Is it Really Still Just Monday?

Hey everyone!

Normally I don't have any major PGPres tasks until later in the week, and the only thing I do on Monday is answer emails. But today has been jam packed with PGSoc business, so I thought I might give my update a bit early!

So first of all, last week (following an events subcommittee meeting that stretched territory into pretty much everything!) we had the official 'gown handover'. Below you can see David wearing the PGPres gown, Patrick O'Hare wearing his Association President's gown and me wearing... A pashmina inside and a goofy smile (some things never change...).







On a serious note however, we covered a lot of ground at the meeting on issues such as the accommodation problems and on St AndRe-Use. With regard to Re-Use, we're hoping to help set up a system (similar to the existing undergrad system) whereby departing PGs can leave items they no longer need (from kitchen utensils to printers) which can then be 'recycled'- passed onto arriving students at the start of the next term!

Also helping us on this is Transition University St Andrews (TUSA) or more specifically Rebecca Petford. Rebecca is a graduate of the excellent Sustainable Development degree at St Andrews and, through her role as an officer with TUSA, is looking to find innovative new ways (and boring, but effective old ways I imagine!) of reducing the carbon footprint of the University. One of the things we're really interested to see her develop is plans to offer more structured support in terms of accommodation and events/services for students who wish to remain at St Andrews over the Festive season!

However, this past week has been about 2 things: Working on the new website and trying to establish the events calendar!

The new PGSoc website is going to live at the St Leonards College section of the University website and is going to cover a whole range of issues pertinent to new and continuing PG students. Without letting the entire cat population out of the bag, it's going to showcase societies that could help you to have a more enjoyable/varied social life in St Andrews, it's going to link to a permanently updated events calendar - so you have one place to know whats going on- and it's going to feature an 'alternative prospectus'... But more on that later!

And finally, I've been trying to establish the events calendar for the rest of the summer and you'll be pleased to hear--- it's (almost) done!

We're going to be holding regular events in the union every Thursday night to give you something to take your mind off of that dreaded dissertation (or terrible thesis)! Next Thursday (and every second Thursday thereafter) will feature a film shown in the Salad Bowl from 7-10pm (top floor of the Union). Leonie and Sarah, who are organising the film nights, tell me that the first film will be Withnail and I!

And on the Thursdays which aren't film night will be social nights in the Union bar! To get the social nights off to a magical start the first one (on the 4th of August) will be Harry Potter themed. Come along and unashamedly celebrate your appreciation for the boy who lived in true Hogwarts style, with broomstick burgers, seeker sausages, pumpkin juice and SO much more! Following the great feast, we will test your wizarding knowledge with a Harry Potter quiz, with a series of Hogwarts-a-rific prizes up for grabs!

... Even for me, some of those puns were a little embarrassing...

Anyway! I'm off to write some content for our new website, and for The Book! And if you're a PG class rep- expect a lovely little email from me in the near future! To finish, here's a nice picture of my temporary office on St Salvators Lawn the other day- don't you just love St Andrews on a nice day?!




Oh and don't forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and, if you've got any time left after all that, Study Hard!!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:St Andrews,United Kingdom

Update on University Accommodation Issues

Hey Everyone- Just a quick post on an emergent University accommodation issue.

It recently came to the attention of the Society that a substantial number of PGs were on accommodation contracts that finished before the end of term. Although these terms were written into the contracts from the beginning of the year, we took the stance that (given the general shortage of University accommodation) there was not provision made to allow students to find accommodation which had sufficient time built into the contract to allow them to complete their studies. There was also the impending issue of nearly 100 postgraduates being without accommodation within the month.

Our accommodation and taught postgraduate reps sent an email to the accommodation service, requesting clarity on why the contracts needed to finish before the term ends. We received an email letting us know that the time between the contracts ending and the new term starting was needed for refurbishment/redecorating works.

