Joint Student Executive Agenda

VP Education, Arran Lamont opened the agenda by talking about what joint projects have been a priority for the Student Exec team:

Cost of Living Crisis

• The Executives’ “Cost of living Campaign” is a key part of their plan going forward. They plan to help students where possible and keeping the student body up to date on the issue as the semester goes on.

Sexual Health

• Sexual Health is another critical issue for the executives. Both VP Welfare, Lewis McDermott and VP Sport, Ronan Welch are championing the campaign for Strathclyde students.
• By making students aware of the facilities available at the university for issues such as Sexual health the team hope to create less of a stigma around the issue.
• There are plans to start a “Sexual Health Working group” that will meet with key partners at the university to discuss the issue further.
• By creating a more open discourse around the issue and working with organisations such as the Terrence Higgins Trust, to provide drop-in sessions for students on campus they hope to in the long term be able to set up a sexual health clinic around campus.
•  In partnership with Strathclyde Sport, there will be a drop-in testing clinic available to students during the first and second semesters.

Accessible Learning

• The Executives team realise that going back to campus full time is not feasible for all students so have begun to investigate ways in which help, and support can be given to students.
•  The Executives' team are looking into setting up a Working Group to help students who need support with their studies.

After the initial outlining of the joint goals the Student Executives moved on to discuss their individual plans for the academic year:

VP Education - Arran Lamont

• Looking to further develop the online platform of Strath Reps, especially with the opening of Rep elections for Student Reps opening on 27/09/2022. To find out more about Strath Reps click here!
• Student Partnership Agreement that should be ready in the coming months.

VP Community - Justyna Kardasz

• Working on the Sustainability hub with the University, pulling together resources.
•  Currently working on a sensory room with VP of inclusion Yu-Chu (Kathy) Doong.

VP Inclusion - Yu-Chu (Kathy) Doong

• Organising events in October for Black History Month. They have secured a week of workshops focusing on Black culture and history during October.
• Creating more relatable events focused on the LGBTQ+ community at the Union.
• Looking to fill the vacancy of the Disabled Student Rep and support the election of the role.

VP Welfare - Lewis McDermott

• Continuing to work on mental health issues, with plans in place to draft up a new student mental health agreement with the aid of “Think Positive” a division of the National Union of students.

VP Sport - Ronan Welch

•  Campaigning on staying healthy during the return to Campus.
• With 250 new volunteers who through the “Sports through the Courses Grant” are going to be eligible for monetary or otherwise experience back for giving their time to Strath Sport.
• New incentive in place for every new sports union member who joins a club there is a five-pound reimbursement that goes back to the club they are a part of. Note this has been put in place in lieu of the Strathclyde Sports discount.
• Rebranding Wednesday to a sports and Wellbeing afternoon, rather than just a gap in the calendar.

President - Adam Morrow

• Collaborating with key partners at the university to provide community-based endeavours to deal with the cost of living and housing crisis for students.
•  Working on mental health funding by speaking with the head of the disability and wellbeing service to reinvigorate the services available for students such as counselling.

Strathclyde’s Climate Action Group

Strathclyde’s Climate Action Group were also present at the meeting, outlining their upcoming plan focusing on sustainability and pushing the university and students towards a “greener” way of living:

• Currently submitting proposals for the Sustainability Hub for the academic year.
•  The Climate action group are also working with “People and Planet” on the “diverse campaign.”
•  They plan to host a workshop about the campaign and why the university needs to support sustainability.
•  The Climate Action Group are also planning to submit a manifesto to a democratic assembly, which will discuss environmental factors concerning and impacting students and the university.

To find out more about Strathclyde’s Climate Action Group click here!

Following the Climate Action Group, the parliament voted on the only proposal paper up for approval this session, the “Here We Go” proposal:

• The “Here We Go!” proposal relates to the higher education attainment record.
• This is the sector standard that is used to record all the extracurricular activities that students do while at university.
• These extracurriculars will appear on your university transcripts.
• The “Here We Go Proposal” with the backing of the Strathclyde student parliament will allow for a working group to be set up at the union to discuss this idea further.

This Proposal was unanimously voted in favour of by the student committee.

The “Change it” proposal, a policy voted for in 2019, also had its amended wording ratified by the student executive committee.

The final topic of discussion was yet again to do with the University’s current student accommodation crisis.

A member of the student body brought forth the current issue of the recommendations that the Humanities and Social Sciences faculty at Strathclyde University are giving to students. These included students either deferring or suspending their studies for a year if housing is not available.

VP Welfare, Lewis McDermott responded to this matter stating:

“They should not be advising you to drop out as the first port of call. Based on the conversations we’ve been having with the faculty that has not been the initial conversation and is certainly not the advice we’re giving from the [Unions’] advice hub.

On our work moving forward trying to resolve these issues that is not something at this point, we are even suggesting to students or to staff to recommend to students.

There are plans in the works to see what support the university can give to students who are living further away from Glasgow. For students who live in Glasgow, there is now a free OVO next bike membership available that covers the first sixty minutes of your ride for free.

I know it is not much, but it’s what we’re given right now, and we’ll be filling you in on any updates relating to the situation.”

To find out more about the Student Parliament including upcoming dates and how to get involved click here!