The Bucks Student: Edition 105 by Bucks Students' Union

‘Getcha head in the game! March 2022 – Edition 105

2 The Bucks Student

Welcome In this edition: Sabb update . . . . . . . . . . 3 Editor’s update . . . . . . . 4 STRIVE Festival. . . . . . . 5 Your one stop shop for all things employment

Tom Odell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Zuzanna delivers another excellent photoset

BlackBoard Ally. . . . . 10 How to make your work more accessible

Papped! in The Venue.11 Events Calendar . . . . . 12 Festiball teasers . . . . . 14 Oooh wee it’s coming...

Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Varsity schedule. . . . . 16 Prepare for the big day

Page 8 - Zuzanna shares an exclusive photoset of Tom Odell How are we at the last paper of the term already?! But goodness me, what a busy end of the term we have coming up for you: Varsity, STRIVE, Union Awards, AU Dinner and more awaits you - and we hope to see as many of you get involved as possible. There may even be a cheeky Festiball announcement or two on the horizon as well... Are you as excited as we are? Have a sneaky suspicion as to which Festiball act will BOOM BOOM BOOM their way to the headline spot? Why not let us know by writing an article! If you have any stories, photos, interviews, achievements, or even your More Than A Bar comment you’d like to share, then we’d love to publish it. Drop an email to editor@thebucksstudent.com and we’ll do the rest to get your content published in beautiful techni-colour across campus and our website!

Referendum. . . . . . . . . . 17 Being a Student Rep. 18

For all advertising and media enquiries please contact the Students’ Union Communications and Marketing department.

Joanna shares her experience

Women’s Football. . . . 19 LGBTQ+ society . . . . . . 20 Boxing society . . . . . . . 21

Simon McDowell simon.mcdowell@bucks.ac.uk Oli Gunson oli.gunson@bucks.ac.uk Nellie Hughes nellie.hughes@bucks.ac.uk

Will you be at fight night?

Gaming society . . . . . . 22 Puzzle page . . . . . . . . . . 23 Page 14 - Our events team are starting to get ‘Festiv’...

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. © 2022 Bucks Students’ Union

Sabb update

March edition 105 By Honor Fletcher (she/her), Tash Neal (she/her), Tom Featherstone (he/him)

H1 Honor Fletcher - President

‘Ello all! Hope you’re doing well and looking forward to the easter break! We have so many different events happening between now and the end of term that you don’t want to miss out on, so grab a pen and paper and take notes... There are only a few days now to until Varsity!! The excitement is building before we take to the field against Roehampton. If you haven’t already got your ticket, fear not! They are still on sale!! Head over to the what’s on page to get your ticket and then collection will be in the SU!! Wear your colours with pride on the day and get behind our teams and cheer them home to victory. Let’s bring the Roebuck back home for another year!

Tom Featherstone – VPSI

Tash Neal – VPEW

The events don’t stop there for this term! Just a matter of days later we are hosting are first in person Strive Employability Festival! With over 15 different employers attending this is your perfect opportunity to put yourself out there and network to find yourself many different opportunities!.

Into the final week of this term and its one of busiest - ELECTIONS WEEK 2022! As a union this is one of the biggest weeks of the year for us, as its when YOU decide on who you want to take your union on in the next academic year, as well as voting on the Sabbatical officers you vote on your student leaders right through to voting on your club and society committees. This year’s election is a special one as we are having a referendum, we are proposing the Idea of a 4th Sabbatical officer. You can read more about all of this on bucksstudentsunion.org. Keep an eye out on all Students’ Union socials for all the events that are coming in the 3rd term. We hope you have a great end to the term and enjoy your easter break!

Editor’s update

The Bucks Student By Jessy Clark (she/her)

Editor’s update Hi all! Jessy here, For this edition I’d like to shed some light on the subject of taking time to look after yourself, specifically during the next semester when things start getting quite overwhelming. As we all know and I’m sure are pretty concerned about, the next semester is going to be rampacked with assignment deadlines, exams and assessments, which equals a lot of pressure. Not to mention part time jobs, dissertations, money worries, relationships and personal life at home… And although it can get tough, and you may feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day to get so many tasks finished soon enough, it’s still so incredibly important that you still take the time to do something that gives you a break. Recently, I took up a second part time job alongside my studies, and caring for my family.

