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April 11, 2026
January 1987
Posted On January 15, 1987 by onolan1
No Condoms, Alcohol, or Principals: The New Year finds the University making new appointments, hosting more boycotts, and experiencing more shortages! Read more below….
15 January, 1987: New Year, New Uni!
- Student reports that the University will soon welcome a new Principal in the new year, with Professor Sir John Burnett being replaced with Professor Sir David Smith, who was previously a department head at the University of Oxford.
- The World Debating Championships were hosted by University College Dublin this year, with the University of Edinburgh advancing as far as the semi finals, a significant accomplishment. However it was Glasgow University which ultimately won the title of World Champions, against the stiff competition of Swarthmore College, University of Sydney, and Cambridge University.
- Potterrow gets a makeover with a new dance floor and lighting system, which debuted this week. EUSA officials are hoping this new look will help spike popularity for the club nights hosted in building on Saturday nights, now in the 21st century known as “The Big Cheese.”
22 January, 1987: Condom and Alcohol shortages for EUSA!
- The Chamber’s Street University Building, previously used by EUSA but which now is home to the Estates Office, lost its late-night drinking license due to noise complaints from the surrounding residences.
- AUT threaten to boycott marking exam papers, if their demands for better pay for lecturers are not met by the Education Board. Student reports that there is great fear among students that they may graduate from University without a degree, due to their exams not being marked.
- The Edinburgh University Liberal Club sent a strongly worded letter to EUSA this week, expressing their “horror” that there seemed to be a shortage of “jumbo strength” condoms in all EUSA venues where such things are provided via toilet-located vending machines.
29 January, 1987: Mandela for President!
- The Student Representative Council passed a motion last week approving the appointment of Nelson Mandela as Honorary President of EUSA, however some believe this may not be allowed, given that the EUSA rules state an Honorary President may only be appointed if “significant contribution to the University students” is made by the appointed individual.
- Student pledges to attach a free condom to every Midweek issue in the forthcoming week as part of a campaign to raise awareness of protection against AIDS
- Edinburgh Nightline Society were granted two rooms in Pleasance to operate all night as “walk-in centres” to aid the society’s goal of providing all-night anonymous counselling to University of Edinburgh students.
December 1986
Posted On December 4, 1986 by onolan1
Political controversies and classic ’80’s musicians take Edinburgh by storm in the first week of December, as students prepare for exams and the holidays. Read more below!
4 December, 1986: Loans, AIDS, and Rock n’ Roll
- Student Editors encourage more members of the University community to get involved with the anti-loans scheme protests happening around campus in this week’s editorial, which claims the previous week’s ‘Week of Action’ was more a “week of inaction.”
- Letter writers to Student this week expressed mixed opinions on Student’s article about the AIDS epidemic in the previous issue, read more on page 5.
- Van Morrison and Alice Cooper both preformed at the Playhouse this week, with Student publishing mixed reviews on their performances. While Alice Cooper was lauded as a “master of stagecraft,” Van Morrison was described as looking “fat, old, and rather bald” by critic Blaise Drummond.
- The Eurhythmics played in Glasgow with a rave review published by Student critic Colin Hancock, who compared the concert to an act of worship,” and called the music fervour of the performance “searing,” “unrelenting,” and “refreshing.”
Read the full issue here
Posted in Culture, Music, Politics
Tagged AIDS, Alice Cooper, Annie Lennox, Grants, Loans, The Eurhythmics, Van Morrison
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November 1986
Posted On November 27, 1986 by onolan1
The November 1986 issues of Student are now live! Read on to see lots of student political debates, great theatre reviews and much more!
6 November, 1986: Sexist Bands and Unhappy Students…
- Student reports that the UK Government may subsidise the Thatcher-era Poll Tax of £200 a year per individual, to only £40 a year. While some saw this as positive, others said they would not be satisfied until the entire idea of a Poll Tax, or “Community Charge,” was abolished.
- University of Edinburgh hosted a conference called “AIDS: The Public Health Challenge” where Edinburgh’s delegates criticise what they considered “inadequate government spending” on the support of AIDS victims.
