“Last orders, please!”: The disappearance of communicative spaces at universities

This paper uses the thick description of one recent experience – closure Common Room Club at University College Dublin to highlight gap that exists between rhetoric and reality institutions higher education in Ireland beyond. I argue common rooms have always been part parcel ‘invisible university’. They provide infrastructure support what has called ‘lifeworld’, sustaining both communicative experiences their members providing vital venues for visitors who are through them more readily drawn into life colleagues. As unique spaces within much larger institutions, form a protected shield also porous social community against encroachment university system's instrumental action reasoning. However, changes accelerated pace change quest top-down modernisation. reaction, almost by default, room taken on new function faculty, staff turned place encounter people ideas critical often opposed managerialism, bureaucratisation mindless emulation education's fads foibles. At Dublin, this role did not remain unnoticed management triggered an extreme reaction enforced closure. My closes dwelling important question points uncertain future: is it possible any institution purports be centre learning either quell or attempt ‘manage’ lifeworld sceptical voices length time? In other words, can still fulfil its very expect loyalty without allowing ‘voice’ (A. O. Hirschman) heard?