Tag: Students

Democracy in freefall at Stirling Student Union

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By Peter Humfrey

 

Three weeks ago a motion was passed at the Stirling Student Union, exposing the crisis unfolding there for student democracy.

 

The plant-based commitment motion set a target of all Student Union food outlets being 100% vegan by 2025. Whilst this has prompted great debate amongst the student population over inclusivity; viability, and the ethics of such a move, the greatest point of concern should be what in fact has happened to student democracy at the University of Stirling.

 

In 2021, at the first round of voting for the Student Union president, just 1159 votes were cast out of a population of roughly 15600. That year Nela Cadinanos Gonzales was elected as Union President; taking 533 votes in the first round, and 546 in the final round. The turnout for that election was the lowest for at least the past 5 years, stretching back to 2017.

Worse was still to come when in March of this year the current Student Union president was elected with just 195 votes in the first round and a shocking 209 in the final round, beating Calum Brown into second place by a nail-biting 9 votes. The Union would go on to confirm this was the lowest turnout for a Spring election “in recent years”.

In a statement at the time a Union spokesperson said – “We note that turnout was low in comparison to pre-pandemic elections and we will be working with both outgoing and incoming Officers and students to further analyse this and establish how we can encourage both more candidates to stand and more students to engage in voting”

 

On another concerning and unusual note, a sabbatical post had not been filled, with no-one running for Vice President Education, despite it being a full-time paid role. The Union confirmed it was the first time on record no-one had run for a sabbatical post in the Spring elections.

In a by-election called on 26th April, incumbent VP Education, Calum Brown would win with just 99 votes. No-one else stood for the post.

In what was quickly becoming a farce, Brown resigned less than two weeks later on the 6th June.

 

Democratic representation had hit an all-time low, and now even a core position in the Student Union, could not be filled.

 

Taking a step back for a moment and it is worth putting into context turnout at Stirling versus the national picture.

Above are the percentages of the student body that voted in the Spring elections for Union President the past 2 years. An already abysmal figure of 6.92% fell to just 4.12% this year, but what does that mean stacked against the national average?

 

 

Well it’s not pretty reading with an already shockingly low national average of 11.7%, partially blamed on the pandemic, vastly exceeding Stirling’s turnout. The next year shows the scale of the problem though with no pandemic to blame as the world has begun to return to normal.

Stirling could not meet even a third of the national turnout. In an on-the-record interview in the run-up to the Spring 2022 elections, VP Communities, Alyson Mackay, was asked if the sabbatical officers could claim a democratic mandate off such a low turnout. In response she would go on to say the following.

“I don’t think so. I don’t think that we can accurately say we represent students when 6% [the 6.7% turnout figure for the 2021 election] of students voted for us”

 

Those words confirmed that even the core of the Student Union, those at the very top, had sat up and noticed the democratic crisis. The slump to 4.1% turnout in the election, just weeks after that interview, was the nail in the coffin for the Student Union’s democratic mandate.

 

There is currently a Union President of whom just 209 people voted for, from a population of 16,000 students. Just 1.3%.

 

In statistical terms that would be within the margin of error, of zero.

 

So where does this leave student democracy at the Stirling Student Union?

 

Voting turnout in terminal decline. Major positions with no-one running for them. Sabbatical officers admitting a lack of a democratic mandate.

 

Where this leads us is to just three weeks ago, when the Student Union’s general meeting on the 10th November voted through the plant-based commitment motion. Just 55.4% of those attending voted for the motion, and with 127 turning up that left 70 students from a population of 17,000, voting the motion through. That’s a microscopic 0.4%, and here’s what all that looks like.

 

 

The motion was proposed by the chair of the Stirling University Labour Society, and seconded by the secretary of the Vegan and Rights for Animals Society (VERA), along with three other motions. This meant two-thirds of the meeting agenda had been proposed by those two societies.

 

The reality is, that in a failing democracy only the most politically active remain, and their ability to shape policy and influence a system becomes greatly enhanced. The passage of that motion was the fault of neither the proposer or the seconder. They represented their agenda and political motivations as they should.

 

The fault lays at the feet of the Student Union for failing to adequately tackle student apathy.

 

The fault lays at the feet of Brig, the student paper that failed to report the motion when it was published on the Union website a week before the meeting.

