Stuart Ritchie, the student president of Glasgow University has been forced to resign due to student pressure on campus and the Student Representative Council calling for him to give up his post.
Ritchie resigned as the Glasgow University Student Representative Council (GUSRC) President on today following a student petition which gathered 576 signatures over three days finally leading the executive council finding his position ‘untenable’.
This action followed revelations in a FOI (Freedom of Information) request by student magazine qmunicate, which showed that Ritchie had argued for the introduction of £9000 fees for Rest of UK students in a university working group on this issue while publicly claiming to be against such fees. Previous FOI requests revealed that Ritchie had sought to exclude another member of the SRC executive from important discussions with the university.
In an open letter to students published today, the GUSRC confirmed that Ritchie had been asked to resign by the three Vice president members of the Executive and said of the decision:
“Whilst the executive were united in offering Stuart the opportunity to address Glasgow University students in person, it became apparent today that Stuart’s position had become untenable and that it was in the best interest of both students and the organisation that he step down.”
“It is intended that responsibilities which normally fall to the GUSRC President are to be shared amongst the remaining Executive members. We’d like to acknowledge the positive influence Stuart has had during his time in office and the good work he has done for the organisation, for which he deserves thanks.
The news of Ritchie’s resignation was met with happiness with a number of the student body. Megan Cowie, a 4th year Glasgow University student, said after hearing the announcement:
“I hope this resignation is a step towards greater transparency, democracy and accountability in the SRC. Stuart Ritchie has consistently failed in his duty to represent student interests at Glasgow University, and the mood on campus was that he had to go.”
The Glasgow University Coalition of Resistance also welcomed Ritchie’s resignation, and said that they will continue to campaign for greater democratic accountability on campus, and for student representatives to fight university fees, cuts to courses and reductions in student services.
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