What's On?

Make sure you check out the What's On? calendar at the bottom of my blog for upcoming student group and Guild events!!

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Refurbishment information...

We wanted to inform you about some important changes within the Guild building next Term (from the 29th March onwards).

From the 29th March onwards the Student Development Office/Counter and other services such as Advice & Representation Centre (ARC), Job Zone, main Reception and also Room Bookings/Reservations will be based new locations as the building work for Phase 3 of ‘Guild Build’ commences.

The Phase 3 works will create new Membership Services area in the space formerly occupied by Joe’s Bar. The new area will house all of the Guild’s Membership Services, such as the Job Zone, Advice & Representation Centre (ARC); Warden and Student Mentor Schemes etc. A new Reception area will also be created.

Which services are moving?
From the 29th March and for the duration of Term 3 there will be new locations for some services within the Guild building. These are as follows:

• Main Reception – will be located in the Retail Area, Ground Floor, next to Mermaid Square;
• Student Development – will be located in the Common Room, 1st Floor;
• The Job Zone - will be located in the Common Room, 1st Floor;
• The Advice & Representation Centre (ARC) – will be located in the Common Room and Thompson Training Suite, 1st Floor;
• Room Bookings/Reservations – will be located on the 1st Floor, next to the Student Mentor Scheme Office;
• Hairdresser – will have a new location on the 2nd Floor.
The Representation & Democracy Office will remain in its existing location on the second floor, as will the Student Mentor and Warden Schemes on the first floor of the Guild building.

How do I access the Guild Building?
During Phase 3 of ‘Guild Build’ works, access to the Guild building will be from Mermaid Square – the Retail area will be the main entrance, and access will also be available through the square (next to Subway). All access areas and new locations will be fully signposted, and include DDA access.

How do I access computers?
Computers will be available for student Groups to use in the Common Room and the computer space in Student Development on the Lower Ground Floor will also remain accessible for Student Group members.

How do I access our room/office space?
All Student Group rooms will remain accessible during the building work, look out for the signs, or see a member of Student Development Staff who will be able to assist.


When does the new bar open?
The newly refurbished Joe’s bar will open on Monday 19th April from 10am – 4pm (for the remainder of the Eater Vacation), and will be fully operational for the beginning of Term 3 – from 26th April onwards. For the first time Joe’s will be serving food!

When does the building work finish?
The final part of building work will be completed in July and August which will be a redesign of Mermaid Square. All building works will complete, and all areas will be fully operational for the beginning of Term/Welcome Week 2010.

Monday 22 March 2010

Guild Awards 2010...The Results!

Well, it's all over for another year, and I hope you had as much fun as Ed and I!! A big thank you to ArtSoc for decorating the room, PhotoSoc for taking great photos of the event, Indian Culture, Bharat Parivar, Hindu Soc and Ballroom and Latin for fantastic performances, and all of you who came along or nominated candidates. A very big thank you and well done to all those nominated - you are fantastic.

Here's a run down of the results from last night!!

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OUTSTANDING STUDENT STAFF MEMBER

The first award of the evening is for…Outstanding Student Staff Member

Students and student staff are at the forefront of the Guild’s service delivery and without them we would not be able to support our members. This Award is for those students who have demonstrated an outstanding contribution to both the Guild and the department they work in. Our shortlisted nominees are student staff who have performed ‘above and beyond’ their basic job role to make a real impact on either the Guild itself of students directly.

The shortlisted nominees are…

· Alasdair Baker (Wardens)

· Alan Pooley (Student Development)

· Jonny Kirby (Venues)

· Natalie Prettyman (Job Zone)

· Nazaakat Tharani (Student Development – Trainer)

· James Taylor (Student Mentor)

The winner of this Award is someone who has taken a lead on environmental campaigns such as the ‘Door Step Challenge’ and has helped to reduce burglary in the student community.

They have also organised a Quiz night - raising over £130 for charity, which was donated to support injured soldiers in the armed forces.

And the Winner is…Alasdair Baker

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OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER PROJECT

The next Award is for Outstanding Volunteer Project…

The Guild supports over 20 volunteer projects who organise innovative activities and events. Volunteers selflessly devote their time to support others, and projects have a significant impact in the student, local and sometimes national community. This year volunteers have responded to appeals, for example to support Haiti – with the Birmingham Action for Haiti Campaign raising over £7,000; We are pleased to be recognising their achievements this evening…

The shortlisted nominees are…

· International Volunteers

· Kids Adventure

· LINKS

· Saturday Morning Play Scheme

· Student Advice

· Unicef

The winner of this Award delivers of action-packed holidays for underprivileged children in the Birmingham area. This group have been successful in raising over £20,000 to support their activities The Scheme now runs at Oxford University, and the committee were instrumental in supporting this.

And the Winner is…Kids Adventure

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OUTSTANDING STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

The next Award is for…Outstanding Student Representative (sponsored by the UOB Academic & Quality Unit)

The Guild supports hundreds of Student Representatives who work tirelessly to ensure that the student voice is heard. As a result of the dedication of Student Reps - the views of Birmingham students are represented to the University. Over the last year, Student Reps have achieved significant changes such as raising the issue of inadequate feedback and assessment, gaining more resources, amending modules and requesting better timetabling.

The shortlisted candidates are…

· Clare Hall (Sociology)

· Duncan Shrewsbury (Med Student)

· Keelia Scott (Physics)

· Lucy Fletcher (Sociology)

· Nicole Curato (Postgrad Rep)

This Award was hotly contested this year, and as a result we would also like to Highly Commend…Keelia Scott for her hard work and dedication to supporting Physics Students

The winner of the Outstanding Student Representative Award has been instrumental in ensuring student’s views have been represented to the University; They have helped bridge the gap between students and College Management, and have been a key driver in raising awareness amongst the student body and facilitating peer to peer communications…

Tonight’s winner is: Clare Hall

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BEST EVENT

The next award is…Best Event

Events are something our Student Groups do best. Our groups deliver events, to entertain students and the wider community and to support and fund their activities.

