Thursday 26 January saw the first of EUSA’s monthly Student Council meetings for this semester.
Contingency plans for students impacted by the upcoming strikes, a change to the LGBT+ acronym in use at the Students’ Association and a discussion on how students can access funding to help with hidden course costs were all discussed.
One extraordinary motion was put forward at this month’s meeting regarding the Student Association’s proposed change of acronym use from LGBT+ to LGBTQ+.
The motion, which passed with 100 per cent in favour, comes following a survey that asked LGBTQ+ students which acronym they felt best represented by, with 59% choosing “LGBTQ+”.
Jamie Prada, EUSA’s LGBT+ Officer commented on the importance of expanding the acronym to include those who identify as queer and other communities that do not align with heterosexuality and/ or the gender binary.
With Wednesday 1 February marking the first of 18 days of university staff strike action, concerns were raised at the meeting over the impact this industrial action would have on students.
Particular concern was raised over the proposed marking and assessment boycott set to begin in April which many fear could prevent final year students from graduating.
Responding to questions on the strikes, Sam Maccallum, the Association’s Vice President Education reassured students that all precautions were being taken to prevent students from being unable to graduate.
They further said that regular meetings were being held with the university’s academic contingency group.
Questions on the strike action formed part of the accountability reports from the elected EUSA Sabbatical Officers which take place at each Student Council Meeting.
All five accountability reports passed with the EUSA Sabbatical Officers reflecting on their past month of work and providing feedback on a range of important issues from across student life.
The meeting also provided the opportunity for students to provide feedback on issues they face when accessing resources required to complete their studies.
Costs of textbooks and articles behind paywalls, overcrowded spaces and transport costs were all raised as barriers faced by students completing their studies.
Using this feedback from students, the meeting discussed a number of potential solutions including book swapping enterprises, an online system which lets students know which study areas have spaces and an increased number of shuttle bus services across campus.
Attention was also drawn to the Learning Opportunities Fund, a pool of money created by the university that comprises salaries that would have been paid to striking staff.
Capped at £350, this fund can be accessed by students upon application and used for the purchasing of textbooks or additional learning resources such as online courses.
Student mental health also formed a significant part of this month’s discussion with the Vice President Welfare leading a feedback session on what currently works well at the university and what could be improved.
Ideas from both the council and students included an expansion of EUSA’s ‘Let’s Talk’ Campaign, better signposting to mental health services and resources around campus, and content and reading lists to be made available long before the start of the semester.
The mental health discussion did, however, also point to many of the things EUSA is doing well to tackle student mental health including the positive experiences with student support officers and student counselling.
Finally, the Sabbatical Officers were keen to promote the Russell Group Universities’ Cost of Living Survey, which can be found via a link in the EUSA Instagram bio.
The survey aims to provide cross sector data on the cost of living, in addition to obtaining specific data for the University of Edinburgh that can be shared with both the university and the government.
Students who take part in the survey are also in with a chance of winning a £100 love2shop voucher.
The next Student Council meeting will take place on Thursday 23 February with all students welcome to attend.
“Teviot House, University of Edinburgh” by Andrew Abbott is licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0.