RE: Tom's article

[Jono]

Bitching article. I say this because it wasn't aimed at me this time!

What are these eclairs and skittles you mention? I might just go up to the 1st floor to discuss my opinions on the electioneering rules and regulations.

p.s. the comments part of the article section is broken. I tried to post this as a comment on the article and apparently mySQL is dead!

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[David Bean]

Indeed. It's also worth noting the huge amount of work the SSC does, not usually as a committee (which tends to exist mainly to share best practice and occasionally decide on policy matters) but in terms of its subcommittees, each of which comprises a body of which all students are members, and are encouraged to participate in actively. The SSC officers are student politicians too, and they all do a heck of a lot of work, and usually a pretty good job, too!

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Psalm 91:7

[Dardar]

I am not entirely sure what a 'bitching article is' because I am not very cool and do not get out very much... and because none of my tutors ever said I had written a 'bitching essay'.

As I said in my article, I reckon that the biggest reason people don't give a damn about student politicians is because nobody knows what they are doing - so it is time to start trying to get a lot better at that. Over the next week I will be writing a series of articles for the website to tell you what I have been doing recently. I know that I'm never going to get every single student interested in it - but I reckon there are lots of people who would care if they knew more about it, and didn't think it was completely pointless. We'll be working out lots of other ways to try to make it more interesting too - so keep your eyes open.

Lastly - you are all more than welcome to come around and say hello whenever you like (yes, I have started to get very lonely). My door is always open if I am in (and if I am not in, I will be at a meeting somewhere, and the secretaries should be able to tell you when I get back). And yes, you can eat my skittles and eclairs. Anything to stop Student Support Services from eating them all (am I allowed to say that?).

[Bonnie]

Sure, Simon and I clearly hated each other. I mean, anyone who hugs me that much must hate me.
And Ben, I hated him so much I decided to live with him.
And Oli, well, he did throw nerf lemons at me. Bastard. ;-p



[s]People might not know who Tom is referring to when he mentions sabbs beating each other up. It was before my time-- so it was a long time ago. And it was them bringing an outside grievance into work, so to speak. And no one really hit anyone else-- someone just punched through a wall. I swear, the history of St Andrews sabbs would make a great sitcom/ drama. [/s]
I don't want to put people off what Tom wrote-- that SRC types do a lot of work.

[exnihilo]

If it's the incident I'm thinking of, that was a helluva long time ago indeed.

[Marco Biagi]

It was that one. The hole lasted a long time though, and with it the story.

As one of the former sabs who might not have left an entirely good impression I have to say sorry.

But damn you, don't whinge about 24/7 library access when none of you used it in the two-week trial run!

[exnihilo]

Young people today, eh, Marco?

The hole story is at least a decade old now, I wonder what it's become over those years - anyone who wants to email me their understanding of it, please do.

[Paranoid]

Hey Tom, ever considered an SRC/SABs blog? A member of one or the other has to write about what they did that day/week for their position...ok maybe not everyone will read it, but at least then you can claim that their evidence of work going on!

Totally agree that the problem is that no one knows what goes on, I'm all for open communication! )




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..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[nighteyes]

How long ago was the 24 hr trial? mind you if it was in my first year no wonder i didnt use it - i did nothing in first year.

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i didnt say i was consistant, just right!

[Lid]

An SRC blog? That'll be the minutes.

A SAB blog? Can we really get Uncle Frank to blog?

Or, a Sabb blog, they mostly already have them. Or at least the ability to do something similar on the new website.

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We are not drunks, we are multi-millionaires

[Bonnie]

I like how he's being referred to as Uncle Frank in public now.

[Bonnie]

not that he shouldn't be.

[Paranoid]

Come on, Minutes are official pieces of paper which no one ever looks at again unless it helps in verifying previous agreements.

A proper, official blog would give the 'powers that be' the ability to communicate in a filtered and meaningful way to the rest of the students what they feel they've achieved recently that we should take notice of...


...honestly with throw-away comments like that, no wonder no one gives you credit for your work!

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..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[RJ Covino]

Quoting Bonnie from 04:52, 7th Nov 2006
I like how he's being referred to as Uncle Frank in public now.

Oops. That'd be my bad.

[Lid]

My point was perhaps made slightly flippantly, but the SRC has roughly 37 members, to make each of them blog on a regular basis would prove boring to say the least. As the SRC is made up of officers, which then control specific smaller constituency groups, it's perhaps better just having the officers blog.

