Lawrence Coomber, Union President
If you haven’t already seen, our SUSU+ App was launched on Friday! It was great seeing so many of you at the Refreshers Fair for this, and all of you who loved to see our duck QW! It was a fantastic day with an incredible turnout; we had over 1000 downloads on the first day! So thank you to everyone – get collecting and spending those points!
On Wednesday I visited Parliament to attend a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Students. I spoke to MPs with many other sabbatical officers discussing issues with student housing. The conversation mainly focused on the struggles of international students who are required to give a UK-based guarantor, and what policies can be implemented to fix this. I look forward to seeing the amendments in the Renters’ Rights Bill that is currently passing through the House of Lords, as our own Lord Willets, a member of University Council, also attended.
Hopefully, you have all been seeing my Housing videos that I have been posting to our Instagram channel, @sususabbs, in the lead up to our Housing Fair at SUSU on Friday, 07 February, 11:00 – 16:00! Please do reach out with any issues you’ve been having, and please come along on Friday to speak with us and other housing providers!
That’s the major updates this fortnight, see you next time!
Rebecca Would, VP Education and Democracy
We’re still celebrating students – congrats to Luce for winning Rep of the Month for January, you can nominate now for your February Rep of the Month! You can also nominate both your reps and your staff for our Academic Awards!
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been on a few big University committees, including Quality Standards, Research Ethics, Education Committee, Partnerships Scrutiny Group, and Senate, and some working and steering groups to improve PATs, assess skills opportunities at the University and catch-up around support for Joint Honours students.
In SUSU we are also in the middle of our Leadership Elections! Come and speak to the representation team if you are interested in any of the roles: Union President, VP Education, VP Sports, VP Inclusion or VP Communities, and remember you have 2 weeks left until nominations close on 21st February!
Lottie James, VP Welfare & Community
Hi everyone! Welcome to February! I have been working on a housing guide in collaboration with the Advice Centre and the Halls of Residences team. We’re hoping to meet again in March to discuss this. If there’s anything you feel is usually missed or is important to know when transitioning from halls to private rented accommodation, please get in touch.
I met with the LGBTQ+ Officer and BAME Officer to discuss holding focus groups to identify what POC LGBTQ+ students might want to see in terms of inclusive practices and spaces. If you’re interested in getting involved and sharing your experiences, register for the focus group by clicking here.
We’re looking at improving the Student Support Review process. If you have been through a Student Support Review or would just like to give us some feedback on the accompanying SharePoint site, you can do so by clicking on this link.
I am pleased to share that the Gender Expression Fund has secured an additional £250.00 in funding and the trial will be extended into semester 2. If you are trans, non-binary or otherwise gender-diverse, you can learn more and apply for the Gender Expression Fund by clicking here.
Other fun stuff:
- The Disabled Students’ Network will return on the 19th of February at 12pm on Teams. If you’d like to join the Network, please click here for the link.
- We have set up a Parent/Carer Network which you can join by clicking here.
- It was amazing seeing you all for the Housing Fair, Housemate Finder, Break the Ice, and the Clothes Swap with RAG!
- Just as an FYI – The Advice Centre is closed for in-person drop-in, but you can contact them via advice@soton.ac.uk or on the phone on 023 8059 2085. They can still offer in-person appointments, but these will need to be booked online.
Conor White, VP Sports
Hi everyone, I hope you are well!
Are you as excited for Varsity 2025 as I am? I hope so, because tickets are officially on sale! This year, we welcome our rivals Portsmouth to Southampton, where we’ll battle it out across a range of sports, all for the glory of being crowned Varsity champions of 2025. And, of course, to keep our unbeaten streak alive! You can purchase tickets through this link before sales close on 21st February. Your ticket includes a free Varsity t-shirt, access to all events and entry to the afterparty in the cube. Don’t miss out on the biggest event of the year and grab your ticket now!
Last weekend, I had the fantastic opportunity to volunteer at the BUCS Indoor Cricket Trophy finals at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. It was great to chat with students from universities across the country, learn more about how BUCS finals are run, and explore ways we can continue improving our sports community here in Southampton. I’m eager to bring back what I have learned to our community!
It was also brilliant to see so many of you at Refreshers Fair last Friday! Giving students the opportunity to speak to our clubs and societies in person on what they have to offer, and why you should join them. If you missed out or couldn’t find the right group for you, don’t worry. Reach out to me via the button below, and I’ll be happy to help you get connected with the groups that interest you!
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!