SU President

Long awaited update

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:01:00 Z

OK… Again, it’s been a while since I have updated this blog… Let me give you the headlines:

- Freshers’ Week Event Managers (FWEMs) interviews and appointments

We received over 17 applications and after whittling them down to have 10 interviews, we managed to appoint three fantastically enthusiastic individuals who, I hope, have the right complimentary skills to make a great team and deliver a fantastic Freshers’ Week. So… the FWEMs for Freshers’ Week 2010 are Daniel Broadberry, Jess Watling and Tim Douglas. Keep an eye and an ear open for Crew and Captain Applications to get involved in what’s likely to be the best Freshers’ Week yet!

- Student Centre pages for weekly updates

I’m happy to announce that the project is running on time and is working to plan so far. We are now in Week 4 of the Phase 1 works and there is a new video update on the homepage and more information on the student centre pages. Visit www.bathstudent.com/studentcentre for more info. I will be updating these pages with news on the Student Centre as and when it comes in so check it out every now and again to see how your Student Centre is developing!

- Appointment of Co-Opted Trustee, former Pro-VC T&L Ian Jamieson

Given the nature of change the Union is currently under, I liaised with all Trustees about the option of a Co-Opted member to the Board to offer certain experience and expertise. A unanimous vote from all Sabbatical Trustees as well as the three External Trustees named Professor Ian Jamieson OBE as a Co-Opted Trustee to the Board. :)

- Fairtrade Fortnight

This all kicked off on Monday the 15th of February with a Banana Bonanza and a mad hatters’ tea party with free Fairtrade tea and coffee. I was running around parade for most of the morning with a very silly hat and free bananas

- FoBRA

I am continuing to endeavour to improve our “Town and Gown” relationship by attending meetings like these in the local community. FoBRA stands for the Federation of Bath Residents’ Associations and I was fortunate enough to take up most of the meeting with my agenda item – issues with student in the community. I wanted to bring this to the meeting to clear up any misunderstandings the residents had about students, given that they are a scapegoat for all disorderly behaviour in the city. I received some very positive feedback about how certain issues had improved in the community but some residents still felt like there was room for further improvement – which, of course, there should always be!

- Cycle Path – Rainbow Woods

I am currently awaiting a meeting with the relevant officer from BANES (the local council) to discuss how this project is moving on. It has had to go through so many stages of consultations with Inspectorates as the law changed recently – meaning the path had to be re-advertised – allowing the land owner who constructed the fence to object again. I have good reason to believe that this issue has been resolved and that the fence will be moved shortly – allowing the width needed to deem the path suitable to be classed as a cycle path.

- RAG Week – Gunk a Sabb, Auction of Promises

Last week was a very successful week. RAG are likely to have raised over £3,000 this year! They have been preparing the week’s events since December and with over 10 fantastic events throughout the week they definitely succeeded in trumping last year’s RAG Week. I personally raised over £60 in Gunk-a-Sabb and filled my shorts and mouth with some hideous substance. I also auctioned myself off to the tune of £110!!!

- Council and Court

I attended both these meetings last week. Council is the governing body of the University. It is responsible for the University's finances and investments and for the oversight of the estate and buildings. Court is the statutory body representing the interests of the University's internal and external constituencies. It does not take part in the day-to-day oversight of the University's affairs or in the decision-taking process but provides a public forum where members of Court can raise any matters concerning the University. The Court is required to meet at least once a year and having it on the same day as Council made it a looooong after noon!

It’s definitely worth mentioning that Santa (your VP Sport) gave a fantastic presentation at Council, putting sport back on its agenda :)

- BUSU Finance Committee

As Ben (VP Comms) was away, I took his place to chair our Finance Committee on Friday 26^th Feb. This was a productive meeting. The Union Management Accounts are seeing a usual general under-spend which is great!

- Amy Williams' Reception

WOW! What a fantastic reception this was! Thank you to so many people who came to the STV to support the return of GB’s only Gold medallist from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. It is an honour and a privilege to welcome a world class athlete home.

- Bath Half

So… I achieved my one and only goal - beating your VP Activities and Development! I came in with a respectable time of 1hour 42minutes. However… I cannot move today!!!

- HE Funding Debate

Just another reminder about the HE Funding debate tomorrow! Tuesday 9^th March 12.10 in 8W1.1 - Be there! http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=338498020302&ref=ts

Back to reality - actually - is reality this busy?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:23:00 Z

Hey guys! I know it’s been a while... way too long actually! I hope your exams went well if you had any.

Welcome back to your first week of semester two – it’s REFRESH WEEK! This week we have a few special events lined up to keep you entertained – check out www.bathstudents.com/refresh.

With so many projects underway, I have come home from an amazing trip with Snowsports (to Val Thorens) to an even busier lifestyle than usually. The #1 project for me though has to be the STUDENT CENTRE.

Today there is a static display in plug with the current plans for the project. I have just given a presentation in Elements to show the most up-to-date plans. Accompanying me was the CEO, the architects and the interior designers that are involved with the project. To say I’m excited about this is definitely the biggest understatement ever! It is by far the greatest development the University has ever seen, not only benefiting the student experience and lives of small cohorts of students, but the whole student body. It will also strengthen the relationship between the Union and the students. The hub of campus will be the Student Centre, and it’s due September 2010... I can’t wait! :)

Merry Christmas :)

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:41:00 Z

Hey guys!

I hope you’ve all had a fantastic first semester. Sure, you may have had lots of work this year (well... if you’re a Fresher, maybe not!), but I hope you’ve all enjoyed every second of it!

I just thought I’d give you two of the big highlights that I’ve seen through in my first semester as SU President - so that I can reflect on what I’ve personally achieved, and you can see if there are other problems that have not been tended to this semester (please comment if there's something I've completely missed out) so we can fix them next term.

