Editorial #302

A day prior to the release of The Saint’s first issue of the year, I and the rest of the paper’s executive team took a trip to the Walter Bower House in Guardbridge. 

There lie stacks of copies of St Andrews’ various university newspapers throughout time. Quorum, Aien, the St Andrews Chronicle, and then The Saint. 

An issue of Aien published almost exactly 73 years ago, on 16 October 1953, explains the role of the University Rector on the front page: “St Andrews is the only University in Scotland with a working rector, i.e., a man who regularly takes his place as chairman of the University Court, which controls the policy and the finances of the University.”

The piece hinged on The Royal Commission's controversial opinion that the Court “should be led by the active Supreme Principal of the University, and that the students’ representative should be removed from the second office of the University to become an ordinary member of the Court.” This is the equivalent of declaring Sally Mapstone to head the University Court and doing away with whichever student-elected rector is in office.

Worry not: the article describes a victory for the students, who made “determined assaults” on the ruling and thus confirmed that the Rector would remain chairman of Court.

Aien, in 1953, reported that, were the Rector to be stripped of his position, “the University would lose the services of men of ability, diplomacy, wisdom and impartiality, such as have always been elected by the students of St Andrews to serve as their rector.”

“It is certain that this victory could not have been gained” says this anonymous student journalist, “[...] if the student body had not shown itself capable of intelligent and constructive thought, and sincere regard for the future of the University.”

But, as they do, things have changed since then. Perhaps the rectors of today do not have the same on-campus preeminence they did 70 years ago. And yet it’s a nice idea — that whichever privileges we have at this university today were somehow afforded us by its past students.

There aren’t many who are invested in University politics, but maybe there ought to be. If we look back, the role of University Rector has been held by a pretty significant bunch: writers Rudyard Kipling, J.M. Barrie, and the philosopher John Stuart Mill, to name a few. If you search, you can find their addresses and speeches to St Andrews students. It’s inspiring stuff. 

In the years after World War I, Rector J.M. Barrie spoke to students of courage and partnership: “I want you to hold that the time has arrived for youth to demand that partnership, and to demand it courageously. That to gain courage is what you came to St Andrews for. With some alarums and excursions into college life.” 

We have all the more reason to remember the words of these figures. They lived in this town and walked the same streets we do. 

At the heart of all University affairs lies the partnership Barrie spoke of. That is what this newspaper rests on — collaboration between all 100+ members of its staff. Even the candidates for University Rector we have so extensively covered in this issue — demand partnership from them, too. It is their job to represent students, and this issue of The Saint features exceptional reporting on the subject of rectorship from writers Mrunmayi Kamerkar and Edith Oborne. These articles have taken countless hours of research, collaboration, and effort: they deserve your attention. 

With partnership in mind, vote for your rector. It might seem trivial, but you never know — students roaming through Walter Bower House in the year 2099 might stumble across this issue, and note with a start that Kevin from The Office was one of the candidates running. 

Arnaz