UWI St Augustine Guild of Students celebrates its 60th anniversary
From being led by Black Power Revolution leader Makandal Daaga to shaping generations of Caribbean luminaries, the history of The UWI St Augustine Guild of Students is a tapestry woven together by the actions of young people with an aim to not only transform the campus, but also the nation.
Since its inception in 1962 – the same year Trinidad and Tobago gained independence – the Guild has navigated an evolving society while progressing the St Augustine Campus’ educational and social services, and fostering the fraternity of students.
So when it came time to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year, Guild President Kobe Sandy knew he wanted to honour those who came before while celebrating the present and embracing the future.
On May 29, the 2021/2022 Guild Council – led by Sandy – held a gala at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in recognition of their Diamond Jubilee. Sandy told UWI TODAY, “What [the gala] was intended to do was show appreciation to the people who have contributed selflessly towards the Guild, whether it be students, staff or people from different communities.”
The event’s planning was supported by the Office of the Deputy Campus Principal, the Division of Student Services and Development (DSSD), the Marketing and Communications Office and Campus Security.
At the gala, clinical psychologist Dr Katija Khan, soca icon Austin “SuperBlue” Lyons, calypsonian David Rudder, singer Ella Andall, activist Amilcar Sanatan, and veteran journalist Dominic Kalipersad, received honourary life membership to the Guild for their national service.
Special awards were also given to former Guild president Makesi Peters (the Makandal Daaga Award for Advocacy and Activism), former National Affairs Committee Chairperson Jeniece Scott (the Terri-Ann Joseph Award for Extraordinary Female Leadership) and Kimmi Potts (the Kenton K John Award for the student that exemplified university spirit).
Embedded in the university’s Royal Charter, the Guild is made up of five executive offices, nine committee chairpersons, eight faculty representatives and several hall chairpersons. It is the liaison between students and UWI St Augustine management.
The Guild also hosts many events, including Guild Fest, Caribbean Integration Week, Campus Carnival and The UWI Guild Sports Day. They even take part in outreach activities. More than anything else, they are the students’ representative and friend.
Reflecting on his Guild experience, Sandy said he always had a passion for service and it was only natural for him to gravitate towards serving on the Guild when he enrolled in Public Sector Management Studies with Law, and a minor in International Relations, at UWI in 2019.
In the 2020/2021 academic year, he served as National Affairs Committee Chairperson and made a successful bid for the Guild’s presidency in the 2021/2022 academic year. He was recently reelected to a second term as president for 2022/2023.
“It is very humbling to be president of an organisation with so much history, especially in a historic time,” he said. “The Guild epitomises representation and advocacy, which is integral for the UWI and any tertiary level institution.”
He referenced Makandal Daaga’s involvement in the Black Power movement during his time as Guild President as inspiration and reminder that they were more than a student body. When planning the Diamond Jubilee Gala, Sandy knew he wanted to honour Daaga, which led to the creation of the Makandal Daaga Award for Advocacy and Activism. The award was given to Makesi Peters.
Founder and CEO of Travee Technologies Ltd, Peters held several positions in the Guild, including president for two terms. He pointed out that regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background or disability, the Guild has always been accessible to and advocated for all students.
Current councillor for the electoral district of Calvary in the Borough of Arima, Jeniece Scott reflected on her time as National Affairs Committee Chairperson in 2017/2018, saying that the experience was one of the driving forces behind her decision to get involved in local government.
Elected to office during the 2019 local government elections, Scott was only 23 at the time, which made her one of the country’s youngest councillors.
Scott said it was a heart-warming moment to receive the Terri-Ann Joseph Award, which was named after the campus’ first female Guild President:“Getting the award, and being the first recipient, was quite humbling. It really showed that women are making an impact in the work that we’re doing and being recognised within the various important spaces we occupy.”
Speaking at the diamond gala, then UWI St Augustine Campus Principal Prof Brian Copeland said, “the St Augustine Guild was already five years old when it began to actively speak out about global and local conditions that were deeply affecting our Caribbean lives. As we celebrate its history, I would like to invoke that spirit of advocacy, of activism, and the sense of community that was a keystone of Daaga’s life.”
He highlighted the need for greater advocacy on issues of environmental consciousness, sustainable living and food security with an additional focus of making progress on these issues through innovation.
Movement for Social Justice leader David Abdulah also reminded Guild members of their role in national development.
Serving as Guild Treasurer in 1973 and then President in 1974, Abdulah recalled his experiences of organising a major student strike in October 1973; hosting Walter Rodney and a representative of the ZANU of Zimbabwe for Orientation Week 1974; and standing in solidarity with striking oil and sugar workers in 1975.
Though Abdulah wasn’t in the Guild during the 1970 revolution (he was living in Jamaica at the time), he said its legacy inspired many:
“At my time of being in the Guild, those events were still very fresh in my mind in terms of learning about it from those who were actively participating. My own orientation towards the struggles of workers and the different perspectives of transformational politics was shaped by my interactions with fellow students and with lecturers.”
Serving on the Guild, Abdulah said he never saw himself as a youth or student leader but rather a national leader involved in the process of societal change.
He added, “The country needs to have a generation of young people who are activists for change. All social and political changes that have taken place in TT and throughout the world have been driven by young people. I think that our young people now have to take up the challenge of how to bring about fundamental change in our society.”
Guild President Sandy highlighted the transformation throughout the pandemic as an example of how the Guild continues to meet the moment.
“When I was National Affairs Chairperson, which was at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, I had a lot of ideas/plans but of course I had to adjust to the times,” he said. Guild relief projects included the distribution of food supplies and technological assistance for students who needed access to online learning.
“Now, as the campus begins to welcome back students, my upcoming tenure in 2022/2023 will be about reviving student life and the student experience. Every officer of the Guild has initiatives that will bring back engagement among the student body across every faculty and department.”
Sandy teased the return of a physical UWI Guild Fest and a revived Fresher’s Fete. In commemoration of the anniversary, 60 special bursaries will soon be available to all registered students of the campus.
Looking towards the future, Sandy said, “We see the Guild as a force to be reckoned with and a stakeholder in the development of national policy which should carry us forward for another 60 years. The Guild is here to stay.”
