Zuzanna lights up London,
A waxy end to Movember, and get excited for Varsity!
November 2021 – Edition 101
2 The Bucks Student
Welcome In this edition: Sabb update . . . . . . . . . . 3 Catch up with Tash
Editor’s update . . . . . . . 4 One kind word . . . . . . . . 5 Nichola Sun talks bullying
Movember reflections. 6 Lights of London. . . . . . 8
Page 8 - Zuzanna explores the lights in London this year
Zuzanna shares some snaps
Volunteering. . . . . . . . . 10 Christmas volunteer week is nigh
Societies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Academic Integrity. . 12 An update from BNU
Student success. . . . . . 13 A BNU star is born!
Events calendar . . . . . 16 Varsity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 RAG soceity . . . . . . . . . . 20 Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
With a bit of wacky scheduling, we have found ourselves at the last newspaper of the calendar year already... but what a start to the academic year it has been! We’ve seen edition 100 of the newspaper, a fabulous (in-person!) Freshers’ Fortnight, a full Executive Officer team elected, and clubs and societies back in full force. It has been great to see all of you back on campus, as well as see the newspapers in their shiny new containers, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday and come back raring to go. And keep an eye out over the holidays for any content inspiration! If you have any stories, images, interviews, achievements, or fun goings on you’d like to share, then we’d love to publish it. drop an email to editor@thebucksstudent. com and we’ll take it from there.
For all advertising and media enquiries please contact the Students’ Union Communications and Marketing department.
What’s on towards the end of term?
The BIG sleepout. . . . . 22 Bucks Nursing Soc. . . 23 World AIDs day. . . . . . 24
Simon McDowell simon.mcdowell@bucks.ac.uk Oli Gunson oli.gunson@bucks.ac.uk Nellie Hughes nellie.hughes@bucks.ac.uk
Join the ribbon walk
Socs & Clubs. . . . . . 25-29 We’ve got too many to list!
Puzzle Page . . . . . . . . . . 30 Page 7 -Brandon reflects on Movember and mental health
Articles in this newspaper do not necessarily represent the views of Bucks Students’ Union but are that of the specific author. View this edition online at bucksstudentsunion.org/media/ newspaperarchive. © 2021 Bucks Students’ Union
By Honor Fletcher (she/her), Tash Neal (she/her), Tom Featherstone (he/him)
Catch Up with Tash on the first few months back onto campus: Wow! I can’t believe we are already almost at our first holiday period of the year. It has been a busy couple of months with plenty going on from; fundraisers for RAG, our first Wellbeing Week of the year, making sure that students don’t have teaching on Wednesday afternoons, running campaigns to support the national student safety movement as well as internally campaigning to provide improvements to students educational experience. All in all, a lot has been going on to make life better for students at Bucks. In terms of educational experience, some of the things we have been working on this term are: • Campaigning and succeeding in implementing a Digital Poverty Working Group to try and establish the extent to which digital poverty effects students at BNU and to plan how to eventually eradicate it all together. • We have also campaigned to extend the out of hours parking permit system to cover Uxbridge campus as well. • Challenging the University when it comes to issues with timetables not being accurate and the Attendance Monitoring system not working. • Celebrating with the 2020 and 2021 cohorts as they attended their Graduation ceremonies this year. • Working with our SU Advice Centre to soon provide a Rules and Regulations campaign to provide awareness to the importance of Academic Integrity and provide support and advice if you face an Academic Misconduct penalty. • We have revamped our Student Representation system to make sure it is as effective as can be to support your student experience. • Working in particular with the Senior Leadership Group from the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health School to raise ongoing issues facing students within this school.
We want to wish all students a wonderful break over the holidays and to remind you all to make sure that you are taking a break! See you in the New Year for a whole host of exciting campaigns and celebrations to support your student experience. – Tash, Tom and Honor
In terms of your welfare some of the things we have been working on are: • For World Mental Health Day, we went and delivered a wellbeing focused bag to every flat across all three student villages as well as handing out over 200 bags on Monday the 11th of October at High Wycombe, Uxbridge and Aylesbury to students. • Continuing work on our commitment to mental health which you can find out more information about here: bucksstudentsunion.org/news/article/6013/ Commitment-to-Mental-Health • Delivered our first Wellbeing Week of the year which was linked into the Movember Campaign. • Planning for a second Wellbeing Week in January. We are looking at running a Wellbeing Fair – if you have any suggestions of services you would like to see please send them to natasha.neal@bucks.ac.uk • Launching Tea and Chat Sessions across our campuses, as well as online. To provide an opportunity to talk to me, your Vice President Education and Welfare, about any issues you are experiencing on your course. These could be related to mental health and wellbeing support at BNU, or what we have in place to support you as a Student’s Union to make your experience the best it can be whilst studying at BNU. Keep an eye on our What’s On page for more dates going forwards! • We are also working on SU Boards to go across halls and all three campuses to signpost students to the services that you can get involved with to support your wellbeing whilst you are studying at BNU. • We have been working with the University on Mitigating Circumstances and making sure that all Exceptional Circumstances are displayed clearly to students, so you know where to turn if you are facing any issues.
3 November edition 101
Sabb update
4
Editor’s update
The Bucks Student By Jessy Clark (she/her)
Editor’s update This’ll be my last update before the Christmas break, so I’m just writing a festive send-off and a good luck message to all those with big deadlines due in the new year! But regardless of the stress-inducing project due dates and exams you may have to prepare for, make sure to take the time to spend the holidays with your loved ones and most importantly, take the time to look after yourselves! The first semester is always pretty exhausting, with settling in and working hard from the get-go (or settling back in for a lot of us) it’s a better time than ever to take a breather. So, have a wonderful Christmas break – if you celebrate it or not – and have a Happy New Year! The Bucks Student Team and all of The Students’ Union wish you a Merry Christmas and we can’t wait to get back to publishing the paper again!
Jessy Clark - Student editor
Printing Let us help you personalise your gifting this year. For that special holidays touch! bucksprinting.com/christmas
By Nichola Sun
I experienced bullying in Year 7 and 8. This was the toughest time in my life, besides the Covid-19 lockdown. Bullying is when someone or a group of people repeatedly and intentionally causes harm mentally or physically to a victim. This can be done verbally, physically or via the internet (cyberbullying). This year’s theme for Anti-Bullying week is ‘One Kind Word’. The One Kind Word for me would be ‘supportive’. Being supportive to a victim and letting them know they are not alone and not suffering in silence will make them feel less scared and vulnerable. Nevertheless, victims of bullying should be kind to themselves and take their minds off the terrible situation by doing a self-care activity such as picking up a new hobby or enjoying eating out at their favourite restaurant.
I was enjoying the start of secondary school, having made new friends and excited to be part of a much bigger school. However, three months in, a girl in my friendship group started acting maliciously and got the other friends in our group to exclude me and not be my friends. I had no idea why I was targeted at the time. I felt betrayed and angry as I had invited them to my house and for outings. Looking back, I was targeted because teachers awarded me with merits for good work/behaviour. I could also not attend her birthday party, because it clashed with my drama production. At the same time, I got cyber bullied. Luckily, some brave classmates saw what was happening and kindly stood up for me which I appreciated during this very difficult time. Six years after the bullying incident, the girls involved apologized for taking part in tormenting me. It was good of them to have reflected and had the courage to acknowledge what they did was wrong. However, I had gotten over this incident years ago as I had made better friends when I moved to boarding school for my A levels.
Being a victim of bullying myself, was NOT pleasant, but rather terrifying and I felt lonely. Fortunately, I had help from family, teachers, school counsellor and classmates. Overcoming this incident has made me stronger, resilient, move forward with my life and become a more optimistic person. Remember you are always a much better person than the bullies because they are usually manipulative, insecure, or jealous of the victims. Bullying can happen at any age, anywhere and anytime such as at school, work or in clubs. If you ever experience it, do not suffer it alone and in silence. Seek help, share your stories as there is always someone that will support you. Approach people and share with your family, friends, lecturers, or counsellors. Ultimately, if you think or see a friend being bullied, ask if they are okay, need support and stand up for them. Bullying is NEVER okay, and it is unacceptable. Instead, please show kindness and support to one another.
5 November edition 101
Anti-bullying week reflections
6
Movember
The Bucks Student
Movember Movember is nearly over! Whether you grew a Mo or just wanted to raise awareness, then there is still a lot on offer for you to do! Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men. This year we had many different fundraising events going on over the course of the month. Over the whole course of the month we ran a raffle with prizes such as, Pandora jewellery, Hellfire Comedy Night Tickets, 3 Months Free Gym membership and much much more. So, keep an eye out for the winning tickets! Another one of our big fundraisers this year was a charity cycle. Starting off at the Wycombe campus before heading across to the Aylesbury campus and back to Uxbridge and then finishing back towards at the Wycombe Campus. This covered around 60 miles to cover the average of 60 men to commit suicide every hour. Thank you to all those who got involved in the cycle and our takeover during the month - as we were really happy with what we were able to raise.
THANKS TO ALLTHE THOSERULES THAT DONATED OR TOOK PART IN OUR MOVEMBER ACTIVITIES! RULE ONE Once registered at movember.com each Mo Bro must begin the 1st of Movember with a clean shaven face.
RULE TWO For the entire month of Movember each Mo Bro must Grow and groom a moustache.
RULE THREE Don’t fake it. No beards, no goatees and no fake moustaches.
RULE FOUR Use the power of the moustache to create conversation and raise funds for men’s health.
RULE FIVE Each Mo Bro must conduct himself like a true gentleman.
By Tom Featherstone, Brandon Tester
Movember Reflections Opening up about mental health has been something I’ve really struggled with since been clinically diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I’ve always had a great support system around me. From back home in Leeds to here now in High Wycombe at Buckinghamshire New University, but always kept my problems to myself. Everyone has different coping mechanisms when it comes to mental health, they change day in and day out. One day, week or any extended amount of time I’ll be dealing with my problems by myself. However, there’s been days where I’ve been able to open up to my friends. These days are rare but help me so much when it comes to dealing with whatever is on my mind. Each time I do open up to mates, it inches me closer to opening up a little more each time. The support that being in a team sport has given me has really helped me coming forward around my mental health as well. My rugby team mates have supported and been there for me throughout my time at Bucks.
Brandon Tester - Movember Ambassador
Open up to your mates, a little is still a massive win when it comes to battling mental health issues. You’re never alone in this fight. The services that the advice centre and university counselling system offer are second to none, they’re always there and always ready to offer a helping hand where needed.
PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING BATTLES THAT YOU MAY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, BE KIND, BE THOUGHTFUL, AND LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER.
7 November edition 101
Movember
By Zuzanna Maja
10
Volunteering
The Bucks Student By Melissa Lamerton (she/her)
Volunteering Join us on Monday 6 December, for our first ever Christmas Volunteering week! We have a variety of events planned throughout the week that we would love everyone to get involved with. This year we are planning a gingerbread house decorating competition, wrapping for RAG where students can volunteer to raise money through wrapping gifts, packing student hampers for those students not going home this
Christmas, a hot chocolate stall, packing shoe boxes for the elderly, collecting donations in the town centre, some societies performing carols and the decoration of bags for school children. We are also hosting a session for students to design and make Christmas cards, as well as selling Christmas cards for RAG designed by our graphic design students.
For those wanting to get involved, email volunteering@bucks.ac.uk for more information and keep an eye on the What’s On page. Lets all donate and raise as much as we can for RAG this Christmas and work together to make the holidays special for everyone.
The cards are available in the Students’ Union reception, 10 for £4 and all proceeds go to this year’s RAG charities.
Melissa had to say: “Beginning Monday 6 December is our annual Christmas Volunteer Week. This is a fun filled week with activities for students, performances and volunteering opportunities for accreditation and fun! We will need students to go and collect empty shoe boxes, volunteers to Wrap for RAG, collect donations, run a hot chocolate stand, and pack hampers for students, school children and the elderly. We are planning performances, Christmas card decorating, a gingerbread house competition and bag decoration alongside selling Christmas cards from the SU front desk in aid of our RAG charities.
By Amy Pile
Societies
Amy’s experience with societies at Bucks Students’ Union... I came to BNU in September 2020, I had always dreamed of being a nurse and I looked forward to the journey beginning. I thought I would be studying every day and didn’t know if I would have any social life, I always had responses of “being at university is extremely hard”, don’t get me wrong it is, it’s not supposed to be easy although that would be great! I didn’t realise the opportunities that were coming my way, the Bucks Nursing Society needed a committee team and I jumped at the chance to be chair because due to covid everything was online, and I wanted to be involved, but more importantly, get to know others. We built a committee and these ladies have become my trusted confidants. We started to branch out, more individuals were hearing about us, we learnt from each other and we became a close support network. Most importantly, I do have a social life and time for the society. We wanted everyone to know they were included and supported. Being Chair has been difficult at times, but I think those moments have really helped with my confidence/selfesteem, it has become a hobby to me as I believe I need the society more than the society needs me. I connected with Twitter which I avoided so many years ago (I didn’t know how to work it) but realise now it’s such an amazing tool for information and connecting with others.
Setting up societies is so important, it’s hugely beneficial to so many people on many levels. If you want to start a society or better yet join one, I highly recommend it. If interested contact susocieties@ bucks.ac.uk, they would be more than happy to help. Societies have given me fun, friendships, learning and support.
I want to shout out to my lovely committee colleagues, Sue, Joanna, and Karolina. Thank you for supporting me, listening to me talk away and more importantly for your friendship.
11 November edition 101
Societies
12
Academic Integrity
The Bucks Student By Natasha Neal (she/her), Marcus Wood
An integral update
Natasha Neal, Students’ Union Vice President Education and Welfare, talks to Dr Marcus Wood from the Academic Registry about the launch of the new Academic Integrity Policy. What is academic integrity and why is it important? Marcus: Academic integrity is all about student honesty through the assessment process. It involves students submitting work that is the product of their own studies, not allowing other students to copy their work, ensuring that sources used in assignments are referenced correctly, using data which is obtained ethically and accurately, and not cheating in exams or in-class tests. Academic integrity is important because it helps ensure that the assessment process is fair for all students. Academic misconduct is a breach of academic integrity which damages the credibility and value of the qualification for the vast majority of students who have produced work honestly. Our Academic Integrity Policy is designed to promote and maintain academic integrity, while ensuring that we protect the standards of our awards by investigating and penalising proven academic misconduct.
What is the University doing to promote academic integrity? Marcus: First, we want to raise awareness about the importance of academic integrity generally. BNU recently signed up to the Academic Integrity Charter for UK Higher Education (qaa.ac.uk/about-us/whatwe-do/academic-integrity/charter) where we made a commitment to adopt the Charter Principles. This led to review of our practice and the new policy focus to promote a ‘whole community’ approach. We also want to explore further opportunities to invest in additional resources, while we want to work more closely with the Students’ Union to support a range of activities. Why do students commit academic misconduct? Marcus: There are many reasons. It could be due to pressure to meet an approaching deadline, lack of knowledge, not understanding the assignment task requirements, fear of failure, or because of language and cultural issues that may be unfamiliar to some students. Sometimes students knowingly cheat, e.g. taking unauthorised materials into an exam room. There is never an acceptable reason for committing academic misconduct and the University will act where it is identified.
By Natasha Neal (she/her), Marcus Wood
What advice would you give to a student who may be struggling and at risk of committing academic misconduct? Marcus: Talk to someone. This could be your personal tutor, one of our support services, or the SU Advice Centre. If you don’t understand the assignment task or are not sure whether you are allowed to work in a group with other students, then your tutor should be able to clarify. Alternatively, you can speak to a tutor in the Student Learning and Achievement team for academic skills advice, or a member of the counselling team if you are feeling anxious. If you talk to us, we can help you! Use the tools we provide. These include online courses and tutorial videos on how to reference, while the Turnitin similarity report can help you identify areas of poor referencing in your work that you can address. Finally, make sure that you read the feedback we provide on your work very carefully. We will indicate to you where referencing can be improved so that you don’t make the same mistakes in future assignments. Don’t panic. If you don’t think you will be able to meet a deadline talk to your personal tutor or course administrator. We know the pressures that students face and have processes to help with a range of situations. Never take the ‘short cut’ and cheat. You can and will be found guilty of academic misconduct which could have serious implications for your future career and in serious cases may lead to your expulsion from the University. If you are on a course leading to professional registration, e.g. one of our nursing or social work programmes, this may also lead to a subsequent fitness to practise allegation as it raises concern about your honesty as an individual and therefore your suitability for the profession. It’s not worth the risk.
What should students do if a concern has been raised about their work? Marcus: Students will be given an initial opportunity to meet with the marker to discuss the piece of work in question. This is their opportunity to admit if they haven’t understood something, or to highlight any issues they may be facing. Our new policy differentiates between poor academic practice, e.g. poor or inadequate referencing, and deliberate academic misconduct. If we know that a student is experiencing difficulties, then we can signpost them to the appropriate support service. If it is necessary to progress a concern formally then we would also advise that student to approach the SU Advice Centre (bucksstudentsunion.org/support/ advice) for confidential information, advice and guidance. We work closely with the Advice Centre on a range of student issues. Where can students find more information? Marcus: Please see our academic integrity webpage for links to the new policy, our expectations for students, and examples of academic misconduct and how students can avoid committing an offence: bucks.ac.uk/current-students/registry-helpdeskand-academic-advice/academic-integrity-andmisconduct. You can also find more information there about the resources we have in place to support you with your studies and how to access them. Thank you very much for your time!
13 November edition 101
Academic Integrity
14 The Bucks Student
Graduate success on a BBC Drama! Recent BA Performing Arts (Film, TV and Film) graduate (2019), Victor Olusina (left), performs in the new BBC short film: Sentient. Broadcast on BBC 4 Sunday 14 November at 10:45pm, Sentient is part of the ‘Drama Shorts: BBC Introducing Arts’ programme. You can catch up on the drama on BBC iPlayer. Well done Victor, we are very proud of your achievements! - Jeremy Kelly, Senior Art, Design and Performance Lecturer
PAPPED IN
! NUE
THE VE
THROU G
H THE Y
EARS
16
Events calendar | 29 Nov – 5 Dec
The Bucks Student
The Venue and The Lounge at Bucks Students’ Union are open seven nights a week. If you don’t see an event listed below, check online nearer the time; bucksstudentsunion.org/whatson
Mon 29
Tue 30
Wed 1
Union Council
Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5
Have an idea for an event, want to arrange a takeover, or feedback for our events team? You can get in contact with the team by dropping an email to; events@bucks.ac.uk
Sat 11 & Sun 12
Mon 6
Wed 8
On Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 December, popular indie music fanzine, Speakeasy, take over the award-winning Bucks Students’ Union with a specially curated weekend of music and community.
Rusty Recommends
Saturday kicks off at 15:30 where live music across two stages takes you through to 1am as Sleeper’s Louise Wener closes the evening with a DJ set of indie classics. Performing live, is the brilliant Space, who graced the national Top 20 seven times; alongside heroes of the 90s’ Thames Valley music scene, Thousand Yard Sale, whose recent album featured on many ‘Best of 2020’ lists. We’re also extremely excited to have Liverpool’s The Real People, as well as welcoming The Kynd back in 2021 with brilliant new music after a 20-year hiatus. Completing Saturday’s line up are two wonderful newer acts truly deserving of further attention. The Institutes and Nadia Sheikh, with a rare live outing from local legends Triple Blind. Sunday starts at 10:30 with The Big Breakfast – join us for a delicious brunch and great coffee, or savour the prosecco and mocktail bar while we hold an auction in support of our partner charity, Safe Gigs for Women; engage in 90s themed Rock’n’Roll Bingo, and enjoy a Q&A with performers from across the weekend, hosted by The Britpop Revival Show. But not to be missed, is the superb stripped back set from Tara Milton (Five Thirty / The Nubiles) and a full band show from the sensational My Life Story.
17 November edition 101
Events calendar | 6 – 12 Dec
By Seana O’Reilly
121 Days and counting...
VARSITY is coming... The countdown is on to the sporting highlight of the year, the day everyone has been training and competing for is approaching. This year we are hosting the 1,000-attendee event on home turf – a day full of competitive sporting fixtures against our varsity rival Roehampton University! Activities Coordinator (Competitive Sport) and Bucks Alumni Seana O’Reilly has a few words about what her varsity experience was like: “I was lucky enough to compete in all three varsities whilst at Bucks, captaining BNU Netball during my second year. “The build-up starts as soon as term begins, training is based around competing and if you are lucky enough to have a league fixture against Roehampton throughout the year it’s the ideal insight as to what is to come in March.
“The overall day is probably one of the best days you’ll have at University, the support and engagement you get from other teams are unmatched compared to other Universities or fixtures. Everyone says Bucks is a second family and this is the day that proves that you can watch teams you don’t get the chance to throughout the year – interact with students (competitive or supporters) that you wouldn’t usually do and then have those people at your games cheering you on! “There isn’t anything you can compare to the final fixture of the day, Rugby - all attendees from both Universities split across the stadium chanting, cheering and genuinely having the best time.
“Moving from there to the SU - usually mixing with your opposition’s sports teamspreviously we had socials with Roehampton Netball. “Getting to know their players and how they are off the pitch without the varsity hype behind you is something I really appreciated, the overall night out is something you cannot miss, win or lose the Bucks family are there dancing all night celebrating!” Varsity tickets will be going on sale after Christmas and after over three years without a proper varsity, this is the event not to be missed! A gentle reminder that all players need varsity tickets to play on the day – Your tickets cover your meal, transport to games and spectating, entry to the night out, a programme and a t-shirt. Bargain!
19 November edition 101
VARSITY
20 The Bucks Student
RAG society
By Josie Leech
We are RAG society!
Every year we try and raise as much money as possible for our two chosen charities and one way we do this is by holding a RAG week! From October 25th - 29th we started off RAG week by collaborating with lots of clubs and societies, getting involved all in support of Bucks’ two chosen charities, DrugFam and the Roald Dahl Marvellous Children’s Charity. DrugFam provide care to those impacted by addictions with drugs, alcohol and gambling and the Road Dahl Marvellous Children’s Charity provide specialist nurses and support to children with underfunded medical conditions. In total across the whole of RAG week we reached a massive total of £729.42 for our RAG charities. During the week students were asked to participate by wearing yellow to clubs and societies and we want to say a big thank you to everyone that took part, showed your colour, and donated. Your support has been incredible! Continuing with RAG week, we loved seeing so many of you join in and participate for Netball4RAG on Thursday 28th, it was so much fun and couldn’t have been possible without your support so thankyou to everyone that turned up. To finish off the week, on the
Friday RAG teamed up with BNU Dance in a fun event, running our very own pumpkin carving competition fundraiser. It was amazing seeing all your fantastic pumpkin creations and getting into the Halloween spirit. In addition to creating fundraisers for our RAG charities, as a society we have also been busy getting involved in other university campaigns. During the month of November, the university has been taking part in fundraising for International Men’s Day. On Friday 19th November we were so proud to see some members from RAG participate in the Movember Cycle in the SU foyer to help raise awareness of men’s mental health. Also, on this day RAG took part again this year in the Big SleepOut 2021 all in aid of Wycombe Homeless Connection. This event was particularly successful, with members from RAG along with members from Snow Soc and Musical Theatre volunteering by making the brave step to swap sleeping in their beds to sleeping outside to raise awareness to fight homelessness on our streets - especially during these colder months. Well done to everyone that took part and supported this event and thank you to everyone that kindly donated. In total a huge £1887 was raised all in support of a great cause, making a huge difference to people who don’t have a home in our community. The year has got off to a great start but be sure to keep an eye out for many more RAG events and fundraisers, we have got a lot of great ideas for you all to get involved in and participate in very soon…
By Bianca Almeida
EE
FR
Bowling
Peter Pan-tomime
A great evening out with friends and a chance to team build and or create some healthy bowling competition. Play not one, but two games of bowling!
Take a fairy-tale flight to Neverland this Christmas with the swashbuckling family adventure Peter Pan. Don’t miss out on this family show packed with laughter, boos and hisses as the Jolly Roger navigates the perilous high seas and throws anchor for another unmissable festive season in High Wycombe. Be sure to hook your tickets today for FREE
And the best part? It’s on us! Winter Wonderland
IES T I V
TI AC
We hope you are now settled back into Uni life and ready to enjoy more of our amazing opportunities offered for FREE - All courtesy of the Big Deal! Whether you are starting to think about what to do when you leave and need some skills to boost your employability or just want a way to wind down with one of our rec activities, we have something for you.
Get in the Christmas spirit with a free trip to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London! There is plenty to keep you busy and feeling festive; sing-a-long with the bands, indulge in some traditional winter foods and get dizzy on the fairground rides!
Christmas cookie decoration Come and join us in the lounge for some creative Christmassy fun as we decorate a variety of delicious treats to get you in the spirit of Christmas! Whether this is your favourite time of year or you’d just like to try your hand at designing your very gingerbread man This event is completely FREE
Coming up over the next couple of months we have all these great opportunities for you…
You can book onto any activity through our website so be sure to keep an eye out on bucksstudentsunion.org/ whatson – don’t miss out by not reserving your place early on! If you need any support to enhance your academic experience, pop into one of the Students’ Union offices and we will be more than happy to help wherever we can. Maybe you have something different in mind? If you have an activity or skills session that you would like to take part in, please do not hesitate to get in touch! We love hearing your ideas and providing opportunities that you want! Contact us at surecactivities@bucks.ac.uk or pop in and see us in one of the Student’s Union offices.
21 November edition 101
Activities
22
The BIG sleepout
The Bucks Student
By Claire Sessions
SLEEPOUT
Having personally experienced homelessness in my lifetime I knew a little of what I was signing up to when joining the big sleep out, but even having the ability to prepare didn’t make the night much easier. On Friday 19 November I set out at 10pm and joined forces with Amy Pile, nursing society chair and executive officer for mature students. As we set up for the night we found ourselves a safe place, away enough from people but near enough if we needed support , something most homeless people will not have access to. In relatively high spirits we set up “camp”, me on my blankets and Amy in a fold up camping chair. Feeling quite warm from the walk and the layers we had on, peering at the clear sky and having access to social media, we felt it would be quite smooth sailing.
A few hours ticked by and it started to get colder. Leaves were falling creating noise in bushes and wildlife around us were interested in what we were doing. Every little noise would bring you back to an alert state when you were finally just about to drop off, finding that one position that was more bearable on the hard floor than others. A constant state of anxiety, fear the unknown, no access to toilet facilities and getting colder really gave use a sense of what it is like for homeless people and we didn’t like it. As we packed our bags for home this morning and began the walk home I was filled with a sense of sadness and gratitude. I have a place to go to, I have warmth when I get home, I know where my next meal is coming from and the aches and pains from the night on the floor would fade with access to medications etc. Some people don’t have these things and with no fixed address it is hard, if not impossible, to gain access to some of the services that could make life slightly more comfortable. That’s why we need to do more! Volunteer with homeless charities where you can, get out and speak to the people experiencing street homelessness and ask them what you could do to improve life just in that moment, stop and have a chat. People who are experiencing homelessness are just people, like you and like me and standing in their shoes – even for one night, has opened my eyes a lot wider.
By Karolina Bielinska, Sue Davidson
Become a member for free! Simply head over to the Students’ Union website and you can find us under socities. The membership is completely free and we aim to offer extra Maths & Anatomy and Physiology sessions, amongst fun events.
Bucks Nursing Society Entering the real professional world of Nursing. This month, Bucks Nursing Society are showing appreciation to those who have graduated and have entered the real world of nursing. Here, our treasurer, Karolina Bielinska (KB) interviews the wonderful Carmel Millward (CM), who recently celebrated their graduation at Bucks. Carmel studied Adult Nursing and belonged to September 2017 cohort. Described by her colleagues as ‘the kindest soul’, Carmel is sharing with us her experience and feelings since she graduated. KB: It’s been a year since you finished your degree. How are you feeling right now? CM: I’m feeling motivated and excited as I recently started a new job. KB: Tell us about yourself? When did you realise you want to be a nurse? What are you doing right now? And what’s unique in your current workplace?
Carmel’s graduation
CM: I wanted to be a nurse since forever (smile). I trained with Bucks New University. I’ve worked as a nurse for just over a year, starting out in the Acute Assessment Unit in the local Trust. During COVID I also worked on this area, as a Band 4, whilst completing my training (*NMC presented emergency education standards that allowed to opt-in the last year students to support the response to the Covid-19 pandemic -adds redaction). Recently I have started as a staff nurse at Thames Hospice where they specialise in palliative and end of life care.
Follow us on social media Twitter: @BucksNurSociety FB: Bucks Nursing Society Insta: @bucksnursociety Email: bucksnursingsociety@ gmail.com
Their primary focus is to provide compassionate care to the families and individuals facing life limiting illnesses, whilst being in a safe and supported environment. So far, I’ve been working alongside the exceptional clinical team and I’m beginning to understand the care they provide and the extra mile they go to for all those under their care. Alongside the physical care provided there is pastoral care, complimentary treatments and a 24hour advice phone line, catering for the needs of every patient and relatives. I feel honoured to be a part of a team which provides such an exceptional care.
KB: How do you cope with the pressure? CM: Take a moment to prioritise and work through my tasks. Delegate if needed- people are there to support you. KB: When do you feel the most fulfilled at work? CM: When I know I’ve helped, even if it’s pain management or helping someone get dressed, knowing I’ve assisted them makes me feel fulfilled. KB: Can you share with us your most rewarding nursing memory? (Without giving out the sensitive information) Moment worth doing it for! CM: Receiving a letter from a patient three months after I met him, thanking me and informing me he had finally been discharged home. KB: What’s your best quality at work? CM: I like to think that I make time to listen to everyone and then I can help to escalate concerns. It’s beneficial to be able to know how to help someone from what they feel and they require as they know their body best. KB: How do you deal with negativity? CM: Take it, evaluate, and learn from it. KB: The thing you learned about nursing/ as a nurse that helps you also in everyday life? CM: You can’t always fix everything. Sometimes you are just a hand to hold. Everyone is human, you just have to talk to them and listen. Such a great interview! We hope this is a great insight for student nurses.
23 November edition 101
Bucks Nursing Society
24 The Bucks Student
Monday 1 December
World AIDS Day Terrence Higgins Trust Ribbon walk
Wednesday 1 December is World AIDS day, a day to commemorate those lost to HIV and to show our support for those living with a diagnosis. This year will we be teaming up with Terrence Higgins Trust, to complete a ribbon walk around the Rye. The ribbon walk is set to be noon-2pm and gives us time to complete 20.3km or 105,00 steps, key numbers in the fight against HIV and AIDS. 105,00 people are currently living with a diagnosis in the UK and with the government suggesting a commitment to end new transmissions by 2030, now is the time to empower the voices who can make this happen. Please join us on Wednesday 1 December and wear red to show your support. Ribbons will be available on the day from 10.30am or can be ordered online. Or, a donation link can be found by scanning the QR code.
By Holly Simmons | Nathan Ashton
BNU Women’s Rugby Women’s Rugby is growing rapidly in popularity all over the world. As a sport, it promotes teamwork, respect and overall, it’s incredibly empowering! Playing rugby, you will learn truly how strong your body is as well as your mind. At BNU Women’s Rugby, we encourage anyone to join. No matter how much experience you have, whether you have played for years or never tried Rugby; it doesn’t matter to us. Joining a new sport can be daunting however this shouldn’t put you off. Rugby is often known as an aggressive sport, but this isn’t true. At BNU Women’s Rugby, you will learn that Rugby is a game of evasion, not aggression. You will be taught how to play rugby safely and effectively at our training sessions whilst making some great friends.
As we are a new society we are not currently in a league and playing games, however, this does not mean we have to stay this way. One of our goals as a society is to start playing games. To do this we need as many people as we can to try rugby out! Being able to put all our hard work into practice is so important to us as a team and we would love to have more people involved to share that feeling with. As female Rugby players, we experience problems such as disapproval, ridicule and overall sexism. If we as a community can encourage more women to play these sports, we are one step closer to ending the stigma around women in sport, specifically, contact sport. We train every Friday and meet at five in the lounge. If anyone wants to give it a go, please contact us via our Instagram @bnuwomensrugbyclub. We cannot wait to hopefully see some new faces.
Musical Theatre society and their first in person performance in two years...
The Wycombe Christmas lights switch on was the first real performance musical theatre society had done since the beginning of lockdown. There was a real buzz around the society with some members never having sung in front of anyone before and others who just couldn’t wait to get back to doing what they have missed so much over the COVID period. For many, the Christmas Lights switch on marks the start of the Christmas period and what better way to begin than with a Christmas Medley? Opening with a beautiful rendition of ‘Once Upon a December’ leading into a medley of Christmas classics such as ‘Last Christmas’ and also some modern Christmas hits such as ‘Snowman’, there was a real feel-good energy about the performance. If you were unable to make it to the Christmas Lights switch on, Musical Theatre will be performing the medley again on Saturday 4 December at Winterland and we look forward to seeing you there!
25 November edition 101
BNU Women’s Rugby | Musical Theatre
26 The Bucks Student
BNU Men’s Rugby
By Tim Cunningham
Varsity rivals clash
The 21/22 season looks to be a promising year for the Bucks Mens Rugby team. A 24 strong fresher intake has brought a big surge of enthusiasm for the season as we look ahead for Varsity on the 30th of March. Going from strength to strength, the lads put in a graft at training, no thanks to returning player Danny Pearson who’s experience has been invaluable when it comes to scrum time. Our seasons however got off to a rocky start with a 44-12 loss to Roehampton (A). Having 11 1st XV players out injured, it was up to the freshers to put in a shift, which they most certainly did. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the sheer determination and heart that was left on the pitch by lads playing their first game for the team. Man of the Match, Ratu Nailatikau stepped up, playing out of position to command the players round the park, fresher Chris Ntoni is also going to be one to watch when it comes to Varsity. After a tough game against a very strong Hertfordshire side, it was back to Roey on the 17th of November. The game started well with Captain Josh Fake kicking true from a penalty to give Bucks an early lead, this was then shortly followed up with a try by none other than Club President Brandon Tester, the old boys were raring to go. After a close first half Bucks trailed in the break by 3 points after securing another try. The second half was a different affair, with injuries hindering the side, Roey scored 3 more tries to seal of what was undoubtably a nail biting game. Varsity cannot come soon enough, its going to be a good one.
Aside from rugby, the club has been involved in helping at the One Can Trust, a local food bank in which help provide food for those that are in need. Other fundraisers such as Movember have also seen the lads getting stuck in growing out their moustaches in order to raise money for a good cause. Netball for RAG presented itself as a good opportunity for the club to show its skill in a different sport. After entering 3 teams, one team made it to the final and lost in overtime to the staff team from the Students’ Union Office. Well Done rugby.
As far as socials go, rugby do it best. We’ve had a massive evolvement with 42 attending our joint ‘Pub Golf’ social with BNU Dance and Its safe to say it was the social of the year. From dressing up in Togas to being in the ‘jungle’ at the ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’, the first half of the year has been a blast. As we move ahead to the new year, we look to building upon our team to make the most of the talent and character of the club
By Amy Sorrell
BNU Skating BNU Skating is officially up and running! Our committee has been working super hard behind the scenes in bringing BNU a new society which promotes fun and inclusive sessions, as well as socials, fundraisers, and volunteering opportunities. We had our first session on Friday 5 November at the Wycombe Leisure Centre, where we took a handful of students along to the Rollermania disco night. And it was a blast! There was strobe lighting, catchy tunes, games, and a lot of laughter. We had two hours of fun fuelled skating, and as we heard such wonderful feedback about our first session, we will most definitely be organising another trip in the upcoming weeks. So don’t worry if you missed out, simply sign up on the Student Union website for free and we will keep in touch with confirmed dates and times. In case you haven’t seen our social media platforms or our Students’ Union page, here is your BNU Skating committee for 2021/2022: Rachel Hamlin (Chair), Amy Sorrell (Captain), Jamie Regan (Secretary), Mya Brown (Social Secretary), Rachael Andrews (Treasurer), and Eleanor Lee (Welfare).
BNU Skating committee Instagram: BNU Skating Facebook: BNU Skating Email: bnu.skatingsociety@gmail.com
Along with our Rollermania trips, the new committee can be spotted around campus sporting our new bright red uniforms and will be holding our first fundraiser together in the next week. This is to help raise funds for more trips to our Rollermania disco nights and cementing our society as part of BNU for hopefully years to come. Our first fundraiser will include homemade baked goods and Christmas crochet items which will be sure to fill anyone with a bit of festive joy. Also, while you’re with us, don’t forget to ask any questions you may have. Our committee loves what we do, and we want to share our enthusiasm for the sport with all students. Details about our fundraiser will be released on our social media platforms shortly. Thank you for everyone who has signed up and got involved with BNU Skating. We look forward to seeing everyone at our fundraiser and hopefully our next Rollermania night. As a new society, we want to ensure we are meeting the students’ expectations and I am sure we will not disappoint!
27 November edition 101
BNU Skating
28 The Bucks Student
BNU Swimming
By Oliva Tatton
Making a splash! Bucks Swimming team have recently competed in the Speedo & BUCS Short Course Swimming Championships. It was the first competition for the team since February 2020. The team consisted of Bucks Swimming Chair, Olivia Tatton, and members Alicia Enslin and Piers Bowden. The team put in a strong performance the whole weekend with lots of fast swimming. Saturday morning saw Bowden compete in the 200m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly which saw him putting in a valiant effort across both events. Also competing Saturday morning was Enslin and Tatton in the 50m Backstroke. This saw Enslin posting a new PB and Tatton performing strong. Tatton then got straight back in to compete in the 50m Breaststroke showing great resilience. Saturday afternoon saw Enslin back in the pool again competing in the 200m Backstroke. An amazing performance from start to finish saw another PB for Enslin. Tatton competed in the 50m Freestyle which saw her finishing just over a second off her PB. Enslin and Tatton were back in on Sunday morning with a busy morning for Enslin. The first event for Enslin was the 200m IM closely followed by the 100m Freestyle. Enslin put in a strong performance right from the start especially in the last 25m that led to another PB. Tatton then competed in her last event of the weekend the 50m Butterfly which again saw her just off her PB by a second. Enslin competed in the last event for the team in the 100m Backstroke which saw her posting another PB. It was a great weekend with the teams next competition in February 2022. In other news training has been going really well seeing record numbers attending every week. The team trains from 9–10pm on a Tuesday at Wycombe Leisure Centre with a coach from Wycombe District Swimming Club. Training sees the team preparing for competitions and improving techniques across a range of strokes. If you are interested in joining you can find us on Instagram @bucks_ swimming and our Facebook page Bucks Swimming 21/22 where you can find out more information.
By Sebastián Durango Escobar
Hey! ¡Hola! Olá! We are BNU’s Ritmo Latino! That translates from Spanish to “Latin Rhythm” and we are Bucks’ Latin Dance Society! We offer three main genres of Latin Dance. Latin Fusion:
Latin Ballroom:
Latin American:
Latin Ballroom fused with Commercial & Hip Hop taught by Gabrielė. Wednesday’s 6pm – 7pm
Taught by Jamie Wednesday’s 7pm – 8pm
Fridays: Beginners 6pm – 7pm Advanced 7pm – 8pm
“In my classes, I want to create a safe space for everyone to build confidence, build friendships and find freedom through dancing. All dance levels are welcome! I am planning to run my classes in a specific way: one choreography will be taught for one month meaning 3 weeks will be for learning and the final 4th week will be for performing and filming in the studio, so we call all appreciate each other, get a footage of our work and have fun! These classes is not about the technique or strict dance steps, it is all about growth, positive vibes and finding your own comfortable way of dancing”. Gabrielė Šakalytė Our Latin Fusion group have already uploaded their first video and it is now on our Instagram page! Why not check it out?
“In my classes we will learn and work basic and advanced dance moves, technique and choreography’s! During the year we will learn 5 different styles: Cha-cha-cha; Samba; Rumba; Paso-doble; And Jive”. – Jamie Raimundo Our Latin Ballroom group have recently been focusing on Rumba technique but have also learned some Kizomba!
“Latin American is not a dance style. It is a diverse and vibrant culture of 20 different countries in North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. The idea of Latin American classes will be to teach this culture through the fun of dance. Latin American classes consist of different dance styles, traditional and/or social. These may include 5 different styles of Salsa: Cuban, Puerto Rican, New York, Los Angeles and Cali Colombian. Dominican styles such as: Bachata & Merengue.
We’ve had an amazing turn out this first term back and we are so excited to see what 2022 brings! It’s not too late to join, if you are interested, please sign up online through the Bucks Students Union website or contact us below. Our social media is always updated with all the latest news! Instagram: @bnu.ritmo.latino Chair- Sebastián Durango Escobar: sdescobar@outlook.com Treasurer - Jamie Raimundo: jamieraimundo@hotmail.com Welfare Liaison - Gabrielė Šakalytė: gabrielesakalyte@gmail.com
29 November edition 101
Ritmo Latino
30 The Bucks Student
Puzzles and colouring page
Puzzles and colouring! Samurai sudoku 9 8
Word Wheel 7
5
6 7
2
4
1
1
8
7 3
8
5 2
3 4
4
9
9
A
7
6
7
2
3 6
1
9
6
2
3
9
8
1
3
5
8
3 7
7
8
4
6
2
8
5
7 5
9 2
5
Anagrams
All words are linked to hair... CEIL FOLL ACE MOUTHS CURVEHEEL CHILI GROTTOS ASHLEY TIER
8
2
3
6 7
2
2
6
2
3
4
8
9 8 3
5 4
8 2
5
9 9
2
5
7 6
8
7
4 2
4
4
3 5
T
V
N D
7
1
2
E
A
A
1
9 7
G
3
1
5
9 3
5
6 1
4 3
3
3
6
4
4
7
6
4 1st 2:1 2:2 3rd
20 words 15 words 10 words 5 words
Using only the letters in the word wheel, how many 4 letter or above words can you find?
% 50 off pizza when you spend £30 or more online
use CODE: STUDY£30 24/26 Castle Street High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 6RG
01494 539539
DELIVERY UNTIL 3AM THUR, FRI & SAT
opening hours: 11am - 1AM SUN - Wed 11am - 3AM Thu, FRI & SAT closed for collection: 12am mon-sun
/DominosPizza
@Dominos_UK
StudentsOfDominos
Click
Tap the app
Available on delivery or collection. Deal valid online only. 50% valid on pizza only, all other items will be charged at full menu price. Full terms and conditions see menu or online. Offer can be withdrawn or amended without notice on all please. Offer can be withdrawn or amended without notice. Offer can not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Expires 31/5/2022