The minutes of the SRC give a very good indication of what is going on at SRC, and from Tom's attempt at writing them, they can be witty AND informative. You can always come along to SRC too, to observe what's going on first-hand.

Sabbs did start blogging at the start of the year, and I do like the idea on the whole. Officers do have their own subcommittees to organise too, which again, publish minutes, which if done correctly, are a true record of the meetings, and thus what is going on within their interest group.

And, of course, if something is definately of note (new services available to the students etc) they would of course always warrant a news story on the website (providing an even more filtered way of getting the news through, than reading a blog.

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We are not drunks, we are multi-millionaires

[Paranoid]

Probably didn't make it clear what I was proposing. With 37 members of the committee that means each member would have to write a blog about what they've done in the last month every 36 days...or if you really wanted to slim down on the level of communications to the student population - once every 36 weeks!

All I'm saying is that its clear that the methods of communication currently in place are not working for the majority. Just an idea, but given how Facebook, Bebo and the like have taken off, with very bored students surfing them in the library, its an untapped opportunity to highlight what causes are being fought for on the students behalf.

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..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[Dardar]

It's an interesting one - how best to communication to the student body. Certainly we are not going to appeal to everyone, no matter how hard we try, but I reckon there must be LOTS of people who would be interested if they knew what we did and that we can make a difference. Because of this, I have now formed with members from the SRC a group to discuss exactly this - how best to communicate with you people. Hopefully you’ll see the results shortly…

In the mean time we will keep on working out best for you and achieving our small victories.... in the last two days, for example, Lee Kane and myself have pushed through two relatively significant things which we hope will soon come to fruition: 1) A Non-Alcoholic event of some description to be held on Raisin Sunday and 2) The Opening of the Old Union Diner from 8-11 on week nights (not bad for a couple of pointless student politicians!). It’s not going to change the world, but it does make a difference. Things such as this are an important part of jobs, and we should be telling you about these achievements far more... our fault.

Anyway – I have digressed. Back to communication. Most importantly - what do guys and gals think? How could we better inform you about our achievements? Is there anything you can think of? Please write underneath - it will be taken onboard I promise.

Blogs are an interesting one - and an excellent idea. They are also something which I promised during my election campaign (and the only thing which I wanted to do and have completely failed to deliver)... so I am certainly at fault here. However, and you have my promise written down here, from tomorrow I will be updating a blog on the www.yourunion.net website which I will also copy to my facebook account. I will try to give you the 'edited highlights' only to stop it getting too boring.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

We have thought of the following:

1) Far better use of the yourunion website (already begun - go check out todays story) by every 'student politician'.
2) Wednesday memos containing SRC minutes (or at least highlights)
3) Getting the SRC to come out en masse to come and meet halls of residence (don't worry, we're not an army or anything. We don't have any weapons - but we will bring our attack alarms just in case you do).
4) Informal drop in sessions where you can come and meet us. Preferably down the pub.

Can we ever make student politics 'sexy' in someway for you people? Can we ever make it interesting enough for you to want to find out more...

(No, you can't have Laura Wilson in her underwear).

[Nymphomanic]

the problem is that very few students actually look at the yourunion.net website and some may not even connect this thread with the article - (ie. they might log on and think - what the hell is this about, many students don't even know what Sabs are).

To raise awareness through a website assumes there is a degree of awareness already, which unfortunately, looking at the voter turn out, there doesn't seem to be. I hope that by the next time there are elections the voting population of the university will be more enlightened and involved.

I joined the src to try to help people and I want to do that but for that awareness and lack of apathy among the students is necessary. I have spoken to some of my colleagues though and they seem really into the whole awareness thing, so hopefully by next year it should all be good.



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I read most of the night and go south in winter - wasteland

[Martika's Kitchen]

The Union's website is now much better than it used to be - a mate of mine just won the national prize for mucking around on the games, so it can't be bad.

There is still a lot of information that isn't on there but should be, but it's a vast improvement already.

[Al]

Was there really any need to label every sabbatical team for the past seventeen years as incompetent? OK, they failed to draw together an adequate strategic plan on which the SAB, the SRC and UMC/SSC, all the subcommittees, and every trading and non-trading department could agree. Perhaps - in the days before the luxury of having four sabbaticals - they were doing other things. Like taking care of day-to-day concerns.