Category: Sabb Blog

Ian, VP Academic Affairs – Last But By No Means Least

Scott McGinn / / Ian, Sabb Blog

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

Brian, VP Welfare – The Start of the Whirlwind Adventure

Scott McGinn / / Brian, Sabb Blog, Your SU

Month one has now been and gone and I’m amazed at how quickly it’s passed! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind adventure and in my first four weeks ‘in office’ I had about 7 days spent actually in the office as I was travelling to a lot of NUS conferences and training events, as well as Students’ Unions elsewhere in England – doing my best to soak up as much information as possible. They were really beneficial, and I trust that they will serve me well throughout this year in how I can support students. Not only was the content of each training event top quality, but the people I met, who either work for NUS or are sabbatical officers elsewhere in the country, had great ideas from their campus, some of which I could readily adopt and personalise for Lincoln – networking was key!

The main things I have been working on this month, in the time I have spent in the office, are the Student Buddy Scheme, Inter-faith Forum, International Friends, Groups, Community Litter Picks, Kids on Kampus, Carholme Community Gala, The Housing Booklet and assisting a number of students with issues they have been facing. So I have been a busy wee bee, but it’s been a really great month and I can’t wait until the students return en masse in September and we can build some momentum! To clarify this list of things, I’ll detail each below:

The Student Buddy Scheme: My predecessor, Andrew Twagira, began this peer-to-peer scheme which provides support for students facing any difficulties, from academic stress, bullying, to loneliness or homesickness – any issue, no matter how small, our Buddies are happy to help. During my handover week I met with Sally and David who train our Buddies and we were able to set the dates for the training. I felt it important that the Buddies were trained and ready to support students by Welcome Week so the training is taking place throughout September. Once the dates were set I met with Jane Kilby, our Volunteer Coordinator at the Volunteering Department to discuss recruitment of Buddies. An advert went up on the Volunteering website and the link was circulated on social media and by email and in next to no time we had secured our team! If you ever feel you may benefit from the scheme, if you feel a bit lost or just want someone to talk to, send a wee email to buddies@lincoln.ac.uk and someone will be in touch!

Inter-faith Forum: Subash Chellaiah is the University Chaplain and supports people of all faiths, or no faith, in any issues they may be facing. He is a really genuine, down to earth guy and a pleasure to chat to. I have been working with him to expand on the successes of Inter-faith Forum from last year and we hope to put on a number of events throughout the year to facilitate understanding of people from different faiths and discuss and debate the merits of religious belief. Remember, you don’t have to be of a particular faith to take part. Join the Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/491695464195310/] and look out for event updates from September.

International Friends: This is a new initiative I am hoping to launch in time for September, however it may be a bit later in the academic year. The idea is to link international students with families in the city, who would have them over for a family meal, or take them along on a family outing, giving the international student a taste of local culture. Throughout the year group events would take place between all participants, such as trips to the seaside, or traditional music events. It is a tried and tested scheme which has been very successful on the university campus in my hometown and I feel it would be very successful in Lincoln.

Groups: Groups differ to Societies in that members don’t pay a fee and the group has a representational factor, as well as social. I feel that Groups have been largely ineffectual in this representation of the needs of their diverse members and so I plan to restructure the Groups, meeting with members and working with them to improve on the good which they already do. At present we have International Students Group, Disabled Students Group, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) and Mature Students Group. If you would be interested in any of these groups, regardless of whether you have been a previous member or not, get in touch with me!

Community Litter Picks: My role differs from that of my predecessor in that I have greater focus on community engagement. I really believe in students investing in their local area during their time at university. You may only be here for three years, but you may be here longer – it is a good idea to play your part in the local area. A regular complaint against students from residents across the country, whether founded in truth or not, is that they are messy. In some cases this might be true, in others not so. Regardless, we can show pride in where we live and show our city that students love to volunteer and give something back. As such, we have set three dates for the first semester to take part in litter picks – 2nd October in the Carholme Ward (West End), 16th October in the Park Ward (Sincil Bank area) and 13th November in the Abbey Ward (Monks Rd area). Look out for the Volunteering stall at the Freshers Fayre where you can register your interest to one, or all, of these Community Action Days. I am also hoping to have a community representative for each of these three wards to represent student opinions and student issues at local residents meetings – news on this in time.

Kids on Kampus: This is a new initiative I plan to launch in February, over the school half-term break. It basically involves students leading on interactive workshops for young people of year 7 and 8 age. These workshops could be related to your academic interests, your sports club or society, or anything else you’re interested in. I really want this to be student led, so I’m leaving the options open to suggestions. If you think you could run, alongside others, a session for 2-3 hours throughout the week of half-term break, with a group of perhaps a dozen kids, get in touch with me and offer a suggestion of something you could lead on. These are designed to be very interactive and practical; the kids will be on their school holidays after all!

Carholme Community Gala:  This annual event is aimed at integrating local residents with the student residents in the West End of the city. This year it is being held at the Grandstand Community Centre, just beyond the West Common. Councillor Neil Murray is organising the event and has asked the Students’ Union for some help. The event is set to be bigger than ever before, with a variety of musical entertainment and hopefully some of our sports teams and societies will be on hand to run some demonstrations. Ideas have been bounced around at a big brain storming session we held so I am very excited for what this year will bring! There is a plan to have a minibus to ferry students to and from the Gala so watch this space! The date for the Gala is Sunday 29th September so keep that day free.

