What would life at Heriot-Watt be like without the Student Union?

Posted 90 Months Ago

We might have made a huge difference to your student experience, or we might have made a tiny one! Either way, there's definitely something we've done. The Edinburgh Campus would look a lot different for starters. Here are just some of the differences we've made to Heriot-Watt.

1.  Would the university be breaking the law? – “Higher education bodies have a legal obligation to hold student elections so that students can be represented (s.22, Education Act 1994).”
2. Who’d represent us academically? – “The Student Union recruits your School Officers, who meet as a group weekly and sit on senior school level committees. If you’re having an issue with your course, these are the people who can communicate these problems to the university. Without the Student Union, this vital link would be gone.”
3. Would we have a 24/7 library? – “The Student Union was part of the initial campaign to change the library’s opening hours. If it shut every day, think of the mad rush to get to the buses before everyone else…”
4. Where would we shop? – “The Student Shop is run by your Student Union. If it didn’t exist, where would you satisfy your chocolate cravings? In first year, you’d have to go all the way into town just for a pint of milk. And can you imagine the queues in the canteen at lunch time…”
5. Who could we turn to for advice? – “The Advice Hub provides invaluable support to all Heriot-Watt students the whole year round. They also hand out free condoms and can help with hardship loans if you’re struggling with your finances. They run Therapets too – without them, would you have ever met an alpaca? We don’t want to imagine a world where they didn’t exist.”
6. Where would we study? – "The Student Union campaigned for more study space, which then led The University to build the fantastic Learning Commons and refurbish The James Watt Centre for extra study space. The University also ran a campaign to make students aware of all the spaces available on campus for study.”
7. Who’d welcome the Freshers? – “If you’ve ever lived in our halls, you might remember finding the welcome pack sitting on your new desk, and how you felt like you were part of something. The Student Union also runs Meet Your Mates and a load of Freshers Week events – would you have stumbled across your buddies without us?”
8. What would be in place of the Union building? – “An existence without the Student Union building poses even more questions. Where else would you get the cheapest coffee on campus? Where would you get your post-exam pint? What would students do in the evening without the pub quizzes and live music nights? And what would sit in that giant space on the lawn?”
9. What would happen to our societies? – “We have 70 societies affiliated with the Student Union – that’s a lot of people whose lives wouldn’t be quite the same without us…”
10. Who’d represent our protected groups? – “The Student Union has equality representatives who stand up for all protected groups at Heriot-Watt. It’s always good to have someone on your side, and that’s why we’re here.”
11. Who’d update you about the swans? – “We like to keep an eye on our little swan family. They’re pretty robust and would probably survive without us, but then who’d keep you updated on what they’re up to if we weren’t around?”