Imagine there was a group of people, whose faces we have never seen and names we do not know, that sit around in a secret room and dictate the university’s strategy and finances, covering issues from housing to the number of Americans that are here (no offence Americans, you are great but there is just a lot of you). That group is the University Court… and for the first time ever, we get to elect a senior lay member!  

The importance of this court should not and cannot be understated. Anything and everything that has ever been a source of complaint from students at this university is under their jurisdiction. Tuition fees? That’s them. Accommodation fees? Them again. New student accommodation? That’s the court! 

So why haven’t we heard of this court before now? Well to be completely fair to them, they do publish the minutes of their meeting here:

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/about/governance/court/meetings/minutes/

But you would not be alone in having not seen their page or these minutes in the entire time you have been at this university. Because whilst they still publish them, they don’t publicise them. There’s no email to students, no posts on social media, not a hint of anything on any major student platforms. It’s no wonder students have no idea about them.

What makes it worse is that there is an election for a Senior Lay Member of this court and we haven’t heard a peep from the university about how they will run it. However, thanks to Students Association President Jamie Rodney, University publications have been given the heads up to let the student population know that this major election is coming in November.

So I plead to you, look out for the Senior Lay Member election this November, look at the candidates and take the time to vote for a member who will truly represent our interests in this elusive court.