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.''