Emma Packham - Vice President Student Activities and Development

Term Three Report

2010-07-29T10:02:00.004+01:00

Vice President Student Activities and Development - Emma Packham

Term Three Report
01/05/10 – 30/07/10

Key Campaigns and Projects

Vote for Students
No sooner had students come back from the Easter break, then campus became a whirlwind of media and politicians as the final Leader’s Debate took place at the University of Birmingham. Shrouded in mystery, a number of embargos were placed on the University and the Guild to increase the security of the event. Behind the scenes, we worked hard to make sure when the cameras rolled, students had a presence on campus and it was clear to the wider public that students care about politics and the election, and student issues should be on the agenda. We printed 300 pink Guild of Students Vote for Students t-shirts, which had all been collected before 10am on the day of the leader’s debate! Students received vast media attention and were extremely articulate. Lord Mandelson even talked to the Hunter Court mascot (full blue morphsuit) who was sporting a Vote for Student t-shirt, the photo making its into a number of papers! We signed up hundreds of students to the Vote for Student campaign, which involved receiving an email from NUS a few days before voting with information on which candidates had pledged to vote against a rise in tuition fees if voted into parliament.
Not only did we later show the debate live in Joe’s, but Nick Owen and the BBC broadcast live from Joe’s for national coverage of the debate. Following on from the Vote for Student campaign and Leader’s Debate, we hosted a General Election Results Night in Joe’s which was packed out full of politics-hungry students. Hosting the Leader’s Debate on campus has certainly sky-rocketed the University’s reputation, but has also got the University’s students at the forefront of this media attention.

Community Day
The Community Day took place on Sunday 13th June, and was a resounding success – so much so, the University have announced the event is now annual! The University estimate that 6,000 people came onto campus to enjoy the free funfair, take part in the interactive activities in the Great Hall, and of course, to watch and get involved with the amazing student groups at the Guild! A number of University staff visited the Guild with family, which was fantastic to see, and really showcased the hard work of our students. The University are still collecting feedback, however there are a number of fantastic comments about the Guild.
The Vice Chancellor visited the Guild, talked to a number of student groups, and also watched a performance by BUDS, DCL and Ballroom and Latin Society with his family. In an all staff email, the Vice Chancellor wrote “Both the Alumni Reunion and the Community Day benefitted enormously from the involvement of the Guild and our Students. Their pride in the University and their willingness to support and promote it was exemplary and deeply appreciated”. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the groups involved (especially those who offered to help last minute!), the volunteers on campus who were crucial in creating a continuous flow of people to the Guild, and all the Sabbs and Staff involved behind the scenes. The event has been in the planning since October, and it was amazing to see it come to life before I leave office. I can’t wait to see what the Guild has in store for next year!!

Alumni Reunions
Each year, the Development and Alumni Office host Alumni Reunion Anniversaries on campus. This year I worked with the Alumni Office to organise tours of the Guild and a presentation delivered by Sabbs about the work the Guild and our students currently do. We had around 50 alumni visit the Guild for the tour, including past Sabbs, and a number of other alumni drop in throughout the day!

GradBall
GradBall was back on campus! After initial ticket selling issues, the actual event was a great success and students appeared to really enjoy the novelty of a funfair and live music right in the centre of campus. Old Joe and the Aston Webb looked fantastic lit up. There is a lot to learn for next year, and VPDR Tom conducted some research into student feedback (over 250 respondents) which will really help shape next years planning and event. Photos of the event can be found on the Guild of Students Website.

Student Activities and Development

Student Group Committee
The VPSAD chairs the Student Group Committee. This committee is a sub-committee of Guild Council which recognises and derecognises student groups, and also approves constitutional changes and grant allocations. There have been four SGC meetings this term.

Groups Recognised:
• Indie (music)
• Freedom (campaigning and political)
• GIFT/Growing In Faith & Truth
• Humans Vs Zombies (Recreational)
• Live & Unsigned Music (music)
• Orthodox Christian
• Redeemed Christians
• Sexpression (volunteering)
• Interfaith Association

In July, the annual grant for 2010/11 was allocated by Student Group Committee for approval. A total of £51,600 was available to distribute to student groups for 2010/11. A total of £135,073.31 was requested by 87 student groups, 2.5 times the amount available. All the available funds have been allocated.

General statistics

In 2009/10, there have been a total of 30 group recognitions, and 38 group de-recognitions.
At present there are 190 groups (147 societies, 21 volunteering projects, 9 welfare/liberation associations and 13 Residents Associations).

For general information, below is a breakdown of group sizes (approx)

1-20 members: 27 groups
21-40 members: 63 groups – roughly a third of all student groups are in this category
41-60 members: 39 groups
61-80 members: 12 groups
81-100 members: 8 groups
101-200 members: 17 groups
201-300 members: 3 groups
301-400 members: 3 groups
Over 400 members: 1 group
The largest groups, in decreasing order, are:
Dance (479), Brumski, Hindu, Redbrick, Erasmus, Carnival, Dance Club Latino, Indian Cultural, Debating, Pakistani Cultural, Mountaineering.

In 2008-09, Student Development received 9691 membership forms. For 2009-10, they received 9883 (a 2% increase in overall membership) – please note that this is number of memberships, not the number of people involved in student groups.

Student Groups
Some of the student group issues and things I have been involved with this term are listed below.
• Drama Groups - seeking clarity on objectives and how to distinguish between groups
• Carnival RAG– the Sabb team attended Kids Adventure Carnage
• Kids Adventure – Sponge the Sabbs fundraising for Kids Adventure
• I went along to watch The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Infinity), Alice in Wonderland (Article19), The Crucible (Article 19) and Road (Infinity)
• Kids Adventure – modeled for them to practice their face painting!
• Looked into student group members being paid for teaching/attending events etc
• Group existence issues in relation to the affiliated group on a national scale
• Concerns over differences between student group objectives and actual activities
• GTMG were featured in the Alumni magazine

Good Campus Relations
The final Good Campus Relations meeting took place in June, and subsequently a report outlining the recommendations has been drafted and sent to the University for approval. The freedom of speech form has been updated and clearer guidelines produced, a clear complaints procedure drafted, and suggestions for further work between the Guild, the University and the Chaplaincy to continue. Training for University staff (importantly welfare tutors) and investigating further partnerships with West Midlands police have also been discussed.

G:TV Good Morning Birmingham
GTV produced an excellent, and very professional, live programme every morning for a week, Good Morning Birmingham, in June. The programme was streamed over the internet and also into Joe’s. A number of the sabbs were interviewed on the programme, which was great fun to get involved with! Great work GTV!

Redbrick Awards Nominations
Redbrick created their own awards evening, the Redbrick Awards, and asked me to be part of their nominations panel. The standard of writing and investigative journalism this year has been outstanding, and the judging was a great opportunity to reflect on their year’s work, and also be a part of recognising student contribution.

Inter-Faith Forum and Association
In June, I organised the Inter-Faith forum and election for the proposed Inter-Faith Association. The forum included discussion around the differences between faith, religion and belief’, sharing stories of why inter-faith was important to the students present, and a review of the objectives and committee positions of the proposed association. There were 30 students present, with positive feedback about the forum. The election for the Association was well attended, and only one position, the Sport Officer, was left unelected. The Association got officially recognised at a subsequent SGC.

I later met with the elected committee to discuss future plans and hand over the information I have been working on over the last year. All the best to the new committee, I really hope the association takes off next year and achieves some great things for Birmingham students!

Buzz – Our Students Creating Impact
In the May edition of Buzz, "the University of Birmingham's award winning magazine" for staff at the University, the Guild of Students had an article featured which highlights the amazing work of our students and the impact they have on the community.

The University marketing team happily allowed us to write an article in response to an earlier article (featured in my blog "Disappointing University Article") which I felt did not represent, articulate or recognise Birmingham student’s commitment to volunteering and the community.

This was an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of students, and celebrate their achievements. It is the first article by the Guild in Buzz for some time (if ever!), and marks a great step forward in raising the profile of the Guild and student activities and campaigns with University staff. An online version of the article can be found here http://www.newscentre.bham.ac.uk/buzz/, and a copy of can be found at the end of this report.

Student Employee of the Year and Gold Awards
SEOTY are national awards run by NASES (National Association of Student Employment Services) each year. Students are nominated from Universities across the UK, and this year, there were over 400 entrants. The awards aim to recognise and promote the outstanding contributions and achievements of students who effectively combine part-time work with their study commitments. All five Birmingham student winners were also announced regional winners in their categories. We held a small presentation ceremony to hand out certificates and recognise the hard work of all the students. We also celebrated the volunteering Gold Award winners. Well done all students involved!!

Other Guild Activities

VPSAD Handover
Handover officially began with Matt Lamb on the 1st July, however a number of meetings took place in June which I invited Matt along to, and he eagerly attended! The current team have around 30 hours 1-2-1 time scheduled in with their Sabb elect, to hand over relevant information which will not only help the incoming Sabb in their position, but also benefit the Guild and students through a smooth transition to a new team. We have covered a variety of areas, and Matt has worked extremely hard throughout the training period. Matt is extremely passionate about the role, full of ideas and energy, and it has been a really great month handing over to him – I know he will do a great job next year!

Plagiarism Hearing
Sabbs are required to attend Appeals and Plagiarism Hearings to support students and add a check and balance in the University process. I was required for one plagiarism hearing this term.

