Glasgow University Students' Representative Council

Glasgow University Students' Representative Council was founded on 9 March 1886 and recognised as the legal representative body for students of the University of Glasgow by the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889. The SRC is responsible for representing students' interests to the management of the University and to local and national government, and for health and welfare issues. Under the Universities (Scotland) Acts, all students of the University automatically become members of the SRC. However, they are entitled to opt out of this.

Glasgow University Students' Representative Council
InstitutionUniversity of Glasgow
LocationGlasgow, Scotland
Established1886
PresidentLiam Brady
Sabbatical officersVP Education
Gregory Kokkinidis
VP Student Activities
Amy McKenzie Smith
VP Student Support
Ella McCabe
Membersc. 31,000
AffiliationsCoalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland, National Postgraduate Committee, Aldwych Group
AddressMcIntyre Building, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ
Websitewww.glasgowstudent.net

Unlike at other Scottish Universities, the SRC is one of four student bodies on campus, with it being the only representative body sitting on university level committees. It organises numerous events and campaigns during the year including freshers' fair and other freshers' week activities, welfare initiatives, as well as funding over 300 hundred clubs and societies. Since 1968, all of the SRC's offices have been located in the McIntyre Building on University Avenue.

History

The SRC was founded on 9 March 1886 by a body of students whose primary focus was raising funds to build the GUU. Prior to this the only official representation to the university had been carried out through the office of Rector and rectorial clubs such as the Peel Club formed in 1836.

The McIntyre Building, in which the SRC is based, had been built in 1890 to house the then newly formed GUU.

In 1932, the GUU obtained its own building at the foot of University Avenue and the McIntyre Building became home to the Queen Margaret Union. At this time, the SRC was housed in rooms in Pearce Lodge, the former gatehouse of the University's old site on the High Street which had been reassembled at Gilmorehill. However, it moved into the John McIntyre Building when new premises were built for the QM in 1969. The dedication refers to John McIntyre, a physician who donated five thousand pounds (equal to around £300,000 in 2010[1]) for its construction, in memory of his wife Anne.

The John McIntyre building has since been renamed simply the McIntyre building.

Notable former officers

Representation

The SRC comprises 47 representatives, four of whom are general representatives and two of whom are first-year representatives. Elections to all positions are held annually in the spring, with a secondary election in the autumn to fill any academic or welfare positions left vacant and to elect general and first-year representatives.[2]. In addition to the elected members, the Presidents of the Glasgow University Union, Queen Margaret Union, and Glasgow University Sports Association are invited to attend meetings, as is the immediate Past President of the SRC.

The following is the council for the 2020/21 academic year.[3]


University departments are responsible for organising the election of individual class representatives, who are supported in their duties by the Vice-President (Education) and their college's convenor.[4] The academic convenors sit on various committees within their Faculty and are ex officio members of the Senate. The four sabbatical officers are also accorded membership of the Senate, while the President and a Court Assessor (elected by the Council) are entitled to sit on the University Court. The Council also elects representatives to numerous university committees, including the Health, Safety & Well-being Committee, the Library Committee and the Academic Dress Committee.

The SRC is also home to the Rector of the University, elected by the students to represent them. This is achieved primarily through the Rector's role as chair of the University Court. The position of Rector is currently vacant, with the scheduled March 2020 Rectorial election being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent Rector was human rights Lawyer Aamer Anwar, whose term ended on the 31st of March 2020.

Glasgow University SRC is represented at a national level by the Coalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland (CHESS), the National Postgraduate Committee (NPC), and the Aldwych Group.

Services

The SRC provides the following non-representative services to students at the University:

  • Advice Centre - free and confidential advice
  • GU Volunteering - opportunities for students
  • Jobshop - a job vacancies service
  • Secondhand Bookshop - students can buy and sell course texts
  • Nightline - an anonymous, confidential telephone support and information service
  • Photocopying - photocopying service available for students at the University

Until 2004 the SRC ran a shop selling stationery, newspapers, snacks and University merchandise. It was housed in the "HUB" building beside the University library, now refurbished as the Fraser Building.

Media

The SRC also partly funds and houses four student media groups. They retain editorial independence from the SRC whilst benefiting from its support. Many of those involved in the SRC's student media have won awards for their work and gone on to find a career in the media.

These groups are:

The SRC previously referred to the media as "publications" and until 2004 the SRC website glasgowstudent.net was run as a fifth media group. There are other student run media groups at the University, housed within the unions, including G-YOU, published by the Glasgow University Union, and qmunicate, published by the Queen Margaret Union.

References
  1. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/results.asp#mid
  2. "Elections". GUSRC. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  3. "Spring Election Results. Thursday 5th March 2020" (PDF). www.glasgowstudent.net. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  4. SRC : About SRC : Student Reps
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