Annual review 2012-13

the

SUBU

ANNUAL

REVIEW

2012-2013

The SUBU ANNUAL REVIEW 2012-13

Full Time Officers 03

FOREWORDby Alan James, General Manager & Louise Bryant, President

CONTENTS:

Clubs and Societies 08

Advice 12

Lansdowne 06

Nerve Media 10

Exec and Incoming Officers 14

Representation 04

Volunteering and RAG 09

SUBU Green and Community 13

Partnerships 07

Entertainment 11

Thank Yous and Awards 15

www.subu.org.uk

/SUBUbournemouth

@SUBUbournemouth

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Hello and welcome to our annual review booklet.

2012/13 was another brilliant year for SUBU

in which we continued, with the help of the

university, our trustees, and elected student

officers, to make great improvements in areas

that students tell us they really care about. Not

only do we help students to make new friends,

we also allow them to do things that they enjoy,

or alternatively that they have never done before,

as well as help them develop as individuals. That

is the pleasure of working and being involved

in SUBU; ‘yes is the answer, now what was the

question?’ is our motto.

Of course not all students are involved in

happy, ‘realising their potential’ activities, and

our Advice team work hard to help students

with the trials and tribulations of managing

difficult financial situations, coping with

housing challenges, and sometimes feeling

aggrieved about their BU experience.

The last is an important part of the student

experience, and SUBU as an independent

organisation sits uniquely within BU in order to

represent the individual and collective student

voice to the university. SUBU fulfils this role

incredibly well by using evidence gathered

from the 700+ amazing student reps across the

academic programmes, and the university in

turn appreciates the support SUBU gives to help

it improve its services and the quality of the BU

student experience.

We have recently heard that planning

permission has been given at Talbot Campus

for a brand new student centre. From 2015 this

will make SUBU far more visible, accessible

and approachable to students and is the most

significant SUBU building development since

the Old Fire Station opened nearly twenty years

ago in 1995. At the same time we continue to

push to improve services for BU students at the

Lansdowne campus, and at other off campus

sites, such as partner colleges.

This year has been a fantastic one for all of us,

and we hope you enjoy reading about all of the

wonderful things that have happened within

SUBU over the past 12 months.

Best wishes,

Louise and Alan

The

02 I 03

We’ve had a fantastic year in SUBU and wanted to share a few of our highlights and achievements with you:

➭ Trained, empowered and motivated over

700 student reps to collect feedback from their

cohort of students and help us to improve the

student experience

➭ Speakers, extra seating and a Table Football

installed in the Boho Lounge

➭ Record number of votes for the Vice

President of Lansdowne in the full time

officer elections

➭ Improved office signage to reduce the

‘awkward door moment’ some students experience

when they walk in the office

➭ Lansdowne specific campaigns and events

➭ Successfully running a range of local and

national campaigns including gaining student

feedback on hidden course costs, working with the

Deputy Vice -Chancellor to introduce principles of

good feedback and campaigning for unit capping

to be changed

➭ The introduction of a School Rep Council,

who meet fortnightly and feedback student issues

➭ Continued to improve relations in the

local community with the ‘Silent Students, Happy

Homes’ campaign and delivering food donated by

students to local elderly, vulnerable people for the

Winton Winter Watch

➭ The launch of News from Suburbia TV which

was filmed, edited and directed by students

➭ Improving awareness of SUBU Advice

through a peer to peer advice campaign

called #wishihadknown

➭ The launch of the Student Opinion

Surveys (S.O.S) has seen survey feedback

response rates tripled

➭ The Student Written Submission for the QAA

Institutional Review: a research based document,

written on behalf of the students highlighting the

university’s strengths and how they can improve

➭ Co-project sponsors of the new student

centre which will be the new home of SUBU in 2015

➭ The introduction of a student lounge

(B130) which has created a new social space for

Lansdowne students

➭ Hosted the home finder day for the BU

Accommodation department

➭ Research was carried out through surveys

and childcare forums to gain feedback on the

needs of student parents which has initiated the

start of changes for these students

➭ Developed the new Community Student

Wardens scheme ready to launch in September

that we hope will be a huge success

FULL TIME OFFICERS

TheSU PRESIDENTSUBU

Louise Bryant (left) President

VP EDUCATIONSUBU

Murray Simpson (centre left) Vice President Education

VP LANSDOWNESUBU

Sophie Chaytor-Grubb (centre right) Vice President LansdowneVP CAMPAIGNS

SUBURuby Limbrick (right) Vice President Campaigns


REPRESENTATIONThis year has seen massive improvements in SUBU Representation:

➭ Student Opinion Surveys were launched and developed by our Research team

➭ The School Rep Council was formed with 32 active Schools Reps meeting fortnightly in term time to discuss student academic issues

➭ Two ‘Speak Weeks’ were held over the first two terms, including a talk out with the Vice - Chancellor and the second campaign was entirely managed by students

➭ A toolkit and handbook has been developed to help students run effective campaigns

➭ Reps can access training online via videos made by the Representation Services team

➭ Student Written Submission involved filming many of our Student Reps for BU’s Institutional Review, presenting feedback about key issues affecting them across the last 18 months

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

04 I 05


LANSDOWNEL A N S D OW N E

The Lansdowne Campus has seen vast improvements this year to make the student experience as positive as possible. We have run loads of events and campaigns specifically for Lansdowne and HSC students, from the postgrad mini-fair to Diversity Day and a HIV awareness event with Body Positive Dorset, raising £60 for World Aids Day. We held a display, ‘Struggle for Equality’ by Bournemouth People First, which showcased a history of people with learning disabilities.

