I am not a student, so I can't comment on the educational facilities available at the University…read more.. What I CAN talk about is the student union and the halls of residence... So I will!
I started attending Infest Festival in 2007, before the halls and the union were "done up". It's always been a great space for events as the space for live music is large enough to big crowds and there are several bars and different areas (if you don't fancy being crushed down the front of the stage). In my opinion, since it has been changed (2009/2010) this space is even better for a event.
The "arena" area has a generous staging area and a bar at the side, the "upstairs" area has another bar, seating areas and plentiful toilet facilities (including unisex loo's) and the sports bar has lots of areas to sit down and a well-stocked bar. The bar is very reasonably priced! I don't go in term time, but during the festival this year 2 pints of Cider was £5.60 (which is great for a festival).
There is also a second bar/dancefloor area towards the rear of the venue called "The Escape bar". I imagine this is used for smaller events or a secondary room during student nights. Again, this has a generous amount of seating and a reasonably sized bar.
The halls have been changed into a town house layout for "The Green" (although the traditional "Arkwright Halls" are still standing at the moment). The houses in The Green are broken into groups of 3 and are named (to aid you find your house for the duration). Each house has 12 bedrooms (mostly equipped with a bed which is bigger than a single, but not quite a double), 2 toilets for each bedroom floor and a large kitchen and living area (with another ground floor toilet). The accommodation is very modern and is equipped with a microwave, hobs, sinks and several large fridge freezers to store your consumables.
Each house has a small outdoor area to the back, which is great for socialising. You can also access the other houses in the blocks garden, so you can have a LOT of people outside at one time without getting under each others feet.
The level of soundproofing has significantly improved since the new halls were built. People can be sitting in the downstairs area having a natter and it's still nice and quiet on the above floors. Now, as previously stated; I am no longer a student... But if I was, I would have been fairly happy to have been placed in the halls.