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University of St Andrews Students' Association

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University of St Andrews
Students' Association
InstitutionUniversity of St Andrews
LocationSt Andrews, Scotland
Established1989 (as St Andrews Students Association)
Sabbatical officersPresident – Cam S. Brown [1]

Director of Education – Hitanshi Badani

Athletic Union President – Olivia King

Director of Events and Services – Milo Hill

Director of Student Development and Activities – Catriona Martin

Director of Wellbeing and Equality – Caitlin Ridgway
AffiliationsCoalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland
Websitewww.yourunion.net

The University of St Andrews Students' Association is the organisation which represents the student body of the University of St Andrews.[2] It was founded in 1885 and comprises the students' representative council[3] and the Student Activities Forum (formerly the Students' Services Council).[4][5]

Unlike many other students' unions in the UK is not a member of the National Union of Students, having rejected membership in March and October 2001, November 2012, and most recently in a referendum in April 2022.[6][7]

The University of St Andrews also has an Athletic Union.

Management

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The Association is run by a student-majority Board and five sabbatical officers, each responsible for a separate aspect of student life: the Director of Wellbeing is in charge student welfare and programmes that run within the sector along with student democracy; the Director of Education is responsible for education, postgraduate studies and employability; the Director of Student Development and Activities supports the many student societies, as well as being involved in the provision of careers advice and personal development planning; the Director of Events and Services organises the major events of the year, such as Freshers' Week and the Graduation Ball, and regular Union club nights, as well as liaising with sponsors; the Association President is the overall leader of the Association and responsible for its image and strategic planning.[8] The Board comprises seven student members and six non-student members. The student members are the four sabbatical officers and the Senior Officers of the SSC and SRC. Under the Universities (Scotland) Acts, all students of the university automatically become members of the Students' Association, however they are entitled to opt out of this.

On the 4th December 2024, it was announced that the student body had accepted a referendum to completely alter the hierarchy of the Union. Over 80% of the vote went towards Yes, although the referendum is non-binding, as only 10% of the student body participated in the vote, far short of the required 20%. Given that fact, the details of the coming changes are yet to be disclosed. However, it is expected that the Director of Events and Service position will be removed and all other sabbatical officers will become Presidents of various departments.[9]

Building

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Younger Hall, where the Union's musical activities took place before the construction of the Laidlaw Music Centre in 2016.

The Students' Association Building (informally known as the Union) is located on St Mary's Place, St Andrews. Union facilities include several bars and the university's Student Support Services. In 2013 the Students' Association Building underwent a refurbishment. In early 2023, it was discovered that the building had been built with RACC, a material that is no longer considered suitable for construction, and the Club 601 was closed for an 18-month renovation period in which the roof was completely redone. The club officially reopened on 30 August 2024, ahead of the 2024/25 academic year.

Student Representative Council

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The Student Representative Council was instituted as the legal representative body for students of the university 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.[10]

On the 4th December 2024, it was announced that the student body had accepted a referendum to completely alter the hierarchy of the Union. Over 80% of the vote went towards Yes, although the referendum is non-binding, as only 10% of the student body participated in the vote, far short of the required 20%. Given that fact, the details of the coming changes are yet to be disclosed. However, it is expected that the SRC will be completely reworked with three main forums feeding into one large SRC meeting for the entire student population. This meeting will be held once per term instead of once per month.[9]

The SRC comprises a number of officers, who chair the respective subcommittees, and members:[10]

Barron Theatre Closure

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Entrance to the Barron Theatre

The Barron Theatre was a 55 seat[11] black box theatre on the university campus. It was one of only three entirely student-run theatres in the UK.[12] It was operated by the Mermaids Performing Arts Fund,[13] a subcommittee of the Students' Association, notable alumni of which includes Deidre Mullins and Siobhan Redmond. In January 2020 it was announced that the theatre would be closed, despite major pushback from the student body. A campaign was launched called Save the Barron that garnered support from the student body and 2,800 signatures, but the decision for the student-run venue to close was not reversed.[12]

As a replacement for the Barron Theatre, the university granted Mermaids a residency in the Lawrence Levy Studio Theatre in the now University-operated Byre Theatre. The residency is now colloquially known as the Barron @ the Byre and hosts many of Mermaids' student-written and experimental performances throughout the year, alongside the Union StAge and the larger A.B. Paterson Auditorium in the Byre Theatre.

References

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  1. ^ "President". yourunion.net. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  2. ^ "Publication Scheme – Category 13 – Class: Relationship with Students' Association" (Press release). University of St Andrews. 24 January 2006. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  3. ^ "Universities (Scotland) Act 1889". www.legislation.gov.uk.
  4. ^ "Students' Association History". University of St Andrews Students' Association. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  5. ^ "St Andrews and the NUS: career communists and bad governance". The Saint. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  6. ^ "'No2NUS' - but for how long? - Education News, Education - The Independent". Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  7. ^ Jodi Burkett (22 September 2017). Students in Twentieth-Century Britain and Ireland. Springer. pp. 139–140. ISBN 978-3-319-58241-2.
  8. ^ "The Sabbatical Team". University of St Andrews Students' Association. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Change starts today". www.yourunion.net. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  10. ^ a b "Student Representative Council". University of St Andrews Students' Association. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Barron Theatre". The Skinny. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  12. ^ a b "The Closure of the Barron: A Lament". STAR: St Andrews Radio. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  13. ^ "HOME". mermaids-st-andrews. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
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