In this blog, the Moray President talks about changes to the Aye Pod and the fantastic way that UHI Moray listened to student feedback about making it a better student space.
Aye Pod News: The tale of Student Feedback being listened to @ UHI Moray.
Just a few months ago the Aye Pod, in the UHI Moray, Moray Street Campus, was a dismal shade of brown; it had dated pictures on the wall and uncomfortable furniture. In the spring of 2024 students gave feedback that the room was miserable to spend time in, the artwork was old-fashioned, the colour was brown, there was nowhere to charge a device and there were no available water fountains. It’s a great sized space on campus but it was being underutilised because of the issues it had.
Originally HISA just asked could we update the 2010s-coded artwork? After visiting the Aye Pod, Derek Duncan, UHI Moray’s Director of Information Planning and Student Support, resolved to fix the issues. There followed a conversation between UHI Moray and HISA on how we could achieve a space that students wanted to spend time in.
Students may have noticed it is no longer brown! It's a delightful shade of blue; there is a water dispenser, and furniture has been ordered and it's now on the way. When
When the furniture arrives, you will know that HISA listened to your comments. There is the one thing we all asked for –comfy seating!
The dated pictures are gone! Bob Marley, Charlie Chaplin (OK he does have a local connection. He used to holiday in Nairn), Gandhi and I forget the others are consigned to UHI Moray’s history -- feel free to comment on the blog post if you remember who I am missing or any of the quotes? The quotes resembled generic Instagram posts satirised by Joe Lycett, the comedian. Parodies of his include: "Don't cry when it rains the weather is weeping for us all"; "Sometimes the self-service is no quicker than the normal checkout. follow your own path" and "Sometimes the satnav hasn't updated yet and takes you down a road that doesn't exist anymore. follow your own path" (BBC Comedy, 2022). HISA is going to replace the posters with work that represents the student voice at UHI Moray. However, if you have any inane quotes you can be Joe Lycett and pretend we are Cara Delevingne or Cheryl and send them to the inbox at hisa.moray@uhi.ac.uk. We will put them in our office or the Aye Pod window.
There will be an art competition to replace the artwork in the Aye Pod - with prizes! It will be entitled “College Life.” There will be more details to follow on how to enter. HISA also is running a survey about whether we change the name of the space itself. You can find QR codes around the campus on posters (there is one on the HISA office door at P009 and one in the Aye Pod itself).
Whilst we haven’t managed the tanning bed that was requested, HISA in conjunction with UHI Moray has answered a lot of issues that students had with the space. This is part of an ongoing project to improve the space and the way it is used.
Please keep us updated with student feedback on the changes to the Aye Pod and anything else around campus. Send emails to hisa.moray@uhi.ac.uk or pop in and see us in the office in P009. The directions to the office are the first door on the right after you come out of the reception to the carpark.
Reference
BBC Comedy (2022). 9.2M views · 942 reactions | Live. Laugh. Love Joe Lycett | BBC Comedy. [online] Facebook.com. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/bbccomedy/videos/joe-lycett-inspiring-instagram-quotes/10155610470406778/ [Accessed 27 Nov. 2025].