It was particularly pleasing to be asked to 'moderate' the debate on Aid to Africa: is it necessary? between 4 PhD candidates from the School of International Relations.

My own postgraduate research was conducted at the Centre for African Studies in Edinburgh University and I have direct experience of the issue from my work with Oxfam and Friends of the International. A packed audience in the New Arts Building heard speeches and responses which were by turn passionate, reflective, challenging and provocative. Congratulations to Ashley, Gladys, Patrick and Steven.

Got together with the newly elected Students' Association and Athletic Union sabbaticals to hear from them directly about their priorities for next year and to discuss the kinds of issue which I have been involved with as Rector which relates to their roles.

Major items highlighted by Owen and Siena like the Union and Library re-developments and the 600th Anniversary priorities will feature on the University Court agenda. I was pleased to hear from Siena that the work done by her predecessors to bring together class reps will be carried forward; from Alastair about his plans to link societies and careers; and from Andy about his plans to encourage greater recognition of sporting achievement by students and also to promote competitive sporting events to attract spectators. Phil of course has been re-elected on the basis of his successful track record from this year.

My advice to them - hit the ground running on 1 July and focus on their priorities, as their term of office will go by all too quickly.

One of my favourite events last year was to be on the judging panel for the Half Cut film Festival so I was delighted when Charlotte Walsh, President of Rogue Productions, and Julz Newton, Vice President, asked me to join the panel for this year's big event which takes place at the New Picture House on 22 April.

The Facebook event can be found here. Details on submissions can be found at the On The Rocks Festival website.

The Sustainable Development Society asked me introduce one of the speakers contributing to their lecture series and I gladly chose to welcome Dr Tony Jackson of Dundee University. I recall Tony as an lively lecturer recently returned from working in Africa whose classes I attended when I studied economics at St Andrews. Our paths crossed again many years later when I worked for Friends of the Earth and Tony by that time had moved to Dundee to set up the environmental management course. So it was a pleasure to be back in School II to hear about his current work on strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal.

STAR - St Andrews' student radio station - has been off air whilst upgrades have been made to the technical equipment and software. So I was pleased to be invited to look round the refurbished studio and to see it once again a hive of activity with an unfeasibly large number of people crammed inside.

You can listen to STAR or download podcasts at www.standrewsradio.com.

I came across a bunch of Officer Cadets pedalling like mad but going nowhere outside of the Union. They are from A Squadron Tayforth UOTC and were raising money for Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Passers-by were asked give a donation and to guess how many miles they would clock up on the exercise bikes. In the end they cycled 209 miles - the same distance as from St Andrews to Darlington they tell me (though I doubt you would want to cycle there from here) and raised nearly £400.

Well done to them and to (Junior Under Officer) David Mason who led the thirty strong team.

Miriam Rune, President of the Scarlet Gown Society, came along to a Meet the Rector event to ask me to deliver the inaugural lecture at the launch event of the new society.

It aims to maintain university traditions especially promoting the wearing of the traditional gown at day-to day university events and to make the gown more affordable (in part by asking alumni to donate their gowns to be borrowed by current students - which is why the society has officers with splendid titles such as Chief Collector of Gowns).

I talked about the role of the Rector, which is one of the most traditional in the university, and how in the 19th century the legislation which set up the University Court also provided that it should be presided over by the Rector. Although that function remains to the present day it has regularly come under threat and so the Scottish Rectors Group has been established to provide a forum for mutual support and to encourage effective Rectorship. In that way traditional roles adapt to challenge.

The traditions of the university are part of the fabric of our institution and deserve to be celebrated and nurtured. However, we should guard against our traditions being appropriated or distorted to cause exclusion or division in our increasingly heterogeneous university community.

Came across one of the less well-regarded St Andrews traditions today, which is students having to queue up outside property letting agencies in the hope of getting accommodation for the next academic year. This queue is on Argyle Street; the snow and ice of last week has largely gone to be replaced by a bitterly cold easterly wind.

Spoke with Toby Marsh (Classics), Celeste Sloman (Art History) and Freddie Edmunds (Neurosciences) - all First Years living in Sallies who seemed to be stoically resigned to the fact that this is what you have to do to get a place, although it was hardly the best preparation for the Biology exam Freddie had that afternoon.

Stayed well away from St Andrews on Sunday evening -  Raisin Sunday revelry should be Rector-free. Raisin Monday was raw but bright as I watched a succession of bejants/bejantines in colourful Raisin receipts outfits somewhat self consciously heading to St Salvators Quad. After the foam fight a bedraggled procession, foam covered and frozen cold, beat a retreat home - including this group of DRA residents:-

Front row, left to right: Karina Pawloff (Economics), Rosie Al-Adwani (Geography), Harriet Paterson (Russian/Spanish), Kelly Laws (Social Anthropology); Back row: Craig Graham (Chemistry/Physics), Rebecca Butcher (Philosophy), Peter Gowler (Neuroscience).

As the G20 Finance Ministers gathered in St Andrews an alternative People's Summit was organised by a wide range of voluntary bodies including two of my former organisations Oxfam, and Friends of the Earth. After a media photo-call on the West Sands which included bowler hatted 'Ministers' complete with red briefcases, over 300 people gathered in Venue 1 in the Students' Union. I was pleased to welcome the participants to St Andrews and to introduce the keynote speakers: Colin Hines, Director of Finance for the Future; Judith Robertson, Head of Oxfam in Scotland; Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe, Ugandan development campaigner; and Alex Cobham, Policy Manager at Christian Aid.