Your regular update from the SRC Sabbatical Officers.
Hello University of Glasgow students,
This is your regular update from the 4 sabbatical officers of the Students’ Representative Council: Ella (President), Mia (VP Education), Sam (VP Student Activities) and Eva (VP Student Support).
In these updates we report to you on the work that your student representatives and the SRC staff team have been doing to support you, represent you, and engage with you. We also let you know about upcoming projects and activities.
As we get every closer to the end of Semester 1, we have been focusing our efforts:
- Preparing for the current exam diet, ensuring that students have access to the right resources and support,
- Fighting for study spaces on campus - we have secured 300 extra seats around the Gilmorehill campus,
- Attending and supporting the UCU strikes, alongside ensuring the University is focused on mitigating the impact of this for students,
- Advocating for clear and timely communication from the University on Semester 2 teaching plans, particularly if these should change in light of new government restrictions over the coming weeks,
- and finally planning for upcoming activities such as our January Welcome programme and more.
At the base of the update are a list of contacts you can use to get in touch with us. Remember that the SRC are here to support and represent you so please do reach out if you need our help.
Yours,
Ella, Mia, Sam and Eva
GUSRC Executive 21/22
Updates:
Good Luck with Exams
Good luck to all University of Glasgow students taking their exams at the moment! As a sabbatical team we are aware of how tricky this semester has been. Well done for getting this far and we hope you have some fun celebrations planned for after the exam period.
We have been made aware of the communications that have gone out regarding exam misconduct and the spike in reported cases of collusion or plagiarism. While the communication from the University highlighted the risks associated with such practices, we want to reiterate that if you are experiencing stress and anxiety approaching an exam or assessment, you should reach out to a relevant staff member of the course and ask for guidance- you are entitled to support and reassurance during this period of change.
We understand how difficult exams can be, on top of what has been a difficult term of hybrid learning, but here at the SRC we believe everyone has the ability to do well and urge everyone to try and be as confident as you can in your own ability and practice. Reach out if you need help, but remember: you’ve got this!
If you do have any concerns or feedback relating to exams or assessment type during this diet, we encourage you to get in touch with a relevant representative, whether this be your class rep or school/college representative, so that we can work to take these issues forward.
Exam De-stress
Congratulations to everyone who has completed their exams so far, and all the best to those still working away to the end.
Throughout this exam diet we have been hosting a number of de-stress events, including: our famous ‘Take a Paws’ Therapets event, Japanese calligraphy sessions and our de-stress wall at the library, amongst other activities. You may have seen Sam, Eva, or some of the SRC Council Members handing out tea and coffee outside the library as part of campaign- come over and have a chat if you see us! For the final week, there may still be some de-stress goodie bags to collect as well as some activities designed to help you de-stress and take a break from last minute studies. Find out more here.
Study Space
We successfully lobbied for increased study space for people sitting exams. There are around 300 extra seats that can be booked across campus, which will have plugs and access to eduroam. These seats will be ideal for anyone who needs to complete an online exam in an on-campus space. There are three timeslots available to be booked throughout the day of 3 hours slots, including an evening session. The seats will be distanced to keep everyone safe, and you can book into a slot even if you only need the seat for an hour. There is no requirement to stay for the whole 3 hours. You can book these seats through the UofG Life app.
UCU Strike Action
In November, the SRC Council voted in favour of supporting UCU Strike Action, and last week we went along to the picket lines to stand in solidarity with striking members of staff. SRC representatives spoke at the rally and highlighted the importance of how staff working conditions can directly influence students and their learning experience. Looking to semester two, we are planning to organise open discussion forums with the UCU where students can find out more about the industrial dispute and how they can get involved.
Coming Up
January Welcome
The start of Semester 2 in January means it will soon be time for the UofG January Welcome 2022! From the 10th to the 31st of January, our rebranded ‘Re-freshers’ events will ease you back into university life after your time away. There will be a mixture of online and in-person events, with notable examples including our January Welcome Fair (in-person and virtual), pub quizzes across the West End, and a daytrip to the birthplace of the famous Rabbie Burns.
We will also be looking to expand our student networks for students with protected characteristics or from a widening participation background, so please look out for these if they apply to you. A whole range of social, welfare, postgraduate, and informational events will be happening across January, and we will be releasing our full event list in due course! Check out this page for updates.
Our in-person events will only go ahead if restrictions allow and as things are changing quite rapidly with COVID at the moment we will be keeping all plans under review.
Other events
In Semester 2, you can also look forward to:
Christmas Closure
The SRC staff and officers will be taking a break over the holidays and will be out of office from December 17th to January 10th. Dependent on the latest government guidance we will re-open either virtually or in-person on January 10th. Please see below for specific closure details for each of our services:
- The Welcome Point and Reception closes at 5pm on Friday 17th Dec and re-opens at 9.30am on Monday 10th Jan.
- The Advice Centre closes at 4pm on Friday 17th Dec until 11:30am on Monday 10th Jan. For out of hours support please refer to this web page: https://www.glasgowunisrc.org/advice/out-of-hours/.
- The Secondhand Bookshop closes at 2.30pm on Friday 17th Dec and re-opens at 10.30am on Monday 10th Jan.
- SRC Volunteering closes at 5pm on Friday 17th Dec and re-opens at 9.30am on Monday 10th Jan.
- The Gilchrist Postgraduate Club Christmas hours are as follows:
- Open Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd Dec, 8.00am to 4.00pm,
- Closed Friday 24th Dec to Wednesday 5th Jan,
- Open 5th to 7th Jan, 8.00am to 4.00pm,
- Closed Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th Jan,
- Open as usual Monday 10th Jan.
If you require assistance over the holidays, we have prepared a Festive Support Guide with a number of resources and helpful contacts: https://www.glasgowunisrc.org/publications/documents/festive-support/
We wish you all a happy and restful break and we’ll see you in Semester 2.
Contacts:
For general day-to-day enquiries, please contact us via enquiries@src.gla.ac.uk or message @glasgowunisrc 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 council representatives, please visit our website: https://www.glasgowunisrc.org/representation/council/
Thank you for reading.