Kevin Dunion
Sport for All 10/09/2009
 
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Met at the Sports Centre, St Leonard's Road, with Sam Roberts, Athletic Union President, and Stephen Stewart, the University's Director of Sport and Exercise. St Andrews has some top class competitors across a range of sports such as in golf, rugby, fencing and lacrosse; over 50 sports clubs with an impressive number of competitive fixtures arranged across the calendar; and a host of students who simply want to use the facilities for tennis, squash, gym training.

As with so many parts of the University the facilities remain little changed from my day as a student and are bursting at the seams because of demand. There are ambitious plans to seriously improve what we have to offer and with committed and enthusiastic guys like Sam and Stephen driving sports forward then we can expect to see real change.
 
June Graduation 26/06/2009
 
With Sir Chris Hoy
With Sir Chris Hoy
Lots of friends who supported my Rectorial campaign are graduating - thanks and good luck to you all. And I was delighted to be able to meet Chris Hoy - whose awesome Olympic gold medal winning achievements have catapulted him to superstardom. I'm a fair weather cyclist who regularly cycles from Cellardyke to St Andrews and have done the Edinburgh to St Andrews charity ride; and taken my annual holiday to coincide with the final stage of the Tour de France arriving on the Champs Elysees - so was happy to claim some vicarious affinity with the great man and to be able to congratulate him on receiving his honorary degree
 
 
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The Other Guys Launch, Younger Hall
Enjoyed a great show in a packed  Younger Hall at which The Other Guys launched their new album 'Well Sung' with superb versions of Dreaming of a Broken Heart, Desperado and Dreaming of You, and their routine was immaculately choreographed by Sarah Jane Dooley. The Guys sang at the launch of my Rectorial campaign so I was delighted to be invited along to their album launch; my thanks and congratulations to David, Henry, Ollie, Rob, Matt, Tom, Thomas, Derek, Richard and Iain. 
 
 
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Jessica Siegel, outgoing Debates Convenor
One of my favourite functions is to go along to a debate in Lower Parliament Hall and present the Rector's Award at the end of the evening for whatever contribution has caught my imagination. I really enjoyed tonight's Magistrands' debate in which shortly-to-be-departed old hands had a chance to show off their rhetorical flourishes, cutting interventions and, so far as I could tell, to settle old scores. Great fun and I want to thank outgoing Debates Convenor Jessica Siegel for her encouragement this year and to wish Owen Wilton, her successor, good luck.

More photos (click to zoom in):
 
 
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St Andrews' Top Charity Fundraisers
St Andrews students' reputation for being top charity fundraisers has been reinforced by the amazing total raised for 2008/9. Will Wright tells me that this amounts to c.£220,000, which he calculates as an average of £36.67 for every full-time student - and Mhairi Jennifer McGaan proudly claims that Rag Week 2009 accounted for 10% of the total. I was delighted to be asked along for the award ceremony in Lower College Hall where individual recognition certificates were awarded by Dr Chris Lusk to Stephen Gamble, Will Elsby, Will Wright, David Haines and Mhairi Jennifer McGaan.
 
 
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Brilliant night at the Half Cut Film Festival - the New Picture House hosted a red carpeted gala of the best of student films, and I had a front row seat as a judge, along with award making film maker Robert Sproul-Cran and Dovi Anderson and Rich McKain - the Hollywood animators behind films such as WALL-E, and The Matrix Revolutions. Top prize went to St Andrews' finest, Naysun-Alae Carew, of Rogue Productions, the St Andrews University Film-Making Society. Enjoyed the celebrations at McKays afterwards. Thanks to Naysun and to Charlotte Walsh, Katherine KK Kennedy and crew who put together a sparkling event.
 
 
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Kevin delivered a Rectorial address on the theme of Trust during his installation ceremony on Tuesday 3rd March 2009. Click Read More to read the full address.
 
Rectorial Drag 02/03/2009
 
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Being dragged out of St Salvators Quad
The Rectorial Drag is a unique St Andrews tradition - the Rector accompanied by his Assessor is dragged around the town by the University blues, and I also asked representatives of university societies to join in, so a boisterous procession paraded along North Street, Market Street and South Street, stopping en route in various residences and hostelries to be welcomed by over 50 clubs and societies. There then followed one of the largest torchlit processions from the Quad down along the pier that anyone could remember. I found it a moving sight to stand at the end of pier and watch torches still snaking their way down past the cathedral. Thanks to all for such a brilliant day.
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On a tricycle made for one
Rectors are expected to enter the Quad in a novel form of transport - my predecessors have arrived on horseback dressed in armour, in vintage sports cars and one even sailed into the harbour. I wanted something which was 'green' and was lucky to find an ancient old ice cream tricycle covered in cob webs owned by the Jannetta of South Street, a St Andrews institution. I thought this was appropriate as my maternal family come from Italy and my grandparents had an ice cream shop in Alloa. The image of me in red apron, flanked by my Assessor Georgina Rannard and Andrew Keenan (Students' Association President) was broadcast by the BBC and carried in national and local press.
 
 
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Kevin talking to a student
Life has been enjoyably hectic since being approached to be Rector. Election week was devoted to visiting halls of residence, speaking to student societies; debating with the other candidates on what were the key issues which the Rector could get involved with and hope to make a difference. And really that process has not changed since the resounding success of election night on 31 October.
 
 
Speaking with students occupying Lower College Hall
Speaking with students occupying Lower College Hall
This past week has been dominated by the occupation Of Lower College Hall by students in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Along with St Andrews the other universities occupied have been SOAS, LSE, Essex, King’s College, Birmingham, Sussex, Warwick, Manchester Met, Oxford, Leeds, Cambridge, Sheffield Hallam, Bradford, Nottingham, Queen Mary’s, Manchester, Strathclyde, Glasgow, Goldsmiths, Edinburgh, UEA, Plymouth, UAL, Cardiff.

The St Andrews occupation lasted from 18-25 February and concluded when an action plan was agreed with the University administration. I had the opportunity to address those in occupation on the first day of their action and again on the concluding day.

Coming as I do from a background of student activism supporting the cause of students exiled from Chile and South Africa, I have long experience of direct action events (including having blockaded a St Andrews University committee into a meeting room because of what we perceived to be a lack of urgency on the issue of high student failure rates).

So too has the Principal, Dr Louise Richardson, who during the week also came down to Lower College Hall and spoke of her anti-apartheid protesting, whilst making clear her view that the University would not take a stance on the conflict in Gaza.

Although there were points of friction and frustration during the week as negotiations stalled, my sense is that the action was handled sensibly on both sides. Over 200 students were involved and messages of support came in from people like Noam Chomsky, whilst practical support came from Maisha restaurant who supplied free food!