Trustee Board Away Day
In July, the Trustee Board had an away day to discuss and outline the priorities facing the Guild over the next three years which will input into the Guild’s strategic plan. The Sabb elects were also present to input into the strategic plan. Some priorities that were discussed were: communication with the membership (all demographics), including Sabb visibility, communicating success stories, and improved IT and website; better reporting and monitoring of Guild activities, to accurately assess the impact of the Guild on students, the University and the wider community; diversifying income streams, stabilising and increasing current under-utilised income streams, rely less on the University block grant; and an increase in resources and visibility of academic representation (increased fees, students as consumers, more to lose in appeal/plagiarism cases, value for money).

Membership Services re-opening
The long awaited opening of membership services area arrived in mid-July! Student Development, JobZone, Representation and Democracy, Community Wardens and the ARC all moved into the newly refurbished area, and are now awaiting the students to make it their own! There is plenty of space for group work, socialising, computer work and meeting space – plus there is a coffee machine and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream machine! I’m looking forward to visiting the Guild next year and see students enjoying the space.

Staff Recruitment
Sabbs are involved in the recruitment process for Guild staff members. We recently recruited for the Deputy Marketing and Communication Manager position, and I was involved in the tours of the Guild, presentations and task element of their interviews. The recruitment of this position will make a fantastic contribution to the Guild, and really develop press releases, communicating with our membership, online presence, collecting success stories, and supporting campaigns.

Guild Student Staff Inductions
Sabbs are required to help with student staff inductions. I helped with a few inductions this term, mainly with new catering and bar student staff.

NUSSL Trade Show
I attended the NUS Services Ltd Trade Show in July at the NEC with the VPDR and VPDR elect. NUSSL is owned by the NUS and student unions, with an aim to create, develop and sustain competitive advantages for student unions, reducing costs and maximising commercial revenue. They provide purchasing, commercial development and marketing services.

Health and Safety Committee
VPSAD sits on this committee. I have attended the final meeting this term.

Vice Chancellor’s Buffet
The Vice Chancellor holds an annual buffet for the Sabbs, Sabb elects, and senior University staff to meet each other. This was held at the beginning of July.

Sports Ball
VPS Katie has worked extremely hard this year to organise a brand new recognition event for students who partake in sports. The Sports Ball was held at the Aston Villa football ground, and despite the evacuation mid dinner, was a fantastic success and enjoyed by all! The event aimed to celebrate students who work hard and participate in both UBS and Guild sports clubs and societies, not just the elite sports men and women.

Honorary Life Membership Nominations
The VPSAD sits on the Honorary Life Membership nominations panel, which recommends nominees to Guild Council from submitted applications. Sam Harrow, Brigid Jones and PC Julie Roberts were all recommended by the panel. Guild Council accepted these nominees, and also awarded Ed Sparkes and James Williams with Honorary Life Membership.

Staff Forum
Staff forum takes place every term. At our last staff forum, the officer team took the opportunity to reflect on the year and thank staff for their support.

University Activities

Graduation Ceremonies
Two Sabbaticals are required to join the procession at each Graduation Ceremony. In July, we each took part in four or five graduation processions, and saw lots of friends graduate!

PSA Awards
The careers service organised a ceremony to present the PSA certificates and awards and invited the sabbaticals who sat on the PSA advance interview panels to attend.

Honeypot Award
The careers service organised a ceremony to present the honeypot awards to successful students. There was also a presentation from a recipient of the award from last year.

Rabbi Cohen 25th Anniversary
I attended an event celebrating Rabbi Cohen’s contribution to the University and its students. Rabbi Cohen and his wife have worked at the University for twenty-five years and have made an invaluable impact on the lives of many students.

David Willetts Keynote Speech
The new Minister of State for Universities and Science at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, visited the University of Birmingham in June to deliver his first keynote speech since being appointed to the cabinet. Willetts discussed the development of education policy, and took questions from the audience. Willetts made an interesting point about those who belittle courses by suggesting they are ‘mickey mouse’ courses. Willets said Golf Management at the University is in very high demand, and is a course which applied business management to an industry – something to be admired. The course also has an extremely high percentage of students going straight into employment – something which we are all well aware is very difficult in the current climate. The sabbatical team went to watch the speech at the University.

Miscellaneous

Training and Conferences
I have attended two training sessions at the BVSC, Supporting Volunteers with Learning Difficulties, and Supporting Volunteers from Asylum Seeker and Refugee Communities. Both of these sessions were free to attend and were extremely valuable. I attended a presentation at the University of Birmingham’s Third Sector research centre on ‘Big Society or Civil Society?’. I successfully completed HSE First Aid at Work First Response training, which I attended when an extra place became available.

If I were here next year…
A number of people have asked me what I would have worked on next year if I was here. I thought it may be useful to communicate a few of the important ones, in case Matt would like to carry on with any of them, or they inspire some new ideas.

DebHall – This year I had planned to do a review of the DebHall and create a report on a refurbishment, talking to staff and students about what would make the room worthy to host the excellent standard of productions that take place there. I would like the work to include new tech, sound-proofing, refurbishment and decoration, new stage and curtains, and utilising the balcony to its full potential – a VIP area possibly? I believe this project would attract funding from alumni of the University and be something the University would support itself. Hopefully this is something which will be looked at now the main refurbishment of the retail and membership services area is complete.

Dance Studio – It would be absolutely amazing if we could turn the old student development space in the basement into a dance studio and drama room. This would have a direct impact on our membership – reducing costs that groups pay to hire the Munrow dance studio, free up rooms on the first floor for groups to book, and encourage and recognise the high standard of arts and performance at this University. The room may have other uses, for martial arts and activities, not just dance and performance. There are alternatives to spring flooring, which are much cheaper, and would make the project feasible in the near future.

BurnFm and GTV – Now that the new membership area has been complete, I would like to ensure that by September we had confirmed BurnFM and GTV can stream into the membership area. This area should be by students for students.

‘Society Spotlight’ online – This year we began featuring student groups in the ‘society spotlight’ in the GOS in Print. I would like to see this extended to monthly featured student groups on the website main page. I began to work on this, but with a member of staff leaving, this was shelved.

Ticket website – This year, following the successful pilot of RA’s using the new ticket website, I would have like to ensure the website is rolled out to student groups which would find the site of use (large/regular ticketed events in particular). I would like to see student group events featured and student group profile pages.

Podcasts – Following podcast training last term, I hoped to create some podcasts of the pick n mixes in Student Development, to support some of the important areas student groups need to understand, and increase accessibility. I would have started with elections and AGMs, finances, marketing and publicity, and event planning (including freedom of speech forms and risk assessments).

Alumni Comms – This year I would have developed the relationship between groups and the Alumni publications that are sent to thousands of past students. This year GMTG were featured in the newsletter, and Carnival have been featured in the past. I would like to see this continued with more groups. Features about Guild campaigns would also be explored. I would also pursue the idea of ‘From the President…’, an annual feature from the Guild President before leaving office summing up the Guild and Officer work from the year. I would also like to see a relationship between alumni and groups form in the form of supporting, advice and contacts from past students.

Guild Awards – I would like to see the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award become ‘sponsored’ by the Vice Chancellor – ‘The Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution’. This would give the award extra prestige and recognition, and encourage the University to notice of the impact and achievements of our students.

Officer visibility – I would have liked to ensure that posters of the officer team are placed in all halls of residence by September, to ensure students know who their officer team are, and how to contact them.

Redbrick pullout – To increase transparency and accountability, I would have liked for the Guild to fund a monthly pull out in Redbrick, summarising what each officer has been working on, and what they will be working on.

Know Your Guild and University staff – This year I would have organised Know Your Guild again, however with an added element of communicating with University staff. I think it is really important that lecturers and corporate services understand the Guild, what it can offer students, and what students are currently achieving in the Guild.

Noticeboard in Mason Lounge – It has been rumoured that the Guild have a noticeboard for the Guild and student groups to go up in the University, however there are a number of delays in getting the board up. I would have liked to ensure this board went up this year to increase visibility.

Guild Council Leaving Speech

Guild Council,

Unfortunately I’ve written down this speech word for word, and unfortunately this speech probably won’t be as inspirational or political as some of my team mates, despite Ed sending me “40 inspirational speeches in 2minutes” last night! As the sabbs know, I tend to leave the camera or radio spotlight to them as I know my strengths lie in the organising side of things!

But this is my leaving speech and hopefully you won’t be too disappointed. I don’t really want to talk about what I have achieved this year, as ultimately, I have publicised what I have been working on, and you are the ones to say what was or wasn’t an achievement. As for my highlights, if you caught the slide show at the beginning, that just about starts to scratch the surface of my amazing experience at the Guild!

There are quite a few individual students and student groups that I would like to thank, but I feel I should do this in person, those of you that are here, I hope you don’t mind.

There have been tough times in this job, however students have always given me the strength to carry on. Whether it be through watching a breathtaking and professional performance, a small thank you note from a group for something I hadn’t thought twice about doing, seeing students mobilise for extremely worthy causes, such as fundraising for Haiti or campaigning in the Flashmob, seeing an article celebrating our students, or reading the Guild Awards nominations you wrote for each other…I have been blown away by your passion and dedication. There isn’t any way I could start summing up how I feel about the groups and their activities, especially not in 10 minutes, so I will have to speak to you individually. But I will say the standard of talent and the generosity of our students is absolutely unbelievable and I have felt enormous pride in representing you this year. Thank you for making my year so wonderful.

I don’t particularly want to use this time to talk about negative things, as this should be a celebration of the year, but there are a couple of things that I feel quite strongly about.