 

The fault lays with the 16,783 students who did not attend that meeting.

 

Student democracy has died here, and what remains is a deafening silence.

Swimmers, Strikes, and Sashes: It’s Graduation Day!

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By Peter Humfrey

 

An eventful end to last week saw more than 1700 students graduate across two days that saw picket lines, a six-time Commonwealth medallist graduate, and controversy over solidarity sashes.

Graduation kicked off on Thursday against backdrop of historic strikes with UCU Stirling members picketing the University main entrance, along with 70,000 academics engaging in strike action across the UK. 

The strikes and graduation inevitably crossed paths in controversial fashion when two graduands were barred from wearing sashes expressing solidarity with UCU members, as they took to the stage to graduate. This prompted outcry on twitter with many raising questions of free speech and criticising the University for it’s stance.

On the Friday, 28-year-old Scottish swimmer, Ross Murdoch, graduated with an M.Sc. Sports Management degree marking an end to an astonishing journey through the University’s high performance program.

In this time he competed at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, and three Commonwealth games, amassing six medals as he became European, Commonwealth, and World champion at various points.

 

Ross Murdoch with his six medals, including three from Birmingham 2022. Image Credit – University of Stirling

 

When asked if he’d make a return to the pool, following last year’s comeback from retirement to win three medals at this years Commonwealth Games, Murdoch admitted, “I still dream about swimming every night.”

On his chances at returning for the Victoria [Australia] 2026 Commonwealth games Murdoch pointed out “I’ve not officially retired”. However cautioned against people getting their hopes up saying:

“I haven’t been training in the pool for several weeks. For me, if I still feel this type of fire in eight or nine months, I could consider the possibility of another Commonwealth Games. But training for a Games is a difficult job and I need to wait and see with everything else – and whether it balances with my life after sport.” 

Ross did seem open to the prospect of returning though saying, “A Commonwealth Games is a massive thing; it really does feel like a family – that feeling of swimming for Scotland, there’s just nothing else like it.”

 

Ross Murdoch taking a dip with his degree. Image Credit – University of Stirling

 

Beyond all the excitement surround swimmers; strikes; and sashes, the University welcomed a number of honorary graduates from across a number of fields, some literal in the case of World Hill and Mountain Running champion, Dr Angela Mudge.

Mudge overcame early childhood disability to shatter record after record on her way to winning four Scottish Hill Running Championships and five British Fell Running Championships.

 

Dr Wackernagel. Image Credit – University of Stirling

Alongside were honorary graduates Dr Malcom Fairweather, for his work as a sports scientist; and Dr Mathis Wackernagel, President of the Global Footprint Network and sustainability champion.

Students show support for striking lecturers and staff at Stirling University

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By Nikita Vance

 

Students at the University of Stirling joined their lecturers and other university staff in their three-day strike action over pay; pensions; and working conditions. The action, which is taking place across 150 universities, has been deemed by the University and College Union (UCU) to be “the biggest in the history of higher education”.

The strikes, which took place on November 24th; 25th; and 30th, came after nearly 400 University of Stirling UCU members voted in favour of the strike action. Senior lecturer in Social Work, Sara Hitchin described the need for further strike action – following several years of strike periods – as “a little bit soul-destroying” and added that “it feels as though we’ve been on strike every year for as many years as I can remember.”

Another lecturer at the University, Dr. Diane Critchley, shared this same frustration adding, “These disputes have been ongoing for all the time I’ve worked in academia… despite [previous strikes], we haven’t resolved any of the fights that have been on the table over that time.

“I voted for strike action as I felt like it was the right thing to do and hope this targeted approach will have some impact.”

Speaking to students at the picket line, there was a strong sense of support and camaraderie from the students towards the striking university staff. It became very clear that these students were willing to help in any way they can, in order to ensure that the demands of the University of Stirling’s UCU members are met.

University of Stirling NUS delegate, Ludovico Caminati, shared his view that “students need to take more action [by] supporting the lecturers and contacting the Uni, saying that ‘we are dissatisfied with the behaviour you have towards our lecturers, we think that you should give them better conditions, better pay, better pension, so that they can work better for us too.”

