Glasgow University Students' Representative Council
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| Institution | University of Glasgow |
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| Location | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Established | 1886 |
| President | Ameer Ibrahim |
| Sabbatical officers |
VP Education Kate Powell VP Student activities Mhairi Harris VP Student support Erin Ross |
| Members | c. 23,000 |
| Affiliations | Coalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland, National Postgraduate Committee, Aldwych Group |
| Address | McIntyre Building, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ |
| Website | www.glasgowstudent.net |
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.
Unlike at other Scottish Universities, the SRC plays a limited role in the social lives of students, those being the purview of the Glasgow University Union (GUU) and the Queen Margaret Union (QMU), although it does organise numerous welfare initiatives, as well as funding some one 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.
Notable former officers
- Jamie Hepburn, Member of the Scottish Parliament (Senior Vice-President)
- Angela Constance, Member of the Scottish Parliament (President, 1991–92)
- Alasdair Allan, Member of the Scottish Parliament (Senior Vice-President, 1991–92)
- John Lamberton Bell, minister and hymn-writer, Rector of the University (President, 1974–75)
- Donald Dewar, First Minister of Scotland (Honorary Secretary, 1959–60)
- Sir William Kerr Fraser, civil servant, Chancellor of the University (President, 1951–52)
- Robert Gibson, Lord Gibson, Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Scottish Land Court (President, 1910–11)
- Sir Robert Horne, Chancellor of the Exchequer (President, 1892–93)
Ron Donachie (actor) (President, 1976-1977) (as Ronald Porter)
Representation
The SRC Council comprises forty-five representatives. As of 2015 these are:[2]
Undergraduate College Convenors
Postgraduate Convenors
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Welfare Officers
General Representatives
First Year Representatives
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School Representatives
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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.[3] 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 various university committees, including the Health, Safety & Environment 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 current Rector is Edward Snowden.
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
- Jobshop - a job vacancies service
- Secondhand Bookshop - students can buy and sell course texts
- Nightline - an anonymous, confidential telephone support and information service
- Photocopying - the cheapest 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:
- Glasgow University Guardian - fortnightly newspaper
- Glasgow University Magazine (GUM) - termly magazine
- Glasgow University Student Television (GUST) - broadcast online and via screens around campus
- Subcity Radio - internet radio station
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 the GUUi and qmunicate.
References
- Archives relating to the Glasgow University Students' Representative Council are maintained by the Archives of the University of Glasgow.