I’ve made it no secret that I don’t feel the University fully appreciates and recognises the work that you do. They shouldn’t just be pulling out a stat about how many volunteers we have, or what national achievement one of our groups has achieved when it suits, they should be sat watching those performances, and meeting our students that selflessly devote their time to help others. This is something all the team have been working hard on this year, and I really think it is starting to get through to them. Just this morning the Vice Chancellor sent an all staff email about the Alumni Reunions which took place on Saturday and the Community Day which took play yesterday, saying
Both the Alumni Reunion and the Community Day benefited enormously from the involvement of the Guild and our Students. Their pride in the University and their willingness to support and promote it was exemplary and deeply appreciated.

We do have some key allies at the University, people championing your work and celebrating all of your achievements, and to them I am extremely grateful for their support.

To those students who are angry and bitter towards the guild. Take a step back. Look at the guild for what it is – a not for profit organisation that does it’s best for students. It can be frustrating, it’s not always clear why we have certain rules, and we don’t always get it right, but without the guild, this campus and our students would be unbelievably worse off. Please, don’t complain and criticise without offering suggestions or getting involved to make a difference. This is a wonderful organisation, with dedicated staff that go above and beyond their job description. This organisation is hugely under resourced for what it manages to achieve and I am extremely proud of all the work it does. Give the guild a break and enjoy it while it lasts, because you will probably never encounter such a great and well-intentioned organisation again, which is devoted to enhancing your experience.

I’m not really allowed to go into detail about staff, but there are a few things I would like to say. I will thank many of the staff individually at a later date, as right now, I just can’t find the words to describe how lovely they have been to work with, and how much I have appreciated their support. Obviously the department I have worked closest with is Student Development, and it’s safe to say everything I have worked on this year – you can guarantee there was unfaltering support and help from them. For any of you who come into regular contact with them – please say thank you, as unintentionally, I think their hard work and passion sometimes go unrecognised.

The marketing department have had to put up with me a lot this year, asking for one thing after another, but they have never once said no, they have produced materials and support of a fantastic standard, and they always have managed to stay good humoured at the busiest of times!

On a very personal level, there are members of staff that have been real inspirations to me, and I have continuously been amazed at their unfailing dedication, calm and reasoned thought in the face of challenge, and excellent management styles.

Thank you to all the Guild staff.

Now to my fellow team mates.

Fordy has had a tough year, and I hope she doesn’t mind me saying. It’s not easy to be a sabb that is completely split between two different organisations and I’ve realised that I didn’t take the time to fully understand her remit and I didn’t support her enough at the beginning of the year. I think Fordy initially found it difficult to get to grips with how the Guild works, but she is a very committed and passionate about her job. Her commitment to healthy living and sport participation, instead of just the elite few, is really amazing. Fordy is extremely kind, has never forgotten her roots, and has been a much needed member of this team. Fordy has always been someone I can rely on for a rant, advice, or a gossip, and I will really miss talking through the wall to you.

Johnny. I don’t think I have ever met anyone as determined as Johnny. Whatever Johnny believes in, he will fight for it until he has absolutely no options left. Johnny managed to achieve manifesto points before training had even finished. We recently had an appraisal, and he took the feedback on board and very openly and noticeably made steps to improve and develop. Johnny is also the first person to run for re-election, and he got it. Johnny has been less than shy of making his point heard and this is the sort of determination we need in the Guild. I know it won’t be an easy few months for you. But I wish you all the best with the new officer team, and I have every confidence in you. New team – you are gaining an excellent team mate.

Brigid. During the election I talked to a student who has never been involved in Guild politics. They said they would be voting for Brigid despite knowing the other candidate a bit better. This was because of the numerous emails that filled up his inbox from Brigid as her role as Guild Councillor, informing students of motions, asking for feedback and a steer on how to vote in Guild Council. This student never replied to the emails, and I doubt ever actually read the motions, but this sums up Brigid – completely dedicated to representing students and taking a lot of time and effort, on doing her job to the best of her ability. I have been truly inspired by her commitment to the guild, and she has been an excellent Sabbatical this year.

Ed. I don’t want to inflate Ed’s ego too much, but unfortunately as much as it pains me to say it, I have a great deal of respect for him. Ed may be very short, but this year I have really looked up to him, he is an excellent leader, an excellent champion for students, and is an excellent Sabb. He is an inspirational speaker, confident, and will never back down about what believes in. It has been fantastic working with him this year.

Tom. Tom and I have had an interesting relationship this year, we’ve had our ups and downs, but I have a great deal of respect for him. Tom is very black and white about what is right and wrong, which although I may not always agree, I admire his honesty and openness. Pragmatic and practical, Tom always has very sound advice. VPDR isn’t an easy job at all, dealing with complaints, criticism, incidents and disciplinary isn’t a pleasant thing to wake up to and come into work for, but Tom does, and he doesn’t ever complain about it.

Fab. When we first came together as a team, in all honesty I wasn’t sure what sort of President Fabian would be, as he seemed quite a big softy. I was wrong to have doubted him, and I have learnt so much from him. You don’t always need to bulldoze in hot headed when things go wrong or don’t go to plan, and Fabian manages to get the relationships spot on – he can have a quiet word to gently persuade, but can also be very firm about what needs to happen. When I have needed him, he has never let me down. Someone to cry on, someone to banter and someone to confide in, Fabian is one of the most genuine, caring and passionate people I know, and has been the best leader I could have hoped for. He has kept this team together, and I am extremely proud to have been part of his team.

This job is emotionally and physically draining, everyday you feel guilt if you don’t stay that extra hour. My biggest fear has been that I’m not doing a good enough job, and that I will let down my team, the staff, and most important, the students. If you ask any close family, friend or even colleague of any of the team, I think at times they have all been a bit worried about us and told us to go home, turn off that blackberry, or take some time off!

But I have a lot to be thankful for. I can vouch for every single member of this team – we live and breathe this job, we thrive off it, especially the tough times, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Not many of you will know that at Christmas I decided that I was going to re-run. I confided in one person in particular, and he dropped everything to encourage me to do it. He knows who he is, and he has been the most supportive friend I could have asked for this year – Thank you. After spending a week at home away from Birmingham, I realised how exhausted I was after just one term. I realised the time, energy and emotion I was putting into this job couldn’t be sustained, and I would run the risk of not doing the best possible job in my second year. I don’t want to leave, I want to stay and continue making a difference to people’s lives and experiences, but I know it’s time to move on. Being in this position is a real honour and a privilege – the amount of responsibility, the ability to make differences to students, and hopefully being a good leader.

Hopefully I have made a positive impact on the students at this university, directly or indirectly, but in a few years time I know I’ll just be another name on this wall.

So for that reason I want to round up my speech by talking about my successor, Matt Lamb, the future. Your enthusiasm and commitment since being elected has astounded me, I know you are extremely passionate about this job and very excited for it to start. It’s not easy to hand over something you love, but I will do my best and I will see it as my last chance to make a difference to students.

Some advice I do want to give to you now though – relationships are key. You can’t get away with telling the University what you think of them or what to do, if you haven’t first got to know how they operate, who your key allies are and how to talk to them. You can’t push the Guild staff for that extra extra favour if you haven’t thanked them and appreciated them for the last time you asked for a favour. You won’t have your team mates stood by your side for your campaign if you don’t stand by theirs. You won’t be able to both discipline and champion your members if you haven’t spent time getting to know them or gaining their trust and respect. But everyone I have spoken to who knows you have said you are a genuinely great guy, so I know you will be able to do all these things. Good Luck to matt, and good luck to all the incoming team.

I have done my best, but it will never be enough. I just hope I haven’t let down those who I ran against in the election, my fellow team mates, the guild staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes, those students who voted for me and those who were lumbered with me, and of course, my amazing student groups.

Thank you for the most challenging but amazing year, that I don’t want to be over.

Students Creating Impact (Buzz, May 2010)

