In 2012, the Guild of Students at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, a milestone it shared with the national and regional community, as both Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica celebrated their fiftieth year of independence.

This volume represents one of the first efforts at the University of the West Indies to craft a history of the Guild of Students on one of its campuses. Pantin and Peters give a general picture of the main issues, personalities and events at the St Augustine campus. Throughout its history, the guild confronted many recurring problems; two of the most important were its relationship with the administration of the university and the students’ general apathy towards extracurricular engagement. It is the hoped that this history provides a glimpse of key developments and personalities that can generate further detailed study of the Guild of Students.

Shane J. Pantin is a student in the Faculty of Law and a graduate of the Department of History, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

Dexnell G.L. Peters is a doctoral candidate, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, and a graduate of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.