Welcome to Ayrshire College Student Association

WHAT WE DO

As soon as you enrol at Ayrshire College you automatically become a member of our award-winning Students’ Association and can take advantage of being part of this Ayrshire wide network.

The Student Association exists to support and represent the 14,000 students across the college’s campuses including apprentices, part-time students and evening students. Regardless of your mode of study, the Association is here for you!

We also help bring students together through events, clubs, sports, initiatives and campaigns and by providing opportunities for volunteering and social interaction.

We are an autonomous organisation which works in close partnership with the college and have our own governing document, known as the Constitution.

The Association’s elected officers work closely with college staff to ensure that you have the best possible student experience therefore, if you have an issue which is a barrier to your learning or which is having a negative impact on your ability to reach your potential here at Ayrshire College, we're here to help! 

The Student Association is led by two full-time student officers known as ‘sabbatical officers' - the Student President and Student Vice President. The sabbatical officers are elected by the students each year and are in post for one year, with the opportunity to stand for election for a second year.

This year your Student President is Linda Corbett and your Student Vice President is Tim Chan.

The Student Association is supported by a dedicated full-time member of staff, the Student Association Advisor.  The Advisor's role is to support the work of the Student Association and to ensure that the Sabbatical Officers and their Executive Committee have the information, knowledge, training and resources they need to run a successful association. The Advisor is also there to help students turn ideas into action. From fundraising to starting a club or society, the Student Association Advisor is here to help.

The Student Association team are here to support all Ayrshire College students, therefore spread their time between campuses. When not on campus, the officers can be contacted quickly through Email or Teams.

Representing You

Ayrshire College recognises Ayrshire College Students' Association as a democratically run organisation, committed to serving and representing the students of the college.

The Student President and Student Vice President sit on the College's Board of Management, as full student Board members, and do so to provide a voice for students on organisational decisions that may affect them.

Students may also be recruited for an Officer role. Officers will have a specific role such as LGBT+ and Women’s Officer to invigorate events of those themes. This ensures our events represents these communities in the best manner.

We welcome feedback from all students. The Association Sabbatical Officers are on campus and are available via email and Teams. If you would like contact either of the Officers please email studentassociation@ayrshire.ac.uk or reach out on Teams.

Get Involved!

There are many ways in which you can get involved in the work of the Association;

Become a Class Ambassador - With training and lots of help from the Student Association team, you could support students on your campus to have a say in improving their College experience, gaining valuable skills and having something that demonstrates your leadership skills to add to your CV.

Become a Mental Health and Wellbeing Ambassador – With support from the Student Association, as well as the Mental Health and Wellbeing Champions, you can help with events, campaigns and communicating information which promotes our students’ mental health and wellbeing.

Become a Student Officer - Why not apply for our officer’s positions. These roles allow those with protected characteristics and interest in different areas to play a vital link in the landscape of student representation. As a Student Officer you will work closely with the Student Association and other college departments to promote events, campaigns and awareness raising.  Being a Student Officer also provides you with extensive personal development opportunities and are a great addition to your CV.  There are different Student Officer post available throughout the year and information about when we are recruiting for officers will land in your student inbox.

Join or start a Club or Society – The Student Association supports students to facilitate a range of clubs for you to join such as our Chess Club, Student Carers Group and LGBT+ Group. If you have an idea for a club, we are also here to support you and help you get started.  If you are interested in joining, sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/Sgswpb6jCe

Fundraise - If you would like to fundraise, give us a shout, we can help with fundraising ideas, promoting your event and can provide resources such as collection buckets.

Events and Campaigns - The Association runs events and initiatives throughout the year, and we are always looking for volunteers to help. We can also help students with their own campaigns. If you feel strongly about a particular cause and would like to build a campaign to raise awareness amongst students, we can give you advice on how to go about it safely and effectively and support you to put your idea into motion.

Focus Groups - The Association support various focus groups to gather student opinion on a wide range of topics. Invitations to take part in Focus Groups on various topics will be sent to your student mailbox during the year.

