Independent Student Groups in St Andrews

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There are a number of unaffiliated groups run by students in St Andrews

[edit] Independent Media

Newspapers

The Saint, published fortnightly, is the oldest of the student publications (although it has been published under a number of titles, of which The Saint is the most recent) and has the highest circulation. The publication was named 'Best Student Newspaper in Scotland' by the Herald in 2002 and 2003, runner-up to 'Best Student Newspaper in the UK' and 'Best Small Budget Student Publication' in the Guardian Student Media Awards, 2001. It received nominations for Best Student Newspaper, Best Photographer, Best Features Writer, Best Production and Best Sports Writer in the 2005 Herald awards. In the whole of the United Kingdom, only Oxford's Cherwell and Cambridge's Varsity are similarly independent. However, the paper made headlines in the national press over accusations of discrimination against homosexuals by the SSC Postgraduate Officer in the Spring of 2005 which threatened to remove the paper from its established offices and therefore threatened the short term future of the paper. There was a fair amount of sympathy for The Saint from the national press^[1],. The paper publishes once every two weeks and sells around 1,000 copies, with each copy estimated to be read by three students. A new website was launched in October 2006, featuring an exclusive interview with former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami.
The Mitre - a conservative newpaper targeted at, but not limited to, the university's Roman Catholic students. The paper was established in 2003 as reaction to what its writers perceived as the occasional intellectual shortcomings of the Saint. The Mitre was criticised among St Andrews' students as a "hate rag" due to its support for traditionally Christian or conservative causes. It seems to have disappeared with the graduation of its editor and limited readership base.
Between 1995 and 1997, there was also an irregularly-published satirical magazine called the "Horn of Plenty". Recently established is the "Colonnade", a literary magazine.
In 2006, "The Andie," a St Andrews "society" magazine, was launched and sold out its first run. However, the style and content of the publication was highly controversial, due in part to its scathing criticism of the Students' Association's elected officials and their conduct in the March 2006 elections, and the perception that the magazine was aimed at a narrow, upper-middle class demographic. As with the Mitre,the Andie has disappeared following the graduation of its editorial team.

[edit] Online Communities

Separately to the University The Sinner was a side project by St Andrews computer science student James Baster. "St-Adz" as it was first called, provided a place where students could exchange books and other goods. It later developed into a messageboard and unofficial Guide to St Andrews, under its new name, The Sinner. Oli Walker took over the running of the site in May 2003, expanding the messageboards to provide an online presence for halls of residence, student societies and academic groups. Members of TheSinner.net are known as "Sinners", and a new student society called "SinnerSoc" was started in September 2005 to ensure the Guide to St Andrews is up to date and to encourage people from all over the University to interact in thought-provoking debate.

St Andrews is one of the many British universities and colleges to have a community on the Facebook, and listed 7770 students as of 22nd August 2006.