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07 AYRSHIRE UPDATE Ayrshire College Students’ Association From the fun of Freshers Week to the serious business of appointing the class reps, it has been a busy start to the academic term for Ayrshire College’s Students’ Association. Here, president Sharon Rennie and vice-presidents Steven Fegan, Mary Palmer and Mark McMillan, explain what has been happening. Sharon Rennie, Student President “It has been all go since the start of term and there is a great atmosphere across the three campuses. There have been a few teething problems, which is to be expected, but we will learn from them as we go along. I hope new and returning students are settling in well. If any students require further support or have any ideas on how to improve life at Ayrshire College, contact your student VPs, who introduce themselves below. Coming up, we will be recruiting for the Ayrshire College Students’ Association (ACSA) Executive Committee Members over the next few weeks and plan to have officers in place when we return from the October break. There are eight positions available - secretary, LGBT, disability/ equal opportunities, welfare, events/ fundraising, women, mature students and young persons officer. Any student who has background knowledge of these positions, is willing to learn and has a few hours a week to spare can apply. Training will be given to all officers in their respective field, and it may be possible to incorporate this into their studies. If this doesn’t quite suit, there is always the option of becoming a class rep. His or her job is to be the voice of the students, to present the views of their class as a whole, and to ensure their classmates are all receiving quality learning and teaching to enable them to be successful in their chosen careers. It’s important that every class has one, so let us know if you’d like to get involved. Dates for the first class reps meeting will be issued soon and will be advertised on Facebook, plasma screens and notice boards. Freshers week has taken place across all campuses and there were lots of freebies, fun and free advice out there, from agencies as diverse as the Community Housing Trust, Samarit ans, Sexual Health, NHS and more. A real highlight for staff and students was the Giggle Pod, a portable photo booth where you could dress up and get fun photos taken and have them printed there and then. Domino’s provided free pizza and drinks over the three days and Sharon from Herbalife made sure we all had access to their health drinks. Big thanks to all who attended. The three VPs and I are working on the new constitution and hope to have it finalised by the end of September. We will keep students up to date with our progress and in the meantime if you want to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected] Steven Fegan, VP Ayr and Cumnock Campuses “I’d like to welcome everyone to Ayrshire College and look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions for improving your course or college experience. You will be able to find me in the Students’ Association office which is in room G15 at Ayr, or in the Learning Development Advisors room at Cumnock every Wednesday. You can also email me at [email protected] You’ll also see me out and about, so please free to stop me for a chat! The Students’ Association is there for you so make the most of it.”  Mary Palmer, student VP, Kilmarnock Campus “I am a returning officer so I have considerable experience of representing students at a local and national level.  I look forward to working with my colleagues over the next year. We will work together to listen to what you have to say and to act on your behalf to make sure that your time at Ayrshire College is not only educational but enjoyable and fun. Contact me at: [email protected] Mark McMillan, student VP, Kilwinning Campus “I’ll be working alongside the Student President and my colleagues at Ayr and Kilmarnock to help students get the most from their time at Ayrshire College. I’ve been a student myself for the last three years, so I know many of the issues that matter to you, and I will make sure your voice is heard. I’ll be based in the Students’ Association office in Kilwinning, so if you need to get in touch, then please drop in, or contact me by e-mail at [email protected]