car doors opening and children running out unexpectedly. Drivers tend to be a bit more careless and not look as carefully so be prepared! If a driver looks as if he is joining the road without looking use your bell, be move up a little in the road (towards the centre) and be prepared to brake. At narrow points in the road it is best if you adopt a middle lane position to prevent dangerous overtaking. 

Road Narrowings

Anticipate the road narrowing and as for a parked car start to move out in good time. If the road narrowing is caused by the kerb coming in, don't follow the kerb line or you could end up squashed. If you can't move out safely, slow and wait until you can. If the road narrowing is created by an island and you think that cars are likely to overtake too close, if it is safe move to a slightly more central road position by the island. The cars will then slow to pass you at this point or wait until after the island to overtake. Clinging to the kerb is an invitation to overtake. 

Undertaking and Overtaking

Undertake slowly even in a cycle lane, look out for side roads where cars might be turning through gaps in the traffic - you can't always see the gaps. Use your bell occasionally. Watch out for pedestrians. When overtaking a lane of traffic check for motorbikes before moving out. If overtaking parked cars, check over your shoulder and start moving to into position to overtake well before you reach the parked cars. You can then time when you make the final move out to blend with the traffic. Be prepared for a car door to open suddenly.

Buses

Pass buses with a metre to spare and don't cut back in too soon. When pulling away from a stop buses tend to move, signal and then look. If you give the bus good clearance you will be able to avoid pedestrians suddenly appearing from behind the bus. Be very wary undertaking buses as people may be getting off, or the bus may suddenly pull in to let someone off. Ideally overtake. Don't get on the inside of buses at bends. Bus drivers are on the whole considerate of cyclists, but the length of the vehicle makes them dangerous. Be particularly wary of bendy buses.

How to Handle Roundabouts (including miniroundabouts)

If you are going straight on, position yourself in the middle of the left hand lane before joining the roundabout. Keep to the middle of this lane, until your exit when you can move to over to the left. Adopting a middle lane position prevents people turning left across you and makes it clear you want to go straight on. Don't assume a driver who is not signalling is not going to turn left. If turning right use the middle of the right hand lane. If you feel pressurized you can use the right hand side of the right hand lane but never the left as you will end up being squeezed between two lanes of moving vehicles. Avoid being squashed between two lanes at all costs. 

How to Handle One Way Systems

Use the middle of your lane. When changing lanes signal and if you are not sure if a driver is going to give way make eye contact. Your speed will be approximately the same as the car drivers so dominating a lane is easier than it sounds. Do not allow yourself to be squeezed to the side of the lane because from this position it is much more difficult to make required changes of lane. 

Central London

The back streets of London are very quiet. Enjoy exploring around. The main roads are wide but there are lots of very daunting junctions. Avoid then if you can. The secret to handling these junctions is lane discipline. Get into the correct lane. This is not always easy if you are unfamiliar with the route. Be particularly wary of pedestrians, slow down and expect them to do anything. Look out for taxis doing U-turns and pulling in and out. Use you head if a taxi seems like he is dithering he is probably about to do a U turn. If there is someone ahead standing on the kerb waving at the taxi in front, the taxi is going to pull in isn't he? If a taxi has just pulled into the kerb with a passenger the outside door is likely to open. Rocket science? Always be wary of undertaking a vehicle by a turning, the vehicle may have stopped to let someone turn right. Oxford Street is hell, it is filled with swarms of bag laden pedestrians and impatient bus drivers. Use you bell and overtake on the outside of buses. Be careful not to get boxed in by overtaking buses at the buildouts. Move out well in good time.

Ice and Puddles and Potholes

If you try and brake or turn on ice you will come off and it hurts. You may come off anyway. Avoid unsalted roads. You are also likely to come off turning on gravel, good for a savage graze. Look out for potholes and debris, going down a pothole may send you heals over head and you are likely to land on your head. Complain to your local authority and yes puddles may be hiding a big pothole, stick to the edge if you can, but remember last minute swerves are dangerous.

Useful links

Advice on clothing, second hand bikes etc	http://www.getcycling.info/
List of accredited dealers	http://www.cyclesource.co.uk/
General information	http://www.cycleweb.co.uk/
Get an electronic tag for your steed	http://www.bikeregister.com/
List of stolen bikes and tips on theft prevention	http://www.mondodesigno.com/stolenbike/
For mountain bike enthusiasts but worth a visit	http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/
Incredible amount of bike info	http://www.mtbonline.net/
Maps of city-specific cycle routes	http://www.cyclecityguides.co.uk/
Gemini Bicycle Club	http://www.gemini.bc.org.uk/
Cycle Touring Club	http://www.ctc.org.uk/
National Cycling Strategy	http://www.nationalcyclingstrategy.org.uk/
Cycle Clubs	http://www.sportslinks.info/cycling.htm#Greater%20London

Green issues

Hello.

I’m Richard Groves, Goldsmiths Energy & Environmental Manager.

I joined the college in December 2009, and have a wide ranging remit including reducing energy consumption, reducing waste, increasing recycling and other general “green” issues.

I’m keen to hear from you about:

• Good things you’ve seen or heard about relating to energy or environmental issues that we could use here
• Waste of resources around the campus
• Anything else green related that you think might be of use

I can be contacted through the Estates and Facilities Department, or via email on

green@gold.ac.uk

 
Security

Staying safe

Emergency
In an emergency dial 999 from an external phone (the call should be free) or 0999 from an internal phone for the police, ambulance or fire brigade.

The College Security Team can be contacted on 7105, or 020 7919 7105 if outside College.
General order
The College Superintendent has responsibility for maintaining general order throughout the College. The portering and security staff can be contacted through reception at the main entrance to Goldsmiths in the Richard Hoggart Building, and on 020 7919 7100.
Health and safety
Goldsmiths aims to provide and maintain, as far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. This is set out in the College’s Health and Safety Policy.
The aims of the policy are:
•    The elimination of hazards and reduction of risks to prevent harm to College staff, students and others affected by College operations
•    Compliance with relevant legislation and with good practice in the higher education sector
•    Support for the College mission and strategic aims
•    Integration of health and safety with other management planning, strategies and responsibilities.
The policy applies to all employees, students, premises and activities under the control of the College, including staff and students travelling off-campus in the UK or overseas
on College business.
The full policy and more information about health and safety at Goldsmiths is available on the web at www.gold.ac.uk/health-safety.
Smokefree College
All College buildings including the Students’ Union are smokefree. 
If you would like help to give up smoking, the NHS offers a range of free services. Visit www.gosmokefree.co.uk or call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169 for details.  Alternatively you can text ‘GIVE UP’ and your full postcode to 88088 to find your local NHS Stop Smoking Service.

Fire safety
The main thing to remember is: fight the fire only if you have been trained and it is safe to do so. Activate the nearest fire alarm (red ‘break glass’ box on the wall next to exit doors) then leave the building by the nearest available exit and go to the fire assembly point. Do not re-enter the building until it is declared safe by the Head Porter, a member of the Security Team or the Fire Safety Officer.
Insurance
Goldsmiths is unable to accept liability for lost or stolen property. Please make sure you are covered by your own insurance policy. You can find out more about insurance schemes for students by visiting the National Union of Students (NUS) web site www.nusonline.co.uk and searching for ‘insurance’.
Lost property
Lost property should be handed in to Reception at the front of the Richard Hoggart Building.

Staying fafe

A College leaflet, the ’Stay Safe Guide’, produced jointly with the Students’ Union, is available from the Student Support Office, the Students’ Union, and is online at http://www.gold.ac.uk/about/staysafe. Much of the advice is common sense, but personal safety is something to take seriously whether you’ve lived in London all your life, or are coming here for the first time. The message is – keep thinking, be aware of your surroundings, and look after yourself. The leaflet includes information and advice about campus life and security, getting around at night, what to do if you experience a crime, and a list of useful contact numbers.
Safer Neighbourhood Scheme
A Safer Neighbourhood Scheme has been set up in the New Cross area by Lewisham Police. The scheme is supported by Goldsmiths and the Students’ Union. The aim of the scheme is to reduce crime as well as reducing the fear of crime.
The Safer Neighbourhood Team visits the Students’ Union regularly (usually at least once a week) during term time, to give advice on keeping safe and keeping your property safe. For example, they can help you register your mobile phone on the MEND Database (the Mobile Equipment National Database). This means that if your phone is lost or stolen, you can make sure your handset is blocked across all UK networks. It also means that if your phone is found, it can be returned to you quickly. Look out for posters and leaflets providing more information, or telephone the Students’ Union 020 8692 1406.

Sports

Sports at Goldsmiths

If you have any queries or questions about facilities, leisure, recreation programmes, or Goldsmiths sports clubs we hope to cover it here, or on the Students' Union pages for Sports teams or general information.

The College and Students' Union are committed to expanding the quality and quantity of provision - so if there is anything you would like to see here, or you have any queries or comments, please let us know!

The basics:

We have the following sport & recreation facilties here at Goldsmiths:

• Loring Hall Sports Ground, in Sidcup (booked by the Sports and Recreation Manager),
• The Lockwood Building 'Upper Gym' (booked by the Sports and Recreation Manager),
• The Tennis/Netball courts (booked by the Sports and Recreation Manager),
• The Backfield (booked through the Sports and Recreation Manager by College Room Bookings),
• Club Pulse gym

The Students' Union support student competitive and recreational clubs (most of whom train and compete off-site), and organise joint staff and student programmes such as intramural sports (badminton, pool etc.) 

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