#TeamUofG Student Newsletter

Hi, I’m Stéphane and I am the Student Support Officer (SSO) for the School of Computing Science. As part of the team of 15 across our University, my fellow SSOs and I look forward to bumping into you on campus in the near future; you may even have noticed us as recent stars of the very small screen on the University’s Instagram Stories!

As the evenings grow a little longer and the December exam timetable is published, it is more important than ever to reach out to others as plans come together for the rest of the semester and beyond.

During this busy period in University life, we wish to provide the assurances you need regarding the support available to you, both on campus and further afield. We know that that there are many plates to spin at once when managing our academic priorities and how they impact our wellbeing, but you do not need to manage everything on your own! 

SSOs are based across the University, with representatives across Gilmorehill, Garscube and Dumfries campuses. We are here to help you know where to turn in what can feel like an enormous and often dizzying environment to navigate. Our team have a vast array of expertise for you to tap into in times of difficulty, helping you to make the best decisions for your own circumstances.

You will find us within your School, here to work together with you on the challenges you face and how they may be impacting upon your study. SSOs work alongside a wide variety of specialist University services you may or may not be familiar with, including the Counselling & Wellbeing Service, the Disability Service, Student Learning Development, International Student Support, Financial Aid and our colleagues across University Residences – to name only a handful – to help you successfully access the support you need, not to mention to identify your needs when perhaps unsure of where to go. We also work alongside local charities, councils and NHS services, aiming to take away the uncertainty we can sometimes feel when attempting to access the help we need. 

SSOs offer private discussion with students, free of judgement and independent of academic staff. Whether you are a new undergraduate student looking to understand your options on campus, a newly arrived international student attempting to negotiate a new academic and cultural environment, or a postgraduate student looking to effectively address challenges that might come your way, we are here to listen and to point you in the right direction. 

We can liaise with academic staff to ensure that you are being supported in your study, such as when identifying caring responsibilities or managing financial challenges.

You can find your dedicated SSO’s contact details both here and via the ‘Near Me’ section of the UofG Life app, where you can find our on-campus availability.