Last night we had an Events Sub-Committee meeting and informed the President of the Students Association (you can read his blog here) of the situation. He immediately grasped the immediacy of the problem and sent a further email to accommodation, stressing the need to find both short term and long term solutions to the accommodation issues that postgraduate students are facing.

Today we received an email from accommodation assuring us that those students who were left without accommodation (as a result of this issue) for a period of their studies in 2011 would be able to be rehoused in Albany Park for the remainder of the term. Further, they have indicated real willingness to work through the issues we have raised with them.

Thanks so much to Philip, Milindu and Patrick for getting a solution for all the postgraduates facing impending homelessness!

If you are affected by a contract finishing during August 2011 and would like to be rehoused in Albany Park until the 5th of September then click here to email accommodation services.

Anyway, I'm supposed to be working on PhD stuff, so I'm going to shoot off-- don't forget to follow the PG Society and Patrick O'Hare on twitter!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:PhD Office, School of Management

11 days in....

After 11 days of officially being President, it's about time I posted an update of what's going on with the PG Society, what's about to be going on and what you can get involved with!


The first thing that deserves a mention is the fabulous Postgraduate Ball which was organised by the 2010-11 Events sub-committee.

(Photo from the Postgraduate Society Facebook page)

This glamorous event took place on the 10th of June in the suave surroundings of the Garden Suite in the Scores Hotel, St Andrews. A special shout out must go to Paloma, who did a wonderful job of organising the event and to the Black Sheep Music Society and our accomodation rep Milindu for the best Ball music I've ever had the pleasure of dancing to! (ceilidh music excluded naturally!)

Following the PG ball, David (the outgoing President) and I have been in "meeting-mode"! So far, in the past couple weeks we have met up with:

• The outgoing sabbaticals from the Students Association to summarise the advances made during the year and to talk about priorities going forward
• Prof. Dina Iordonova, the Provost of St Leonards College, 
• Rob Warren at Student Services to talk about proposed development of the wardennial system for postgraduate students
• The team at University Estates to consult on behalf of the PG student body on the space and accomodation planning process
• Ryan Parks, head PG Warden, to talk about consulting with students in University accomodation over their accommodation preferences and to liaise over plans for events over the coming year
• Chris Lusk, Director of Student Services, for a catch up and to talk about the role of the PG Society in relation to the wardennial and ASC (Advice and Support Centre) provision and;
• Stephen Evans from the Webmaster team to get his advice and help in building a **NEW WEBSITE** for the PG Society on the St Leonards College website

I've been completely overwhelmed by how helpful -and generally lovely- everyone has been! While we have been approaching these meetings with an open agenda, so we can get a feel for the different kinds of relationships we can seek to build with various departments and people across the University, we've also been getting some feedback on our own issues.

We've been pleased to realise that the new proposal for electing PG Vice-Presidents within each School, who will sit on a forum co-ordinated by the PG Society, is well supported by everyone we've spoken to it about. This is great, because we can now confidently move forward to arranging the elections for October!

We've also been collecting feedback on what information should go into the PG Freshers 2011 information pack and online information portal (which we are currently building). 

Finally, we've been looking at the events we should be throwing for the rest of the summer, and what our orientation week schedule should include! I don't want to give away the surprises... we have an events subcommittee meeting tonight... but several buses and a safari may or may not be involved!

Anyway, I don't want you to think it's all work and no play! I've also attended the brilliant fundraising evening featuring the heartbreaking film 'Grave of the Fireflies' (1), gone to Wimbledon for a bit of sporting relief (2) and enjoyed some PG Society events preparation with my colleagues in the School of Management (3) and with the rest of the conference delegates at the Moral Economies of Creative Labour Conference in Leeds (4)!

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Anyway- lots of preparations to do for the events sub-committee meeting! I'm going to sign off- But don't forget to follow us on twitter (@StAPGSociety) and like us on Facebook (Postgraduate Society St Andrews).

Study Hard!!