Caminati’s viewpoint was shared widely throughout the students in attendance at the picket line, and Stirling Solidarity Space have since released an informative video explaining the need for strike action and encouraging students to join their lecturers in their ongoing ‘conflict’ with the University;

Chair of the Stirling University Labour Society, Aaron Caulfield, was also very frank when asked about why students should support their striking lecturers. He said, “Students have to recognise that the striking staff are fighting not only for themselves, but for the community at large – there is a direct correlation between the pay and conditions of our teaching staff and the quality of the education we receive, and we should not let Universities exploit lecturers with this rollback of workers’ rights.

“Looking further into the future also these staff are fighting for improvement of the conditions we students will find ourselves facing if we enter academia.”

He was also very clear that “the only acceptable outcome of this period of industrial action is the acceptance of the UCU’s demands of an RPI+2% or 12% pay rise, whichever greater, and improvement to the working conditions faced by staff within higher educational institutions – Universities must engage in good-faith dialogue towards meeting these demands.”

Stirling University students deeply affected by UK wide student Housing Crisis

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By Nikita Vance

 

The lack of affordable private housing and spaces available in university accommodations has had a detrimental impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of students across Scotland.

Students in Stirling have been pushed to the limit trying to find suitable accommodation for the academic year, as prior to the semester starting in September the University of Stirling announced that in person attendance would be compulsory following two years of online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facebook groups like “Rent a Flat in Stirling” have been brimming with posts from Stirling students begging for any accommodation they can get. Some have even been forced into blind bidding on flats due to the sheer demand for housing, as fourth year sociology student Matty Millar stated “There was either nothing or if we found something, it was gone within an hour,”

“We managed to get a viewing for one place and the landlord sat us down and said last year people offered to pay more and asked if we would be happy to do the same. We said yes and a couple of days later, an email went round saying they were doing a blind bid for the flat. At that point, we just backed out.”

Millar is currently having to live with his parents in Glasgow and commutes to Stirling each day via train, a debilitating and stressful task due to the ongoing train strikes since the summer which show no signs of stopping.

Nikita Vance speaks to the University of Stirling and VP of Communities, Jess Reid, to find out what they plan to do to curb the student housing issues.

Frustration as McGill’s buyout leads to issues with buses

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By Achilleas Salaveris

 

More than 200 buses on East Scotland are run by a different operator, causing frustration to travellers.

Bus passengers in Stirling are hoping for a new start as First Bus Scotland is no longer the operator of the region. McGill’s has officially been announced to have bought First Scotland East bus business.

The agreement includes all First Bus deports in Livingstone; Larbert; Bannockburn; Balfron; as well as the Edinburgh open-top bus operation Bright Bus Tours. Also included in the agreement are over 200 buses that run in the region as well as approximately 550 members of staff.

From now on First Scotland will be operating in Aberdeen and Glasgow. As mentioned by the managing director of First Bus Scotland, Duncan Cameron “This scale is part of a strategic refocusing of our Scottish businesses with significant investment in zero emission buses in Glasgow and Aberdeen”.

He adds, “I’d like to thank our employees for their continued hard work to deliver the best experience possible for our customers across the First Scotland East business”. “We will be supporting them fully as they transfer to their new employer”.

CEO of McGill’s, Ralph Roberts quotes “We would like to welcome all First Scotland East employees into McGill’s family”. “We are pleased by the opportunity has arisen to acquire the business and we appreciate the efforts of the First Bus towards ensuring a smooth transition”.

However, this transition has not come without any problems. Many of the citizens of Stirling and especially university students have been complaining about the services. Some of the complaints are related to the duration of the trip from the city to the university’s campus.  Students blame the current roadworks on Causewayhead road, which are linked to Stirling’s Council Walk, Cycle Live Stirling scheme.

Complaints regarding the routes have also been posed by students. “I don’t understand why they don’t stop in the Union Street.” says a student living in university accommodation.

The change in the ownership has caused confusion among bus users as they do not know how to transfer their mobile ticketing to the new app. In an interview with a student, he described his experience. He mentions that he got informed by a driver, about the need to switch from the First Bus app to the McGill’s in order to keep his online tickets. Unfortunately, he downloaded the wrong application, which did not include the routes part of the East business. Consequently, the online ticketing did not transfer and until the confusion was resolved he was forced to explain the situation to every bus driver, every time.