Every time your Officers want to change anything, they can’t just decide it themselves. Your SU must put it to a student vote. Think of it a bit like when governments hold referendums such as Brexit or Scottish independence, except instead of waiting years for one we can call what’s known as an Extraordinary General Meeting.  

That’s what’s happening this Thursday at Oxstalls SU from 4 to 6pm. An EGM is exactly what it sounds like, a big all-student meeting where every member of the Union is invited to come along, hear what’s being proposed, and vote yes or no on a major issue. This time it’s two of your Officers Bianca and Iffat bringing forward a proposal to change our democracy structures. In plain terms, they want to make it easier for students to have their voices heard and for your opinions to directly influence the way the SU is run. 

Currently, access to Student Council is quite limited. The idea is to open things up by creating three new Sub-Councils. One would bring together every Course Rep, chaired by the Education and Community Officer. Another would bring together every Club and Society Committee Member, chaired by the Activities and Opportunities Officer. The third would bring together all Welfare Reps, chaired by the Welfare and Diversity Officer. Each of these Sub-Councils would then elect representatives to sit on Student Council itself.  

In practice that means hundreds more students would be directly part of decision making, so the voices shaping Union policy are much broader and closer to everyday student life. 

Democracy can sometimes feel like a complicated or loaded word, but here at UoG SU we believe it should be simple. It means you having your say, shaping what we do, and making sure the Union is genuinely led by students.  

This Thursday you get to be part of that.  

Come to Oxstalls SU at 4pm, take part in the debate, and cast your vote on whether to update the way our democracy works.  

It really is that straightforward, and the decision starts with you.