- Page 5 of Student this week covers various people’s reactions to an incident at the Playhouse, where band The Stranglers “suggested” that female members of the audience who undressed themselves would have a better chance at winning the prize of the band’s new LP. While Student writer and editors held to their stance that this should be considered sexual exploitation, many penned letter complaining that Student was misinterpreting or misrepresenting the situation….
13 November, 1986: Shakespeare Slumps Across Edinburgh!
- Shakespeare’s plays Macbeth and Othello both made appearances in Edinburgh this week, with a classic Elizabethan performance of Macbeth preformed by the Royal Lyceum, while the operatic interpretation of Othello (Otello) was live streamed at the ABC Theatre in cinema format. However, both received lack-lustre reviews from Student critics Colin Hancock and Briony Sergeant, respectively.
- The Student Representative Committee (SRC) of the Students’ Association drafter a policy of zero support for any type of student loan policy and wholeheartedly endorsed a return to the mandatory student grants system.
- A professor from the Academy of Sciences in Moscow gave a talk on “Soviet Philosophy Today,” hosted by the EU Philosophy Society. However apparently both the majority of students in attendance, as well as the moderator, asked questions and made comments which were strongly western biased, according to correspondent Alaric Searle, leaving the professor insulted and unlikely to visit the University of Edinburgh in future.
20 November, 1986: Flour Girls and Marshmallow Journalists!
- A first year Art student was handcuffed to the doors of the library while covered from head to foot in flour, and stayed there in silence until she had to be sawed free by the University Works Department who were called to the scene. The girl revealed nothing about her actions, except to verify that she had not been pranked against her will, but was preforming a “private gesture” of protest. However no one was able to find out what she was protesting, and it seems that no one but she knows to this day!
- Chief Political Correspondent for The Guardian, James Naughtie, spoke to a University of Edinburgh audience for the 1986 Kenneth Allsop Memorial Lecture in David Hume Tower. Naughtie was reported by Student writer Emma Simpson to have said that then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher couldn’t see a public institution “without hitting it in the head with her handbag,” and to say that the daytime programmes of the BBC which claim to report news are of “the marshmallow type,” being “both metaphorically and physically cheap.”
27 November, 1986: Privatising EUSA?
- The General Meeting of the Students’ Association was particularly controversial this month due to the allocation of £250,000 of the budget to purchasing shares in British Gas. Many students expressed their lack of support for this motion, including Deputy President of EUSA, Claire McLintock.
- Student publishes a scathing review of the just-opened movie Labyrinth, still famous today for its David Bowie cameo, Terry Jones scrip, Jim Henson puppetry, and overall psychedelic, supernatural ethos. However, critic Mark White was not impressed.
- Music writer Keith Cameron pens a full page spread on analysing the fame, fortune and entity that is Madonna. Turn to page 13 to read!
Posted in Culture, News, Politics
Tagged EUSA, Margaret Thatcher, Sexism, Shakespeare, SRC
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Featured: October 1986
Posted On October 1, 1986 by onolan1
The October 1986 issues of Student are now live! Read on to explore the wonders of fresher’s week in 1986, and the exciting first month of the ’86/’87 academic year…
2 October, 1986: Freshers’ Advice and Freshers’ Confessions!
- In this special Fresher’s addition to ring in a new academic year, Student gives advice to incoming students on how best to manage their finances, how to make new friends, where the best spots around campus are, and much more.
- This week the arts section of the paper reviews the best theatre venues, cinemas, orchestras, music halls, and galleries, so that the incoming fresher will know exactly where to satiate their artistic cravings.
- Student includes a new feature in this issue, known as the ‘True Confessions’ page. This humorous addition pokes fun at the highly varied experiences of first years during fresher’s week.
9 October, 1986: Loans and Taxes and Fees, Oh My!
- Front page news this week is the accommodation shortage which undergraduates at the University faced during the first week of the 1986/1987 academic year. According to the article, approximately 80 first years were having to be housed in temporary accommodation until the University Accommodation Service could find them permanent residences.
