What a Wild Whirlwind of a Welcome Week

Welcome Week was an eventful period, with a whirlwind of activities comprising meetings, research, and events. In this edition of the newsletter, I'll deviate from the usual format to focus on my four significant meetings. My goal is to distil the 328 pages of committee papers and 10.5 hours of discussions into something easily digestible. ???

The Four Committees of the Week:?

Library Committee ???

This committee, chaired by Gavin Ian McLachlan (Vice-Principal and Chief Information Officer, and Librarian to the University), operated efficiently. The committee primarily makes decisions related to library policies and expenditures and provides updates.?

As a student representative, these meetings offer a valuable opportunity to connect with staff and relay student feedback about library services. Last year, as the Business School representative, I initiated a discussion on desk hogging—where students leave personal items on desks for extended periods to reserve seats, limiting available study space. Now, as VP Education, I am hopeful that we'll see actions taken on this issue soon.?

Senate Quality Assurance Committee (SQAC) ???

Chaired by Tina Harrison , this was my first Senate subcommittee meeting post-induction. Thanks to the detailed minutes prepared by Sinéad Docherty , I gained an understanding of the committee’s culture beforehand.?

With a relatively concise packet of around 80 pages, I didn't anticipate a meeting that stretched beyond three hours, but it did. Thankfully the discussions were thorough and engaging.?

All Senate minutes and agendas are public (click here). During this meeting, I presented my priorities for the year, which the committee found ambitious yet achievable. The rest of the agenda focused on school annual quality reports and continuous improvement in the student support model. These papers brought into focus the challenge of utilising oodles of data produced by the University for enhancement purposes.?

IT Committee ???

Chaired by Gavin Ian McLachlan , the IT Committee had a different makeup compared to other committees, primarily consisting of IT managers from various departments. The committee focuses on IT investments, policies, and challenges, although significant investments like data centres are deferred to the Estates Committee.?

The majority of the committee's documents are confidential, except for the ELM roadmap. ELM is the University's secure environment for utilizing large language models. It offers staff and students access to cutting-edge OpenAI models free of charge, promoting equity in accessing these advanced tools.?

Most students from the College of Science and Engineering already have access to ELM. The other colleges will likely be giving their students access soon. I believe all students should have access to create a level playing field, especially in courses with students from different schools. Check if you have access here:?ELM . If you have any questions, feel free to comment, as I am meeting Anne Robertson , the director of EDINA , who oversees ELM.?

Senate Education Committee (SEC) ?????

On Thursday morning, I attended the SEC meeting, chaired by Colm Harmon. This committee comprises high-profile members, including senior leaders from various colleges (such as Alexandra Laidlaw , Lisa Kendall , and Linda Kirstein ), Senate subcommittee chairs Tina Harrison and Paddy Hadoke , elected Senate representatives (like James Hopgood ), heads of schools (such as Jo Shaw and Jason Love ), and Lucy Evans , the Deputy Secretary for Students.

With the broadest remit, the committee covered various topics such as AI, the student support model, and my priorities. Although some topics overlapped with those discussed in SQAC, they were examined from different perspectives.?

Understanding how these committees fit into the University's complex governance structures is a significant challenge.?

Fun Fact:?

Jeremy Upton , the Director of the Library shared an interesting fact: it's a legal requirement for the University to have a Library Committee. Despite being lesser-known, it is a crucial part of the University's core governance.?

Reflection:?

In an ideal world, I would have spent all of Welcome Week interacting with students. However, my role required my presence at these committee meetings, where decisions regarding funding, policies, and priorities are made. One of my goals is to improve the Student Partnership Agreement. If the University truly wants a strong student voice, it must be mindful of the time constraints faced by Sabbatical Officers and other students. Attending these meetings meant less time to engage with students during a critical week.?

This week has been the most fun week so far. This will be a great semester!