Lawrence Coomber, Union President
Over the last fortnight, I’ve been busy getting my teeth stuck into Freshers’ Week! We’ve been delighted to welcome everyone arriving and hope we have put on a good show – you might have seen me at the Freshers’ Party or if you attended the Big SUSU Quiz in Stags! I have loved every minute of it, and clearly so have you! We’ve seen record attendance at our events with thousands of you turning out, and I’ll be working hard to make sure we can keep providing amazing events for you. Outside of Freshers’ events, I was on Avenue Campus as part of SUSU on Tour and handed out free ice cream to many (whilst also promoting our amazing Advice Centre, Representation Team and Give It A Go). Last week was also the first meeting of the University Council, the governing body of the University that I attend, where its strategic plans and priorities are laid out every three months. I raised the issue of student experience for Joint Honours students and the need for investment in student union buildings. I’m looking forward to the next two weeks helping students settle in and learning about what we do at SUSU!
Rebecca Would, VP Education and Democracy
Hi everyone, I hope you’ve been enjoying Freshers and getting stuck into your degree this year! I’ve absolutely loved speaking to everyone over Freshers about our Autumn Elections, what we as Sabbs do and talking to committees about what’s important to you. Almost all our sports and society committees felt that community and inclusion was important to them in their club or society – so no matter what you join this year you really can become part of a great group of supportive friends!
Our Autumn Elections have been going well so far, and it’s been great to see your nominations coming in, but we’re not done yet! You have until the 9th October to Nominate Yourself in our Autumn Elections – remember we need representation in every year of every course, so it is open to everyone (and we run all the training afterwards so you get all the support you need to do the role). Speaking of training, I had a great time meeting and training more of your senior reps this week! We really are in for a fantastic year of representation this year! Find out more about Autumn Elections
Despite it being Freshers, I’ve still had a few meetings with the university, including looking at PATs and improving the experience for Joint Honours students, as well as several catch-ups with the Academic Calendar steering group as we prepare for talking to University Senate!
Emily Dugdale, VP Activities
Hi everyone! Freshers has kept the team very busy over the last 2 weeks, as I’m sure it has for you. I have been supporting the Activities Team with delivering club and society inductions to new committee members, as well as continuing to meet with society presidents as the new term begins.
I’ve also been involved with some exciting meetings at the University, surrounding careers and the arts, specifically Turner Sims and collaboration with the John Hansard Gallery in the city centre.
Over freshers, I loved welcoming new faces to the Big SUSU Quiz and Bunfight. Bunfight was amazing and I’m so fortunate to be able to work with so many amazing societies. We still have some events to go, with open days coming up this weekend, and I’m really looking forward to speaking with prospective students.
Conor White, VP Sports
What a blast the past two weeks has been! It was great speaking to so many of you over Freshers, and I hope you have all been settling well before your return to lectures. Some personal highlights for me were Bunfight and SUSU Showdown! We had over 5000 students come to the clubs and societies fair, where many of our clubs also hosted taster sessions and trials. If you weren’t able to join any club or society that you really wanted to, please reach out, and I can aid you in finding a group for you! SUSU Showdown returned in The Cube where the Cheerleaders (Vixens) beat American Football and Tennis beat Men’s Cricket. Showdown is the best way to settle those interclub rivalries on the big stage and is always filled with lots of laughs. Make sure you come along to our monthly renditions throughout the year!
Looking forward, our sports teams have returned and are ready to hit the ground running in the new BUCS and Intramural seasons. BUCS properly kicks off next Wednesday! Make sure to head on down to Wide Lane to support everyone involved, and also to see the Wide Lane Bar that will be open for every BUCS Wednesday up until Christmas! Your support for the bar will allow it to stay open, and create a hub for our clubs before, during and after matches. Make sure to follow @team_soton on Instagram to see all of the fixtures each week for all of our sports!
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!