Glasgow University Students Representative Council

Hello University of Glasgow students,

This is your regular update from the SRC as told by your 4 sabbatical officers, Liam (President), Amy (VP of Student Activities), Ella (VP of Student Support) and Grigoris (VP of Education).

In these updates we report to you on the work of the student representatives in representing you and supporting you. As part of this we let you know about upcoming projects and activities.

The past few weeks we have been working across all our usual areas, but with a particular focus on exams. We know that this year hasn’t been easy and have been working to ensure that potential issues arising from the exam season, from ‘good cause’ to study space availability, have been brought to the attention of the University and addressed as much as possible.

We have just launched our Fearless Flat-Hunting campaign as this is the time when most of you in Halls look to get your first flat while many others are potentially moving flats for the next academic year.

Below these updates are a list of contacts that you can use to contact us, and our advice centre is also available for independent, impartial advice on anything from exam misconduct to landlord issues.

Take care and stay safe

Liam, Amy, Ella and Grigoris

GUSRC Executive, 20/21

 

Updates

Study spaces

Following comments from students making us aware of the extreme high demand in the Library, we’ve been in discussion with the University about study spaces. The JMS Learning Hub is set to open on April 26th which will hopefully alleviate a lot of the pressure on the Library and Reading Room.

 

In the meantime, there are a number of bookable study spaces through the UofG Life App. We worked with the University to open at least one more space for students in the St Andrews’ Building and any others will be communicated when decided.

 

De-stress at a Distance

We have been working on our ‘De-stress at a Distance’ campaign for this upcoming exam season. We’ve coordinated an overall campaign involving the other student bodies, clubs & societies as well as external partners. We have also created our own events to contribute to the easing of exam stress and give people something to do when they take a break from their studies. The ‘De-stress at a Distance’ campaign will include videos, workshops, classes, online study spaces and some tips and tricks from our Council members.

We know it’s not an easy time of the year normally and under current circumstances it is even more difficult. We hope that this collaborative effort to provide options will be useful and offer an incentive to take a much-needed break from constant studying.

You can find the full rundown of events at uofgdestress.native.fm. Keep an eye on our social channels for updates as more activities are released.

Fearless Flat-Hunting

Fearless Flat-Hunting campaign was instigated working with our advice centre team to try and tackle some of the key problems faced by students looking for flats.  We began with our first flat-hunting tips on social media to answer some frequently asked questions.

We also produced an online form for you to submit any questions you may have about flat-hunting.  These will be used as part of an upcoming informative session which will be recorded and shared on our social media very soon

Home Students Survey

We have developed a Home Student Survey as part of the Home Students Working Group, and it is now available for you to complete. The aim of this survey was for us to get feedback from any students currently living at home and commute or those who have in the past who commuted, both COVID and non-COVID related. This is to understand the key areas of concern for those students and assist us with formulating evidence to present to the University as to how the student experience for home students could be enhanced.

The survey went out to all students via email but is also accessible at the link below and if you enter it you will be in for a prize draw for a £100 Amazon voucher.

Home Students Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GMYLJFQ

Clubs and Societies Inclusivity Guide

We have been working on developing a clubs and societies inclusivity guide to give tips to societies on how to be accessible and welcoming to all the students that make up our diverse and vibrant campus. This work is being progressed in collaboration with welfare officers and a number of societies- if you have any ideas or would like to contribute get in contact with a.mckenziesmith@src.gla.ac.uk

If you have any other questions, please feel free to send them via email at a.mckenziesmith@src.gla.ac.uk

Rector Elections

After being delayed from last year due to the sudden changes brought about by COVID, the rector elections have now been rescheduled. The rector is a historical figure who sits on University Court with the SRC president and one other SRC Representative and can help the SRC lobby for change.

The upcoming elections have several key dates to keep an eye on:

• Hustings – 19^th April at 6pm – live-streamed to https://www.facebook.com/UofGlasgow
• Voting opens – 20^th April at 9am
• Voting closes – 21^st April at 4pm
• Results – 21^st April at 6pm

You will be able to vote via the UofG Life App which is free to download and use on Android or iPhone for all UofG students: gla.ac.uk/uofglifeapp

Contacts:

For general day-to-day enquiries, please contact us via enquiries@src.gla.ac.uk or message us over social media. 

For free, confidential, and impartial advice on a range of issues including finances, studying, accommodation, wellbeing and more please contact the SRC Advice Centre: advice@src.gla.ac.uk

To find the email addresses of your SRC representatives, please visit our website: https://www.glasgowstudent.net/about/representation/council/