THE new student body will number about 13,000. These students will be
able to share not only the academic resources of each campus but also
the services and facilities of the merged student association.
Stuart Millar, President of Strathclyde University's Student
Association, said: ''Students will see the benefits of the merger most
clearly in the expansion of commercial services such as bars, catering,
entertainment, and shops. Equally important will be the enhancement of
vital support services, like academic representation, welfare advice,
and sports facilities for which each association has a well-deserved
national reputation.''
Strathclyde Students' Association is already the largest students
union in Scotland, not to mention the largest licensed premises. Its 10
floors in the John Anderson Building house Scotland's biggest students'
welfare services, a student newspaper, more than 200 clubs and
societies, and a sports union catering for about 40 different
activities.
An important aspect of the merger will be the expansion of the welfare
unit into the Jordanhill campus where welfare work is currently being
handled by two sabbatical officers. The merged association has secured
funding to employ professional staff support to establish a specialist
service at Jordanhill. In addition, from 1994 a full-time student
position will be created to run the merged unit.
A comprehensive and efficient welfare service is very important to
students. Problems can relate to difficulties finding accommodation,
landlord-tenant disputes, debt problems, family troubles, harassment, or
anything that might affect a student's welfare or studies. Strathclyde
has probably the best developed students' welfare service in Scotland.
As well as its full-time professional staff it has a team of trained and
committed student advisers.
Student officers on each campus have worked together to develop and
expand their range of services and facilities. They have succeeded in
getting guaranteed equal funding for the merged association activities
on the Jordanhill campus. Currently the different funding mechanisms
mean that Jordanhill gets about 70% less for each student than
Strathclyde. The increased budget will allow the Students' Association
to expand its activities on both campuses. Plans are already underway to
refurbish the College Club at Jordanhill, which the Students'
Association took control of last year, offering the opportunity to
develop the range of recreational and cultural events at Jordanhill.
Jordanhill students are not the only ones to benefit from the merger
between the two Students' Associations. Jordanhill has an unrivalled
range of sports facilities which are currently under-used but which will
now be available to all students of the university.
Both campuses are committed to improving their sport and recreational
opportunities, and the two sports unions have been working hard to bring
their various teams together.
Mr Millar believes the merged Students' Association will have a more
powerful voice within the new university structure. He said: ''The
interests of not only a larger but also a more diverse student body
obviously require greater representation. As a direct result of
Government policy both the college and the university have been
stretched to the limit in terms of teaching resources, especially
library and lecture theatre provision. The combined association will be
in a far stronger position to minimise the effect of this on students.
''On the academic front the merger will give students an excellent
opportunity to sample various subjects. For example, students in the
four existing faculties will be able to slot teaching modules into their
timetable while students in the Faculty of Education will have access to
modern language courses, business modules, and so on. The list is
endless.
''This will not only add to the practical value of a Strathclyde
University degree in terms of job prospects, it will also enrich the
educational experience of Strathclyde students. If you take into account
the widely recognised services and representation of both former
Students' Associations, it is clear that the merger offers countless
opportunities to students whether their campus is in Jordanhill or in
the city.''
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