FORMER students from one of Scotland’s oldest universities have been invited to protest over "unnecessary and detrimental" new legislation.

The influential General Council of Glasgow University, an independent body that represents all the institution's graduates, has appealed to alumni to oppose new governance legislation.

The council wants graduates - who number some 190,000 - to pressurise MSPs to oppose the Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Bill.

In August, the General Council of St Andrews University also wrote to its members asking them to speak out against the controversial new laws.

The Bill includes proposals to appoint trade union members to universities' ruling Courts for the first time and will make the powerful post of Court chair elected - potentially clashing with the historic role of rector.

Because the process of the appointment and election of governing body chairs will be detailed in ministerial regulations universities believe that will threaten their autonomy.

Critics argue ministerial interference will lead universities to be reclassified as public bodies which would end their status as charities and damage their ability to raise millions of pounds in additional money.

In the letter to alumni, John Marsh, convenor of the business committee of Glasgow University's General Council, said the Bill introduced a level of political control which "reduces the independence of universities and threatens their academic freedom and charitable status".

He said: "The business committee..... is particularly concerned about the arrangements for appointing the chair of Court, which weakens the position of the rector, and the power to regulate membership of Court and Senate, which it believes put the university’s funding at risk.

"It believes the provisions of the Bill are both unnecessary and potentially detrimental to good governance. I would like to encourage all our graduates..... to make their opposition known to their MSPs and ask them to oppose the Bill in Parliament."

The Herald:

John Marsh, convener of the business committee of Glasgow University's General Council.

Emily Beever, NUS Scotland Women’s Officer, said: "It’s disappointing, but not surprising, to see the business committee wheeling out the same tired, and frankly untrue, lines we’ve seen from certain quarters during the discussion on the Bill.

"John Marsh’s comments on rectors are misleading at best. By empowering staff and students, the people our universities exist to serve, to appoint chairs of court, the Bill only serves to strengthen the role of the rector."

The Herald:

Emily Beever, NUS Scotland Women’s Officer.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The Scottish Government will not be involved in the appointment of an individual chair at any institution, or any member of an academic board so the suggestion of government exerting greater direct control over the sector is just wrong.

"Rectors play an important role in the ancient institutions, raising the profile of the sector and representing students. The Scottish Government is clear that there is no intention at all to abolish the position of Rector."