The shortlisted events are…

· Ballroom & Latin American Dancing (Strictly Brum Dancing)

· Bharat Parivar (Sports Month)

· Indian Cultural (Sitara)

· Sikh Soc (Langar on Campus)

· TECRA (Custard Pie Fight)

· Three Bugs (Birmingham University Fringe Festival – BUFF)

We also have a Highly Commended in this Award, which goes to Sikh Soc (for Langar on Campus) which brought over 1,000 students together on the University campus to learn about the Sikh faith.

The winner of the Best Event Award hosted an innovative event based on a popular entertainment programme, whereby inexperienced dancers were coupled with society members in a dance off…raising over £1,000 to support the society’s activities.

Tonight’s winner is…Ballroom & Latin American Dancing (for Strictly Brum Dancing)

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OUTSTANDING RESIDENTS’ ASSOCITION

We now come to the Award for…Outstanding Residents’ Association

Every student living in University Accommodation or at home is represented by an Residents’ Association (RA). It is the RA’s job to ensure that all residents get the best possible experience in their accommodation by supporting and representing their needs as well as providing sporting, volunteering, environmental, charitable and social events for everybody to enjoy.

The shortlisted nominees are…

· Aitken Wing 2009

· FOCSoc (Freshers Off Campus Society) 2009

· Jarratt Hall 2009

· Pritchatts Park 2010

· Queens Hospital Close 2010

· Victoria Hall 2009

This Award was hotly contested this year, and as a result we would like to Highly Commend FOC SOC…for their work and events to support and engage home students, and proving students with a sense of community.

The winner of this award has delivered a range of events engaged a wide number of students in their activities – including Under and Postgraduates as well as international students.They have been heavily involved in Res Exec and they have good relationship with the Mentor Scheme. This year they even provided additional events to the Freshers Fest schedule to meet the needs of their students.

Tonight’s winner is…Jarratt Hall

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COMMUNITY IMPACT

The next award is for…Community Impact (and is sponsored by the UOB Development & Alumni Department)

Many of our student groups, not only work within the student community but also extend their outreach into the local community and beyond – delivering activities and events to support students and local residents alike. We feel that students are a positive influence on the community and wider society; and their activities and hard work are a testament to this

The shortlisted nominees are…

· Community Wardens

· Debating Society

· Helping Hands

· Infinity Stage Company

· Kids Adventure

· Saturday Morning Play Scheme

The winner of this award is a group who spends time in local schools providing support to children with learning difficulties. They also work to support cutting edge research at the Centre of Neuro Development Disorders. The work of this group has not only supported children, but has also raised the profile and reputation of students within the local community.

Tonight’s winner is:…Helping Hands

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MOST IMPROVED GROUP

The next award is for…Most Improved Group

The Most Improved Group Award is here to recognise a student group who have overcome significant challenges. Nominees in this category were required to demonstrate an increase in membership and effective promotion of their groups and its activities. A range of groups were nominated in this category which included, RAs, Societies and volunteering projects.

The shortlisted nominees are…

· Burn FM

· BUDS

· International Students Association

· Krishna Consciousness

· Redbrick

· Saturday Morning Play Scheme

This Award was hotly contested this year, and as a result we would like to Highly Commend Krishna Consciousness…

Tonight’s winner provides 1-2-1 care and support for children with disabilities. This year they have raised over £8,000 to support their activities and fund day trips and events.

Tonight’s winner is…Saturday Morning Play Scheme

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OUTSTANDING SOCIETY

The next award is for…Outstanding Society

The Outstanding Society Award aims to recognise societies who have gone above and beyond in their work and contribution to the student community. Be it through key activity, or the work of the group as a whole, the nominees in this category were required to demonstrate a commitment to increasing membership, promoting the group and its activities and diversifying income.

The shortlisted nominees are…

· Article 19

· Hindu

· Infinity Stage Company

· LGBTQ

· Redbrick

· United Nations Society

The winner of tonight’s award has demonstrated an innovative approach to their delivering activities – developing a both new website and ways of engaging students; They have increased their funding through sponsorship and worked with colleagues, staff and Officers to deliver cutting edge and relevant stories to the student community - marking the return of investigative journalism…

Tonight’s winner is…Redbrick

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OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION

The final award is for…Outstanding Contribution

The Outstanding Contribution Award is here to recognise an individual who has made a significant contribution to the student community at the University of Birmingham.

The shortlisted nominees are…

· Clare Hall (Sociology Rep; Station Manager GTV)

· Jonny Kirby (Freshers Fest; RA, Independent Chair)

· Nick Petrie (Redbrick – new website, new approach, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, iPhone applications and podcasting etc).

· Philippa Treharne-Jones (Co-chair of Excite project, Action for Haiti)

· Roise Martin & Laura Rainsford (Run their own project ‘Birmingham Menelik’; Volunteer for Kids Adventure)

· Steven Johnson (Sports Rep, Student Rep and Independant Chair)

Yet again, this Award was hotly contested this year, and as a result we would also like to Highly Commend Claire Hall for her work to support students during the proposed Sociology closure and work as station Manager for GTV

Tonight’s winner is an active volunteer, sportsman, club captain, Student Rep, Guild Councillor, NUS Regional Delegate and student staff member. They have demonstrated a contused commitment to students…They are well respected both within the University and the Guild and have tirelessly worked to create positive change for Birmingham students

Tonight’s winner is: Steven Johnson