University of St Andrews Students' Association

University of St Andrews Students' Association

Motto	Stat Scotia Stat Aula
Institution	University of St Andrews
Location	St Andrews, Scotland
Established	1983
Sabbatical officers	Ben Reilly, Chris Marks, David Bean, Alex Yabroff
Members	c. 7000
Affiliations	Coalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland, National Postgraduate Committee
Website	www.yourunion.net

Overview

The University of St Andrews Students' Association is the primary body of the students of the University of St Andrews. 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.

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. 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 the additional criteria, any matriculated student may nominate another matriculated student for Honorary Life Membership. However, the 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.

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.

Positions

This list is current as of July 2006, but is not exhaustive.

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.

• Association President - Tom d'Ardenne

The Association President is responsible for communicating with the student body and outside organisations, and to act as lead officer for student affairs out with the Association.

• Director of Representation - Laura Wilson

The Director of Representation is responsible for assisting the President on all matters relating to the wider community, as well as taking organising and executing the Association's representation policy.

• Director of Events and Services - Graeme Hamilton

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

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.

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:

• Accommodation Officer - Ben Nicholson (Senior Officer to SAB & SAEC)
• Member for University Accommodation - Kenny MacDonald
• Member for University Accommodation - Huw Jordan
• Member for Private Accommodation/Crichton Montrose - Sarah-Louise Flowers
• Member for Private Accommodation/Crichton Montrose - John Adlard
• Member for Postgraduate Accommodation - Ruth Weston

• Education Officer - Adam Fellows (Primary Nominee to SAB & SAEC)
• Member for Arts Faculty - Georgina Renard
• Member for Science Faculty - Bryn Williams
• Member for Medicine Faculty - Sabrina Talukdar
• Member for Divinity Faculty - Adam Anthony
• Member for Postgraduate Research Courses - Ciara Brewer
• Member for Postgraduate Taught Courses - Unfilled
• Member for Library and Learning Resources - Robert Fett
• Member for Widening Access - Cat Dunford (also a member of the Accommodation Committee and the Equal Opportunities and Welfare Committee)

• Environment and Ethics Officer - Harry Giles

• Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer - Sarah Bertness (Secondary Nominee to SAB & SAEC)
• Member for Men's Issues - Allen Snowball
• Member for Women's Issues - Laura Wilson
• Member for Special Needs Students - Alex Howarth
• Member for Sexualities and Gender - Andrew Killen
• Member for International Students - Anders Bjorgong
• Member for Ethnic Minorities - Preston Byrne
• Member for Part-time students - Unfilled
• Member for Absent Students - Dickie Douglas
• Member for Mature Students - Ute Kreplin

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

• Member for First Years / Bejants - Katherine Valentine
• Member for Second Years / Semi-Bejants - Royce Hunt
• Member for Third Years / Tertians - Christoph Gottstein
• Member for Fourth Years / Magistrands - Kate Thomasson
• Member for JSA/JYA - Michelle Yetter
• Member for Community Relations - Euan Clarke
• Member Without Portfolio - Andrew Hodson

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

• Arts / Divinity Senate Representative - Adam Fellows
• Science / Medicine Senate Representative - Steve Savage
• Postgraduate Senate Representative - Ciara Brewer

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:

• Charities Officer - Lindsay MacDougall
• Debates Officer - Rachael Whitbread
• Entertainments Convenor - Jan de Muijnck-Hughes (sine suffragio)
• Music Officer - Johanna Crossley-Zels
• Performing Arts Officer - Ali Rosen
• Postgraduate Officer - Nicola Foister (Primary Nominee to SAB & SAEC)
• Societies Officer - Katherine Valentine
• Volunteering Officer - Caroline King (Acting Convenor)
• Member for Societies Elections - Jonathan Cooper (Senior Officer to SAB & SAEC)
• Member for Societies Grants - Louise Hallman
• Broadcasting Convenor - David Wilkinson (sine suffragio)
• Member Without Portfolio - Unfilled

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:

• Association President - Tom d'Ardenne
• Director of Representation - Laura Wilson
• Director of Events and Services - Graeme Hamilton
• Director of Student Development and Activities - Lee Kane
• SSC Senior Officer - Jonathan Cooper
• SSC Primary Nominee - Nicola Foister
• SRC Senior Officer - Ben Nicholson
• SRC Primary Nominee - Adam Fellows
• SRC Secondary Nominee - Sarah Bertness