- The University Students’ Association made the decision this week to oppose the current Government’s proposal of a mixed grant and loan system for UK citizens seeking higher education, however the Principals of the University came out in support of the system proposal this very same week.
- Over the summer, Kings Buildings’ Union refurbished their kitchen and café premises in order to cater a more enjoyable selection of snacks and meals. Student reviewed the new set-up, saying that the coffee was excellent and the food was the best for its value at the University.
16 October 1986: Too Soft, Too Hard, or Just Right?
- The Federation of Conservative Students published a report condemning the size of student beds in catered halls. They claim that the beds are too narrow, and not conducive to a healthy student lifestyle, saying that the layout of student halls are “administratively convenient” without taking into account student health and safety.
- To the relief of Students’ Association representatives, it was reported this week that the Principals of the University decided to rescind their support of the newly-Government-proposed system of loans for higher education students.
- The Anti-Apartheid Society (AAS) on campus has filed an official dispute on the legality of the Scottish South African Union Society (SSAU) existing on campus. The AAS claimed that the SSAU’s support of apartheid was in direct negation of the Students’ Association’s anti-apartheid stance, and presented their case at the Societies Executive Meeting, where their proposal will be deliberated.
23 October 1986: A Derogatory Duke?
- The Duke of Edinburgh, and Chancellor the University, HRM Prince Phillip, was criticised in Student this week for making insulting and bigoted comments to students upon his return from a state visit to Peking, China. He allegedly called the city “ghastly,” and said that he expected to arrive home with “slitty eyes,” to the anger and offence of many Chinese students and the University community.
- The Commonwealth Games Fund, which was charged £900,000 to use Pollock Halls as the Games Village over the summer of 1986, was found to be at risk of liquidation, with £650,000 still owed to the University Information and Accommodation Department.
- Upon the announcement that all Bus transport would be privatised in Britain, students protest the possibility of raised fees, changing routes, commercialisation, and profiteering of Edinburgh’s main form of public transport.
30 October 1986: Iron Maiden Rock Out at The Playhouse!
- Acclaimed heavy-metal band Iron Maiden preformed at the Playhouse in Edinburgh this week, putting on a show which garnered a rave review from Student’s music critics. “If there is a better live band on the planet I’d like to see them. From start to finish this show was a fireball of energy, power and class,” writes Ted Linehan.
- The University contemplates taking action to combat the increasing amount of book theft and vandalism committed by students in the Main Library, according to Student this week. Apparently the Library staff have submitted a proposal to outfit the library with a significant amount of security cameras, which the University administration is currently considering.
- The EUSA poll on how students feel about different grant and loan systems was published, and it shows that students the University strongly favour grants over loans, in contest with the Government’s proposed plans to switch from a grant-based system to a loan-based one. 81 per cent of students voted for a grant scheme which was either denoted by family income, or on a universal subsidy, while 19 of students voted for either a loan only, or mixed grant and loan scheme.
Posted in Accommodation, Music, Politics
Tagged Anti-Apartheid, Duke of Edinburgh, Freshers Week, Iron Maiden, Prince Phillip, Student Grants, Student Loans
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May 1986
Posted On May 15, 1986 by onolan1
The May 1986 issues of Student are now live! Hundreds of students stood for the EUSA elections, writers and photographers for Student were awarded for their hard work, and Edinburgh’s athletes had a day of fun in the sun to end the academic year of 1985/1986! Read more below…
1 May 1986: EUSA Elections and Sports Union Field Day
- Polls close for the annual EUSA elections, with over 90 posts available and hundreds of students standing for different posts; from the local positions, such as accommodation area, societies, and school convenors, to University-wide sabbatical positions such as President, Deputy President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
- Student Housing costs are hiked for the coming academic year, leading to student protests. Pollock Halls raises their prices from £29.65 to £31.65 ppm, and self-catered accommodation goes from £17.69 to £18.88 ppm.