Jessy Clark - Student editor

If you would like to get involved with the Newspaper and writer’s newsgroup, you can always drop an email to us at editor@thebucksstudent.com or j_essyclark@hotmail.com. We are also looking to expand our editorial team! So if you have any newspaper experience, or would like to gain some newspaper experience, get in touch with editor@thebucksstudent.com and we’ll take it from there!

Perhaps I made this decision at the wrong moment, especially since I’ve been butchering my priorities quite the amount since, but I’ve also found that I enjoy it and I’m learning new skills as I work. It takes my mind off of the stresses of my assignments for a few hours and I’m earning as I go. The only other problem is that I’m exhausted. And that is what is taking the most major toll on my studies. However, I feel like having the time to do something else (In my case making cappuccinos and waitressing) for half a day and then spending the rest writing an essay helps to rest my brain between the chunks of workload. Aside from my part time work, I’ve rediscovered my love for reading each night. A hobby, even a small low-key one can do wonders for your mental and emotional health during periods of time that will require pressuring time limits and qualities of essay work. So, even 20 minutes of free time to do as you please, away from your desk, laptop or the place you spend most of your time at university, will help keep you sane! That’s all from me, see you next semester!

5 March edition 105

M O N DAY

A P R I L

1 0AM – T H E

5PM

R O O M

Book your free ticket bucksstudentsunion.org/whatson

2 0 2 2

6 The Bucks Student

IS HAPPY TO BE HOSTING...

7 March edition 105

Successful Leaders Panel noon–1pm N2.10 Abhilasha Bajwa Thames Valley Police

Oliver Morris UK Music

Gemma Hood Cube and Culturehood

Lynne Kennedy Sales Untangled

As a graduate with a Chemistry degree, joining the police was never something I had originally considered would be a logical step towards the start of my career. However, since joining the police in 2019 I have never looked back or regretted my decision for one second.

Oliver has been with UK Music since 2015. Before this he was a tutor, researcher, community worker, musician and composer.

Gemma Hood, CEO and founder of Culturehood; a culture consultancy focussed on creating positive employee experiences that lead to happier and more productive workplaces.

Lynne Kennedy has an instinct for business relationships and team dynamics she specialises in mentoring, coaching and training.

Festival Schedule

Alumni Panel 3–4pm S3.01 Hanna Free BNU

Danny Tipping Transistor Films

I really enjoyed my time at BNU so much so, that I now work in the Sports Therapy and Science departments as a Graduate Intern.

Danny Tipping is an award-winning television producer who specialises in documentary and factual-entertainment programming.

Hannah Dolden Hannah Dolden Textiles Since leaving Uni I have started my own business knitting bags, cushions, clothing, and so much more.

The Bucks Student

9 By Zuzanna Maja

March edition 105

Blackboard Ally

The Bucks Student By Julia Veness

Blackboard Ally & Accessibility Hello! I’m Julia, one of the Learning Technologists in the Digital Learning Team at Buckinghamshire New University. The Digital Learning Team are available to help you with any Blackboard queries that you have during your time at university. The University has recently switched to Blackboard Ally, which is fully committed to ensuring all products and services we deliver are both usable and accessible to all users regardless of age, ability, or situation. One of the key benefits is that you are now able to access the information you need, the way you need it. Have you ever found content in your course that was difficult to read, or you wish came in a different format? Now, you can download alternative formats of instructor content directly from your course.

Many classrooms today, both physical and digital, are integrated. Students with diverse needs are expected to complete exactly the same work in exactly the same manner. Alternative formats provide greater opportunity for everyone to access the information they need in the way they need or want it. With alternative formats all students can meet the same learning objectives using resources that are built to target the needs of the individual student. For example, Blackboard Ally creates audio and electronic braille alternatives for students with visual impairments.

Alternative formats aren’t just for a select group of students. Alternative formats benefit everyone. For example, maybe you have a lot of course material to read and get eye strain, or maybe you’re an auditory learner. Listen to an audio format of the learning materials instead, maybe in between trips to campus! Don’t stick to just one format! Use as many formats as you want. For example, if the content isn’t in your first language, you could follow along in the ePub as you listen to the audio file. All from the comfort of Beats or the Library.

But which format should you use? If you’re not sure, this table shows at-a-glance the best formats for your different needs.

