Student Union President Eva Curran provides a Springtime update in the wake of another busy month at Strath.

By Eva Curran (she/her)

Hello! I hope you all had a lovely and restful Easter weekend after the whirlwind that was March. We have a lot to celebrate here at Strath Union, so let me talk you through some of it.

It was a massive month for Strath Sport, and I couldn’t be any prouder. The Glasgow Taxis Cup made its way back home to Strathclyde! This is Scotland’s largest varsity competition with 15 sports and over 700 athletes competing. Huge congratulations to all our athletes who took part.

On top of this, our men’s team won the Rugby Varsity game against Glasgow Uni. The atmosphere at Scotstoun Stadium was amazing. From Strathosaurus killing it in the dance-battle, to Strathy’s iconic chants targeted at GU (no further comment). Our women’s rugby team also played a great match and went on to win their Taxis Cup game. All this winning deserved celebrating, and that’s exactly what we did at Sport’s Ball. Congratulations again to our amazing sports community. We love ya.

We also celebrated International Women’s Day by inviting Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell to officially open the wing named in her honour at the Learning and Teaching building. She participated in an inspiring panel discussion, focusing on supporting women in traditionally male-dominated sectors.

The Exec and I also attended Women in Leadership’s CelebrateHER ball which is always a highlight of the year. I loved being surrounded by so many inspiring women who dedicate their time and efforts to improving the experience of women at Strathclyde.

Our very first Spring Graduations took place! I attended as a guest for Ishan, our International Students’ Rep. We worked in partnership with the University to make the March ceremonies a permanent fixture in Strathclyde’s graduation calendar. This greatly benefits our international students who often struggle to attend their graduations due to visa restrictions. It was amazing to see so many of our students celebrating with their close friends and family on their special day.

I attended the NUS Scotland Conference with several other delegates from Strathclyde. We were involved in various panel and policy conversations, discussing key issues facing students in Scotland. At the awards night, Strath Union won TWO awards! We were recognised for our Fight for the Night campaign and our Trans and Non-binary Swim Sessions. It’s great to see the hard work of our staff and students being recognised by the wider student movement. I am a very proud Prez.

As I mentioned in my manifesto for next semester, I’m dedicated to building a strong partnership with Glasgow City Council to ensure that the student voice is represented in policymaking. I’ve been attending the Local Licensing Forum and I’m committed to advocating for increased student representation on committees. Having a student involved in the conversation ensures that our needs are being represented in decision-making, on topics that impact us directly. Students make up 10% of Scotland’s population. It’s time we were treated like a priority by the Council.

Keep up to date with my work on Instagram @evastrathpres, or swing by one of my monthly drop-ins at Roasters on the first Friday of each month at 12pm. I’d be happy to see you!

Until next time,

Eva x

Eva Curran

Eva Curran, she/her
Marketing student and President at Strath Union