- The University hosts its annual Sports Day for all students at the Peffermill Fields, still the home of many University of Edinburgh’s sports teams, clubs, and societies.
Read the full issue
15 May 1986: Accolades and Inaugurations Round Out the Academic Year
- Student politicians are elected into office for the academic year of 1986/1987
- Student officials were forced to remove a band from Aberdeen mid-set in Potterrow, after their performance included a multitude of racist and sexist jokes which enraged the crowd.
- Student won the Glasgow Herald Student Publication Press Award for the second consecutive year, with David Yarrow, Photographic Editor for Student, winning an award for being ‘the best young photographer in Scotland.’
Read the full issue
Posted in Accommodation, Politics, Sport
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April 1986
Posted On April 24, 1986 by onolan1
The April 1986 issue of Student is now live! As students return from their Easter holiday the University sees apathy towards EUSA politics, but heightened interest towards that of the Eastern Bloc. Read more below…
24 April 1986: Pollock Halls and Cold War Politics
- Election hustings event at Pollock Halls saw a low turnout, but heated debate amongst local student politicians and club convenors.
- EUSA General Meeting saw a motion to ask the Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Prince Philip, to resign as Chancellor of the University.
- Student published a feature on the cost and implications of Britain pledging support and participation in Ronald Reagan’s ‘Strategic Defence Initiative’ (SDI) against the Soviet Union.
Read the full issue
March 1986
Posted On March 6, 1986 by onolan1
The March 1986 issue of Student is now live! With the NUS setting new records for turnout to their annual national demonstration, a controversial Charity Ball raising over £1000, and an exclusive interview with one of Britain’s most famous classical composers, this pre-holiday issue packs a big punch!
6 March 1986: A Brush with Stardom and Charity Ball Success
- The annual National Student Demonstration in London hosted by the National Union of Students (NUS) was “the biggest event in the union’s 62 year history.” An estimate of 35,000 students from across the UK attended, with EUSA subsidising a bus ride for Edinburgh students to attend, as they did this year for the 2016 NUS Demonstration.
- Student interviewed Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, one of the most prominent British composers of the 20th century, who was patron to the Edinburgh University Music Society.
- The Colonial Society hosted a Charity Ball which succeeded in raising over £1,000.
Read the full issue
February 1986
Posted On February 27, 1986 by onolan1
The February 1986 issues of Student are now live! This month is full of heated political debates over issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Scottish Independence, and Thatcher-era labour laws; not to mention some more light hearted excitement around a city-wide student drama festival and new accommodation houses! Read more below….
6 February 1986: Political Turmoil Big and Small
- Students voted overwhelming not to combine EUSA and KBU (Kings Buildings Union), back when Kings Buildings students had their own union representation, separate from that of the main campus.
- British Rail sets special student rate of £4 for a round trip from Edinburgh to London…imagine if we could pay that little these days!
- Debating Union holds “explosive” debate between Palestinian PLO representative Mr Faisal Aweida, and former IDF fighter, Mr David Kapitahchick.
Read the full issue
13 February 1986: An Early Call for Independence
- Students vote to protest and boycott the distribution of The Sun and The Times on campus, due to the controversy surrounding Rupert Murdoch’s firing of 5,000 of his employees.
- University witnesses the official renaming of the Student Centre House, now to be called The Mandela Centre, with the proceedings being officiated by Denis Goldberg, who was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela for 22 years.
- A Letter to the Editor describes why students should vote for the minority group SNP in the coming elections instead of Labour.
Read the full issue
20 February 1986: Drama Students Preform, and Politics Students Debate
- The second General Meeting of the Student’s Association saw five motions presented by members of the student body, all on social justice and political actions such as supporting students in Palestine, supporting the institution of a Scottish Assembly, banning The Times and The Sun on campus, and publically supporting the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP)’s campaign to label AIDS as a “hysteria designed to isolate and condemn the gay community.”
- The Scottish Student Drama Festival (SSDF) was launched in Edinburgh, with local theatres and tropes putting their best foot forward for attendees from around the world.
