Regular Update - January

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 enter February and move through Semester 2, we have been focusing our efforts on: 

• Making plans for our continued support of the UCU Strike action, and reminding the University of their commitment to minimise disruption, 

• Organising and running the UofG January Welcome, designed to welcome new and returning students, 

• Planning for LGBTQ+ History Month, with events on throughout February, 

• Commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day with a candle-lit vigil on campus, 

• Celebrating that bus travel is now free for Under-22s across Scotland, 

• Looking ahead to a busy Semester with our Spring Elections, Volunteering Fair, Awards 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: 

UCU Strike Action 

There has been an announcement of further strike action by the University and College Union (UCU), which is due to take place on: 

• Monday 14th February – Friday 18th February inclusive;  

• Monday 21st February and Tuesday 22nd February;  

• Monday 28th February – Wednesday 2nd March 2022 inclusive. 

The SRC as a Council responded to the ongoing disputes last semester, and you can read our responding statement here.  

In the coming weeks, we will be discussing how we continue to engage with the action being taken and demonstrate our support, but in the meantime, we continue to advocate our concerns to the University, and remind them of their commitment to minimise disruption during this period.  

 

Reflecting on the UofG Welcome

The long slog that is January has finally come to an end, and with that comes the end of the UofG January Welcome. Across the month we hosted a number of events to welcome you back onto campus, ranging from our hugely popular Welcome Fair in the GUU, to a trip to Robert Burns’ Birthplace, and then finally we finished up with a traditional ceilidh in the University Chapel. It was so nice to see everyone engage with the events organised by our team and clubs and societies, and we look forward to hosting a few more Welcome events across the rest of the Semester. Stay posted on our UofG Welcome social media channels for updates. 

 

LGBTQ+ History Month

In the UK, February is a month we dedicate to LGBTQ+ history and celebration. We have put together a timetable of events that aim to educate and raise awareness of LGBTQ+ history and increase and celebrate LGBTQ+ visibility in all its rich diversity. From book sharing mornings, to a screening of the award-winning film MAMA GLORIA, as well as panel events, we have tried to organise a wide range of activities that reflect the diversity of our LGBTQ+ community. You can find the confirmed events here. If you have an LGBTQ+ event that you’d like to be added to our calendar, then please get in touch! 

  

Holocaust Memorial Day 

Last week on January 27th we came together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day by holding a small candle-lit vigil in the cloisters. It was touching to see how many people came together to share this moment, as well as listen to some of the words, poems and experiences. After that we proceeded to go along to attend the vigil event held by the Glasgow Jewish Society. This past week was Antisemitism Awareness Week, and on Thursday we enjoyed a talk on Jewish Pride and Antisemitism also hosted by the Jewish Society. The SRC is committed to stamping out antisemitism on our campus and beyond. 

 

Free Scotland-wide bus travel for under-22s

As you may already be aware, the Scotland-wide scheme for free bus travel for under-22s has just started, and now is time to make the most of the benefits! Using public transport is a great way to do your bit to reduce your carbon footprint, and what better way to achieve this than by travelling by bus for free. Find out more and apply here. 

 

Coming Up 

Spring Council Elections 

Nominations for our Spring Council Elections open on Monday at 9am. If you didn’t already know, the SRC hold two elections each year for students to join the Council. The Spring Elections are the larger of the two, and this is when we elect the new sabbatical team (AKA our successors!) If you have a vision for change, think that you’d make a good leader, or feel that you could make a difference, we would highly recommend you nominate yourself to run for Council.  

Nominations close Friday 18th February. Everything you need to know including key dates can be found on our website, and we’ll have loads of content going out on social media about this too: https://glasgowunisrc.org/elections 

If you'd like to learn more about a position or have any questions to ask before putting in a nomination form, you're welcome to get in touch with the current office bearer to ask for more information about the role! Find a full list of current office holders here.  

 

Volunteering & Social Justice Fair 

Next Wednesday, 9th February, our Volunteering service will be holding our annual Volunteering and Social Justice Fair down at the GUU. You’ll get the chance to meet some of our amazing community volunteering partners and student-led projects, ask any questions, and find out how you can get involved. Sign up for tickets here. 

 

Volunteering, Clubs and Societies (VCS) Awards 

Don’t forget to nominate your favourite volunteers, clubs and societies for one of the 10 awards on offer. These awards celebrate the efforts volunteers, clubs and societies have put in over the last year, which has been a difficult one for all of us. The VCS award ceremony will be happening in person this year on the 10th March, and nominations close on the 24th February at 5pm. Get nominating! 

 

Student Teaching Awards 

The 12th Annual Student Teaching Awards are due to take place on the 24th March and nominations are still open! You can nominate in all different kinds of categories, from Best Dissertation Supervisor to Outstanding Contribution to Teaching. We’d love to see as many nominations as possible – you can nominate as many times as you’d like. The nomination form can be found here and nominations are set to close on 28th February at 5pm. 

 

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 learn more about volunteering while at University, get in touch with the SRC Volunteering service: volunteering@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.