Message from the Sabbatical Officers following the death of Her Majesty The Queen

Friday 9 September 2022

The following email was sent to all students from the Students’ Association Sabbatical Officers following the announcement, on Thursday 8 September, of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.


Dear all,

As many of you will have heard, Her Majesty the Queen has passed away. This is a sad, impactful moment for many people, and we will adapt our events and services at the Students’ Association to reflect this news with respect for the occasion.  

Her Majesty the Queen was the longest reigning female monarch in recorded history, and a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. We want to offer our condolences to the Royal Family, including our alumni the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and to all affected by these events.  

We recognise that this will have an impact on our diverse student and staff community in various ways, and we want to encourage you all to respect the different ways your peers will find to cope with how they are feeling. For new students especially, we know this news may impact on your opportunities to meet people and make friends during your first weeks here in St Andrews. Please feel free to take advantage of communal spaces in the Union building including our bars, cafés and top floor seating space to gather respectfully. We would encourage students to reach out to friends and peers to check in and connect where possible during this time. As always, you can find resources, such as wellbeing and mental health helplines, in the support pages on our website if you need to talk. 

Our Main Bar will remain open tonight until 2am as a space where students can convene, watch the news, and support each other. Please be respectful while using this space; we will not tolerate any distasteful behaviour.  

Tonight’s events, S Club Allstars and Late Night Club Night, will be cancelled. We will be in touch with ticket holders soon regarding refunds for all cancelled or postponed events. If you purchased a ticket in person from our Box Office, please email union@ with your refund request. Further updates on Union events and services will be shared to the Union website and social media channels. 

Some student events may be adjusted, cancelled or postponed given the circumstances. We have asked societies and subcommittees to consider the tone and impact of their upcoming events and activities and adjust accordingly. Updates on individual student-run events will be shared to student groups’ social media pages and other communication channels. 

The Sports Centre will be closed and all sport will be cancelled until 13:00 tomorrow. You can check the Saints Sport social media for updates. 

Thank you all for your understanding, and we will keep you updated. 

Best, 

Your sabb team 

Juan Pablo (he/him) – [email protected] 

Ailsa (she/her) – [email protected]

AK (they/he) – doed@st-andrews.ac.uk

Emma (she/her) – dowell@st-andrews.ac.uk

Lucy (she/her) – does@st-andrews.ac.uk

Sam (he/him) – dosda@st-andrews.ac.uk


Published by the University of St Andrews Communications Office.

Category Student experience

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