With the University’s first Community Day taking place in June, the Guild of Students sheds light on the impact our students are making in the local, national and international community.
Taking pride in and giving back to the community is an intrinsic part of modern day student life. Be it through volunteering to support national and community projects, or working to improve the environment and community cohesion in the local area – our students are making an impact.
Today’s students have been described as ‘consumers’ of education, with improved career prospects acting as the primary motivation for entering higher education. But there is much more to being a student at Birmingham than academic achievement alone – our students want to give something back to the community in which they live!
Students tell us not only do they want the Guild of Students to make University life more fun, but they want us to provide extra curricular activities and volunteering opportunities to help them adapt to University life and connect them with peers. To this end The Guild plays a role in facilitating personal development – developing students’ employability, and active citizenship within our community. Emma Packham, the Guild’s Vice President (Student Activities & Development) observes “volunteering is becoming an essential element of the student experience. It allows students to develop personal and professional skills and makes a significant impact on the wider community.”
Students have enormous pride in their community. Through schemes such as the Community Warden’s and the“I Love Selly Oak” campaign, the Wardens, who are all students, encourage residents to get involved with and feel proud of their community. Set up by The Guild in 2005 to improve the environment and support community cohesion, and funded by the University, the Scheme also works with local authorities such West Midlands Police who believe the Wardens are making a positive impact in helping to reduce crime in the local area - contributing to a 6% drop in burglary in Selly Oak in 2008/09.
But giving back to the community goes beyond this. Over 2,000 UOB students are registered volunteers and members of groups and projects designed to make a difference. Supported by the Guild, there are over 200 opportunities which students can become involved with. Our students not only volunteer with established charities and voluntary organisations such as Acorns, Oxfam, and The British Red Cross, but they also set up and run their own volunteering projects.
The Guild also supports 22 student-led volunteering projects, which are run by students. They range from Conservation Volunteers who support local conservation, to Kids Adventure who raise over £20,000 each year to run week long action-packed holidays for underprivileged children. Projects such as Helpings Hands and the Saturday Morning Play Scheme support children with disabilities in schools and by organising trips and activities, and the Monday Night Club, a social club for adults with learning difficulties, provides members with a range of activities from arts and crafts to cooking.
Our volunteers are also active in the International community. Intervol (International Volunteering) send around 100 volunteers each year to support projects which benefit some of the poorest children in the world, working in countries such as Cambodia and Kenya to support Aids Awareness, conservation work and other sustainable long-term initiatives. And it doesn’t stop here - in response to the Haiti appeal Birmingham student volunteers raised over £7,000 in just two weeks organising a range of events across campus and in Selly Oak.
Accomplished fundraisers, students also utilize their skills to deliver a range of fundraising activities. Run and organised by student volunteers Carnival, our Raising and Giving society, have been active for over 50 years and in the last two years alone donated over £60,000 to Birmingham based charities. In 2009 the music festival Vale Festival, also run by student volunteers, raised over £16,000 for Self Help Africa and Fare Share UK.
But this is just a snap shot of some of the activities, schemes groups and projects Birmingham students are involved in. In this academic year alone students have so far volunteered for nearly 15,000 hours - as Student Group members, Committee Members, Student Representatives, Guild Councillors and volunteers on placements and student led projects.
So what does this all mean for our students? Research conducted with our volunteers revealed that 93% believe taking part in volunteering has increased their employability, and 80% felt it had improved their sense of feeling part of the community. But what of those who directly benefit, one beneficiary of the Kids Adventure project wrote to tell us “I've seen first hand how much this scheme can help kids in difficult situations, being one myself. When I was about 11 or so I went on the scheme and all the students involved had such a positive impact on my life.”
Not surprisingly then, our students have volunteered to take part in the University’s Community Day on the 13th June. Activities at the Guild of Students begin at 11:30am, and include showcases and workshops form our performance societies, and face painting and activities from our volunteering groups and Community Wardens. We are incredibly proud of our students and the local community – so come see what we do!
Did you know?
• The Guild of Students, is the University of Birmingham’s Students’ Union, and is the representative body for all 28,000 students;
• The Guild employs over 450 full and part-time staff;
• Our Student Development Department are dedicated to providing students with opportunities to volunteer and develop skills;
• We are a not-for-profit organisation – with income generated being directly reinvested to student services;
• Last year the Wardens reported a 50% reduction on issues such as street litter from the previous year.

Guild Council leaving speech

2010-06-16T10:03:00.005+01:00

Guild Council,

Unfortunately I’ve written down this speech word for word, and unfortunately this speech probably won’t be as inspirational or political as some of my team mates, despite Ed sending me “40 inspirational speeches in 2minutes” last night! As the sabbs know, I tend to leave the camera or radio spotlight to them as I know my strengths lie in the organising side of things!

But this is my leaving speech and hopefully you won’t be too disappointed. I don’t really want to talk about what I have achieved this year, as ultimately, I have publicised what I have been working on, and you are the ones to say what was or wasn’t an achievement. As for my highlights, if you caught the slide show at the beginning, that just about starts to scratch the surface of my amazing experience at the Guild!

There are quite a few individual students and student groups that I would like to thank, but I feel I should do this in person, those of you that are here, I hope you don’t mind.

There have been tough times in this job, however students have always given me the strength to carry on. Whether it be through watching a breathtaking and professional performance, a small thank you note from a group for something I hadn’t thought twice about doing, seeing students mobilise for extremely worthy causes, such as fundraising for Haiti or campaigning in the Flashmob, seeing an article celebrating our students, or reading the Guild Awards nominations you wrote for each other…I have been blown away by your passion and dedication. There isn’t any way I could start summing up how I feel about the groups and their activities, especially not in 10 minutes, so I will have to speak to you individually. But I will say the standard of talent and the generosity of our students is absolutely unbelievable and I have felt enormous pride in representing you this year. Thank you for making my year so wonderful.

I don’t particularly want to use this time to talk about negative things, as this should be a celebration of the year, but there are a couple of things that I feel quite strongly about.

I’ve made it no secret that I don’t feel the University fully appreciates and recognises the work that you do. They shouldn’t just be pulling out a stat about how many volunteers we have, or what national achievement one of our groups has achieved when it suits, they should be sat watching those performances, and meeting our students that selflessly devote their time to help others. This is something all the team have been working hard on this year, and I really think it is starting to get through to them. Just this morning the Vice Chancellor sent an all staff email about the Alumni Reunions which took place on Saturday and the Community Day which took play yesterday, saying

Both the Alumni Reunion and the Community Day benefitted enormously from the involvement of the Guild and our Students. Their pride in the University and their willingness to support and promote it was exemplary and deeply appreciated.

We do have some key allies at the University, people championing your work and celebrating all of your achievements, and to them I am extremely grateful for their support.

To those students who are angry and bitter towards the guild. Take a step back. Look at the guild for what it is – a not for profit organisation that does it’s best for students. It can be frustrating, it’s not always clear why we have certain rules, and we don’t always get it right, but without the guild, this campus and our students would be unbelievably worse off. Please, don’t complain and criticise without offering suggestions or getting involved to make a difference. This is a wonderful organisation, with dedicated staff that go above and beyond their job description. This organisation is hugely under resourced for what it manages to achieve and I am extremely proud of all the work it does. Give the guild a break and enjoy it while it lasts, because you will probably never encounter such a great and well-intentioned organisation again, which is devoted to enhancing your experience.

I’m not really allowed to go into detail about staff, but there are a few things I would like to say. I will thank many of the staff individually at a later date, as right now, I just can’t find the words to describe how lovely they have been to work with, and how much I have appreciated their support. Obviously the department I have worked closest with is Student Development, and it’s safe to say everything I have worked on this year – you can guarantee there was unfaltering support and help from them. For any of you who come into regular contact with them – please say thank you, as unintentionally, I think their hard work and passion sometimes go unrecognised.

The marketing department have had to put up with me a lot this year, asking for one thing after another, but they have never once said no, they have produced materials and support of a fantastic standard, and they always have managed to stay good humoured at the busiest of times!

On a very personal level, there are members of staff that have been real inspirations to me, and I have continuously been amazed at their unfailing dedication, calm and reasoned thought in the face of challenge, and excellent management styles.

Thank you to all the Guild staff.

Now to my fellow team mates.

Fordy has had a tough year, and I hope she doesn’t mind me saying. It’s not easy to be a sabb that is completely split between two different organisations and I’ve realised that I didn’t take the time to fully understand her remit and I didn’t support her enough at the beginning of the year. I think Fordy initially found it difficult to get to grips with how the Guild works, but she is a very commited and passionate about her job. Her commitment to healthy living and sport participation, instead of just the elite few, is really amazing. Fordy is extremely kind, has never forgotten her roots, and has been a much needed member of this team. Fordy has always been someone I can rely on for a rant, advice, or a gossip, and I will really miss talking through the wall to you.

Johnny. I don’t think I have ever met anyone as determined as Johnny. Whatever Johnny believes in, he will fight for it until he has absolutely no options left. Johnny managed to achieve manifesto points before training had even finished. We recently had an appraisal, and he took the feedback on board and very openly and noticeably made steps to improve and develop. Johnny is also the first person to run for re-election, and he got it. Johnny has been less than shy of making his point heard and this is the sort of determination we need in the Guild. I know it won’t be an easy few months for you. But I wish you all the best with the new officer team, and I have every confidence in you. New team – you are gaining an excellent team mate.

Brigid. During the election I talked to a student who has never been involved in Guild politics. They said they would be voting for Brigid despite knowing the other candidate a bit better. This was because of the numerous emails that filled up his inbox from Brigid as her role as Guild Councillor, informing students of motions, asking for feedback and a steer on how to vote in Guild Council. This student never replied to the emails, and I doubt ever actually read the motions, but this sums up Brigid – completely dedicated to representing students and taking a lot of time and effort, on doing her job to the best of her ability. I have been truly inspired by her commitment to the guild, and she has been an excellent Sabbatical this year.

Ed. I don’t want to inflate Ed’s ego too much, but unfortunately as much as it pains me to say it, I have a great deal of respect for him. Ed may be very short, but this year I have really looked up to him, he is an excellent leader, an excellent champion for students, and is an excellent Sabb. He is an inspirational speaker, confident, and will never back down about what believes in. It has been fantastic working with him this year.

Tom. Tom and I have had an interesting relationship this year, we’ve had our ups and downs, but I have a great deal of respect for him. Tom is very black and white about what is right and wrong, which although I may not always agree, I admire his honesty and openness. Pragmatic and practical, Tom always has very sound advice. VPDR isn’t an easy job at all, dealing with complaints, criticism, incidents and disciplinary isn’t a pleasant thing to wake up to and come into work for, but Tom does, and he doesn’t ever complain about it.

Fab. When we first came together as a team, in all honesty I wasn’t sure what sort of President Fabian would be as he seemed quite a big softy. I was wrong to doubt him and I have learnt so much from him. You don’t always need to bulldoze in hot headed when things go wrong or don’t go to plan, and Fabian manages to get the relationships spot on – he can have a quiet word to gently persuade, but can also be very firm about what needs to happen. When I have needed him, he has never let me down. Someone to cry on, someone to banter and someone to confide in, Fabian is one of the most genuine, caring and passionate people I know, and has been the best leader I could have hoped for. He has kept this team together, and I am extremely proud to have been part of his team.