In order to access these alternative formats, simply click on the document you would like, and then click the ‘A’ button next to it, as seen below. If you have any problems, please contact your tutor or digitallearning@bucks.ac.uk

PAPPED IN

! NUE

THE VE

THROU G

H THE Y

EARS

Events calendar | 28 Mar – 3 Apr

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 28

UNION COUNCIL: HUSTINGS

Wed 30

Tue 29

Mon 28

Fri 1

Thu 31

Wed 30

Sat 2

Sun 3

Mon 4

Tue 5

Wed 6

Sat 9 – Sun 10

Wed 6

Events photographers we need you! Contact suevents@bucks.ac.uk to find out more about the paid

opportunities that are available

March edition 105

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

Events calendar | 4 – 10 Apr

14 The Bucks Student This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for… it’s been 2 years and we cannot wait to welcome you back to the biggest event Bucks has to offer… FESTIBALL IS BACK For those that haven’t experienced Festiball before, it is unlike any other end of year ball around; the venue is completely transformed, including the famous Headphone Silent Disco, outside themed areas, photobooths, cocktail bars, fairground rides, food stalls and extra production throughout.

We bring you some of the hottest acts right now, with guest appearances and performances across 2 stages, over 3 nights - bringing the ultimate festival atmosphere to Bucks! In previous years, we have had acts such as Becky Hill, JLS, Wilkinson, Big Narstie, Circa Waves, Hybrid Minds and Scouting for Girls to name a few, take to the Festiball stage.

There’s a lot of planning going on behind the scenes to bring you one of the biggest Festiball’s we have ever seen, and we cannot wait to announce more exciting information to you over the next few weeks.

As always, Bucks Students gain free entry however Alumni/Graduates and non-students still have the opportunity to buy a ticket- these are on sale NOW, so get on to your non-student friends to buy tickets and let’s have the ultimate postcovid reunion!

#BSUFestiball

For now though, it is our ultimate pleasure to say, Welcome back to the jungle…

For more information, please contact suevents@bucks.ac.uk

Activities

March edition 105

E FR

By Emily West

IES T I TIV AC Now we are coming up to the Easter break, we still have a range of activities to enjoy before and to book into your diaries for after, and hope that you are excited and ready to enjoy more of our amazing opportunities offered for FREE all courtesy of the Big Deal! Whether you have just started with us or are in your final year, why not think about adding a few more skills to your CV to increase your employability? Or enjoy a postexam wind down with one of our incredible rec activities. Coming up over the next couple of months we have all these great opportunities for you…..

STRIVE Festival

LinkedIn and Networking

We are excited to be bringing back a bigger and better STRIVE Festival for 2022 on Monday 4 April. Designed to meet all your career needs, this will be your opportunity to improve your employability skills by attending our dedicated workshops, networking with local employers and hearing from successful local leaders on how to overcome barriers and succeed in the workplace. We will also have an alumni panel where you can hear from students that studied at Buckinghamshire New University and the journey they took to get where they are today.

Brought to you by the Student Opportunities and Career Success department, this session will show you how having a LinkedIn profile is more important than ever, and will help you to get yours set up and show you how to make the best of it! On top of that, you will learn all about networking and how to build a personal brand that will get you noticed by employers and recruiters alike.

British Sign Language – Conversations As part of our 6 session course on British Sign Language, this session will focus on using some of the signs you have learnt and putting them into conversations! You do not need to have attended any of the previous sessions to join, so come along to this great FREE workshop and add another skill to your CV!

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.

Being Safe Online Don’t miss out on this FREE unique training session! This workshop will provide you with information and advice on how to manage your online reputation and social accounts. Student Pride Another incredible FREE opportunity thanks to the Big Deal! We will be providing transport to Student Pride, the biggest gathering of LGBTQIA+ students in the UK from all Universities, where you can enjoy a full day and evening of events. We are also paying for an overnight stay at Astor hostels so you can enjoy the Sunday brunch the following day. Tickets are extremely limited so make sure to sign up soon! MCM Comic Con MCM returns to ExCeL London 27-29 May for an epic threeday celebration of all things pop culture. Don’t miss the biggest pop culture show of the year with celebrity guests, panels, gaming and so much more. FREE to students thanks to the Big Deal!

Varsity Schedule

The Bucks Student By Tom Featherstone

We are on the final countdown until the biggest sporting event of the year. On Wednesday 30 March we face our rival, University of Roehampton, competing in several different sports within the BUCS Leagues. Running from 11am all the way until final kick off at 7pm, the day is jam packed with sports. If you have somehow missed our Varsity hype check out our Instagram for reminders about how important

the day is to Bucks students. Whether you’re playing or supporting, make sure you have purchased your ticket to be involved. We’ve released the schedule for the day so you can plan which fixtures you will be attending. Don’t forget that you can pick up your tickets, t-shirts, wristbands and food vouchers from the Horseshoe in The Lounge from Wednesday 23 March until Friday 25 March from 10am-4pm.

