Aberdeen University Students' Association

Services

AUSA has around 14000 members. AUSA organises its services over a number of sites alongside the co-ordination of fifty-eight sports clubs or ninety nine teams run by the AUSA Sports Union and 150 affiliated student societies run by the AUSA Societies Union. It also runs events such as Freshers' Week, the Graduation ball, the annual Sports Blues Ball, Superteams, the largest university sports event in Scotland and the annual Torcher Parade, the largest student torch-lit parade in Europe. This parade is just one part of the annual Aberdeen Students' Charities Campaign, now known as RAG (Raising & Giving). This campaign itself grew out of the Student Show, an annual theatrical and musical enterprise that began in Aberdeen in 1921 with the aim of raising money for charitable causes. The most recent version, Michty Mia, based on the hit Mamma Mia! broke records and helped the campaign raise over £120,000 which was distributed to over 36 locsl charities.

Structure and history

Representation is carried out, in common with the other ancient universities in Scotland, by a Students' Representative Council (SRC). While this remains the official name of the body created by the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889, the Students' Association has opted to generally use the term Students' Association Council to describe it.

This follows significant structural changes to the Students' Association which began in the late 1990s. Previously within AUSA, there were four bodies with distinct identities and management: the SRC (based at Luthuli House, located next to King's College, and supporting activities including educational support, welfare, political campaigning, and societies); the Students' Union (in the form of a prize-winning social venue at Broad Street in the city centre, including two bars, two night clubs, games facilities, shops, and offices); the Athletics Association (based at the Butchart Recreation Centre, Old Aberdeen); and Debater (the debating society, based with the SRC in Luthuli House).

The Aberdeen Students' Charities Campaign – which also included the Robert Gordon University, Northern College (subsequently merged into Aberdeen University), and Aberdeen College – was also based in the SRC building at Luthuli House. Periodically the National Union of Students Scotland North of Scotland Area ("NUSNOS") office was also housed at the SRC building.

In 2010, AUSA moved into the Butchart Centre on University Road where it remained until 2015 before moving to a temporary building at the Johnston Central Refectory building while a new, purpose-built building is built due to be opened in the late 2010s.

Current structure

To replace the former independent bodies, newly formed committees and structures with new names were created. The bodies all form part of the Students' Association Council.

There are 9 committees that make up the student council:

All of these committees are elected in March and September of each year and are led by respective officers/Sabbatical Officers.

The student council is home to roughly 80 students who actively debate and decide policy for AUSA. In 2015, the council elected Nikita Otto as its 2015/2016 Chair. The council meets on the first Monday of each month.

Sites

The AUSA is primarily based at the Butchart Centre, the former sports centre and now a more general student space located in the Old Aberdeen "campus" area near King's College (and around the corner from the old SRC venue of Luthuli House). The AUSA Sports Union and the President for Sport, formerly based at Butchart, are now based in the Aberdeen Sports Village.

Due to financial pressures, AUSA's chief students' union building (located on Broad Street near Marischal College in the city centre) was forced to close in early 2004. The Union Bar, a far smaller, single bar without nightclub facilities, was subsequently opened in nearby Littlejohn Street. This bar was itself forced to close due to financial pressures in November 2008 leaving the University without any Union nightlife facility.

In 2011, The Watering Hole, the bar in the Hillhead residences, was turned into the new Union Bar. Throughout the year, efforts were made to look for a new venue for the Union Bar, but to no avail.

Media

The University's student newspaper, the Gaudie, is affiliated with the AUSA. Published fortnightly during the academic terms, it is recognised as one of the oldest student newspapers in Scotland.

The SRC introduced one of the first ever students' association websites in 1994. It has seen many formats over the years and is also ongoing continual revival and renewal.

Aberdeen Student Radio is also affiliated with AUSA. The internet-based broadcaster is Aberdeen's first student radio station in ten years. Previously, short-term Restricted Service Licenses had been granted to the University's first student radio station, Slick FM, in the mid-1990s; this had enabled broadcasts to be made to the whole city over FM radio, but only for a few weeks each year.

Since 2013, the Granite City TV (GCTV) has functioned offering news, promotional videos for societies and sports clubs, as well as AUSA-led videos.

Executive Committee

The executive positions within AUSA are one-year sabbatical positions for which any student may stand. An annual election takes place before Easter for the following year's committee. There are also a number of non-sabbatical positions, which are again, elected by students on a yearly basis.

Sabbatical Team 2016/17

AUSA has 5 sabbatical officer positions:

Other Executive Committee Officers

President for Welfare & Equal Opportunities Controversy 2015/2016

Following the 2015 Executive Elections, Rory Macfarlane was initially elected, unopposed, to the position of President for Welfare & Equal Opportunities. Following the resignation of Rory in July 2015, Shaion Small oversaw the role during the Summer Break.

When the 2015/16 term started officially in September, there was staunch opposition to the decision by the Sabbatical Team not to run a by-election to elect someone to the position. The Student Council were given the opportunity to discuss the issues surrounding it. The vote in the council was close with a few sabbatical officers voting in favour of opening the position for election as opposed to employing a member of staff to help facilitate the welfare and equal opportunities VPs.

Organisational Structures

AUSA is run by two sets of organisational structures. The political direction of the Students' Association is done through the Sabbatical Officers. The 'behind the scenes' side of AUSA, including the running of the Student Activities Centre (Societies & Volunteering), Sports Union (based at the Aberdeen Sports Village), Student Advice Centre (SAC), Marketing & Communication Office, Reception and Finance are under the management of Jacqueline McKay, CEO appointed in June 2014.

The Trustee Board of the Organisation is the overall governing body of AUSA, which is a registered charity with OSCR, the Charities regulator in Scotland. The Trustee Board is made up of the Sabbatical Officers, External Trustees and Student Trustees.

Current Trustee Board

Recruitment for further board members is ongoing.

2015/16 Crisis

In the Academic Year 2015/16, several crisis points were acknowledged by AUSA with a claim that "AUSA is Broken" sent in an all student communication highlighting structural issues. Further to this were consequent blog posts on the AUSA website acknowledging the need for a new constitution and a new sabbatical officer structure to come to effect in 2016/17.

Further controversy arose with the breaking news by STV News that the CEO, Jacqueline McKay had been removed from post along with other allegations.

Despite setbacks, a new constitution was created and installed along with a new sabbatical structure.