Buses:

I’ve spent a great deal of my time this year trying to resolve bus problems. I can honestly say that nothing prepared me for that first week of term, when I was receiving email after email of complaints from unsatisfied students. It was tough with the new complications that the second, new, 'healthy competition' fostering service brought with it. However, it wasn't long before I had managed to secure new services from both companies (410-type), the 8 from First, and the U10 from Wessex Connect, safely within the new Code of Practice that both companies now have to adhere to. Hopefully, in the New Year, we will see that these new services do not only help students who are living in Upper-Oldfield Park, but actually, relieve the current busyness of the stops in the city and thus help everybody.

Also on the note of buses, an enthusiastic student came to me and said, "What the heck is going on with proposed shelter at the new First stop?". It was refreshing to see somebody wanting to resolve a problem that, until then, had not been flagged up. After setting a Facebook group, which I endorsed as SU President (that gathered a healthy membership), and it going in the Student Newspaper, I took it to the Director of Estates and Project Leader. I showed them the evidence and demanded that the project needed to be speeded up. It was early the following week when I received a message that the new proposed bus shelter had been pushed through to Planning. This was a great little victory, and it proves that with your support, I can change things for you - you do need to let me know the problems first. :)

Student Centre:

I am so excited about this project! In the New Year we will all see the designs that are currently on paper start becoming a reality. I sit on the Project Management Team with the Architects, Civil Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and others for the build, and I realise, from first-hand experience, how very demanding this project is going to be. Completion date of the brand new building is set for the end of September 2010, ready for the next academic year! I hope to see the excitement develop amongst you guys over the next semester.

The first week back to lectures (week commencing the 8^th of Feb) we will be Refresh Week. In this week we will be displaying the current plans and engaging with you to find out what you want from your new Student Centre.

Right, that’s your lot for now. I’m going to enjoy bopping around the Christmas tree to some carols this evening and relaxing with my family – I’m officially on holiday and home! Woop!

So from myself and all the team, to end 2009, I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. See you in 2010.

dot :) x

from DOT, with a personal touch!

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:20:00 Z

Hey guys, I feel the last few ‘blog’ updates of mine have seriously lacked a personal touch. So here goes, (from DOT your SU President, not some ‘reporting machine’! After all that’s what the news is for!).

The last few weeks have been as busy as ever. Lots and lots of meetings and little time during the days to do much work - forcing me to stay long hours in the office… let me hear an “awww”! OK, moving on!

So, some of the highlights...

- I attended a training course in Birmingham based on how to effectively Chair a Board of Trustees. This was very helpful because, with our new Board of Trustees consisting of Externals for their expertise and experience, it is important that I am able to Chair it as effectively and efficiently as possible.

- Over the last couple of weeks I have attended the two big University meetings, Council (the governing body of the University) and Senate (the body ultimately responsible for all academic related topics). Ian Jamieson, the current Pro Vice-Chancellor, who has helped us as a Students' Union and has always ensured student representation, attended both of these meetings for the very last time. He retires this Christmas after being here for over 20years and I would like to thank him on behalf of the SU for all his help.

- OK – this one is not work related however I have to blog it somewhere! Last Friday I revisited Birmingham with a dear friend (who got me tickets for my birthday!) to see Ricky Gervais! It was amazing and I’d recommend seeing ‘Science’ to every Gervais fan! :)

- Last Saturday I attended an evening with SIFE (students in free enterprise) for their show, “Strictly for Charity”. They presented their previous successful projects as well as the projects they are currently/about to start working on, with performances from several arts societies to mix it up. It was great!

- With the new tips I picked up from the training session, I chaired the second Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday which followed the Union’s Finance Committee. Both meetings went well and run smoothly.

OK… I could go on… but firstly, I don’t want to! And secondly, I’m sure you are fed up of my rambling on too!

As usual, every Sabb has an open door policy, so pop in for a chat if you have any questions or queries.

Peace and love,

Dot x :)

PS – STUDENT FORUM – is tomorrow… well actually, looking at the time, it’s today! That’s Monday the 7^th @ 13.15 – 14-05 in Elements.

Be there to hear a full report from the Sabbs and a Q&A session as well as an automatic entry to a free prize draw by just attending. There are tickets and a bottle of bubbly up for grabs. Not bad for a relevant hour of your life? :P

FREE PRIZE DRAW @ BUSU's 1st Student Forum 7th Dec

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:21:00 Z

Hey guys! This is the first year the Students' Union has had to work under its new constitution after you approved the proposed governance changes last year. As we no longer have Union Council or Annual General Meetings, the best way we, as Sabbatical Officers, can give our membership (you – the students) a report on what we have been doing to improve the student experience, is through an open Student Forum. This is an integral part of the ‘transparency’ that we are continuously endeavouring to improve and is why these forums are considered to be very important events in the Students' Union’s timetable. I urge you all to please find some time to join us!

The first Student Forum is planned for the 7th of December in Elements from 13.15-14.05.

Within this forum you can expect to see, firstly, a 25minute report from each of the Sabbatical Officers in the form of a fun and colourful PowerPoint presentation. Then I will open the forum to all. This is an opportunity for you to ASK US ANYTHING! So, if you’re after more information on the current bus situation; or wondering how the plans are developing with the new Student Centre; or if you have any issues we can be spending more of our time attempting to fix; this is the place to say what you want to say!

FREE!!! – yes, I knew that would get your attention! For merely attending our first ever Student Forum you will receive a free raffle ticket to a prize draw which will be held right after the discussion on the day! Prizes include pairs of tickets to the penultimate and final Flirt! of the year (which are always sold out!) with a bottle of Bubbly to share with your mates.

Please come along and contribute to the discussion. Without you letting us know what your problems are, we cannot fix them!