This job is emotionally and physically draining, everyday you feel guilt if you don’t stay that extra hour. My biggest fear has been that I’m not doing a good enough job, and that I will let down my team, the staff, and most important, the students. If you ask any close family, friend or even colleague of any of the team, I think at times they have all been a bit worried about us and told us to go home, turn off that blackberry, or take some time off!

But I have a lot to be thankful for. I can vouch for every single member of this team – we live and breathe this job, we thrive off it, especially the tough times, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Not many of you will know that at Christmas I decided that I was going to re-run. I confided in one person in particular, and he dropped everything to encourage me to do it. He knows who he is, and he has been the most supportive friend I could have asked for this year – Thank you. After spending a week at home away from Birmingham, I realised how exhausted I was after just one term. I realised the time, energy and emotion I was putting into this job couldn’t be sustained, and I would run the risk of not doing the best possible job in my second year. I don’t want to leave, I want to stay and continue making a difference to people’s lives and experiences, but I know it’s time to move on. Being in this position is a real honour and a privilege – the amount of responsibility, the ability to make differences to students, and hopefully being a good leader.

Hopefully I have made a positive impact on the students at this university, directly or indirectly, but in a few years time I know I’ll just be another name on this wall.

So for that reason I want to round up my speech by talking about my successor, Matt Lamb, the future. Your enthusiasm and commitment since being elected has astounded me, I know you are extremely passionate about this job and very excited for it to start. It’s not easy to hand over something you love, but I will do my best and I will see it as my last chance to make a difference to students.

Some advice I do want to give to you now though – relationships are key. You can’t get away with telling the University what you think of them or what to do, if you haven’t first got to know how they operate, who your key allies are and how to talk to them. You can’t push the Guild staff for that extra extra favour if you haven’t thanked them and appreciated them for the last time you asked for a favour. You won’t have your team mates stood by your side for your campaign if you don’t stand by theirs. You won’t be able to both discipline and champion your members if you haven’t spent time getting to know them or gaining their trust and respect. But everyone I have spoken to who knows you have said you are a genuinely great guy, so I know you will be able to do all these things. Good Luck to matt, and good luck to all the incoming team.

I have done my best, but it will never be enough. I just hope I haven’t let down those who I ran against in the election, my fellow team mates, the guild staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes, those students who voted for me and those who were lumbered with me, and of course, my amazing student groups.

Thank you for the most challenging but amazing year, that I don’t want to be over.

Our Students Creating Impact

2010-05-26T11:14:00.004+01:00

In this months edition of Buzz, "the University of Birmingham's award winning magazine" for staff at the University, the Guild of Students have an article featured which highlights the amazing work of our students and the impact they have on the community.

The University marketing team happily allowed us to write an article in response to an earlier article (featured in my blog "Disappointing University Article") which unfortunately didn't appear to cast students in the best of light or recognise their commitment to volunteering and the community.

This is an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of students, and celebrate their achievements. The article is on p6 and can be found here or downloaded here. The Guild and our students are also mentioned a number of times in the Leaders Debate coverage.

Who will perform at Gradball 2010?!

2010-05-25T16:24:00.001+01:00

Live music at the Guild of Students – THIS FRIDAY!!

Heat 1 of the competition to find a support act for the Gradball 2010 lineup is nearly here! We are giving a band the opportunity to perform on the MAIN STAGE in Chancellors Court at Gradball 2010, warming up the crowd before Reverend and the Makers and Brit Award winning Ellie Goulding take to the stage!

The bands performing THIS FRIDAY in the Underground are:

Above the Fold
Journeyman (http://www.journeymanband.co.uk/home)
Paladin (http://www.myspace.com/paladinleicester)
Clare Elise

ENTRY IS FREE and the event starts at 8.30pm.

There will be an audience and a panel vote – so make sure you turn up to have your say about who will perform at Gradball 2010!

Join the event for more information or if you have any questions http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=124473447578912&ref=ts

Honorary Life Membership

2010-05-25T16:23:00.000+01:00

Do you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution to life within Guild?

This is your chance to nominate them for the Guild of Students Honorary Life Membership. Previous recipients have included past students, university staff and members of the local community. Nominations close on Tuesday 1st June at 5pm. Please click here to download the application form and click here to download the guidance notes.

Important Dates

Tuesday 1st June – Nominations close at 5pm; all nominations need to be submitted via email to democracy@guild.bham.ac.uk. If this will be a problem please contact us on 0121 251 2408 to arrange an alternative method of submission.

Wednesday 2nd June to Sunday 6th June – Nominations panel meet to discuss nomination and provide a short list.

Wednesday 14th June – Short listed nominations are considered and voted upon at Guild Council.

Any questions please email democracy@guild.bham.ac.uk

Term Two Report

2010-05-17T13:57:00.003+01:00

A little behind schedule, but here is my Term Two Report...

Term 2 Report
04/01/10 – 30/04/10

Vice President Student Activities and Development – Emma Packham

Contents

Key Campaigns and Projects. 2

Know Your Guild. 2

Get Involved. 3

National Volunteering Week. 3

Guild Awards. 4

GradBall 4

Community Open Day. 5

Student Activities and Development. 5

Student Group Committee. 5

Student Group Issues. 6

Miniforums. 7

Megaforum.. 7

Student Group Constitution. 7

Room Bookings. 8

Good Campus Relations. 8

G:TV Media Tour. 9

Sabbs on BurnFM... 9

Islamic Society Sisters Documentary. 9

Chaplaincy. 9

DAMSA (Disability and Mental Health Students Association). 9

Challenge Emma. 10

Student Group Committee Training. 10

Other Guild Activities. 10

Officer Elections 2010 and Referendum.. 10

Officer/Management Away Day. 10

NUS Delegate Elections. 11

Civic Engagement Presentation. 11

Podcast Training. 11

Officer Review.. 11

Chaplaincy Committee. 11

Health and Safety Committee. 11

Trustee Board. 11

Student Staff Interviews and Training. 12

University Activities. 12

PSA Interviews. 12

Honeypot fund Applications and Interviews. 12

College Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee. 12

Miscellaneous. 13

Key Campaigns and Projects

Know Your Guild

The planning for this campaign started in term one, and was implemented at the beginning of term two. There are often a lot of activities at the beginning of term one highlighting the services and opportunities available at the Guild, with perhaps less emphasis given in term two. I felt a campaign in term two to raise the awareness of Guild services and departments would appeal to second, third and fourth year students, as term one activities seem targeted at freshers. It would also appeal to first year students who have settled down into University life after the excitement of term one, and want to see what else is available to them. The campaign was term long, and included events and activities already scheduled for the term, and also new activities.

The campaign relied on Sabbaticals and departments organising activities to be brought under the banner of the Know Your Guild campaign. Activities included were the Get Involved campaign, National Volunteering Week, Officer Elections, Healthy Living, Fairtrade Fortnight, Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance Week, Question Time with the Vice Chancellor, National Employability Week, Community Warden Selly Oak photo competition, and the Guild Awards. The Guild is sometimes criticised for promoting only to those already involved in the Guild, so this was something I was keen to address, by utilising traditional channels of communication used by the Guild, and exploiting new ones. Below are the methods used to promote the campaign.

· “Know Your Guild: Your essential guide to Term Two” booklet. Delivered to every halls of residence by the Mentors Scheme, handed out on campus by the Sabbaticals, available at Reception and Guild events

· Student staff and Sabbatical KYG T-shirts

· Redbrick Know Your Guild pull-out, including full list of Get Involved activities. Redbrick is delivered to halls of residence and Selly Oak houses, as well as available at various distribution points on campus

· Lecture shout outs to all academic years delivered by the Sabbaticals

· Email footers for all Guild staff

· Guild of Students website advertisements and online booklet

· Leaflets and posters in departments

· Individual campaign/event promotion with Know Your Guild logo featured

· Facebook events for each campaign/event, branded as Know Your Guild

· Kiosks on campus manned by the Sabbs and student staff. Information and booklets handed out

· Information on WebCT, My.Bham portal and the electronic boards on campus

· Featured in the Guild e-newsletter to all students

Get Involved

Get Involved Fair:
702 people came through the doors, nearly 200 more than last year.
53 students became members of societies on the day, 465 expressing an interest and giving email addresses for further information.

Get Involved Taster Sessions:
1192 non-members attended society taster sessions/workshops
83 students became members of societies on the day of their taster session, a further 62 students became members in the following two weeks after the taster session.

Overall I think the Get Involved Campaign was a great success, it was another opportunity for groups to recruit members following on from Welcome Week. On the whole, feedback suggests groups did not feel it was well advertised outside of the Guild. This is something I am very conscious of (advertising to the converted), so I worked really hard to get the message outside of the Guild. Here’s a quick run-through on what was done to promote the Get Involved Fair and taster workshops: Two page spread in the Know Your Guild booklet, Redbrick pull out, Lecture shouts, posters, my.bham portal, Guild e-newsletter, facebook, electronic display boards, Guild of Students website.

National Volunteering Week

Student Development worked hard to pull off a great National Volunteering Week. 107 of the 150 people that attended the Volunteering Fair signed up to projects, there was a whole host of student led events and activities such as the Pay and Play night, Nightline Campus whispers, and Selly Oak bulb planting. There was also an employability workshop for volunteers which I was asked to deliver.