- Student interviews Mick McGahey, Vice President of the National Union of Miners (NUM) a year after the tumultuous strikes of 1985, about his and the union’s continued work against Margaret Thatcher’s administration.
Read the full issue
27 February 1986: Italian Arias and Anti-Thatcher Protests
- Students march across Edinburgh in a funeral-style procession, carrying a coffin full of crumpled DHSS forms, to protest the cutting of student grants and social security benefits.
- Construction begins on a new complex of student flats in Sciennes, now a popular accommodation option amongst today’s students.
- A laudable review is published, praising the University of Edinburgh Musical Society’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem in McEwan Hall for an outstanding performance.
Read the full issue
Posted in Accommodation, Music, Politics
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January 1986
Posted On January 31, 1986 by onolan1
The January 1986 issues of Student are now live! Read the first news of 1986, rife with political actions, from professor strikes to Apartheid boycotts. Read more below….
9 January 1986: Professors strike and students boycott
- Lecturers to go on strike as a result of under-funding of research and salaries. Students were urged to boycott classes in support of the strike.
- Edinburgh based publishing company Polygon, set up amongst others by Gordon Brown, continues from strength to strength with the release of its Russian Series.
- The review of ’85 was dramatic as it includes a warning from the Principal about the looming potential of Edinburgh University closing for good.
Read the full issue
16 January 1986: Coca-Cola banned on campus
- Edinburgh students embark on new study looking at ‘broken mouth’ in sheep.
- Poet Norman McCaig, whose 70th birthday Student celebrated in a previous issue, was awarded an honorary degree from Dundee University.
- Yet another product to be knocked down from the shelves and bars of the University. Coca-Cola was discovered to have South African connections.
- As short piece on the Freemasons also appears in this week’s issue. It seems that Edinburgh University used to have its own lodge.
Read the full issue
23 January 1986: Edinburgh-born Olympian returns home
- The AUT had its first national strike. The day of action took place across the country with University lectures going on hunger strike and blockading the Royal Albert Hall.
- Postgraduates at Kings Buildings undertake new scientific analysis of Shakespeare’s work.
- Ivy League fashion enterprise continued making a name for itself at Queen’s Hall fashion show. Ivy League specialised in working with budding young designers.
- Edinburgh born Olympic skier Martin Bell was interviewed in Kitzbuehel by Dave Yarrow – Did anyone else know the men’s team was sponsored by Gordon’s Gin?
Read the full issue
30 January 1986: Nelson Mandela nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Edinburgh academic
- University of Edinburgh professor, Dr Malcolm Anderson, nominates Nelson Mandela for the Nobel Peace Prize, in coalition with the Edinburgh City Council and Edinburgh Anti-Apartheid movement.
- EUSA decided to host their General Meeting at Pollock Halls in order to boost morale, however less than 200 people showed up.
- Sir Keith Joseph, Principal of the University, drafted a document outlining his issues with the conservative government’s higher education initiatives, or lack thereof.
- Royal Museum of Scotland hosts free film festival, to run through the rest of the winter and spring seasons. Titles include Lawrence of Arabia, Hamlet, and Chariots of Fire.
Read the full issue
December 1985
Posted On December 31, 1985 by onolan1
The December issue of Student is now live! Read the last issue of 1985, ripe with politics and debate but with its fair share of festive cheer! Read more below…
5 December 1985: Government cuts to higher education, but some raucous reggae to lighten the mood!
- Edinburgh Principal and Vice Chancellor, Dr John Burnett, warns that government cuts to higher education could cause the University of Edinburgh, and other top universities around the UK, to close in the coming years.
- Worry about the removal of dissections from CSE O and A level biology courses may force degree courses to take up the slack.
- Edinburgh debating team sets sail for New York, the team will compete with 6 other Scottish universities as well as others from around the globe.
- Student livens up the week with not just a little, but of lot of Reggae!
- History was made as the first ever Chair of Parapsychology was filled by Dr Robert Morris of Syracuse University.
Read the full issue
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