SUBU played a part in encouraging the improvement of the outside area of Bournemouth House and the employment of a Lansdowne specific

Placements and Careers Advisor. When second year physio students asked for some funding towards a conference, we paid half and negotiated

with HSC staff to fund the remainder – success!

We forged strong links with the University of Portsmouth and University of Winchester to enable access to facilities and services for BU students.

We now have HSC Student Reps, with Lansdowne specific training days, and we had a record number of votes in the Full Time Officer Elections for

VP Lansdowne. An all-round successful year!

WE FORGED STRONG LINKS

WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF

PORTSMOUTH AND UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER

“

“

PA RT N E R S H I P SRepresentation across all our partner colleges has improved significantly over the year. Essential Rep Training was held at every Partner College and Speak Week information was provided for students, keeping them up to date with big issues that SUBU were campaigning on. A SUBU Advice worker visited every partner college, and provided the opportunity to book appointments or drop in.

Wiltshire College Salisbury students were looking to spruce up the HE social room. As one of the only places on campus that is purely for higher education students, it is a vital space in helping the students get the full university experience.

SUBU put its hands in its pockets and provided funding to a team of student wannabe interior designers. Using their purchasing power ethically the students shopped around

charity shops and local businesses to source their material. The space has now been branded the ‘Room of Requirement’ after a student vote, and has a distinctly British feel with red

telephone boxes and tea cups theming the walls. The students use the space to meet regularly and hold events there and the

community feeling is tangible.

06 I 07

You Said...

This Happened...


SOCIETIES&CLUBSTwo successful BUnique Weeks were held during the first and second term with over 40 clubs and societies taking part. The event is designed to celebrate all their great work and give them an opportunity to showcase their talent, from cheerleading performances to gaming marathons and demonstrations on parachute packing.

This year all clubs and societies were automatically part of the Five Star Grading System, which allows clubs and societies to earn points for their

activities, working their way up the grading system and being rewarded for their achievements. Two clubs reached 5 star status this year – the

Baking Society and The BU Boat Club – Congratulations to both clubs; keep up the good work!

TWO CLUBS REACHED 5 STAR STATUS THIS YEAR – THE BAKING SOCIETY AND THE BU BOAT

CLUB – CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH CLUBS

“

“

08 I 09

VOLUNTEERING RAISING AND GIVING

By the end of this year RAG will have raised a projected total of over £230,000 of which over £184,000 will be given direct to charities across the UK, which work both nationally and internationally.

Over 100 students got involved with RAG’s overseas opportunities

and even more in UK fundraising events, from sky dives to Tough

Guy. Whether they cycled from London to Paris, travelled to Ghana to

do charity work, or are climbing Kilimanjaro this summer, RAG has

provided plenty of opportunities for students to raise money for their

chosen charities.

The Volunteer Committee has been a great success for the second year running and we have seen vast improvements to the Alzheimer’s Society Project, making 17 visits to the Alzheimer’s Society, running events like ‘Singing for the Brain’ and ‘Memory Café’ sessions.

This year there have been over 730 opportunities from MAD Days

to 5 Minute Volunteering Activities and student led projects. When

students asked why the Meyrick Park project finished so early in the

term, we made changes to run an extra two litter picking sessions at

the park to extend our work there.

Rag MORE THAN


MediaN E R V EThis has been a huge year for Nerve, kicking off with a brand new look to the magazine and 20 additional positions to the editorial team, including Editor, Comment Editor, Sub-Editors and Proofers. This change was later rewarded when the redesign won ‘Best Design’ at the Student Publication Association Awards 2013.

There are more shows than ever before on Nerve

Radio, with hours of presented shows extended to

11pm on weekdays. An additional Radio Committee

member, Head of Speech, was added in to the mix and

both the Arrivals and FM coverage went as smoothly

as ever.

Nerve also managed successful coverage of the Full

Time Officer Elections with Atrium shows every day

and live streaming, hosting and broadcasting of the

results night.

We have had a better online presence than ever

before, with new Twitter and Facebook pages for the

magazine, which is now published in full online,

and better on air integration between social media

channels and the radio station.

OVER

100MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS

Student

Presenters

& News

Readers130

OVER 10, 000 MAGAZINES PRINTED &

DISTRIBUTED

ONLINE MAGAZINE IMPRESSIONS

Over

THERE ARE MORE SHOWS THAN EVER BEFORE ON NERVE RADIO“ “

10 I 11

EntertainmentIn collaboration with BU, SUBU run what is probably the most comprehensive Arrivals programme of any University. This year we extended the programme even further, to stretch beyond traditional freshers activity to include academic and arts festival events, such as ‘Take over the Towers’ – a student video installation during the launch night of Bournemouth Arts Festival. We extended the Arrivals Fair throughout most of Talbot Campus, and hosted the HSC Arrivals Fair on the Lansdowne Campus.

