Lawrence Coomber, Union President
This fortnight saw myself, and the Vice Chancellor sign the Relationship Agreement between the University and the Student’s Union, an event that happens every year to demonstrate our shared values and commitment to working with each other to better the student experience.
We also had our first meetings of two of the subcommittees of the Trustee Board – the board that oversees the work of the Senior Leadership Team and the strategic direction of the organisation at SUSU. The first was our Audit and Risk Committee, which was a meeting with our external auditors who evaluate each part of SUSU’s work, and the second was the Executive Performance and Review Committee, which does what it says on the tin! Both were great starts to the Trustee Board’s work this year, and I look forward to continuing it.
On a lighter note, the Sabb team competed in our very own Southampton Come Dancing run by the University of Southampton Dance crew, and it was amazing! It was such a great event, and each time had a fantastic dance routine that was genuinely impressive to all who attended! I also filmed a Day in the Life video that I hope you have all seen, showing what a typical day looks like working as SUSU President!
Rebecca Would, VP Education and Democracy
Hi everyone, hope you’re keeping well and looking after yourself despite the turning temperature! I’ve had a couple of days working from home to try and avoid spreading a cold!
Last week, myself, Lawrence and Conor got to take part in USD’s Southampton Come Dancing in aid of Cancer Research UK! Despite a small false start (oopsie!) and only one rehearsal with the society, we remembered (and nearly pulled off) a great routine, choreographed for us by the lovely Contemporary Dance Society! Congratulations to USD for running such a fun evening, and to all the clubs and societies for taking part.
This week we had Senate on Wednesday – where your elected Senators hold us as Sabbs to account. I had a great time presenting both my manifesto and updates and a wider piece of work on the Sabb roles. Speaking of my manifesto, next week I am running part one of my ‘Did You Know?’ campaign, sharing posts and stories and answering your questions about academic policies and processes on the @susu_studentvoice Instagram.
I ran Part 1 of a Student Voice Workshop I designed this week, talking to students and staff about what they want to see from Student Voice as a whole – if you want to have your say please fill in this form by Friday 6th December (1 week!): Student Voice form!
Emily Dugdale, VP Activities
Hi everyone! The last 2 weeks have been exciting as I’ve been working on a new society development project. I have also been meeting with more society presidents, which were really helpful meetings. I’ll be sending out some more availability for these 1:1s soon.
Our first Executive Committee meeting went really well, and I presented the team with the new grant guidelines to check clarity from a student perspective. On that topic, grant round 2 is open and we are accepting applications until 13th December at 23:59, and all guidance can be found on the Clubs and Societies Sharepoint site.
I’ve also been reworking the Clubs and Societies Code of Conduct and seeing how this fits within Expect Respect. I plan to continue this over the next few weeks!
Lottie James, VP Welfare & Community
Hey everyone! Happy Friday, it has been a quieter one over the last two weeks, but still lots of work being done and fun to be had. Over the past fortnight, I have worked at NOC, WSA and Highfield (Avenue – you are next!) as part of our events programme for Trans Awareness Week. I had so much fun decorating tote bags and making friendship bracelets with you, so thank you so much to everyone who got a ticket and came along! We are now in Disability History Month, and we have lots planned in collaboration with various societies, so keep an eye on the website for more information.
This week we had our first Senate. This went well and I am grateful to all our Senators for their contributions and support. Speaking of manifesto plans, we are getting closer to offering free sports activities at halls of residences, and I met with various University staff from the Wellbeing Team to discuss neurodiversity and disability support, and how the University is supporting their LGBTQ+ (specifically trans and non-binary) students. Finally, I met with Vance this week to discuss her plans as your Women’s Officer and I am excited to see her vision come to life.
I hope you are all doing well and keeping warm. Do not forget you can get food vouchers from the Student Hub, and we have emergency options through the Advice Centre. As it gets colder and the days become shorter, make sure that you are prioritising your wellbeing, both physically and mentally. The Student Hub offers 24/7 support, including further options like counselling, and the SUSU Buildings are always toasty, and you are always welcome!
Conor White, VP Sports
A massive thank you to all of the club representatives who attended our first Facilities Forum of the year! We covered a wide range of topics that spanned across all venues managed by Southampton Sport. I’m now working with the team to address the issues raised and find as many solutions as possible. Remember, outside of the Facilities Forums, you can still report any concerns via the usual routes:
- Use the QR codes on the walls/fences to report when on-site
- Speak to any Southampton Sport staff
- Or contact me directly, and I will make sure your concern is handed over to Southampton Sport and actioned
We’re also planning to review the facility reporting process soon. If you’ve encountered any challenges with the current system, I’d really appreciate your feedback!
Over the past two weeks, I’ve been busy with a variety of events and initiatives like:
- Filming for Varsity: It was fantastic to have so many students engage with our filming, last Wednesday at Wide Lane and Friday on Highfield Campus, as we captured the best parts of our sports community. Varsity is one of the biggest events in the calendar, you cannot miss it!
- BUCS Regional Summit: On Tuesday, the Sports Co-ordinators and I travelled to the University of Bath for the second regional meeting with BUCS. We had insightful discussions with staff and Sabbatical Officers from other universities and met the BUCS CEO, Will Roberts. One thing we spoke to him about was how BUCS’ can do more to increase its offering to students and each institution, making participation more accessible and evolving with time.
- SUSU Senate Meeting: On Wednesday, the Sabbs and I attended Senate, the highest student body that holds us accountable for our manifestos. It was great to present our plans, answer questions, and hear their ideas.
As always, feel free to reach out to me via email or the @team_soton Instagram page if you have any questions or suggestions. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
You Make Change Updates
You Make Change update: Thank you as always for your ideas and queries. We look forward to receiving more submissions in the next two weeks!