University of St Andrews Students' Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**University of St Andrews Students' Association**

Motto	Stat Scotia Stat Aula
Established	1983
Institution	University of St Andrews
Sabbatical Officers	Tom d'Ardenne, Laura Wilson, Graeme Hamilton, Lee Kane
Location	St Andrews, Scotland
Members	c. 7000
Affiliated to	Coalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland, National Postgraduate Committee
Homepage	www.yourunion.net

The University of St Andrews Students' Association is an organisation which represents the student body of the University of St Andrews.

1 Overview
2 Membership
3 Structure and Governance
4 Positions
5 External links

[edit] Overview

The Association was instituted in 1983 and comprises the Students' Representative Council (SRC), established in 1885, and the Students' Union (which was itself a merger of the Students' Union and the Women's Union).

The Students' Association Building (also known as "the Union") is located on St Mary's Place, St Andrews and consists of facilities for the student body. These include entertainment facilities, three bars, societies meeting rooms, representation services, a general office for enquiries, printing and photocopying, a stationery & university clothes shop and a travel service; all run by the Association. Also within the building you will find a bookshop and Student Support Services. The Students' Association is affiliated to, and indeed a founding member of, the CHESS and is not a member of the National Union of Students.

The Students' Association motto, "Stat Scotia Stat Aula" translates as "As long as Scotland stands, the hall (Union) remains".

The coat of arms of the Students' Union was originally granted to the "Men's Union" (that is the Students' Union as it was before the merger with the Women's Union) and incorporates the coats of arms of the University of St Andrews, Henry Wardlaw (Bishop of St Andrews and founder of the University), William Low of Blebo, and the Crichton-Stuarts. William Low (of the former supermarket chain) and John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute were principal benefactors of the Students' Union.

[edit] Membership

Ordinary Membership All matriculated students of the University automatically become ordinary members of the Students' Union, although it is possible to opt-out if a student wishes under the Education Act (1994). (It is a widely held misapprehension that students are members of the Students' Association. In fact, students are members of the Students' Union and the Association is that between the SRC and Students' Union.)

Life Membership It is also possible for graduates of the University to be Life Members of the Students' Union. The two paths to Life Membership are:

Standard Life Membership, which may be purchased for a nominal fee, or,

Honorary Life Membership.

The by-laws of the Students' Association state:

Honorary Life membership may also be bestowed on persons worthy on account of their services to the Association, on the recommendation of the SAEC [to the Annual General Meeting of the Students' Association], whether or not this meeting is quorate.

Historically, this was taken to mean that, with some exceptions, any member of the Students' Association Executive Committee, SRC Executive Committee or Union Executive was offered honorary life membership at the end of their term of office or at the end of their time at the university. Such award would not take effect until they were no longer an ordinary member of the Union. However, in recent years there has been a shift away from this position. Those students who hold sabbatical positions are still put forward for Honorary Life Membership automatically but the other officers of the Association are not. The SAEC has somewhat circumvented the by-laws of the Students' Association in an attempt to open up the award of Honorary Life Membership to "ordinary" students. This is an attempt to answer the problem that - despite the fact that all students, and other members of the Association, were always eligible for the award - very few people had heard of Honorary Life Membership. Under these additional criteria, any matriculated student may nominate another matriculated student for Honorary Life Membership. However, the operating criteria for awarding HLM are strict, and the award is not given out lightly. In order to be eligible, the nominee must:

Be leaving the University at the end of the academic year;

Have made outstanding contributions in multiple aspects of student life during one or more years, or especially outstanding contributions in one aspect of student life over multiple years, at the University of St Andrews;

Be a current member in good standing with the Students' Association.

Any student at another University may be granted Honorary Associate Life Membership if they have contributed significantly to the Students' Association. They are nominated in the same manner as HLMs.

