Lawrence Coomber, Union President
This fortnight was very busy for me! The most exciting part was visiting Belfast with Rebecca, our VP Education and Democracy, for the second Russell Group Students’ Union Conference of the year. It was hosted at Queen’s University Belfast, where we shared best practices among other Sabbatical Officers, heard talks from industry professionals and the Pro-Vice Chancellor, as well as had great fun out in the city! I also attended a viewing with our Halls Officer to Wessex Lane, where we are planning to open a Community Pantry that will provide basic food to those in need at the accommodation. We hope the trial will go well and that we can begin to roll this out at other halls, so watch this space! On top of this, SUSU also hosted our regular Student Sustainability Forum, where students came with us to join Simon Kemp, the University’s Lead in Education for Sustainable Development. We discussed how best the University could move faster to meet climate targets sooner and be more ambitious in its plans to include sustainability in every part of university life. That’s all from me, thank you for reading and see you in the next update!
Rebecca Would, VP Education and Democracy
Congrats for getting through exam weeks!! Good luck with the start of Semester 2.
Last week Lawrence and I went to Belfast for the Russell Group Students’ Union Conference, it was great to catch up with some Sabb friends from across the country! I presented my student voice lifecycles work which everyone was very interested in, and set out a Semester 2 plan for the Med/Health Students working group. All international students can also fill out the International Students’ Survey now. This survey is anonymous and not seen by any of your university staff, so I would encourage you to be as open and honest as possible so we can work collaboratively to improve the international student experience.
This week I had a few meetings at the start of the week, but have spent some of it on annual leave (it’s important for all of us to take a break!). This isn’t stopping me from being excited that Rep of the Month nominations are open, Academic Award nominations are open for you to nominate reps and lecturers, and next week Leadership Elections begin!! Remember to speak to the representation team (representation@soton.ac.uk) if you’re interested in running for any of our Sabb roles!
Emily Dugdale, VP Activities
Hi everyone! I really hope your exams went well and you’re ready for the new semester.
Over the past two weeks, myself and the Activities Team have been finishing grants and getting feedback uploaded. I’ve also been involved in the planning of some really cool events for LGBTQ+ History Month which will kick off in February. The Sabbs have also been doing lots of filming for You Are More Than, and I was able to take a nice walk on the common to film some content. I also had the opportunity to sit on the Turner Sims strategic board again, and it was really interesting hearing about the last quarter and how their work impacts the local community. I’ve also loved meeting with some more society presidents and hearing about how things are going.
Lottie James, VP Welfare & Community
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well, and for everyone still sitting exams – good luck! It’s the final stretch now.
The past two weeks have been amazing getting out to see you all. Whether it has been handing out cereal bars and stress balls in Hartley Library or dressing as a banana raising awareness for the effects of alcoholism. The You Are More Than campaign has always been one of my most favourite campaigns and ensuring your wellbeing is my top priority.
Over the past two weeks, I have:
- Been involved in a review of student officers and how we can make them more effective for you.
- Filming content for SUSU_Communities including self-care and what it’s like to be a Sabbatical Officer (aka the best job in the world).
- Working with SUSU to ensure that our EDI training programme is on track to start early this year.
- Begun planning with the SUSU Activities team for LGBTQ+ History Month – we will be holding events raising money for two local LGBTQ+ charities, Breakout Youth and Beyond Reflections.
- Continuing the period dignity project by promoting sustainable alternatives and Menstrual Hygiene Day.
- Working with Lordana (your International Officer) and the Student Hub to ensure we’re doing all we can to best support international students.
- Started my Halls to Homes transitions project (always keen for student involvement and feedback!).
- Working with the University to get some workshops around gender diversity and neurodivergence.
- Working with SUSU Insights to ensure that regarding EDI, SUSU is everything you need it to be.
As always, support is available 24/7 via the Student Hub and if you need any housing, academic (including special considerations!) or financial independent advice, please contact our Advice Centre. I’m always available via email, and you can chat to me informally on SUSU_Communities. Good luck to everyone who still has exams and to those celebrating this weekend, stay safe and look after your mates!
Conor White, VP Sports
I hope you had a successful exam period, and you are ready for the final stretch of the academic year.
Varsity 2025 is just around the corner, where we are welcoming Portsmouth onto our turf as we aim to continue our unbeaten streak. Tickets are now available via Box Office until 21 February! The ticket includes a Varsity t-shirt, access to all events and the afterparty! Don’t miss out on one of the year’s most exciting events!
Now exams are behind us, our BUCS and IM teams are back in action from this weekend. Make sure to stay up-to-date with fixtures, results and news from our sports community by following @Team_Soton on Instagram!
In the past weeks, I have been collaborating with Southampton Sport to shape the University’s Sport Strategy for 2025-2030. This focuses on increasing student engagement in keeping active, building civic partnerships, and aspirations on climbing in the BUCS leaderboards. This strategy will soon be shared with our Sports Executive Committee, providing an opportunity for students to voice their ideas on the future of sport at Southampton. Feel free to contact me or the executive team to learn more or share your feedback.
We also want to recognise the incredible efforts of our clubs and societies this month. You can nominate groups for Club/Society of the Month by following this link. What better way to start semester 2 than by being recognised for all of the hard work our groups put in for students! Lastly, don’t miss out on our Refreshers Fair on Friday 31 January – a great opportunity to join our fantastic clubs and societies. If you can’t attend, you can still explore all of our groups via our website or get in contact with me by pressing the button below!
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!