Student President Elections - Every year during Spring, ACSA holds its Student President elections, and we need enthusiastic students to come forward to stand for election. The elections determine who will be the Student President and Student Vice President for the following year. The roles are full time, paid positions and are open to any student over the age of 16. For nomination forms, please check your student inboxes frequently nearer the time.

Use your Vote! - the Student President and Vice President are there to represent you. Make sure that we have the best people in place by using your vote in ACSA elections.

Ongoing Student Association Events and Campaigns

Battle For Scotland - Online

This event is a Scotland-wide tournament spanning 15 universities and 13 colleges where students compete across a range of games.  Running from the 2^nd October to 26^th November, a prize pool of £2,500 is up for grabs for competitors. Students must go through trials to prove their abilities within their institution, for a chance to represent their college or university against others. Current trials have ended but will be available again for the Summer Bracket. All games will be broadcasted onto the twitch and their socials can be found here as well: https://linktr.ee/battleforscotland

#mymentalhealthmatters

To mark a month-long campaign of raising awareness of mental health issues from the 10th September to the 10th October, the Student Association in partnership with the Mental Health Liaison Officer, Equality & Inclusion and Health, Safety & Wellbeing teams will be encouraging students and staff to think about what 'mental health' means to you. Currently, we have the talking wall to inspire talk about their mental health and weekly newsletters by our Mental Health Liaison Officer (Michelle Morton) about important topics students may need guidance on.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Drop Ins

Do you want to make improvements to your emotional & mental health but don’t know where to begin? The mental health advice drop-ins are offered on a first-come-first-seen basis and is a 1:1 chat with the Mental Health Liaison Officer (Michelle Morton). Each student will be given a 30-minute slot to discuss their concerns and be offered a range of resources and signposting information to help improve their overall emotional wellbeing. If you’re interested and would like to book a slot, please look for the Mental Health & Wellbeing Drop In posters at the Student Association Office.

Reclaim the Night

This event is part of our Women’s campaign work and happens each year in November to mark the National White Ribbon Campaign. The event is aimed at raising awareness of the threat and perceived threat of sexual violence to women on our streets, especially at night. The Events allows participants to call for safe street for everyone and is open to males and females. More information about this event will come sooner to the date through your student inbox.

Periods R Pants

Do you know that the Scottish Government has introduced financial provision for free sanitary products to all students across Scotland? This is to eradicate period poverty so that a students education is not impacted negatively by them not being able to attend college due to the cost of sanitary wear. You can access free sanitary products in the College's female and accessible toilets and from Student Services and the Student Association. If you are interested in doing your bit to help reduce sanitary waste, you can access free sustainable products, such as Mooncups, washable pads, and period pants from the Student Association office. Please contact studentassociation@ayrshire.ac.uk.

LGBT+ History Month

LGBT+ History Month takes place in February each year to remember and celebrate the contribution Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people have made to our society. By marking LGBT+ History month here at the college we hope to help increase the visibility of LGBT+ people, advance education on the matters affecting the LGBT+ community, help to create safe spaces for LGBT+ students and staff and help to ensure that LGBT+ people live, learn and work in a society which allows them to fulfil their potential. If you would like to contribute to LGBT+ History Month, let us know. There is also an LGBT+ Group where you can find a welcoming community. For more information on the support available to LGBT+ Students, please contact studentassociation@ayrshire.ac.uk. 

National Union of Students

Ayrshire College Student Association is affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS) and we receive lots of support and guidance from our colleagues at NUS Scotland.

NUS Scotland brings together students from colleges and universities all over Scotland to fight for changes which make a real difference to all students’ lives.

As well as various initiatives and campaigns that students can get involved in, NUS offer students the opportunity to take advantage of a wide range of Student Discounts through their NUS Totum Card.

For more information on NUS Scotland, please see their website: https://www.nus-scotland.org.uk/

Contact Us

Email: studentassociation@ayrshire.ac.uk

Teams: 

- Linda Corbett

- Tim Chan 

Social Media:

- Twitter - @AyrshireColleSA

- Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/ayrshirecollsa_/