At Dylan’s Bar, we introduced local handmade beef

burgers sourced direct from a Dorset Butcher and

introduced Barcode training for all our student staff.

Dylan’s bar was tired, so from consultation with

students, we have started planning improvements.

Expect a new look bar, with an exciting new menu and

refreshed branding by the end of this summer!

The Old Fire Station maintains its unique position as

a student union venue in a town centre serving both

students and the community.

EXPECT A NEW LOOK BAR, WITH

AN EXCITING NEW MENU AND

REFRESHED BRANDING

“

“


A D V I C EThis year, SUBU Advice have put on more events and campaigns than before, launching the peer-to-peer advice sharing campaign #wishihadknown. We have worked with Events Management students to organise ‘Castaway’ – an awareness raising event and have put on other events from Housefinder Day to Money Matters and Home Sweet Home, advising students on problems to do with their student accommodation.

12 I 13

SUBU G R E E N COMMUNITYAND

SUBU is green and ethical in everything it does. We were delighted to receive the NUS Green Impact ‘Gold’ Award this year with a total of 604 points for the criteria, against a requirement of 550 and an average of 456 across all unions.

In the local community we have worked closely with new Winton Community Enforcement Officer, Matt King and revamped the Silent Students, Happy Homes (SSHH!) Campaign. The results show a significant reduction in noise complaints in the local community compared to last year and we’re continuing to tackle issues with our new Student Wardens scheme launching in September 2013. We have also worked on the ‘Winton Winter Watch’ in collaboration with Police and Bournemouth Borough Council to collect and deliver food for local elderly/vulnerable people.

The Village Green event promoted sustainable living to student residents of

the on-campus village. We had an eco-friendly DJ who played music from a

solar paneled wheelbarrow and organic foods from the local farm.

The ‘Shut it, Lock it’ burglary awareness campaign with the university’s Safer

Neighbourhood Team and the Cycling Safety Campaign to promote safe use

of bikes on and off campus both made a big impression on our students and

their attitudes towards their own safety.

THE RESULTS SHOW SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN

NOISE COMPLAINTS IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY COMPARED TO LAST YEAR

“

“


EXEC INCOMING OFFICERS

Our Exec Committee have been fantastic. They have helped organise and volunteer on many SUBU campaigns this year, including the Winton Winter Watch, ‘Home Sweet Home’, Fairtrade Fortnight, and the ‘Shut it, Lock it’ burglary awareness campaign.

What has happened because of

our Exec?

➭ A Mature and Part-Time

Society has been introduced

➭ The ‘PG Tips’ Campaign

was launched to support masters

students in their studies

➭ 37 Postgrad Researchers

went on a theatre trip to London to

raise awareness of SUBU support

➭ Focus groups were held with

Partner College students to make

sure their voice is heard

➭ Eurovision song contest

party was organised to celebrate

diversity of the PGR Community

➭ Childcare forums were held

at the Lansdowne campus to

gather feedback on the needs of

student parents

➭ Students views have been

represented at Halls and University

Bus meetings

➭ We all shared the love on

Valentine’s Day with a ‘free hugs’

campaign which put a smile on

everyone’s face!

Murray Simpson, President I can’t wait to use everything I’ve learnt this

year to not only improve the student experience

for a further year, but show all the great things

students and SUBU does in the university and

community. I’m looking forward to making

SUBU more accessible and approachable for all

students, and moving towards our 2016 vision.

Annie Hall, Vice President Communications I’m looking forward to adopting student welfare

under the remit of the VP Comms role and

thinking of exciting ways to increase student

participation in all areas of SUBU.

Sophie Chaytor-Grubb Vice President Lansdowne I am looking forward to continuing the

relationships I have formed with the union and

uni staff to make some massive changes to

the Lansdowne Campus and the students’ time

studying there.

John Gusman, Vice President Education I am most excited about working with students

and staff to better support the student voice and

to empower students to take ownership of their

learning experience.

THANK YOU14 I 15

SUBU Awards!

THANK YOU

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR CLUBS AND SOCIETIES AND STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FOR ALL THE WORK YOU HAVE ACHIEVED THIS YEAR.

WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU ALL AND WELL DONE TO STUDENTS AND STAFF WHO HAVE RECEIVED A ‘YOU’RE BRILLIANT’ AWARD

““

We would like to thank all full-time and part-time SUBU staff who work with us on our vision to make a positive impact upon every BU students’ journey. A special thank you to the administration team who do a lot of invaluable work, often behind the scenes. We would also like to thank the university for their continued support of the students’ union and we look forward to continuing a great working partnership in the forthcoming year.

Finally, a massive thank you to all our fantastic student volunteers - we hope you’ve had a great year getting involved with SUBU!

Love,

Louise, Murray, Ruby and Sophie

(Full time officers 2012/13)

Annual review 2012-13

Documents

Transcript of Annual review 2012-13