SRC Annual Report 2011/12
Thank you for taking the time to pick up and read through our annual report, as always we welcome any feedback. 2011/12 was another big year for GUSRC as you will find out in this document. We faced significant challenges, including a brand new structure of GUSRC Council, brought on after the University undertook its own restructure, as well as being without one of the four sabbatical officers for most of the year. Despite these challenges, we have achieved some considerable and, we hope, long-lasting successes.
The academic year began with the University facing many issues around the newly launched student records system MyCampus. GUSRC played an integral role in working with the University to improve the system for students. With recruiting of student testers, regular meetings with MyCampus staff and suggestions of new interfaces on the system, GUSRC played a big part in reforming MyCampus to assist a more effective operation in its second year.
Representation remains at the core of our work, and this year more than ever we made efforts to engage as many students as possible in the representation process. The new structure of GUSRC Council brought a potential challenge, as there were concerns about filling the many new positions in the expanded membership. GUSRC took this opportunity to run a strong publicity campaign, including lecture shout-outs, to raise awareness of the positions to students. Overall the vast majority of positions were filled. The new structure also allows much closer interaction between GUSRC Council members and class representatives for the first time, allowing communication to flow much more easily across the different representatives. Indeed, this year also saw the highest ever amount of class reps trained by GUSRC. In addition, the University Carers Policy developed by GUSRC, the first of its kind in the UK received its formal launch by the Scottish Minister for Health and was distributed as a template for similar policies nationally.
Further to this, in 2011/12 GUSRC took greater steps to engage in representation on a national level. GUSRC Executive and Council members often attended marches and rallies throughout the year, as well in taking part in many consultations, on issues such as University admissions, tenancy deposit schemes, equal marriage, organ donation and rest of UK fees.
Another area which saw significant development this year was graduate attributes, particularly with the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). GUSRC had a representative on the HEAR working group, which eventually saw students receive accreditation for extra-curricular and co- curricular activities on their University transcripts for the first time. GUSRC played a crucial role in informing the range of activities which could be validated through HEAR as well as becoming one of the organisations who could “sign off” in the approval process for students.
This year also saw the further development of two large projects which will enhance GUSRC’s profile in developing and improving the student experience, the new, GUSRC managed, postgraduate club in the Gilbert Scott Building is due to open in October 2012 and the new GUSRC managed Welcome Point on the ground floor of the John McIntyre Building is due to open in November 2012. We anticipate that these projects will be of huge benefit to the students of Glasgow, and hope it makes it clear how investment in new student spaces managed by GUSRC really improves the student experience as a whole.
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Download the Report
Alternatively you can also download the GUSRC Annual Report 2011/12.