Housing Booklet: I have been working on this year’s Housing Horrors campaign, set for the end of October to warn against signing for a house too soon. Year by year students worry that they won’t get a good house and year by year they sign tenancy agreements without considering the consequences. If you sign a legal document you are held by it. Some students decide later in the year that their new friend is no longer suitable as a housemate but struggle to get out of their legally binding tenancy agreement. The moral of the story is – wait until the Housing Fair, when you have a broad range of accredited landlords and agencies to offer suitable accommodation. I am redesigning the housing guide booklet for this campaign and have taken some great ideas from housing booklets I have seen elsewhere at other unions, so hopefully this will be something that students will regularly refer to, throughout their looking, living and leaving processes!

So that is a roundup of my first month and what I have been working on so far. It has been a busy time but a very rewarding and productive time and I am so happy to be in this position, working with and on behalf of our student members! We have a really strong team this year and a really strong Union, so if you haven’t been involved yet, or haven’t been impressed – this is a year to make a change and invest in your Union to improve student experience across campus!

If you ever need help or support, or if you just want to chat, get in touch with me:

balcorn@lincoln.ac.uk    01522 886 669    www.facebook.com/ulsu.welfare           @ulsu_welfare

Enjoy the rest of your summer break and if you are in Lincoln please pop in and say hello!

Dan, President – The SU and his First Month in Office

Scott McGinn / / Dan, Sabb Blog, Your SU

Woah …. a month has passed and as it stands 11 months remain in my tenure as your Students’ Union President.

 

Right now you’re probably thinking what does a  Lincoln Students’  Union President do?  What could you possibly be doing with the majority of students on their summer break?

 

The above questions are absolutely valid, but to summarise my month in three words brings to mind planning, meetings and training.

 

After being your Activities officer in the 12/13 academic year the notion of change was thrown around and has put perspective to what is a HUGE year for the Union in the 13/14 academic year. The University of Lincoln Students’  Union means so many things to many different people whether being a part of a sports club or society, student rep, staff member, engaged or uncompromising student but stopping there at 33% involvement in sports and societies, 28% voter turnout at our elections and a modest representation system is not enough; widening participation or engagement in our services is vital to the students’ experience in Lincoln.

 

The ethos of students coming to university is changing; bars and club nights aren’t as popular as they used to be and a greater emphasis on representation in the university or academically is of huge importance. It may be a no-brainer but it puts even greater emphasis on our course rep system and how it works. This is the year we empower the student voice, improve the quality of feedback from lectures and seminars so we can help you shape your learning with you.

 

You might have noticed, but we’ve had a ‘little’ re-brand, restructured the finance of the activities department, brought finance in-house and hired LOADS of staff to ensure that the Union performs and works towards what you want us to facilitate or run in the next 3 years.

 

So all the above refers to the past so I guess it’d be good to talk about my plans for the 11 months ahead:

Making our union accessible is the umbrella term I’d use for my term in office. Widening participation not necessarily in Union activity itself but also in the way we engage with students at our Holbeach campus which has predominantly part time or distant learners is something the Union will have to work on over the coming year. The world of Higher Education is changing rapidly and with £9000 fees it’s important that those who aspire to go to university still have the drive to get there. The union needs to engage in the local community making a positive impact in schools and colleges in Holbeach and in the disadvantaged areas of Lincoln. On the topic of being ‘dynamic’, it’s ever so important we engage with our International Students, whether they are in study groups, a 10 week English booster program, undergraduates or postgraduates, they have the same rights as any other and their impact on the face of the University will grow year on year; it’s vital the University of Lincoln Students’ Union is proactive in the coming year.

 

Overall it has been a fantastic month; I’d like to thank the Union staff for their support and hard work, whilst also giving a shout out to the officers at NUS who have been very supportive at training sessions, particularly around the ‘widening participation’ agenda. I hope to see some of you at your graduation ceremonies and at the graduation ball.

 

Ciao

 

Dan x

Joe, VP Activities – Getting Started

Scott McGinn / / Joe, Sabb Blog

It’s one week in. Meetings, conferences and training left, right and centre.

Starting at the Students’ Union on Monday I was greeted with smiles from all the staff making it a friendly welcoming environment from the start.
All the training sessions are filled with acronyms and jargon that initially go in one ear and out the other… And it’s not until you get into the swing of day-to-day conversations and operations that you begin to pick them up.

NUS 13 Conference, in Manchester, was an excellent way to dive straight into what students’ unions are all about. Meeting officers in similar roles and building relationships with NUS staff to hopefully utilise their skills in the near future. Lily Cole was among guest speakers which was the first glimpse of celebrity claim to fame through this role.

20130708-233419.jpg

The first ‘black tie’ event since starting my new role, and I forgot my shoes. Classic. I strolled in rocking the Nikes quite confident ,even next to our CEO, James Brooks, who was wearing a full tux. Confidence is key in this role, that’s one thing I’ve learnt so far. If you aren’t confident in yourself how can you be confident enough to represent 12,000 students?

After the mass influx of buzz words from NUS 13, it was a long train journey to Brigg, near Scunthorpe, for a dinner with the board of governors of the University of Lincoln.
Now these people are considered the ‘top dogs’ (although I heard they don’t like be called that). Men and women who have achieve so much in their life, they’ve decided to give back to society by making sure the University is shaping young minds. After all, today’s young generation will be choosing their retirement home…

It was inspiring to hear their success stories even that of social mobility, something I was very clued-up on after NUS 13. Social mobility, in this instance, is the movement of individuals in social classes (working class, middle class, upper class, etc.) and is something I’ve personally strived for myself.

End of the week and it was recovery day in the office, catching up emails and writing up notes from seminars and lectures (thought I’d finished with those after Uni…) and even taking meetings outside in the sunshine.

Next week is BUCS Conference 2013 in Edinburgh. Luckily I’ve made friends at NUS 13 in the Activities/Sport officer role at various institutions, so I won’t be completely alone as a Sabb meeting new Sabbs!

 

Find more about the story of NUS 13 on the SU Twitter @lincolnSU