As we stare down the second half of august and rapidly approach Fresher’s week, I thought I’d let all of you know how my first month has gone.
As first month’s go, July has been the most intense that I have ever experienced; it has definitely been a crash course on students’ unions, representation and education. I found myself barely at my desk in my first four weeks, with the majority of my time being spent in meetings with University staff, attending conferences and going on team away days and training events. I quickly found that I had entered a whole new world in which speaking in acronyms seems to be the norm. Don’t worry, I won’t be hitting you with any today. Suffice to say the learning curve was steep yet rewarding.
Conferences
The conferences I’ve been on have been some of the most inspiring experiences I have had as a new sabbatical officer. To go to a conference like NUS (National Union of Students) ’13 and to see hundreds of staff and sabbs all there to learn and share ideas on how best to deliver for students was definitely a humbling experience. The lessons I learnt gave me a platform and inspiration to turn some of my ideas into real projects. It showed me that there are many people doing a lot of great things at their institution but it also showed me that Lincoln was one of those great places with a huge capacity for growth and improvement. The buffets weren’t bad either and seem to be a trademark of NUS conferences, long may that continue.
Education and Representation ’13 was a different kind of conference, (aside from the incredible volume of carbs on the menu) it was an opportunity for all of the sabbatical officers for education in their Unions to come together to discuss the history and current state of Higher Education. It was also, more importantly, an opportunity to network with my counterparts in other unions and for us to share information and ideas. I can honestly say I learnt about issues I had never even considered, so EdReps ’13 was definitely an eye-opening experience.
Team Away/Strategy Days
Our team away days gave us an opportunity to bond and to discover quite how much banter could be generated when there wasn’t ‘serious’ work happening – a significant amount as it turns out. Our strategy days gave us a deeper insight into where the union currently stands and where we are going, whilst allowing us to see how our individual plans fit into the union vision of delivering a quality experience for all students within the University.
Moving Forward
What does all of this inspiration, learning and development mean for my year and ultimately your student experience, I hear you ask? It means a year where all aspects of the students’ union are working hand in hand with students and the University to deliver quality results and a positive impact on the student experience, including teaching and learning. For Academic Affairs it means that we will have a year focused on creating effective academic representation through your reps and will have more events and campaigns focused around developing students’ academic and employability aspirations. The essential part of all these plan, as always, lies in your hands; your interests direct what we do. I hope you’re all ready to be back at Lincoln and are excited for the big year ahead. Roll on Welcome Week!
Ian