Craig MacLellan
Student bodies across campus have claimed Freshers’ Week 2008 as being one of the most successful ever.
Both unions believed this year’s Freshers’ Week to be one of the best on record.
Over 3,000 new students were treated to live performances from The Subways, Wiley and Kissy Sell Out, and DJ sets from Radio 1 DJs Colin Murray and Dave Pearce.
Ally Hunter, President of the Queen Margaret Union, was very pleased with their performance during the week.
He said: “It is a marked improvement from the past couple of years, and the enthusiasm of Freshers towards the QMU has been very encouraging for all of us.”
Ally also noted the Freshers’ Ball as being one of the most attended events of the week, with more than 1700 people passing through the QMU over the course of the night.
Chris Birrell, President of the Glasgow University Union, believed this year’s Freshers’ Week to be great, in terms of both feeling and figures.
He said: “This year has been the most successful Freshers’ Week the GUU has ever had, both in term of numbers and atmosphere throughout the week.”
Chris also stressed the importance of Freshers’ Week in the university calendar.
He explained: “The GUU has now built a reputation for running good Freshers’ Weeks, which is important, as a successful Freshers’ Week feeds into the union’s success for the rest of the year.”
With sign-ups ongoing, no final membership figures were available at the time of going to press. However, both unions have reported strong take-up, with the final numbers expected to be on a par with recent years.
Euan Miller, President of Glasgow University Sports Association (GUSA), has also reported high sign-up numbers for the various clubs and classes provided by GUSA.
He said: “Since Freshers’ Week, clubs, fitness classes and drop-in sessions have been reporting exceptionally high numbers joining.
“This is fantastic for GUSA, as we are trying to increase our membership and represent all sporting activity at university and Freshers’ Week was a massive step toward that goal.”