Refer-what-now?

March edition 105 By Lucy Ryan

Referendum

This elections week, alongside deciding our 2022-2023 Sabbatical Officers and student leaders - we’ll also be asking you a very important question. Do you want… • More voices speaking on behalf of your educational experience? • More support for your welfare and mental health whilst at BNU? • More representation for Uxbridge students? • More community building opportunities for Aylesbury students? • More occasions for your voice to be heard by the University? If you said yes to any of the above, then it’s time to repeat that action and vote yes in the 2022 #BSUElections Referendum. So, what is a referendum? A referendum is a question posed by an organisation and decided by a public vote. During Elections Week, we will be running a referendum for our members to decide whether or not to expand the current team of sabbatical officers from three to four. We would like to introduce a fourth Sabbatical Officer to help the current demands of the Sabbatical Officer team and allow us to create even more support and participation for our members, particularly for those at Uxbridge and Aylesbury. Over the past few years, we have noticed substantial growth in the demands being placed on our Sabbatical Officers, they are being asked to attend a wider range of University meetings, local community and SU wide events, and working groups focused on important current issues including equality and diversity, mental health and wellbeing, and access to participation.

In short, Sabbatical Officers are being required to do more. This also has an impact on the Officers’ wellbeing, and effectiveness in the roles. We would like to introduce a fourth officer whose primary responsibilities will centre on Education and Welfare. The post holder would be based at Uxbridge and would also assume wider responsibility for Aylesbury and potentially other student groups. This role would work alongside the Education and Welfare roles currently based in High Wycombe. However, this change needs to be approved by you, our members. So, we’ll be asking you to vote yes or no to the following question: “I approve the constitutional amendment that allows the Union, subject to funding, to elect a fourth Sabbatical Officer as a Sabbatical Trustee.” For this to pass we need a significant amount of students to vote, so it’s incredibly important you have your say. If you want to increase the level of support and representation for students throughout your time at BNU, vote yes and support the Union in making this change.

VOTE ‘YES’ IN THE REFERENDUM!

Being a student rep

The Bucks Student By Joanna Rosa Mendes

Student Rep My name is Joanna, and I’m a second-year adult student nurse and as a mature student, I was worried about starting university because I wasn’t sure how I would come across to others. It felt like the first day of school, where I was worried about making friends and adjusting to the new environment. I realized I wasn’t alone in my feelings in being a new student on campus since so many other people are in the same boat as me. At my induction in September 2020, I learned about student representation when I was told that each tutor group would need to vote. This caught my attention because I have always enjoyed helping others, but it also meant that I could be a leading voice for students, so I put myself forward and was subsequently elected to be the student representative for my tutor group. Through representation, I have gained confidence and learned valuable skills that will be useful not only at university but also in my future career. In addition, I helped to relaunch the nursing society, but I doubt that

I would have had the motivation or courage to do so if I was not a student representative. I am most proud of the Union Awards in 2021, when I won Gold accredited representation recognition; setting objectives allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and do things that I wouldn’t normally do, but without Student Union support I would not have been able to do it. I feel valued and appreciated as a student representative because they are always willing to help. I would encourage other students who are interested in becoming student representatives to do so, and I am grateful for this opportunity. As a student representative, I can adapt to new situations while raising concerns and influencing positive change at the university. If you get the chance to become a student representative, take it!

WILL YOU VOTE IN THE

BSU ELECTIONS? VOTING OPENS SOON

Voting for the next leaders of your Students’ Union is just around the corner. We’re dusting off the ballot boxes and getting geared up for an exciting week ahead. Rusty Buck has ordered some special treats for the week as well so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for what he has in store. Voting opens on Monday 4 April and you’ll be able to vote online or in-person at one of our polling booths at both the High Wycombe and Uxbridge campuses.

Women’s Football

March edition 105 By Emma Dowden

We train... Thursday evenings at 9:20pm–10:20pm Cressex Football Centre- Transport provided Meet at SU lounge for 8:30pm

First of all, we are proud to announce that late last month we had our first friendly against Reading 2s and came out successful with a 4-0 win!! All members worked together and listened throughout the match so that we could work collectively to get the win. We are looking to plan to organise more friendlies in the upcoming weeks. Additionally, we have also now got a coach on board to help us with training thanks to one of our members. Our social sec has done a fabulous job at putting on socials and keeping everyone posted on social media. Just recently some of our members attended Rush trampoline park. We are also considering attending Junkyard Golf. Good Luck to all the other clubs competing in Varsity…. Lets retain the trophy!