Guild Awards

The Guild Awards 2010 is a fantastic event which recognises and celebrates the successes of our members. The planning began in term one, and really picked up in January this term. Vice President Student Activities and Development is the lead Sabbatical on the event, and it was great fun to be involved with. There were a few changes made this year, mainly reviewing the awards presented, updating the application form, and using Sabbatical Officers to host the actual event. One of my roles was to liaise with student groups to organise the entertainment and decoration for the event. The theme is traditionally rainbow and ArtSoc did a fantastic job, despite a few budget changes, to create fantastic decor on the night. We held auditions for groups to perform on the night, it was fantastic to get out of the office and fully appreciate the amazing talents of our students. All the performances were fantastic, so we squeezed in an extra performance on the night, and asked two societies to join up to perform together – I think everyone who saw the final performance by Bharat Parivar and Indian Culture society will agree it was an amazing performance to end the night on! Hindu Society opened the evening as we meant to go on, and Ballroom and Latin got everyone excited for the second half – they even convinced Ed and I to have a quick spin with them on stage!! Congratulations to all of those nominated, shortlisted, highly commended, and of course our fantastic winners.

GradBall

GradBall planning has really moved on since last term, we have recruited an experienced Event Organiser to put the event together, and have confirmed the acts on the night – Brit Award winner, Ellie Goulding, and Sheffield band, Reverend and the Makers, who have just toured with Oasis! The event is back on campus this year, and we couldn’t be more excited about it – thousands of students dressed to impress on campus with outdoor stages, silent disco and a fun fair...campus as we have never seen it before! The main reason for being on campus is the convenience for students. GradBall at Coombe Abbey was a great event, but what relevance does a 40minute coach trip to Coombe Abbey have to our experience at the University of Birmingham? This year students will have more choice than ever, they can dine in Selly Oak, town or the Mailbox with those they have shared their time with, or choose from two different menus and locations on campus depending on their preference! One of the biggest challenges the working group have faced so far is the price of the tickets. Initially we hoped that being back on campus would mean the tickets would be cheaper for students, however because the meals are more expensive on campus, and we aren’t sharing site costs with Warwick University (as we have in the past at Coombe Abbey), Dinner tickets have to be the same price to cover costs. GradBall isn’t budgeted to make a profit, but we do need to cover costs, as with any well planned event. For more information about the Gradball, check out my interview with Redbrick at http://www.redbrickonline.co.uk/features/the-end-is-nigh-%E2%80%93-a-campus-celebration. Tickets for Gradball will go on sale at the beginning of term three – so keep an eye out!

Community Open Day

I mentioned the Community Day in last terms report, however things have really come on since then. The event is planned for Sunday 13^th June, 11am-4pm, and is aimed at engaging the local community with the University and highlighting the benefits of having the University on their doorstep. After attending a few initial meetings with the University and putting the proposal to the Sabbatical team, we have now set up a working group at the Guild, and have created our action plan and budget for the event. We hope to showcase student groups and services at the Guild which the community can get involved with, such as performance and volunteering groups. I held meetings with groups to present the event and asked for proposals from the groups of what they would like to do if they were involved on the day. The response was fantastic, and I am really pleased that groups see this as a great opportunity to increase the awareness of Guild activities, whilst also improving the reputation of students with the local community and with the University. The University will begin marketing the event next term to the community, students and staff. Thank you to the Guild’s Volunteering Activities Coordinator for the amazing support!

Student Activities and Development

Student Group Committee

The VPSAD chairs the Student Group Committee. This committee is a sub-committee of Guild Council which recognises and derecognises student groups, and also approves constitutional changes and grant allocations. There have been 4 SGC meetings this term.

Groups Recognised:

· Capoeira

· Envirosoc

· Egyptian

· Northern

· Polish

· SATNAV

· Skatesoc

· Vale festival

Groups Derecognised (incl. Voluntary):

· Back 2 Schoolz (no risk assessments)

· Bangladeshi (only 7 members, no risk assessments, no committee members trained, not attending meetings)

· Conservative Future

· Hellenic (no risk assessments, overdue AGM by more than 5 months, not attending meetings)

· Meditation/Buddhist (no risk assessments, not attending meetings)

· No2ID (no members, no risk assessments, not attending meetings or training)

· Performing Arts Appreciation Society (not attending meetings)

· Persian (not attending meetings or training)

· Politics (no risk assessments, not attending meetings)

· Poker

· Powerkite (not attending meetings)

· Sri Lankan (no risk assessments, not attending meetings or training)

· Student Advice (no risk assessments)-but allowed to continue until end of summer term

· Turkish (no risk assessments, not attending meetings)

· Urban & Gospel (no risk assessments, not attending meetings and training)

· Wargames (not attending meetings)

Note: For these groups, not attending meetings means that they consistently missed all or nearly all compulsory meetings (Guild Council, Miniforums, Megaforums) without sending apologies for their absence. Many of them had required extensions in the previous audit sweep in the autumn term and had promised to improve their attendance/performance.

· Amnesty International (Voluntary)

· Medsin (Voluntary)

· Neighbours Appreciation (Voluntary)

· Theology (Voluntary)

Student Group Issues

To help members understand what sort of issues the VPSAD deals with, I have listed some of them here.

· Improving communication and relationship between groups and the Guild

· Group AGM and election process

· Room booking problems and complaints

· Guild student group accounts

· Leadership skills

· Campus relation concerns

· Event planning

· Contract and Sponsorship checking

· Disputes between individuals

· Conflict and team building with committee

· Islamic Society documentary

Miniforums

The VPSAD chairs eleven miniforums which take place at the end of each term. These are great opportunities to talk to the VPSAD about any issues, successes or challenges your group may have. This term I decided to put the miniforums during officer election campaigning, and invited the VPSAD candidates (and Sport to the Competitive Sport miniforum) to talk to the groups and answer any questions. Hopefully this was a useful way for student groups to engage with the candidates, and put the candidates through their paces!

Megaforum

The second Megaforum was held on 18^th January 2010. A representative from each group is asked to attend, and it is an opportunity for me to communicate a number of useful student group related issues, and for groups to question me, keep me accountable, share challenges and ideas, and also a chance to promote events or seek help from other groups. The agenda is below:

1. Introduction/Welcome

2. How to Contact the VPSAD

3. Website tips and promotion

4. Student Development Comms

5. Know Your Guild campaign

6. Get Involved campaign

7. Membership Services Building Development

8. Officer Elections

9. Democratic Structure Review

10. Community Day

11. Your View Survey

12. Student Group Comms

13. Your Comments

Student Group Constitution

When I came into office in August, a number of issues regarding the student group constitution emerged. It became obvious that the constitution had not been updated in line with other Guild governing documents, and was difficult to navigate for student groups. Throughout term one I began redrafting the constitution with Student Development, whilst consulting with students on a number of occasions. The new student group constitution was approved by Guild Council in March, and will be implemented from the beginning of term three. The main change to the constitution is the quoracy for student group AGMs. This has been reduced from twenty or a third of members, whichever is the highest, to twenty or a half of members, whichever is the lowest. This will make AGM’s much more accessible for student groups.

Room Bookings

A recurring issue raised by student groups is room bookings. I have been in regular discussion with the Room Bookings Coordinator and Facilities Manager to resolve as many problems as possible for groups.

· Room bookings feedback forms have been promoted and emailed out to groups, which are crucial for feedback and improvement of the room bookings service.

· Feedback forms are now collected by Student Development, before being discussed by Guild management.

· A piano option has been added to the special requirements section of the form

· Confirmation of booking Underground now includes a line highlighting the room is a through-access for wheelchair users.

· A standard response has been drafted including adequate explanation to be included if a room is changed or cancelled.

· A trial monitoring system has been introduced for rooms which are booked and then not used. This will be reviewed by myself and Guild management to discuss a permanent monitoring system.

Good Campus Relations

This term there has been a lot of work done on good campus relations. The essence of good campus relations is to ensure campus is a diverse and safe place to be, ensuring that freedom of speech and living without fear are both upheld with utmost importance. There have been a number of activities I have been involved with which have taken place, such as:

· Minister for Middle East Peace Process Ivan Lewis

The University organised for the minister to visit the University and give a talk on ‘Why are we in Afganistan?’ Before the talk, the Minister met with Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian student representatives to discuss campus relations and I was asked to chair.

· Prevent Conference and Act Now

West Midlands police delivered a conference at Aston University for University representatives to attend. The conference was focused on the Prevent agenda, which helps organisations, such as Universities to identify individuals who may be vulnerable to extremist influence. The aim of Prevent is to challenge violent extremist ideologies, to disrupt those promoting them, to support individuals being targeted by them, to increase the resilience of communities to it, to address grievances being exploited by them. The event was very insightful, however I raised the question of what is being done with students and young people as many discussions seem to be taking place which don’t involve students and may be missing valuable input.

· University GCR committee

The University have organised a Good Campus Relations committee, on which the Guild CEO, the Guild President and I sit, along with senior University members. Of particular interest to student groups will be the freedom of speech forms which we have discussed, and are now being redrafted.

G:TV Media Tour

After making contacts at the University Media Centre, I arranged for Guild Television to have a tour around the suite, and also discussed the possibility of volunteering on set during filming for work experience. Feedback suggests G:TV had a great time!

Sabbs on BurnFM

I worked with BurnFM to arrange for the Sabbs to appear on the BurnFM News feature on Mondays and Tuesdays each week. The Sabbs had a great time, however it ended up I was the only Sabb to not do a show!!

Islamic Society Sisters Documentary

This term I have also been working with the Islamic Society Sisters on a project which they created. The aim is to create a documentary which challenges the misconceptions about Muslim women and, in particular, their dress. I felt this was a fantastic project to be involved with and support, as it was a grass roots idea to enhance understanding and relations on campus about a subject which is gaining increased attention and interest. The project has been put back slightly, but the society, myself and the University Equality and Diversity Unit are all excited about its completion.

