With just a couple of days left to submit your nominations to run in our 2025 Spring Elections, hear from some former Student Presidents why you should want to take part. 

Alicia Bickerstaff: GSA Student President 2024 - 2025

Number 1… it’s a great opportunity to champion a cause that you really believe in. As either Student President or Vice President–Education you are the lead representative of the students here at GSA, and that gives you the opportunity to work with local, university or national leaders to fight for causes that you care about and think will improve the experiences of students. Some examples of this that we’ve done over the last few years includes the Trans Healthcare Week of Events where we put on events to raise money for student healthcare, or the Fight for the Night campaign which was 16 days of action around gender-based violence.

Number 2… it’s fun! While, to be completely honest, this job isn’t always the easiest and it is quite high-pressure, there is still so much fun that comes along with it. The Vic Bar is now fully reopened and that is so exciting. As Sabbatical Officer you can work with our team to programme any events, and you also have the opportunity to make some amazing friends through this job and be part of a community that I absolutely love. I’ve been so inspired in my time working here.

Number 3… access to creative resources. As a Sabbatical Officer, you continue to have access to all of the Adobe Suite, all of our workshops and you continue to have access to the library and all of the resources there. It’s a really great opportunity to able to continue studying and be able to continue your academic practice. I was able to undertake a PG cert qualification and do some teacher training as well, so it’s been a great way to develop my creative network, my professional skills and get to understand the creative industry.

Ted Tinkler: GSA Student President 2023 - 2024

[Taken from 2023 blog post]

This message from me is perhaps a tad more on the self-indulgent side than my usual ones but I hope it might offer you a bit more of a down-to-earth glimpse in what we are busy doing at the Students’ Association and what I get up to as Student President. 

• Facilitating a trans healthcare fundraiser, campaign, and series of events.
• Sorting funding to open GSASA as a free and open “warm space” for students (and staff).
• Working with students and the GSASA team to distribute the Palestine Solidarity Open Letter and to facilitate Palestine Solidarity events.
• Setting up a divestment workshop & pre-workshop workshops so that student voice will be at the heart of GSA’s ethical investment policy – as it should be! Part of this is making sure that students are confident in talking about divestment, their wants, and their needs.
• Driving change through the GSASA, particularly through our Board of Trustees. Which also includes students!
• Being a fierce student representative, alongside Alicia (<<<superstar), at all the many meetings we attend, and all the spaces we participate in.
• Supporting the reformation/formation of societies at GSASA – e.g., facilitating a film screening centred around intersectional feminism, supporting the new Disabled Students’ Societies, making sure we also programme and facilitate POC centred and led spaces (like in Freshers' Week workshops).
• Employing recent graduates in a huge variety of spaces! From workshop facilitators, to performers, DJs, graphic designers, and event decorators.

Sam De Santis: GSASA Student President 2012 – 2014

Anyone interested in influencing how the institution operates should consider running for Sabbatical Officer. Representing students at every level of The Glasgow School of Art is a privilege which also opens up networks, experience and opportunities that only those that have done the role in the past can fully appreciate. Yes it’s a lot of work, and yes it can be extremely challenging, but ultimately, it’s a empowering role respected by the institution that you’ll learn a tonne from. 

Interested in applying? Check out our Canvas page! 

Image by @bellamalora