In the coming months, students walking through or studying on level 1 will notice a 60 Years of Activism display taking shape on the ACTION wall. The display is the result of months of research and work by one of Strath Union's student staff members, Ashanti Magoma.

Since working for Strath Union part‐time as Student Engagement Staff for the Voice Team, Ashanti has been able to provide support to surrounding student‐led campaigns at Strath, in various capacities ‐ from admin to organisational and promotional support. Over the past year though, her work's focus has shifted to a research project, uncovering past campaigns that have left an impact on Strathclyde as we know it today.

Over the past 6 months, as part of my work as Student Engagement Support staff at Strath Union, I have been researching all things History of Campaigns at Strath Union.

This has involved deep diving into historical archives and old Telegraph papers at the Strathclyde Andersonian library, getting in touch with previous campaign figures at the Union, looking into the Strath Union iDrive database and filling in the gaps with a bit of online research too.

There has been so much to look into, and there is still so much more left to uncover! I am by no means an historical expert, as will be seen here. But even from what has been collated, there are some key takeaways to be appreciated from the Strath campaign timeline

The importance of documentation

It has been especially apparent to me as someone actively researching Strath's campaign history, that without the proper recording and documentation of events, it is difficult to gain any real meaning of what issues students cared about and wanted to change at a given point in time. Whilst this may seem an obvious point, considering the gaps in knowledge of certain time‐periods in Strath Union history, it is still an important one to note.

It must also be said that the most comprehensive documentation of campaigns has not been found in Strath Union Parliament minutes or archive documents, but from the extensive editions of the Strathclyde Telegraph. Without the student and volunteer‐led paper, this research project would simply not be possible, as there would be nothing of real substance to uncover. Through the Telegraph, decades of students have been empowered to express their views and recount events on behalf of their peers, with the understanding of what will engage their like‐minded audience.

And the outcome is gold! Not only do the articles on campaigns present information in a digestible format, but the often‐back‐to‐back paper releases also shine a brighter light on the wider perception of activist movements among students, compared to the dim records of formal committee meetings.

Student engagement support & campaigns

Campaign coverage from student groups such as the Strathclyde Telegraph is a testament to the significance of Strath Union's student engagement functions in supporting campaigns. If the Telegraph was not affiliated and funded by the Union, efforts from campaign groups and movements would lose the 'clout' to build momentum and gain traction for their causes from the paper releases. Apart from this, the relevant activities of the Debate society (also historically affiliated and funded by Strath Union) were also seen to have inspired many key campaigners to take action for issues they cared about, and even take on sabbatical roles at the Union to do as such.

And of course, where Strath Union sabbatical officers have consistently listened to and acted on behalf of student groups, campaign wins have been routinely achieved. Moreover, where a form of dedicated campaign support has existed at the Union, student movements have been well‐equipped to act autonomously to achieve their goals. 

Many a campaign at the Union has often related to politics, more specifically contrasting views during election seasons and budget cuts (on both a Union and government scale), as well as debate over Strath Union's affiliation to the wider National Union of Students (NUS). The Union's support of such discussion has clearly always aimed to support all parties in freely expressing their opinions, though over the time, clear boundaries on the temperaments with which students are allowed to deliver these views have been established.

Even without Strath Union support, the passion and dedication of our past student campaigners would exist regardless. The campaign history is evidence though that the efforts from the various Student Engagement Support roles at the Union have played a key role in providing the infrastructure for these ideas to result in tangible action at Strathclyde and beyond.

Lasting legacy of past campaigns

Despite studying at Strathclyde since 2020, before starting this project there were many aspects of my university experience at Strathclyde that I didn't realise were a direct result of previous students' campaign wins. From free Wednesday afternoons to the university's late‐submission policy, and even the decision to move to the new Strath Union building that I now work in on Level 8!

Bringing to light the campaign history by students at Strath Union will be a key step to prevent the erasure of often grassroots student involvement in progressive policy at the University of Strathclyde and its wider institutions. In the current climate where protests and direct action are being heavily policed, protecting evidence of where the outcomes of such activism were beneficial to the Strathclyde community can only serve as empowerment for the students of today and leverage for future campaigns

Cyclic nature of campaign movements

One of the overarching emotions felt during my research into Strath Union campaigns was frustration at how often the same issues reared their head again and again. Much like the nature of movements out with the Strathclyde sphere, it appeared as though a few inspired individuals or a significant global event would trigger a new wave of activism for it to eventually die‐down again after burn‐out or once the campaign aims were half‐fulfilled.

Being involved in various campaigns as a student myself though, the frustration was most present on my reflection that many of issues I was fighting against had actually already been won by previous students but were later reversed by the university. Whilst it cannot be helped that a student's ability to be directly involved in university campaigns is limited by the length of their studies, increasing the transparency of past campaigns can help to ensure a proper 'handover' is in place between students.

Key Campaigning Figures

A narrative bias may be at play considering the mediums accessed for this campaign history deep‐dive, but it can still be determined that with each 'era' of campaigning at Strath Union, there are key famous figures to be identified. If Strath Union had a campaigning 'Hall of Fame', names like Tam McTurk, Dan Glass, Simian Kaur, Matt Crilly and Kayla‐Megan Burns would certainly be worthy of an induction. During their time at Strathclyde, these students seized every opportunity to speak up and act for the issues that they cared about, with most ending up in an Executive Officer position at the Union. When reaching to the more recent ex-Strathclyder campaigners for their insights, their responses are further proof of this.

Collaboration and solidarity between movements

Even though stand‐out past campaigners often had a niche concern of activism, they did not isolate themselves completely to one area of focus. Across the campaign timeline, shows of solidarity and collaboration between campaign movements are evident. Whether it be the Muirhead Women's Union in the 1980s promoting LGBT+ rights and the Gay Rep position opening in the 1980s, or the cross‐over activism between the Stop the War and climate action movements in 2008‐2009, Strathclyde students have consistently recognised the importance of aligning agendas to affect structural change. It has been fascinating exploring the connections between different campaign themes and gaining inspiration from how these movements have come together in unique ways.

The Strath Union campaigns have been separated into broad themes: Women's Rights, Anti‐Conflict, Housing, Inclusion, NUS, Education, Climate, Sexual Health, Sports, Students vs Exec and 'Other' campaign history. Where possible, the themes are further separated into campaign narratives. The records accessed to achieve this work are outlined as well as recommendations for future research.