Director of Student Development & Activities

Catriona smiles in her black gown. The gown is faced purple.

Catriona supports our students with activities outside of their studies

About the Role

The Director of Student Development and Activities (DoSDA for short) supports students in activities outside of their studies - like volunteering! They oversee a wide range of student groups, 'subcommittees', to support you in all things extra-curricular. Our Students' Association relies on the hard work and enthusiasm of our student volunteers, so the DoSDA recognises them and our societies for the good they do every year.

If you want to know more, have a look at the Director of Student Development and Activities' full role description.

Catriona Martin, as the DoSDA, reports to the Student Representative Council, a group of elected student officers each with their own remit. All students are entitled to attend and speak at meetings of the SRC, provided they give reasonable notice to the Association chair  ([email protected])

Societies

St Andrews has a lot of societies – over 100 of them! There are societies based on just about everything, from casual hobbies to cultural communities. With the help of the Societies Committee, the Association and I are here to support and manage all of our affiliated societies. You can get involved in a society from as little as £3 per year. Freshers Fayre and Refreshers Fayre are the perfect times to have a chat with many of our societies and see what feels right for you. Can't find what you’re looking for? Start your own!

Subcommittees

Subcommittees are Association groups which function similarly to societies, but they manage funding or hosting free events for students, and every student is automatically a member - so there are no membership fees! You can find out more on the subcommittees page, or you can get involved in the yearly elections in March to run for a position.

As DoSDA, I line manage the following subcommittees:

  • Charities Campaign raises tens of thousands of pounds for charity every year through a number of different events including Race2, CATWALK, and RAG Week. This year they were nominated for Student Fundraising Group of the Year at the NaSFA awards, as well as winning the award for Event of the Year.
  • Union Debating Society is the oldest of its kind in the world, founded in 1794. They hold weekly debates and training sessions for anyone who wants to get involved, as well as competing at an international level every year..
  • SVS is the Union’s branch of volunteering for local projects in and around St Andrews. They run a wide variety of different projects which anyone is able to get involved in.
  • Mermaids is the student body for theatre, comedy, music, and other performing arts. Any student can propose a show that they want to put up, and Mermaids provide the funding, advice, expertise and enthusiasm to help you put on the show that you want.
  • Environment Subcommittee advocates for sustainbility in the University and the Students Association
  • Societies Committee supports all of our 150+ affiliated student societies.
  • The Employability Officer liases with School Presidents and the Careers Centre to promote student employability.

Volunteering

There’s a wide array of volunteering opportunities available to students in St Andrews, as a committee member or volunteer for a society, Union subcommittee, or hall committee, or through the projects run by SVS or University departments.

Volunteering with the Union can be logged on the Volunteering portal, which is jointly managed by me, Saints Sport, and the Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development (CEED). If you have any questions about logging submissions for Societies, Halls, Subcommittees, or community volunteering, you can get in touch with me.

Student development and Employability

I support the Employability Officer in implementing the Student's Association's Employability Strategy, and serve as a point of contact for students who want to engage with the University Careers Centre, CEED, and Entreprenurship Centre, and liasing with them to promote their activities to students..

Awards

I take the lead on organising the application process, and awards ceremonies for the Student Excellence Awards, Volunteering awards, and Honourary Life Memberships, and provide support to the Society Awards, Gives Back awards, University Drama and Music committee awards, and the Entreprenurial mind of the year award.

Funding

The Association provides a number of different funding opportunities for activities, such as specialist funds like Mermaids Performing Arts Fund, and Societies Committee Grants. You can also apply to the Student Project Fund (SPF) or Employability Fund for other student events. If you have a project you would like to get off the ground, get in touch with me and I can give advice on the best best to get funding.

University Challenge

I manage St Andrews' University Challenge team, with try-outs happening late in first semester. Keep an eye out if you want to get involved!

Previous holders

Year Name Resources
2024/25 Catriona Martin Manifesto
2023/24 Sam Gorman  
2022/23 Sam Gorman  
2021/22 Avery Kitchens

Manifesto
2020/21 Gavin Sandford

Manifesto
2019/20 Shaina Sullivan

 
2018/19 Jamie Minns

 
2017/18 Charlotte Flatley

 
2016/17 Caroline Christie

 
2015/16 Kyle Blain

 
2014/15 Fay Morrice

 
2013/14 Kelsey Gold

 
2012/13 Meg Platt

 
2011/12 David Graves