In some ways the new system has not improved the mechanisms behind the awarding of HLM, and has also caused controversy. Some critics allege that the opening up of the award to students for contributions made outwith the work of the Students' Association has meant that some people have been awarded HLM despite vociferously denigrating the work of the elected officers and the Students' Association as an organisation. It is also felt by some that the automatic awarding of HLM to sabbatical officers runs contrary to the stated aims of the Students' Association as expressed in the revised criteria. It has also been alleged that any system where the authority to grant or not grant a person the award of HLM is decided by a committee of students can be open to abuse if a clique develops within the Students' Association as an otherwise worthy recipient may be denied HLM if he or she is not part of the clique.

[edit] Structure and Governance

The governance of the Students' Association comprises three committees: the Students' Representative Council, the Student Services Committee, and the Students' Association Executive Committee. There are, in addition, numerous sub-committees of both the SRC and SSC. Members of the SRC and SSC are elected annually by the ordinary members of the Students' Association. Nominees to SAEC are elected by members of the SRC and SSC and it acts only to approve agendas and act in the absence of SRC or SSC. See Academic dress of the University of St Andrews for details of the officers eligible to wear Association gowns.

There is a Students' Association Board to oversee financial expenditure, which comprises senior elected student members (SAEC), non-student members appointed by the University Court and Senatus Academicus, and non-student members selected by a nominations committee. There is an in-built student majority but the chair is a non-student appointed by the whole Board.

Policy is formulated by two separate bodies: the Students' Representative Council and the Student Services Committee. The SRC is sovereign on all matters relating to the representation of the students at the University. The SSC is responsible for all matters pertaining to and arising from the organisation and provision of entertainment and services for students.

[edit] Positions

This list is current as of March 2007, but is not exhaustive.

[edit] Sabbatical Officers

The Sabbatical Officers take a year working full time for the Students' Association, either taking a year out from their studies, or after graduation. All four sabbatical officers sit on both the SRC and SSC as well as the SAEC and other sub-committees. The Sabbaticals Elect, in parentheses, will take up their positions on 1 July 2007.

Association President - Tom d'Ardenne (Tom d'Ardenne - re-elected for second term)

The Association President is responsible for communicating with the student body and outside organisations, acting as the Public Relations agent for the Association. The Association President is also responsible for the strategic planning process of the Association.

Director of Representation - Laura Wilson (Steve Savage)

The Director of Representation is responsible for all matters relating to the representation of students. The four main areas concerning the DoR are Accommodation, Education, Equal Opportunities and Welfare and Ethics and Environment.

Director of Events and Services - Graeme Hamilton (Rich Robinson)

The Director of Events and Services is responsible for overseeing the running of activities within the Students' Association building, staffing matters and the Students' Association's commercial activities.

Director of Student Development and Activities - Lee Kane (Jenny Mackay)

The Director of Student Development and Activities is responsible for overseeing all student activities, such as performing arts, societies and volunteering. They are also charged with the provision of student developmental services, including volunteering, professional development and careers.

[edit] SRC (Students' Representative Council)

The Students' Representative Council was given a statutary footing in 1895 by Ordinance No. 60 (General No. 22) of the Commissioners of the Universities of Scotland, under the powers granted to them by the Universities (Scotland) Act of 1889. This ordinance empowered the SRC in that:

"(1) The Students' Representative Council shall be entitled to petition the Senatus Academicus with regard to any matter affecting the teaching and discipline of the University, and the Senatus Academicus shall dispose of the matter of the petition, or shall, if so prayed, forward any such petition to the University Court, with such observations as it may think fit to make thereon.

(2) The Students' Representative Council shall be entitled to petition the University Court with regard to any matter affecting the students other than those falling under the immediately preceding sub-section."

It is the only body entitled to speak on behalf of the students of the University.

