UM ALiVE!" Campuses
Following the “ALiVE” call for proposals launched last October by the University of Montpellier, fourteen projects related to the renovation and creation of spaces and facilities for student life have been selected. From relaxation areas and dining options to bike shelters and sports fields… there will be something for everyone onUM campuses.
A.L.i.V.E., for the improvement of student living spaces: a call for projects that truly lives up to its name! Launched byUM an idea by Student Vice President Alexis Vandeventer, it invited students and administrative staff from the various academic departments, schools, and institutes to take advantage of the Campus Student Life Fund (CVEC) to improve student living spaces. Many responded to the call and engaged in the collaborative process… demonstrating, in the process, a certain degree of creativity in seizing this opportunity.
Ultimately, of the fifteen proposals submitted, fourteen were approved by the committee that met on January 21 and will be implemented, subject to budget approval by the Board of Directors. Most of these proposals involve the creation or renovation of dining facilities. At its campuses in Nîmes and Perpignan, the Faculty of Education will see its cafeteria and lounge renovated and their capacity expanded. At the Faculty of Economics, the renovated K-Fet will become the Eco’Chill; atthe Béziers IUT, a chalet will house the Coffea House; andthe Nîmes IUT is focusing on outdoor social spaces with the creation of the Chill’ Lab.
A cabin, terraces, or a pine forest…
The Montpellier School of Education is also looking to make the most of its outdoor spaces, allowing students to enjoy a bit of “playing hooky” thanks to the renovation of the gardens and terrace in front of the cafeteria. The same goes for the Nîmes campus of the School of Medicine, where an unused 1,000 m² pine grove will be transformed into a versatile outdoor space. Pharmacy students, meanwhile, will see the large ground-floor lobby redesigned to create the “Hall You Need,” a space of about 50 m² dedicated to socializing and relaxation.
Polytech students, as part of their project called “Born to be alive!”, have also redesigned the student office and the outdoor spaces, which will be furnished with permanent fixtures. This request is similar to that of students in the School of Law and Political Science, who felt that the Tutors’ Association’s facilities were in dire need of a facelift. In the School of Dentistry, the project will involve the development of an outdoor space.
Sports and Mobility
We expected nothing less from the students at the Faculty of Sports Science, who are calling for investment in sustainable transportation on their campus. This includes marking a bike lane on the ground and installing signs indicating distances and travel times, increasing the number of parking spaces, and setting up charging stations for students’ computers, phones, and the batteries of their scooters and e-bikes—all to create a connected and eco-friendly campus. Sustainable mobility is also being promoted at the Faculty of Medicine’s Montpellier campus, where a secure bike storage facility will be built. And more sports are on the way atthe Montpellier-Sète University Institute of Technology (IUT), where students have overwhelmingly supported the creation of a multisport field: a friendly atmosphere will go hand in hand with pétanque, volleyball, and mini-soccer.
ALiVE will help sustain the momentum that students bring to our campuses and foster social connections, the crucial importance of which for academic success we are keenly aware of right now. ALiVE—a wonderful call for projects that has certainly not gone unheeded!