Thursday 04-07-2024 - 10:53

Trimester B Campaigns Update

The University and Students' Association hosted an event to launch the Student Partnership Agreement (SPA) on Thursday 1st February 2024 in the Re:Union Bar. The University and Students' Association worked together to review our SPA during the academic year 2022/23 through a series of student and staff consultation sessions and a process of co-creation. The refreshed SPA was approved by University Court and our Trustee Board and is based around four key principles: (1) Ensure all members of our University's community feel a strong sense of belonging, (2) Enhance our high-quality learning, teaching and research, (3) Enrich our wider Glasgow Caledonian University experience and (4) Enact positive change in our communities for the Common Good. During the launch event, Principal and Vice Chancellor Professor Steve Decent and the Student President signed the Student Partnership Agreement, reinforcing the commitment to involving students as partners in all aspects of the student experience at Glasgow Caledonian.

The Quality Enhancement and Standards Review (QSER) report highlighted that the University and Students' Association have effective arrangements in place to monitor, review and enhance its approach to student partnership, evidenced for example through our Student Partnership Agreement. The report said: "The QSER team saw evidence that the University is working proactively with students as partners, to keep students at the heart of decision-making processes" and noted the work through our Student Action Group for Engagement (S.A.G.E.) was "notable for the effective way in which it seeks to provide a dedicated student-led forum for the consideration of proposals for change, relating to policies or practices that affect students, thereby ensuring robust and transparent student consultation". The report also highlights positive examples of partnership working between the Students' Association, students and the University in changing the name of the Student Staff Consultative Groups (SSCGs) to Student Partnership Forums, creating guidance in the use of artificial intelligence in the curriculum and our joint work on student mental health. The Vice President GSBS was involved in the Quality Enhancement Standards Review Debriefing Working Group.

The Full Time Officers successfully lobbied the PVC Education to provide the option for postgraduate taught students to resit the module coursework and/or exam that they failed as part of their degree programme in Trimester B, rather than wait until Trimester C, the normal resit diet.

Prior to the announcement of the UK General Election that takes place on the 4th July 2024, the Full Time Officers had started a voter education campaign for our members. In addition to ensuring that our members are registered to vote, the particular focus was that eligible voters will need to show identification to vote in this election and that a Student ID is not a valid form of identification. We promoted that NUS had teamed up with CitizenCard to provide a FREE valid ID that students can use (which normally costs £18). We will communicate that in addition to British citizens, Irish citizens and that qualifying Commonwealth citizens will be eligible to vote as long as they are registered to vote and have valid photo ID.

The University introduced a Fit to Sit Policy at the start of 2022/23. As part of its implementation, it was agreed that a review of the Fit to Sit Policy would be undertaken following a full year’s operation. There was considerable ongoing consultation with the Full Time Officers and academic reps during Trimester B as part of the review. The recommendations endorsed by the Full Time Officers include a greater visibility of the Fit to Sit policy, a commitment to test and assess the introduction of Automatic Short Extensions, increased clarity and consistency in the use of the Fit to Sit Policy and clearer guidance on submitting and on the implementation of Extreme and Exceptional Extenuating Circumstances.

Through discussions between the Student President and Principal and Vice-Chancellor, the University made available to all GCU students free Carbon Literacy Training delivered by the GCU Sustainability Team in Trimester B.

We continued to work with GCU Wellbeing Services on the Student Mental Health Agreement (SMHA) and the Vice President SHLS organised a series of activities under Feel Feb Feb, including Time to Talk Day, Jewellery Making, Trampolining Come & Try, Yoga Class, First Aid Training, Mindfulness Session Gratitude Journaling Session Paint A Card for Someone In The Room and Mindful Colouring Session.