Chaplaincy

I have worked closely with the Chaplaincy this term to tie up some loose ends with Guild Student Groups, and also create a good working relationship. I have made sure that only elected student group committee members are representing the student groups at Chaplaincy Committee, which discusses important issues and also allocates funding to groups. It was concerning that individuals with no official capacity within student groups were talking and making decisions on behalf of these groups. I have ensured that the Chaplaincy are now kept up to date with recognised Guild societies, and also any religious group recognition. I have also ensured that any Freedom of Speech forms from guild student groups for Chaplaincy room bookings are passed through the Guild as ultimately, we are responsible for the these groups.

DAMSA (Disability and Mental Health Students Association)

I have been attending the University’s Disabled Students forum along with the VP Welfare, to offer support and guidance from the Guild of Students. From this forum, we have helped to promote the Disabled Students Association at the Guild, which has been inactive for a number of years. Along with the work of the Disabled Students Officer and Vice President Welfare, this has resulted in the AGM and start up of the newly named Disability and Mental Health Students Association.

Challenge Emma

I have been along to a number of society events this term, including a number of Challenge Emma’s! I went along to a Dance Club Latino Salsa class, the Rock Soc/Fet Soc/Sci Fi Soc/Film Soc Rocky Horror Picture Show evening, Roshni by Hindu Society, a JSoc Friday night dinner and Carnival RAG’s Ladies Night amongst other great activities!

Student Group Committee Training

Along with Student Development, we have been reviewing the Student Group committee training, and will be looking to implement the new training next term.

Other Guild Activities

Officer Elections 2010 and Referendum

Term hosts the Officer Elections, and this year was even more exciting as we held the referendum on the Guild democratic structure. The amount of interest in running for officer positions was amazing, it was great to see so many engaged students wanting to make a difference and represent students. The campaigns were fantastic and all the candidates worked very hard for two solid weeks on top of other commitments. I would like to say a personal thank you to all those that stood for VPSAD, you were all extremely committed, passionate about the role and what you wanted to achieve, and stayed good humoured throughout the campaign, which is no easy feat! Voter turnout was fantastic; in total 5815 students voted in the Officer Election, which is 21% of registered students and an increase of 23% on last year. And congratulations to the winning candidates:

· VPSAD – Matt Lamb

· VPS – Julz Adeniran

· President – Dora Meredith

· VPDR – Ash Chambers

· VPHC – Jonny Kirby

· VPW – Johnny Davis (first ever re-elected sabb!)

· VPEA – Rob Hunter

The referendum which students voted in their majority “YES”, saw the first change to the democratic structure at the Guild for 90 years! The Guild recognised there was a need to make the democratic structure much more accessible and make student involvement in Guild decisions much easier. The new model proposes to create five open forums for students to discuss and raise issues; Guild, Education, Student Groups, Sport, and Welfare. The sabbs worked hard on a proposed model, of which discussions had taken place before the current team were even elected. It was great fun promoting the referendum, and asking students to engage and vote. For more information on the referendum, please visit http://www.guildofstudents.com/content/266843/your_voice/referendum.

Officer/Management Away Day

The beginning of term two started with the Officer and Management Away Day at Harborne Hall. Here we discussed the democratic structure review, reflected on the year so far and what was still to come, recent Guild market research and implications, and blue sky thinking (where we would like to see the Guild in the future etc) amongst other areas.

NUS Delegate Elections

The NUS Conference elections were held in term two, ready for the conference in April. I decided I would like to run to be one of the eight University of Birmingham delegates, as I felt I had a good knowledge of current student issues, the student union movement, and also felt it would benefit my current work as a Sabbatical Officer. I was really excited to be elected, and I really enjoyed the conference. I was really encouraged and energised to see so much student activism at the conference. During the conference, I also attended an Inter-Faith forum, a Vote for Students seminar, and an interesting discussion around Israel/Palestine. The conference also gave me time to reflect on my own work at the Guild, and think about new initiatives and projects.

Civic Engagement Presentation

I was asked by Student Development to deliver a presentation at the Festival of Social Science held by the University. The presentation was delivered to University and external stakeholders, and highlighted the importance of volunteering, extra-curricular activities, and the impact of the Guild on civic engagement and citizenship.

Podcast Training

The Guild arranged for the Officer’s to attend a podcast training session with the University media centre. This was a really interesting session, resulting in VPS Katie and I creating a Gradball podcast. From this session, I have plans to create podcasts of some Student Development Pick N Mixes to make them more accessible.

Officer Review

The sabbaticals were part of the officer review, which looked at the role of the sabbatical team and individual remit. We looked to see if the roles were too operations, and if current student needs are fully being reflected in the officer remits. This work is currently being collated into proposed models for implementation in 2011/12.

Chaplaincy Committee

I sit on the Chaplaincy Committee with VPW Johnny. This term I felt it was important to address some issues with Chaplaincy groups and Guild recognised groups, and also the representation of groups on the committee, which are outlined above.

Health and Safety Committee

VPSAD sits on this committee. I have attended one meeting this term, which I was asked to chair as VPDR was absent.

Trustee Board

The VPSAD is a Trustee of the Guild of Students. I have attended a Trustee Away Day, and two Trustee Board meetings. This term, we have discussed the democratic structure review, staffing structure and salaries, approved Trustee Board sub-committee papers, received market research findings, discussed moving the sabbatical office space to the HSBC space and much more.

Student Staff Interviews and Training

Sabbatical Officers are asked to help with interviews and inductions for new staff. I have delivered two student staff inductions this term.

Leeds University visit

The Student Activities officer at Leeds contacted me over Christmas to arrange a visit to Birmingham Guild – naturally they want to learn from the best!

University Activities

Outreach meeting

I met the University with VPS Katie to discuss their Easter outreach programme. We advertised for student groups to put on a workshop for school children enrolled on the programme.

PSA Interviews

The Personal Skills Award has been remodelled this year to include an activity pathway, which allows students to gain points for taking part in extra-curricular activities, such as student groups http://www.as.bham.ac.uk/psa/. The PSA advanced was also available to a number of students who are heavily involved in activities. Students are invited to attend an employer-led interview, on which I was asked to sit. As I couldn’t attend all dates, some of the other Sabbatical officers also sat on interview panels. This was a great experience for the students taking part, preparing them for future interviews, and it was great to see how by taking part in the activities, students are really enhancing their employability prospects.

Honeypot fund Applications and Interviews

As VPEA Brigid was unable to attend, I was asked to take her place shortlisting and interviewing for the Honeypot fund, which is generously donated by University of Birmingham alumni. The Honeypot fund provides financial support to students who are undertaking work experience or career development activities over the summer holiday http://www.as.bham.ac.uk/study/support/cec/improve/honey.shtml. I received 50% of the longlisted applicants, and was asked to shortlist those for interview. I then attended two of the Honeypot interview sessions, to listen to students put forward their case for receiving the money. Applications varied from work experience here at the University, to marine biology in Cuba, to PR experience in London and China, to InterVol projects in Africa. VPW Johnny and I also contributed to the debrief to look at how the process may need to be changed and improved next year.

College Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee.

Each sabbatical is required to attend a college quality and enhancement committee. I have attended one meeting for the college of Social Science this term, however I was unable to attend the second meeting in April due to being on the NUS National Conference. I also attended the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences C-QAEC for VPS Katie as she was unable to attend.

BUAFTA’s

Following the longlisting and shortlisting of the Birmingham University Award for Tremendous Achievement last term, I was invited to the BUAFTA award night in the Great Hall, which was a wonderful event.

Alumni and Development Office

I was asked to attend the first Dinner with a Dozen event at the University by the Alumni and Development Office. This event comprises of several tables of twelve guests, a mix of alumni and current students, and aims to open conversation between individuals who would not normally meet, and enhance the student experience. I was asked to bring my experience as a student to the table, along with my involvement as a Sabbatical Officer and student activities at the Guild. The Alumni Office also put on a Networking Skills session with the Careers Service, for students to learn and then practice their networking skills on alumni, which I was asked to attend. In February, the department organised the ‘Business of Sport’ event featuring Manchester United CEO David Gill. I was asked to read a question, however my big moment was lost when we ran out of time!

Miscellaneous

This has been an amazing term, which has really challenged me and made me push myself. The quality of our students commitment, passion and determination has blown me away, and their talents should be shouted about. Thank you again to the Student Development staff, who have continuously supported and made time for the work I have undertaken. I have needed a lot of the marketing departments time this term, who have always supported my campaigns and produced materials of a fantastic quality, without ever failing to smile – Thank You!

Inter-Faith Association

2010-05-12T12:00:00.002+01:00

Are you interested in celebrating the diversity on campus, bringing different faith groups together, and organising inter-faith campaigns and events?

The Guild of Students are looking to create an Inter-Faith group (this could be a committee, association or student group), made up of enthusiastic students who really care about the welfare and relationships of our students.

Come along to the focus group to discuss your ideas about what structure the group should take, the objectives of the group, and what sort of activities the group may organise.

You may already be involved in a faith society or you may just be interested in inter-faith activities, everyone is welcome to get involved! No commitments, just come along and contribute to the discussion! Rosa Parks room, Guild of Students, Thursday 3rd June, 1pm.

