John MacLean For Education Officer

[JohnMac]

Good afternoon all!
As SRC Education Officer I plan to change the role slightly. I will continue the work done by the current SRC Education officer but plan to add some interesting and slightly controversial aspects to the role.

1) I aim to improve YOUR library by encouraging departments to listen to their students as to what books they would like! Not only this, but I would also like departmental libraries to be better equipped to try and make them more useful! This will be done through a development of the class rep system, with the addition of more visible and immediate points of contact if you have issues you want raised - if students are more involved in how their departments are run then they have more to benefit. If this is done then I see no reason why the main library and departmental libraries cannot have more of the books that you need and want.

2) The development of the class rep system would also enable departments to better understand their students. It should be possible to deal with problems at the time and not after you fill out an evaluation sheet at the end of your module. Departments should be more accountable to the students they teach, and YOU should have more opportunity to make YOUR opinions known!

3) Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this campaign is my aim to encourage school pupils from Fife to enter further education. Currently a large proportion of school pupils leave school at 16 and even fewer go onto further education if they complete their school career. St Andrews as an instiution does not do enough to help the local community. People should not be put off going to University by the astronomical costs of doing so. The University needs to do more to be inclusive of all, rather than remaining elitist as it currently appears to be. This is a tall order, and we can begin to change the underlying ethos of the University's approach to admissions by beginning locally, where the Uni already has some small involvement with schools, ostensibly at present only to tick the boxes which ensure its charitable status, and hence its government grant.Making St Andrews University a more inclusive place is a masive job, and if elected this is one aspect of the role of SRC Education officer that I would like to make a big difference to.

If elected I will be here for YOU. I care about YOUR opinion, as this is YOUR town, and the decisions that we make ultimately affect YOUR education.

And so I urge you to vote for JOHN MACLEAN this Friday and make and we can work together to improve your University!

[JohnMac]

Today is the day! Go and vote JOHN MACLEAN for SRC EDUCATION OFFICER!