August 2009 Recap [GlasgowUniPhoto.com]
The summer is over now (or will be tomorrow, depending on who you ask) and the 2009/2010 academic year is just weeks away. The first three months of this blog, the first 92 photos, have been posted, and the University of Glasgow has been introduced.
As September is just around the corner and I’m back in Glasgow now, I will begin posting fresh and current photos of the University and everything associated with it.
Now, if you, the reader, have any suggestions or ideas for this blog, or want something featured here such as a society or an event or a particular building or department, just let me know via email (jani [at] GlasgowUniPhoto [dot] com), the contact form, a comment on a post, or through Twitter. Yes, the Glasgow University Photo blog is on Twitter. Any hints or ideas or feedback will be greatly appreciated. Follow the blog on Twitter @GlasgowUniPhoto. In addition to the above mentioned forms of feedback, you can also rate the posts at the bottom of each individual post. (You have to click through to the actual post from the main page to see the rating stars.)
Below, as has become customary on this photo blog, are all of the featured photos of the past month. You can always find all of the archived photos in the Archives.
The month of September starts out slowly, as most first years don’t arrive until September 11th (when their student halls become available), and most of the other student aren’t coming back until the very last week before their lectures start on the 21st. On the 14th, all hell breaks loose on campus as Freshers’ Week kicks off. I’ll be wandering around campus with my camera all week to show you some of the action.
And finally, polls polls polls. Poll #4 asks: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)? You can find it on the right hand side of this blog from September 1st onwards. Below are the results of Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University? Interestingly every single Faculty was accounted for, with LBSS and Arts far in the lead. The “Other” answers were Ex Employee and Glasgow School of Art (GSA). You can see all the polls featured here on the Polls page. [Poll and results graphic below courtesy of PollDaddy.com]
In relation to my Freshers’ Week postings, should I post a single picture per day, or a collage of several pictures. The one rule for this blog is that on ly one photo will be published per day, but that doesn’t mean that the photo can’t be comprised of more than one photo. So, what do you think, one photo or a collage, per day, on Freshers’ Week?
Panorama from the Tower
And here it is, the campus of the University of Glasgow in all its glory! (On a cloudy and rainy day, panorama missing everything south of University Avenue, which happens to be the nicer part.)
The panorama was taken with a mobile phone (hence the average quality when zoomed in) from the observation deck of the Glasgow University Tower last year during Freshers’ Week 08.
If you click the photo, you’ll be taken to the Flickr page where you can view the panorama in larger sizes. Furthermore, I’ve added notes to the photo so you can get a better idea of where particular buildings at Glasgow University are in relation to the Main Building. I’ve marked the University Library, the Boyd Orr Building, The QMU, the GUU, the Fraser Building, the Chapel, the Adam Smith Building, the Wolfson Medical School Building, the Round Reading Room, the Rankine Building, University Gardens, the Wellington Church, the Stevenson Building, and the Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Political Philosophy
Books, books, and more books. Not long to go before it’s back to the wonderful world of academic journals and books. I start of Year 2 of Politics with Political Philosophy (most of the above is part of my reading list).
Because the actual academic year hasn’t begun yet, I won’t ask you to read something along the lines of the above. Instead, I highly suggest that you check out the SRC’s The Guide 2009/2010, “The ultimate guide to living and learning in Glasgow”. It covers everything a first year student needs to know about studying at the University and more. If you’re not a first year student you might still want to read it through or at least glance at it as you might find something that you didn’t know of.
You can download The Guide in .PDF format by clicking here, or you can read it online in iPaper format by going to http://www.tinyurl.com/srcguide. As Freshers’ Week 09 approaches, I suggest you follow the SRC on Twitter and become their fan on Facebook to stay up to date with all the coming events. Check out Glasgowstudent.net while you’re at it.
Right, I’m off to the Hunterian Art Gallery to see the Edvard Munch Prints which are on display until September 5th. (If you’re in Glasgow and haven’t gone to see the exhibit yet, you don’t much time so hop to it!) More info here.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Boyd Orr Lecture Theatre
Enjoy the last few weeks of your summer vacation, as this is the harsh reality you will face from September 21st onwards: lectures. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the lectures (the 9am lectures might be a different story). It’s always a little bit of a shock to plant your behind on a lecture theatre seat after a summer of bumming around and enjoying the lack of responsibilities. Unless you had a job, although in that case the change might be pleasant.
Oh, and the good news is that you don’t have to wait until September 21st to sit down in a lecture hall! Freshers, you will have to go a few initiation lectures/meetings during Freshers’ Week. This photo was actually taken in the Boyd Orr Building, Lecture Theatre 222 (one of the big ones by the main entrance) during the Economic and Social History meeting during my Freshers’ Week last year.
A tip about this particular lecture theatre: don’t slouch if you’re at all groggy or tired. The seats, although they may not seem like it, are very comfortable and the room is always quite warm. Especially when you’re tired. Trust me.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Aerial View of Glasgow University
The above shot was taken from the window of a plane, which is my way of saying that I’ve now returned to Glasgow now in preparation of the new academic year. I will begin to feature fresh photos from the University next week, as I reacquaint myself with the campus and Scottish weather, check out what’s new, and go check out what’s going on at the museums and art galleries. On Wednesday (September 2nd) I’ll answer the little riddle about University Avenue which I put forth last Sunday. I’d do it sooner, but I need to get a particular photo of the area to demonstrate the answer.
If you click on the photo above you’ll be taken to its corresponding page on Flickr, where, if you move your mouse over the photo, you’ll see that I’ve tagged the few identifiable University buildings in the photo.
Tip: if you’re flying to Glasgow, try to get a seat on the left hand side of the plane, as it seems like the best views of Glasgow and of the University are on the left side of the plane when on final approach and during landing. Don’t quote me on that though, as it’s based on the fact that every single time I’ve flown to Glasgow I’ve sat on the left hand side of the plane and each time I’ve seen the above out of my window.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
View From The Glasgow University Library
To counter yesterday’s post, and to prove that it really, definitely is not sunny in Glasgow all the time, here’s a typical view from the 10th floor (if I remember right) of the Glasgow University Library, looking south past the Main Building. At the front you can see the backside of the buildings on University Avenue/University Gardens which house many of the History Departments, as well as English Language/Literature Departments.
Behind and past the Main Building you can see the Clyde Auditorium (commonly known as the Armadillo), the Glasgow Science Centre, and the Glasgow Tower.
To continue with the theme from yesterday of being able to see the Campsies up to the North, this view shows you how far you can see to the south as well, past the city’s southern limits. Darn those huge windows at the library!
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
View From The Adam Smith Building
There is a downside to a picturesque campus. This photo was taken from a classroom in the Adam Smith Building, during one of my Politics tutorials. If one’s glance and focus wanders, as is the case for many students before noon or a 6-shot Americano from Starbucks, there’s plenty to rest ones eyes on, especially on a sunny day.
Looking in the other direction, away from the Main Building of the University, isn’t any better, as one can see all the way to the hillsides to the Campsies north of Glasgow. Well, at least the University Library blocks most of the view towards the city centre.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Boyd Orr Building and Queen Margaret Union
Brutalist concrete behemoths the pair of them. The larger building in the background is the now familiar Boyd Orr Building, and the building to the right is the Queen Margaret Union. The shorter concrete block on the left is the Maths Building.
Indeed, not the most picturesque area of the University, but definitely one of the most vibrant as so many students pass this very spot between lectures, or on their way to and from the union’s faces and the Food Factory upstairs.
For those who aren’t from the UK, an off sales is a liquor store. Yes, the QMU store, in addition to notebooks, labcoats, pic’n'mix candy, crisps and the latest newspapers, also sells bottles of cider and vodka, among other bottles of liquor.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
University Tower at Night
Being one of the tallest buildings on one of the highest hills in Glasgow, the Glasgow University Tower is one of the best vantage points in the city. Unfortunately, having being built in the over 130 years ago, the University limits the number of people allowed up top and the frequency of visits. I’ve managed to be allowed to the top during Freshers’ Week 2008 in the first group to go.
Unfortunately, the weather was very typically Scottish, having been raining for the past couple of days, so as beautiful as the panoramic cityscapes were, the ominous clouds dampened the experience.
Speaking of an experience, getting to the top is no easy task, as one must climb some 200 winding steps to the top. You see the spires on the sides of the tower? The one on the right on this side (the north-west corner) is longer than the other three corners as it contains the winding staircase to the top. Not for the out of shape, seriously.
I still remember how one of the Freshers’ Helpers who escorted us to the top told us not to worry because the tower was built “to the safety standards of the 1870s.” Next Monday, August 31st, I will post a panorama composed of photos I shot with my mobile phone from the tower a year ago.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Western End of University Avenue
The western side of the Glasgow University campus is bordered by Byres Road, the main throughway of Glasgow’s West End. From there to the east begins University Avenue.
Two of the structures in the photo above should already be quite familiar to any readers to this blog, namely the University Tower and the Wolfson Medical School Building in the right hand side. The building in the middle of the photo is the Bower Building which contains the Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences. It was originally built to serve the Botany Department in 1901.
That fence on the left side of the road was mentioned here previously, when the Boyd Orr Building was introduced. Yeah, that’s the fence that keeps students from being blown on to the street by the winds.
Some 40 years ago, in the 1960s, University Avenue looked different. Can you guess how? I’ll have the answer next month once I’m back in Glasgow to take a specific photo to provide you with the answer. In the meantime, if you think you know the answer, have a guess in the comments section below!
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Eastern End of University Avenue
University Avenue, the lifeline, the artery of the University of Glasgow campus. I’ve featured University Avenue here before, and I’ll do so tomorrow again. This same corner of University Avenue too has been featured here before, as a somewhat warped panorama.
The eastern end of University Avenue is seen here in the photo above actually ends a little bit onwards to the left, just past the Glasgow University Union’s 1960s extension building and car park. From there Gibson Street runs up the hill to the Library and down the hill towards the city centre. To the left of the church with no spire (Gilmorehill Centre) at the right there starts Kelvin Way, at the other end of which one can find the western ends of Sauchiehall Street and Argyle Street. The tenement buildings in the centre of the the photo have a fantastic/unfortunate location, depending on who you ask, as the main entrance to the Glasgow University Union is directly across the street.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Lock It or Lose It
A friendly reminder by the bike racks outside the Stevenson Building at Glasgow University. Although the city does have a subway (which they call Clockwork Orange, as the trains are orange and run in a circle) and a pretty extensive bus service, many students still bike around between their flats and campus. That being said, most students seem to either live a short walk away from the University, or so far that they catch public transportation to get to lectures.
Just behind those windows lies the University gym and the swimming pool. You can find out more about the gym on the Glasgow University Sport website at http://www.gla.ac.uk/sport/. Gym membership is a mere £40 per year for students!!
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Shoes on a Wire
Every city, town, university and so one has a collection of interesting little characteristics to them. A pair of shoes on a wire are a common sight around the world, and Glasgow University has a very special pair of them.
Most students at Glasgow University have probably noticed this interesting little collection of shoes very close to the University Library, just at the start of the tenements on Hillhead Street.
The shoes have apparently been up on that wire for several years now, with more and more plastic flying around and getting caught on the sneakers. There’s a tree on the other side of the the Library, next to the Adam Smith Building, which catches a lot of the rubbish and grocery bags which fly around Gilmorehill.
An interesting tidbit to note here, the Glasgow Daily Photo featured the same shoes last September, and upon comparing that photo with the one above I came up with a question: Is one of the pairs different in the two photos? (look at the blue pair of sneakers.)
UPDATED 25.08.2009: The shoes are gone! The whole front of the building is covered in scaffolding, and the shoes have now disappeared! As was said in the comments below, it’s the end of an era.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Student Apartments
The closest halls of residence to the brunt of the University are the Student Apartments, located in 19th century tenement buildings on Hillhead Street/Great George Street, Gibson Street and Southpark Terrace on Gilmorehill, and up in Park Circus on the other side of Kelvingrove Park.
The tenements in the photo above are on Great George Street, just above the Accommodation Office, which is on the ground floor (white door to the left-hand side of the photo). The floor above that consists of student flats for couples and small families (my fiancée and I lived in one of them for our first year at Glasgow University). The two floors above that are divided into shared and single student halls with roughly 14 or so first year and exchange students per floor. The halls actually wrap around the left-hand corner of the building onto Hillhead Street. There are also two family flats in the attic of this building, facing the back of the building.
In addition to Cairncross House, Murano Street and the Student Apartments, students may be housed at Kelvinhaugh Gate, Kelvinhaugh Street, Maclay Residences, Queen Margaret Residences, and Winton Drive, as well as the catered Wolfson Hall. The Accommodation Office website has more info on those, as well as photos which I don’t have to offer here right now.
The Glasgow University Accommodation Office has a set of photos of the Student Apartments on Flickr.
Oh, and yeah, I admit it, this photo went through some photoshopping on the part of the sky which was all washed out, so I replaced it with the sky from another photo. Amateur… (The roof isn’t really that blue…)
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Murano Street Student Village
If you’re a First Year student at the University of Glasgow and you’re going to be living in halls of residence provided by the University, it is very likely that this will be your new home for the next year. Located 20-25 minutes north of the University (again, according to the Uni website), the Murano Street Student Village (commonly just Murano), houses a large number of students and is the largest concentration of student flats owned by the University.
There are some 1167 beds at the Murano Street Student Village, spread out into two different kinds of flats: Small Flats (4-5 persons per flat) and Large Flats (10-12 persons per flat). Love them or hate them, the people in your flat will be the people you’re most likely to call your friends for the next year, at least. Freshers’ Week, although it’s marketed as a way for students to make new friends, it’s more a week of getting to know the people you’ll be living with for the next year.
Although this applies to all of the halls of residence, I’ll mention it in relation to Murano because it’s most common there. Fire alarms. All the halls of residence have the most sensitive smoke and heat detectors known to man, and upon sensing smoke (or intense heat in the kitchen), the fire alarm from hell goes off, the building is evacuated, and everyone stands out (usually in the rain) while the fire fighters check out the building. Fortunately the nearest fire department is across the street. Whether due to a real fire, someone cooking sausages at 3am, or a practical joke, every student will experience this at least once. If you’re one of the lucky ones at Murano, you’ll experience it often. A statistic I heard once was that out of some 400 instances of the fire alarm going off in any of the buildings owned by the University of Glasgow, roughly 170 of them came from Murano.
As Murano is a little village for students, I’ve added a Google Street View thingy below so you can take a virtual walk around, starting from in front of the Common Facilities Building:
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The Glasgow University Accommodation Office has a set of photos of Murano Street on Flickr. There’s also a group on Facebook for those who live/have lived at Murano, with photos of some of the interesting happenings at the halls.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Cairncross House
The 2009/2010 academic year is slowly creeping closer and closer, and many students are beginning to pack their belongings and head off to Glasgow, either again or for the first time. (Leaving for Glasgow again in a week myself!) Many of the roughly 4,000 First Year students will be housed in halls of residence provided by the University, such as Cairncross House in the photo above.
Beginning September 11th (as far as I know), these halls of residence will begin to fill up with students. I don’t have many photos of the various halls of residence at the University, but the three which I do I will post at the beginning of this week. First up, Cairncross House, located a 15 minute walk south of the University (according to the Uni website. I’d say it’s more like 10 minutes). Just to the north is the western end of Argyle Street which extends all the way in to the city centre. The inside is split into 102 twin spaces, 72 single spaces, and 38 large single spaces.
Here’s another unverified rumour that I’ve heard a few times from students who have stayed at Cairncross House: Allegedly, Cairncross House was originally built as a prison for women, but due to lack of funding or whatnot, it never went into operation, and eventually it was purchased by the University and converted into student halls. I can’t verify if this is actually true, or if it’s just what people say upon seeing the inside of the building. My first impression of the narrow white hallways inside was that it reminded me of a prison. What do you think? Could it be true?
The Glasgow University Accommodation Office has more pictures of Cairncross House on Flickr.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
From Sauchiehall Street
Once again, the South Front of the Main Building of the University of Glasgow, this time from the western end of Sauchiehall Street, one of the main streets running through the central parts of Glasgow. To the right lies Kelvin Way, which leads through Kelvingrove Park to the bottom of University Avenue. The building to the left of this shot is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the most popular museum in Scotland. Past that is the Transportation Museum, so with the Hunterian Museum included, this area of Glasgow has an impressive concentration of fantastic museum items on display.
For a number of students, this sight is a common one, as just south of this spot lie the Cairncross House and Kelvinhaugh Street student apartments.
Every now and then I’ll step outside the University campus and show some of the surrounding area, although I’ll be sure to always have some little link to the University, no matter how insignificant the link may be.
Interesting little tidbit: According to Wikipedia, Sauchiehall roughly translates to ‘Way of the Willows’.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
From Partick Bridge
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, here’s the South Front of the Main Building of the University of Glasgow at night. The shot was taken from Partick Bridge, just to the south-west of the University. The bridge is one of the better vantage points of the Main Building, as the bridge crosses the River Kelvin at the westernmost corner of Kelvingrove Park. This location allows for a fantastic spot to view the seasons change, with the University in the background. I’ve made a mental note to demonstrate the changing of the seasons from this very spot n the photos I feature here.
On a side note, Freshers’ Week 2009 begins in just 30 days! (That’s September 14th, to save you from pulling out your calendar or doing the math yourself). I’ll be walking around every day during that week with my camera at the ready (and collecting the free stuff that clubs and bars and various brands shove at any studenty-looking person who walks be during that week!)
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
South Front at Night
As impressive as the North Front of the Main Building of Glasgow University is, the South Front at night is worthy of seeing too, up close and from a far. Just as a teaser, here’s a view of the area just by the South Front, where one can go sit under the flag pole in the shadows of the University Tower and look south over the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The daffodils in the photo give away the fact that the photo was taken all the way back in April.
Oh, and a comment which a friend gave me about this photo: “I didn’t know you could see the stars in the West End?”
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
University Avenue at Night
University Avenue runs up the road from Byres Road, past the Boyd Orr Building and the Wolfson Medical School Building (which was featured yesterday) to the top of the hill, past the Main Building and the Round Reading Room, and back down past the Glasgow University Union. It is, in short, the main artery of the University of Glasgow campus.
A sightseeing bus passes by every 20 minutes or so. The 44 bus goes by every now and then. Cars, buses, taxis, students, it’s a busy road.
I captured this long exposure shot from the foot of Hillhead Avenue, which runs past the University Library. The Wolfson Medical School Building is the big source of light at the foot of the hill, and if you remember the fact that the lights are motion-activated, that means the house is full of students studying. At 1am on a Monday morning, no less.
Can you guess what kind of a vehicle made those light streaks? The answer is below, backwards, and crossed out (no peeking!)
ixat
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Wolfson Medical School Building at Night
Besides the obvious choices such as the Main Building and the adjoining University Tower, as well as the University Library, one of the most common featured buildings on this blog so far is the above, the Wolfson Medical School Building. I don’t study Medicine. I don’t have any tutorials or lectures inside this building. I’ve only ever been in this building three times in the past year, and never have I ventured further than the cafeteria within.
So why is it featured prominently here? Well, it’s simply one of the nicest and newest and greenest buildings on campus, and I walk past it pretty much every week day. It’s not uncommon for the lights inside to be on most of the night, which is unremarkable as such, but considering that the lights are motion-activated, it means there are students inside studying, at most hours of the day and night. (It’s even prettier at night, in my opinion.)
I’m a little envious of the Medicine students for having such a nice building, but, alas, you can’t always win. Next year I intend to explore the innards of the building further, and will report back here with any findings.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Lilybank House at Night
This has to be one of my favourite photos of the University, out of the hundreds which I’ve taken. The small floodlights outside the building, the lights from the Adam Smith Building (off camera to the left), and the persistently red and yellow trees at the left in the shot come together to create a fantastic view at night.
The building above is the Lilybank House, built in the 1830s as a private residence for a Glasgow merchant. A few decades later it fell in to the hands of a local publisher who began the extensions and renovations of the building which made it what it is today. Of the architects and designers who’s touch has influenced the building, the two notable ones are Alexander “Greek” Thompson (which might explain the Greek-style pillars at the main entrance) and (allegedly) Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
From the end of the 19th Century until the mid-1960s the building was used as a residence for female students. Currently it houses the Department of Economic and Social Studies.
Unfortunately, the location of the Lilybank House keeps this night view hidden from most students, especially considering that the only students who wander past here at night are returning home from a night of partying at the Queen Margaret Union, just down hill behind the building. Were it not for the cars parked outside and the “occasional” dull weather, the Lilybank House would be quite nice to look at during the day too.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
University of Glasgow at Night
Having just surpassed 1000 visitors here at GlasgowUniPhoto.com since June 1st, I’ll go back to the very first post as present a similar shot, zoomed out a bit. This is when the University of Glasgow really stands out as a fantastic looking University.
Before 1am (when most of the lights are automatically switched off), many of the University’s buildings are bathed in light, highlighting the better looking buildings. The University Tower and the University Library can thus be seen from a distance een after sunset.
Having lived right behind the library during my first year at the University of Glasgow, I’ve gone on several late night photgraphy walks by myself, usually being the only person walking about at night. Which, really, is a shame, as it is at night when everything looks better.
To convince you how the University really is a thing of beauty at night, the next 7 days (including today) I will post a photo from one of those late night photography walks. More night time photos of the University can be found here.
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Reaction to Student Politics
To cap of this politically charged week, a reaction to politics at the University of Glasgow. Yeah, straight into the trash. I’ve heard unverified rumors that the University of Glasgow has one of the lowest numbers of political participation in student politics of all the Universities in the UK. The number that someone once tossed into the air was 18% of the student body.
As examples of this lull in voter turnout and participation, I offer some election results from the March ’09 elections for the position of SRC President, who, as head of the Council which represents every single student at the University, well, represents every single student at the University. The post is a 1 year sabbatical job. As it’s an important representative job, one would assume a large number of students would cast their vote.
Nope. Just 1050 students used their right to vote, out of 23,590 (according to Wikipedia). That’s a mere 4.45% of the student body. Another sign of political apathy may be demonstrated by the fact that the eventual winner of the SRC Presidential race ran unopposed, which might also explain the low low turnout. (Her campaign poster was in Monday’s photo.)
For the record, I’m a (soon-to-be) 2nd Year Politics student at the University of Glasgow, and elections are an interest of mine, and I think something needs to be done to increase voter turnout.
How does one increase turnout?
[Poll #3: Which Academic Faculty do you belong to at Glasgow University?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
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