For more information, join the Guild of Students Inter-Faith Association facebook group

Graduation Ball 2010 – Update/Communication

2010-05-05T13:11:00.001+01:00

The Guild of Students would like to apologise for the frustration and disappointment caused to our members in relation to the ticket sales for Grad Ball 2010. It was not our intention to cause negativity around the event, which is a celebration of students’ time at University. It is with regret, that operational issues arising from a change in logistics for 2010 have resulted in a number of unforeseen problems.

This year Grad Ball is to be hosted back on the University of Birmingham campus – with the aim being for the event to be more accessible, without a 45 minute coach trip to and from its locations; and also allow students greater choice in terms of plans and arrangements on the day. 800 Dinner Tickets were available this year, as a result of capacity restrictions within the University. We were not expecting the demand for Dinner tickets to be as high, as students would have the option to eat locally.

This year, as in previous years students were able to purchase two tickets per person, with no restrictions on the invited guest/second ticket.

After Dinner tickets were advertised as being on general sale from 12noon. In terms of capacity, there are over 2,500 After-Dinner ticket tickets, which are available so that as many students as possible can come to the event.

As in previous years, dinner tickets for the Grad Ball were sold in advance, for students with exams or revision lectures on Friday 30th April. Ninety tickets were sold on Thursday 29th April.

Students who have purchased a Dinner ticket will be contacted via email the week commencing the 17th May with details and information on how to reserve their table.

As in previous years, Security staff were available on shift from 8:30am to manage the queue. It is regrettable to hear that some students feel that queue jumping took place – our best efforts were made to mitigate this.

Ticket prices for the event are carefully calculated based on actual costs, and delivering events which are value for money for students is extremely important to us. As an event Grad Ball is designed to break even, and not make a profit. In previous years the event has occasionally run at a loss, including last year, which the Guild absorbed. As a not for profit organisation, surplus made from commercial activity is directly invested back into student services, such as Student Groups and the Advice & Representation Centre (ARC).

The official ‘University of Birmingham Guild of Students’ Facebook group, which is administrated by the Sabbatical Officers, welcomes all comments and feedback negative or otherwise. The Guild of Students is now reviewing its Facebook policy and how students provide feedback to the Guild. If you would like to give feedback, please email: feedback@guild.bham.ac.uk or vpdr@guild.bham.ac.uk

We would like to apologize to students who feel disappointed with the sale of tickets for Grad Ball 2010. This is the first time the event has taken place on campus, and all operations for next year will be reviewed and considered in light of student feedback.

Student Group Committee elections

2010-05-03T21:52:00.002+01:00

The elections for the Student Group Committee (2010-11) are going to be held at this Tuesday's Guild Council. This is a sub-committee of Guild Council and oversees societies, volunteering projects and associations in terms of recognition, derecognition, funding, discipline and many other matters.

The committee is made up of three sabbatical officers, Vice President Student Activities and Development, Vice President Sport, and Vice President Democracy and Resources, and three elected students. The committee meet once or twice a month on average, and all the committee members play a very active and crucial role in decision making.

Sam Harrow, one of the elected student representatives for this years committee reflects on his involvement: "Running for SGC is a great way to get involved 'behind the scenes' with student groups and be part of some integral decisions relating to the way societies operate. During my year on the committee we've overhauled the student group Constitution, dealt with a few disciplinary cases, recognised student groups and given thousands of pounds in grants to help societies fulfil their objectives and serve their membership.If you've been part of a student group or a committee member and thought a certain procedure is too complicated, wanted to change the way something works or wanted to be able to serve the interests of many groups on top of those you're directly involved in then SGC is the perfect committee to be involved in!"

If you would like more information about the committee, please do not hesitate to contact myself, any of the committee, or Student Development.

2010-04-28T22:22:00.002+01:00

Yes, it’s true, and we are finally allowed to talk about it - the third and final Prime Ministerial debate will be held at OUR UNIVERSITY in the Aston Webb Great Hall tomorrow night!!

Join the Guild of Students in showing that students DO care about politics, students WILL be voting in this election, and politicians SHOULD be listening!

Pick up a Vote for Students t-shirt from the Guild tomorrow or simply wear pink whilst going about your daily tasks on campus! The BBC will have a big screen on the ruby pitches from 12pm, and we will be showing the debate live in Joe’s from 8.30pm! Sign up to the Vote for Students campaign at http://www.voteforstudents.co.uk to find out if your candidates have pledged to vote against a rise in tuition fees if voted into parliament. Expect lots of media attention about the student vote, and have a great day!

Students DO care, Students WILL be voting, Politicians SHOULD be listening!!

2010-04-28T10:47:00.002+01:00

This Thursday the Guild of Students will be asking you to use your vote to vote for a candidate who pledges to vote against a rise in fees in the General Election on May 6th. To show support for the campaign students can wear a ‘Vote for Students’ t-shirt (available from the Guild), or simply wear pink.

The NUS Vote for Students campaign aims to mobilise the student vote for the coming general election, and asks parliamentary candidates to pledge to vote against a rise in tuition fees if they are elected to Parliament. To find out if your candidate supports the campaign, click here. Students make up 15% of the electorate and in many seats up and down the country the student vote can make a decisive difference.

The Prime Ministerial Debate taking place in the Birmingham area on Thursday is to be shown on a big screen on the University campus and in Joe’s from 8:30pm – 10pm. The BBC are providing the screen which will be in place on the rugby pitch from 12noon onwards – so come and show your support!

The Guild is also holding an election results night on May 6^th, tickets are £3 and on sale in Joe’s Bar now!

Join University of Birmingham VOTES in the General Election facebook group for all the latest news and more information!

See you on Thursday!

Response from the University Marketing Team

2010-04-23T15:56:00.003+01:00

As the author of the article, thankyou for allowing me the opportunity to respond;

The article was intended to be a reflection on both the importance of the University to its community and how well we communicate this importance to the community. I personally grew up down the road from the University, I am passionate about its causes and aims and its importance to Birmingham.

The reference to students being "bleary-eyed" is not a member of staff's view of our student population. It was intended to demonstrate how a member of the community would view a student, yes indeed it plays up to the stereotype but it is not the University's received view of its students as seems to have been suggested. In this section I also mentioned the 6000 staff who "descend" onto campus every day.

Again, Valefest is a fantastic event which raises many thousands of pounds for many charities. The University sees great value in the event and understands the huge positive impact it has each year. However our local community are generally not privy to this information, the article is meant to reflect that all the local community will see/hear on the day is noise. I made the same point in the paragraph about Open Day; 10,000 people on campus has a huge impact for our local community in terms of noise, congestion, litter etc. This may be the only experience that many local community members have of the University, little to they realise the liaison we go through with the council, police, community groups, local schools to host this event or indeed that the event itself encourages thousands of students to attend university, many of whom may not have otherwise considered themselves as capable to or able to attend university.

Quite explicitly in the article I state that there are "dedicated staff and students around the University who are prepared to commit their time to our local community". I believe this wholeheartedly and I believe in the fine work that University of Birmingham students undertake on a day to day basis that has a huge positive impact on our community. The problem is that these messages are often lost or are seldom promoted to our community and the article was intended to be a rallying call to arms to do more and promote it better and to get involved in the community day.

The point of the article was to get people involved and dispel the stereotypes you have highlighted, not to bolster them, so apologies for any offence you may have taken from the article.

Thanks again for allowing me the right to reply.

Disappointing University Article

2010-04-21T19:08:00.003+01:00

We have all heard the stereotypical view of students, and to be honest, it’s getting a tad boring. The last thing I expected, however, was to read an article in Buzz, ‘the University of Birmingham’s award winning magazine’, which does nothing to challenge this view.

In an article written by the University marketing team, exploring the impact the University has on the community and promoting the upcoming Community Day, Students are portrayed as lazy and ‘bleary-eyed’. Nothing is said of the students who volunteer with student groups, academic student representatives, external volunteering projects, or Guild Councilors, who all make a remarkable impact on the campus, local and wider community. Nothing of the student led volunteering projects, such as LINKS who volunteer first aid at local events, Carnival who raise thousands of pounds for local charities or Kids Adventure who need to fundraise £20,000 each year to fund exciting adventure holidays for local children from disadvantaged backgrounds. And nothing of all the other amazing students who volunteer or perform in local schools, on local conservation projects, organize children’s play schemes and activities, offer support and advice to other students, and much more. In fact, nothing that even suggests that students volunteer or play a positive role in the community at all.

‘Events such as...our huge outdoor parties, such as Valefest, with their accompanying noise, can stretch on well past midnight’. Nothing is mentioned about Vale Festival being a student-led music festival which aims to raise the awareness of, and raise around £25,000 each year for, various environmental issues.

The ‘Selly Oak Wardens’ are given a mention, but nothing of the students who instead of getting a part-time job just anywhere, apply for a job which contributes back to the community and works hard to make Selly Oak a great place to live for students and residents.

As an elected representative to champion the fantastic work our students do, I am really disappointed by this representation of our students, who yes, may go out until the early hours having fun, but who also work tirelessly and unselfishly for the community in which they live and even further afield. Dance Club Latino, BUDS, STAR, Kids Adventure, Infinity Stage Company, Article19, Carnival, Purple Mermaid Circus, Community Wardens, Saturday Morning Play Scheme and GMTG have all committed to putting on performances, workshops and activities at the Community Day in June, volunteering their time to engage with the local community and make the University's event a day to remember. This was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the University of Birmingham student's achievements and efforts to University staff, which, unfortunately, has been missed.

For the full article, please find it on p7 here: http://www.newscentre.bham.ac.uk/buzz/4768_Buzz_122_AW.pdf

Please comment about how you feel students contribute to the community, or any general comments.

Refurbishment information...

2010-03-23T12:59:00.000Z

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.