The SRC is split into four subcommittees, convened by the officers and comprising the appropriate members. In addition to the four sabbatical officers, the SRC comprises (members elect, in brackets, will take up their positions after Spring Break):

Accommodation Officer - Ben Nicholson (James Shield)
Member for University Accommodation - Anish Narendran
Member for University Accommodation - Huw Jordan
Member for Private Accommodation - Jon Adlard (Sally Young)
Member for Private Accommodation - Sarah-Louise Flowers (Shaun Atkinson)
Member for Postgraduate Accommodation - Brenda Akumu

Education Officer - Adam Fellows (Senior Officer to SAB & SAEC) (Rob Fett)
Member for Arts Faculty - Sheetal Kumar
Member for Science Faculty - Ann Griggs
Member for Medicine Faculty - Elizabeth Sheffield
Member for Divinity Faculty - Neil Campbel
Member for Postgraduate Research Courses - Unfilled
Member for Postgraduate Taught Courses - Unfilled
Member for Library and Learning Resources - Robert Fett (Secondary Nominee to SAB & SAEC) (Rebecca Austin)
Member for Widening Access - Hannah-Jade Ormisher

Environment and Ethics Officer - Harry Giles (Sarah McCusker)

Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer - Georgina Rannard
Member for Men's Issues - Scott Platton
Member for Women's Issues - Zoe Gage
Member for Students with Special Needs - Hope Whitmore
Member for Sexualities and Gender - Beth Irvine (Rich Fenner)
Member for International Students - Niko Brauer
Member for Ethnic Minorities - Sarah S Lohier (Primary Nominee to SAB & SAEC)
Member for Part-time students - Jhonti Bird
Member for Absent Students - Dickie Douglas (Karleen Coll)
Member for Mature Students - Unfilled (Larry Jennings)

There are also a number of other members who are not ex officio members of any sub-committee.

Member for First Years / Bejants - Samuel Lindfield
Member for Second Years / Semi-Bejants - Royce Hunt (Mathew Bonnaud)
Member for Third Years / Tertians - Christoph Gottstein (Sarah Lloyd-Thomas)
Member for Fourth Years / Magistrands - Kate Thomasson (Beth Connor)
Member for JSA/JYA -
Member for Community Relations - Matthew Guest
Member Without Portfolio - Andrew Hodson

Senate representatives are non-voting (sine suffragio) members of the SRC.

Arts / Divinity Senate Representative - Adam Fellows (Laura Wilson)
Science / Medicine Senate Representative - Steve Savage (Rob Fett)
Postgraduate Senate Representative - Ciara Brewer (Unfilled)

The Rector's Assessor is a member sine suffragio when appointed by the Rector, but would be a full member if elected via a cross-campus poll.

Rector's Assessor - Ben Nicholson

[edit] SSC (Student Services Committee)

The SSC - formerly known as the Union Management Committee - is responsible for the provision and organisation of all entertainments and services which fall under the remit of the Students' Union. In addition to the four sabbatical officers, the SSC currently comprises (officers elect, in brackets, will take up their positions after Spring Break):

Charities Officer - Lindsay MacDougall (David Haines)
Debates Officer - Rachael Whitbread (Senior Officer to SAB & SAEC) (Tom Cahn)
Music Officer - Johanna Crossley-Zels (Aaren Sager)
Performing Arts Officer - Ali Rosen (Isabel Hunter)
Postgraduate Officer - Nicola Foister (Primary Nominee to SAB & SAEC)
Societies Officer - Katherine Valentine (Jonathan Cooper)
Volunteering Officer - Caroline King (Coral Dyer)
Member for Societies Elections - Jonathan Cooper (Duncan Gauld)
Member for Societies Grants - Louise Hallman (Royce Hunt)
Member for First Year / Bejant(ine) - Duncan Gauld
Member Without Portfolio - Jassel Majevadia
Broadcasting Convenor - David Wilkinson (sine suffragio)
Design Team Convenor - Iain Webb (sine suffragio)
Entertainments Committee Nominee - Alison Hunter (sine suffragio)

[edit] SAEC (Students' Association Executive Committee)

The SAEC is responsible for ensuring co-ordination and co-operation between the two distinct sides of the Students' Association. It may also be called upon to arbitrate and settle any dispute that may arise. The members of SAEC also form the student (majority) representation on the SAB (Students' Association Board. Its members currently are: