September 2009 Recap [GlasgowUniPhoto.com]
That’s month number four behind us, and the 2009/2010 Academic Year has now officially begun.
With the new year, it’s time for students to also become members of a student union on campus. September’s poll was to this effect, asking visitors to this site which students union(s) they are or were a member of. The results are as follows, as of October 1st:
- Queen Margaret Union (53%)
- Glasgow University Union (18%)
- Glasgow University Sports Association (18%)
- Hetherington Research Club (5%)
- None (5%)
- Other (1%)
- Mature Students Association (0%)
For the month of October, we’re going to have a beauty pageant: What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University? (Main Building not included)
You can find the poll on the right hand side of this blog, or by clicking the link above. If a building is not on the list, add it to the list by entering it under Other. I’ve purposely omitted the Main Building, so no need to add that as your answer. I’ll probably do a small feature for the winning buildings.
And finally, below you’ll find all the photos from the past month:

![September 2nd: University Avenue [Day & Night]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2646/3871897614_6e09a91406_s.jpg)



![September 6th: A is for... Adam Smith [ABC Sundae]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3494/3889840920_b3ea1469c6_s.jpg)













![September 22nd: B is for... Bus Service [ABC Sundae]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/3934114395_89a164a8cd_s.jpg)










Glasgow University Library Turns 41 Today
On this day, September 30th, in 1968, the new Glasgow University Library opened in its purpose built building, moving there from within the Gilbert Scott Building (the Main Building) where it had been situated for almost 100 years.
I’ve shown the outside of the Library many times before, and the above I thought was fitting to demonstrate the modern appearance of the University Library, being still young at 41. The website address is written in very large letters above the Welcome Desk on Level 2, just as you enter throuhg the main entrance, ensuring that anyone who visits the library will know the address by heart.
A big thank you to the staff on hand for allowing me to take this photograph. The University Library’s Flickr account has more photos of the Library.
More “On This Day” entries can be found on Glasgow University Story website at universitystory.gla.ac.uk maintained by the Archive Services.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
At The Club
Today’s photo is going to be a bit of playing around with the camera, just a little bit of fun. I’m preparing to host a Pub Quiz for the Politics Society tonight, so today’s caption will be on the short side. The above is a shot from Qudos at the Queen Margaret Union. The guy in the yellow shirt is one of the bouncers.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Glasgow University Nordic Society Pub Crawl
Have you found a society or four for this year already?
The above photo is from the Glasgow University Nordic Society’s first event, a pub crawl up Byres Road to Cheesy Pop at the Queen Margaret Union. Societies at university are a fantastic way to meet new people who share a common interest(s) or characteristic(s) with you. I’m currently a member of 3 societies, and I’m thinking of joining another one this year. The Nordic Society (G.U.N.S.) is made up of Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, Icelanders, Faroese, and anyone who has an interest in the Nordic countries, culture or the people, as well as people who have lived in Nordic countries or live with a Nordic person. You can find the Glasgow University Nordic Society on Facebook.
There are societies which correspond with a particular course, such as the Law Society, or the Politics Society, or the Sociology and Anthropology Film Society. There’s a gaming society and an International Society. A few dance societies and political party societies. There are charity societies such as Amnesty International and STAR, as well as societies which focus on classics or music and bands. The choices are vast. Most of the people I’ve met at the University of Glasgow have been through societies. If you can’t find a society you like, you can always start one yourself!
If you haven’t found a society to your liking, or you missed Freshers Fair and haven’t really looked for a society to join, check out the SRC’s website for a list of all the clubs and societies on campus that you can join.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Ashton Lane
Just around the corner from the University, tucked away behind Byres Road, is a small cobblestone street. The above photo features a very uncommon view of Ashton Lane, empty, devoid of revellers. (If you’re looking to see Ashton Lane like this, try after midnight between Sunday and Monday.)
Ashton Lane is one of the foremost party streets in Glasgow, jam-packed with people in their finest party gear every Friday and Saturday evening, sunworshippers sipping cappuccinos on sunny days, students catching a few pints after classes, people dining at the Ubiquitous Chip or at any other the many other restaurants (2 for 1 gourmet burgers anyone?), and with people catching a movie at the Grosvenor Cinema (£2 for students on Tuesdays!).
You’ll notice that students tend to frequent Ashton Lane during the week and especially in the afternoons and early evenings, replaced for the evenings and especially the weekend’s party nights by a better dressed and thicker walleted group of people. A little cruel twist of humor: imagine drunken people on high heels trying to walk on wet cobblestones. Great entertainment!
You can get a bit of history about Ashton Lane on Wikipedia.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
This Way to Ashton Lane
I randomly found this sign on University Avenue, just in the Shadow of the Hetherington Research Club and George House. If you looked at a map of this particular area, you’ll notice that Ashton Lane runs right into University Avenue. Go on, take a look at this map. Well, it used to run to University Avenue until the 1960s when the University shook things up in the 60s and 70s and demolished tenement buildings from the 1800s, and built beauties such as the Boyd Orr Building and the Maths Building in their place. What now constitutes an entry road into a car park next to the Boyd Orr Building and the Maths Building used to be one end of Ashton Lane. (You can still walk from this spot the way Ashton Lane used to run, now you just have to go under the Boyd Orr Building, which you can do.)
What is this ‘Ashton Lane’ I speak of, you ask? Come back tomorrow and we’ll explore the surroundings of Glasgow University a bit more!
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Midwifery, Not History of Magic
I keep hearing students being a bit disappointed that during Freshers’ Week not one person shouted “Expelliamus” nor did the welcome packet include a book of magic or even a measly magic wand. Freshers’ Fair was also a let down for some as there wasn’t a Harry Potter Appreciation Society or even a Gryffindor House Society at the University of Glasgow. The closest thing to that effect would be the GU Science Fiction & Fantasy Society (IO), but it’s not solely a Harry Potter Fan Club.
Here’s a solution to any new or old student at Glasgow University who, like the prospective students in the photo above on Open Day, fantasize about Glasgow University being Hogwarts: Start your own society or club. No really, go for it. Check out the SRC website, under Clubs, for more information on how to start the Hogwarts Society or whatever you want to call it. There are a lot of societies at the University, a Harry Potter society would fit right in.
At Glasgow University midwifery is a part of Nursing and Healthcare in the Faculty of Medicine. I don’t think they have offices or lectures in the East Quadrangle of the Main Building anymore.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Autumn Is A Stressful Time
The first week of the 2009/2010 Academic Year is almost over and people are slowly starting to recover from Freshers’ Flu (or it’s just about to hit them).
This is also the time when the whole weight of University Life comes down on everyone full force as everything you signed up for on Freshers’ Week is now emailing you and inviting you to whatever social gathering or event they’re throwing. Pub crawls, fancy dress parties, pub quizzes, society elections, you name it. Everyone of your friends from last year who had their birthday during the summer months is having a belated birthday party. Everyone who moved into a flat with some friends is hosting a flat warming party in the next week or so. The first essays are due in the month. You’re filling in various forms for council tax exemption and student loans and grants and your letting agency. If you’re from England you haven’t gotten your student loans yet, adding a huge amount of stress on your shoulders. You’re running to Ikea to buy cheap furniture to fill the emptiness of your new flat. The reading lists for all your subjects are daunting. Hundreds of pounds are being spent on your course books and materials, new or second-hand. And it’s almost Halloween, so better start thinking about what to wear.
It’s a stressful time for University students.
To balance that I offer a simple solution. If at any point the sun comes out, or at least the rain stops for an hour or so, head down to Kelvingrove Park and appreciate the leaves turning many shades of fiery colours. Just go for a stroll or even a small picnic during lunch time. Grab your course reading list, find one of the books from the library, and go sit in the park to read for a bit. Get away from the chaos of the first weeks of the Academic year on campus.
I took the above photo on a short stroll though Kelvingrove Park. It was windy, yes. The sun came out for 20 seconds and then disappeared for a minute. It rained for about 45 seconds a few times. But it was a whole world away from the stress of this time of the year.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Crooked
Looking up towards the Main Building of the University, I noticed that once of the weather vanes on top of the Hunterian Museum part of the Gilbert Scott Building was a bit crooked. Must’ve been a windy day in the past. Not really something anyone’s going to just quickly climb up and fix, is it?
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Boyd Orr at Sunset
I have found a pretty side to the Boyd Orr Building! I took this photo out of my window late one evening as the sun was setting. I guess the setting sun just makes everything seem nicer, doesn’t it.
On the topic of the Boyd Orr Building, apparently one of the two main lecture theatres, as you enter from University Avenue, has been completely renewed! I’ve posted a photo of the other lecture theatre back at the end of August (see here), so I’ll try to get a photo of the other lecture theatre as soon as I can.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Stone Plaque from the Old College
This stone plaque, located directly below the University Tower, is one of the several legacies from the Old College on High Street, demolished in the late 1870s when the University moved to Glasgow’s West End. A smaller plaque below the stone plaque reads:
The stone plaque, above, marked the site in the High Street, Glasgow, of the old College Gateway.
The plaque was gifted to the University by the General Council of Glasgow University and erected on 10th October 1955, to commemorate the fifth centenary of the University in January 1951.
The plaque was salvaged by the University, prior to demolition of the High Street buildings in which it had been incorporated, and re-erected here in 1991.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
B is for… Bus Service [ABC Sundae]
Many first year students (who begin their university careers tomorrow by the way) live in student halls of residence at either Murano Street, Cairncross House, Kelvinhaugh Street, Kelvinhaugh Gate, Winton Drive, and Wolfson Halls, all of which are between 10 and 45 minute walks away. Mercifully, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) offers a free minibus service to the student halls Monday to Friday from 5.45pm to 10.55pm, as well as some morning runs to and from Wolfson Halls which is 45 minutes away by foot at the Garscube Campus.
This is extra handy for the students new to Glasgow who aren’t well acquinted with the area between their halls and the campus and especially those who don’t wish to brave the cold and dark autumn nights by foot. The buses run from behind the John McIntyre Building by the Main Gate. For schedules see the SRC website at glasgowstudent.net.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The University from Byres Road
And now, for something completely different. The University of Glasgow lies on Gilmorehill, one of the taller points in the city of Glasgow. I’ve been looking for a shot which would demonstrate how tall the buildings are and that the campus lies at the top of a hill.
This photo, well, this faux-HDR composite photo, was taken from the very top of Byres Road from a third floor window. You can pretty well see the University Library, the very top of the University Tower, the Boyd Orr Building and the roof of the Adam Smith Building. If you click through to the Flickr page by clicking on the photo above, you’ll see that I’ve added notes to the picture detailing where the University buildings are, as well as some of the other West End buildings visible in the photo, such as the Hillhead Library. Just roll your mouse over the photo and you’ll see the notes outlined.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
New Entrance to The Hive
If you’ve followed the Twitter feed (@GlasgowUniPhoto) of this blog, you would know that Plan A for today’s post was meant to be a collage of the events of the fifth day of Freshers’ Week 2009 at Glasgow University. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much going on around campus on Friday, so I moved to Plan B.
Plan B was to post a picture of the Iron Stomach competition at the Glasgow University Union. The GUU website describes the Iron Stomach competition as:
The premier student eating contest.
Firstly, it’s probably best that I clarify that Iron Stomach does not involve eating
students – the tagline often catches people out. Iron Stomach is one of the Union’s
longest-running games events – the boards in the Beer Bar detail a line of winners
stretching all the way back to the 60s. The basic premise is that contestants must eat
their way through a colossal amount of food in the fastest time, with a fantastic prize,
immortalisation on the Beer Bar boards, and (presumably) an extremely sore stomach at
the end of the line.
If you want a better idea of what the Iron Stomach is, search for it on YouTube. Unfortunately, the competition this week was for Freshers’ Only, so I wasn’t allowed in to take a photograph. So, Plan C.
Plan C was basically just anything I could find on my walk home, which is the above, the entrance to the Glasgow University Union’s 1960s extention which contains the Union’s clubs, including The Hive. The red “The Hive” sign is new, as is the yellow “GUU” sign covering what used to be a dirty white 1960s style entrance. Good riddance, looks a lot better and inviting this way.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Day Four, Freshers’ Week ’09

I suggest you view a larger version of the photo, or even the original 3000 x 3000 version, as the above 500 x 500 version doesn’t allow for too much detail.
You can get all the information on Glasgow University’s Freshers’ Week 2009 on the University Website. I’ll also post some tweets about what’s going on around campus during this week at http://www.twitter.com/GlasgowUniPhoto.
This post is a part of Freshers’ Week. For more theme weeks, check under the Themes section.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Day Three, Freshers’ Week ’09
I suggest you view a larger version of the photo, or even the original 3000 x 3000 version, as the above 500 x 500 version doesn’t allow for too much detail.
You can get all the information on Glasgow University’s Freshers’ Week 2009 on the University Website. I’ll also post some tweets about what’s going on around campus during this week at http://www.twitter.com/GlasgowUniPhoto.
This post is a part of Freshers’ Week. For more theme weeks, check under the Themes section.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Day Two, Freshers’ Week ’09
I spent most of the day at the Freshers Fair, as you can tell by the number of stalls featured in the collage above. I suggest you view a larger version of the photo, or even the original 3000 x 3000 version, as the above 500 x 500 version doesn’t allow for too much detail.
You can get all the information on Glasgow University’s Freshers’ Week 2009 on the University Website. I’ll also post some tweets about what’s going on around campus during this week at http://www.twitter.com/GlasgowUniPhoto.
This post is a part of Freshers’ Week. For more theme weeks, check under the Themes section.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Day One, Freshers’ Week ’09
In the above collage of photographs you can find photos taken around campus on Monday September 14th, the first day of Freshers’ Week 2009. The main event of the day, the Freshers’ Address inside Bute Hall, is heavily featured in the collage. I will tag each photo in the collage later on on the Flickr page, and will update this post as soon as that’s been done. I suggest you view a larger version of the photo, or even the original 3000 x 3000 version, as the above 500 x 500 version doesn’t allow for too much detail.
You can get all the information on Glasgow University’s Freshers’ Week 2009 on the University Website. I’ll also post some tweets about what’s going on around campus during this week at http://www.twitter.com/GlasgowUniPhoto.
This post is a part of Freshers’ Week. For more theme weeks, check under the Themes section.
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
East Quadrangle on Open Day
One more from Wednesday’s Open Day at Glasgow University, this one, a panorama, taken from the north-east corner of the East Quadrangle. The University lucked in weather-wise because the sun shone brightly all day and rain was nowhere to be seen. Pretty much everybody in the photo is a part of the 10,000ish prospective students who took over our Uni for one day.
There is also a larger version (1024 x 227) and the original version (11140 x 2468!!!) of the above photo on Flickr.
Next week’s posts will be somewhat different, as it’s Freshers’ Week. Instead of one single photo per day, I will post a collage of the best shots of the day. Instead of the day’s post appearing in the early hours of the day or by mid afternoon, I will post the day’s collage late in the evening of the day the photos were taken. So look for the first Freshers’ Week ’09 Collage tomorrow at around 10pm! (Give or take, as I don’t actually have access to the internet at my flat yet.)
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Bute Hall on Open Day
This is the inside of Bute Hall, just above the Cloisters. Glasgow University’s Great Hall is typically used for graduations, speeches, exams and events such as Freshers’ Fair and Open Day (see above photo).
This is the first time I’ve managed to actually get inside Bute Hall with a camera and the intent to take photos. The only times before last Wednesday that I’ve been inside Bute Hall have been Freshers’ Week 2008 (too many distractions to even remember to look up) and last April/May for a few exams (not enough time to deviate from the exam to look up).
Granted, it’s not the best photo, but this’ll have to do for now. The next time I venture into Bute Hall will be next week when it will all look very different indeed with Freshers’ Fair going on.
By the way, the long line in the middle of Bute Hall is full of prospective students lining up to the admissions table.
As Freshers’ Week ’09 is just around the corner, help me out by having your say in the poll below!
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The T is Back!!
Just a quick update on a previous post. Back in June I showed a detail from the Memorial Gates of one of the latest additions to the gate, the name of John Smith. Back then the “T” in the name had fallen off and was precariously just sitting on the gate. Well, good news everybody, the T is back, firmly attached to the gate once more!
I noticed it while I was out taking a closeup of the Adam Smith part of the Memorial Gates for last Sunday’s theme day. Glad to see that it’s been fixed, finally, but really, whoever chose the material and did the actual attaching of the name to the gate in the first place needs to get their act together. I can understand something like this occurring after decades or even centuries of being beaten up by Scottish weather, but to deteriorate to this state in less than 10 years? I wag my finger at whoever is responsible.
Speaking of the letter T, or more precisely, tea, a Glasgow University study has found that green and black tea, as well as several fruit juices, may help prevent heart disease in humans. Wouldn’t that mean that the British ought to have some of the lowest levels of heart disease in the world, considering how much tea they consume? More info on the University website and in the Scotsman.
As Freshers’ Week ’09 is just around the corner, help me out by having your say in the poll below!
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Open Day at Glasgow University
If you happened to be around the West End of Glasgow yesterday you might have noticed that the average age of the people around you had dropped significantly and that everyone was carrying around a green canvas bag with the words “GLASGOW Get More Out Of It.” Yesterday was Open Day at the University of Glasgow.
Open Day, in the simplest of terms, means that there were some 10,000 prospective students wandering around the Glasgow University campus, by themselves or with a group of friends, looking a bit lost. At least it wasn’t raining, as it has for the last few weeks, every. single. day. It was a nice warm and sunny day, luckily, as the University looks a lot prettier when the sun comes out.
The University organized tours of buildings and gave several lectures, including, apparently, a talk on the chemistry of chocolate and ice cream. The green canvas bags contained the 2010 Prospectus and various leaflets and information for the prospective students who hopefully enjoyed a nice day away fom the classroom. One of the leaflets handed out was a map of a self-guided tour. of the University. Interestingly the walking tour completely skips the Adam Smith Building. Wonder why…
I took quite a few photos yesterday afternoon while checking out what the whole Open Day business was all about, so I’ll post some of the better ones in the coming days. You can find the Open Day Brochure on the University website, as well as the 2010 Prospectus, if you’re interested.
As Freshers’ Week ’09 is just around the corner, help me out by having your say in the poll below!
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The Memorial Gates at Night [Photo #100!]
Today marks the 100th Photo at Glasgow University in Photos! Statistics-wise, the numbers are rising and I’m happy to be getting valuable feedback and a nod from several people at the University. I’ve been contacted by the Library staff and the Archive Services staff with kind offers of assistance. Some time in the near future I will have another week-long Theme Week featuring the library, who have offered to collaborate with me for it. (If you have anything from the Library that you would want to see featured during that week, do let me know in the comments below or through the contact form.) I’m also going to visit the Archive Services building soon on a fact-finding mission so I will be capable of offering you, the reader, more information about the University of Glasgow (basically saving you a trip to the Archives or to Wikipedia). I’ve also received visitors from the Glasgow University Student Network page, as they kindly posted a link to this blog on the Student Blogs page, as well as the Glasgow University Business School news page, which listed this blog under External News and Blogs.
I’ve featured the Memorial Gates before, but only by showing the detail for “Smith” and “Adam Smith”. This is the first successful photo of the whole of the Memorial Gates that I’ve managed to get, albeit I did inadvertently leave out King James II and William Turnbull. Oops! (For the record, the thing in the photo that kinda looks like the moon is just a glare form the street light just outside the shot.)
As this is a special 100th photo post, I won’t dwell on the Memorial Gates, instead directing you to my previous posts on the Memorial Gates, and to the fantastic University of Glasgow Story website by the Archives Services. Oh, and the Memorial Gates now has a Wikipedia entry as well. Interestingly, whoever wrote the article decided to use this blog as one of its sources. Go figure.
Anyhow, that was photo number 100! Number 101 will come tomorrow, number 102 the day after that, and so on until I graduate some 1000 photos from now in 2012!
As Freshers’ Week ’09 is just around the corner, help me out by having your say in the poll below!
[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com










![B is for... Bus Service [ABC Sundae]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/3934114395_89a164a8cd.jpg)














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