20 The Bucks Student

LGBTQ+ Society

By Steph Healey

We are the...

LGBTQ+ Society

Hello and welcome! We are the LGBTQ+ society and we meet fortnightly on Mondays. We are a society who wants to create a safe space for everyone to feel like they can attend and just be who they are. During our sessions we play games and have fun hanging out. Recently, we have just had a successful history month. For this we have had a few Q&As answering your questions and ran a small quiz about LGBT knowledge, where we had lots of people participate which was amazing to see. Due to the success, we are going to be doing a similar thing more often for any worries or questions you have. We have also recently had our takeover with Nursing where we have raised a lot of money for the chosen RAG charities, we want to thank everyone who came for such a good night. Over the next few months, we are hoping to arrange a few more events and activities such as going to student pride (where the uni is going to be doing some tickets) and running campaigns such as having pronouns on uni ID or badges and having a rainbow cake for sale which some of the money spent from people buying

it would go to support LGBTQ+ charities. Currently this month is bisexual health awareness month, and women’s history month. Because of this we are looking at running some events to raise awareness of health and LGBTQ+, while also preparing for trans visibility day at the end of the month. If you have any questions, you can contact us by emailing our chair - Claire Sessions - at 21610366@ bucks.ac.uk who is also the lgbtq+ officer this year, or by finding us on social media under ‘bnu_lgbt’. Anyone is welcome to attend our sessions whether you are an Ally, or part of LGBTQ+. We respect people’s opinions, and we will never make you tell us things you aren’t comfortable with. If you’re interested in joining our sessions even just to see what its about and if its for you, we regularly post about where and when sessions are. We also have a group chat where you can find out information directly, and you can contact us to be added. We hope to see you soon, BNU LGBTQ+

BNU Boxing

March edition 105 By Charlotte Leighton-Woods

BNU Boxing society presents:

FIGHT NIGHT

As you may remember from our last article, the Boxing Society was working incredibly hard to organise a White Collar ‘Fight Night’ event for fundraising for both the Society and RAG. Well, after lots of extensive planning, we can finally confirm that we have booked The Venue for Sunday 1 May 2022 (Bank Holiday Sunday) and the members of BNU Boxing will be strapping their gloves on and jumping into the ring! With the help of our professional coaches from The Warriors Fight Factory, we’re super excited to show you what we’re made of! Not only will you get to see our amazing Bucks Warriors, but we are also lucky enough to have several other societies joining us to make this a truly great night. Get ready for the talents of Dance, Cheer, MT, Ritmo Latino, LGBTQ+, Music and many other individual students to hit the stage, so even if you’re not the biggest boxing fan, there’s plenty for you to enjoy at Fight Night!

With students from all over the University planning to get in the ring, I can almost guarantee you’ll know at least one fighter or performer, so please come along and show your support! We have people from Rugby to Football, Music to LGBT+, and Aviation to Performing Arts! Remember, it’s all for charity, so there will also be a raffle and other fundraisers throughout the night as well as the option to upgrade your ticket to VIP (Complimentary Prosecco anyone?) where you will have access to an exclusive area only for VIPs, with the best view in the house. This promises to be a great night and is open to both students and non-students with tickets for public soon to be announced. Standard entry for students is free, with a suggested donation on the door. We look forward to seeing you there!

Gaming society

The Bucks Student By Vytautas Kravcenka

Gaming society is very excited to invite everyone to our biggest event of the year– 24 hours game-a-thon. We have loads of activities planned from among us and werewolf (mafia type game) to tournaments in Smash and dragon ball, to POKER and VR. We start the event with a lgbtq+ themed Dungeons and dragons’ game, which should be great fun to watch both in-person and on our TWITCH stream. Both the 24 hours event and stream are going to start at 5pm on Thursday 7 April and end 5pm Friday 8 April. Throughout the event we encourage the students to come join us in activities and donate- there will be multiple donation goals starting with getting our Welfare Liaison (Ronan) sponged which will leave them wet for the whole even, to doing a nice waxing session for our chairs’ (V’s) legs, to our maximum goalOur treasurer (William) shaving his head on stage. And these are just 3 out of 8 goals! This year we are splitting donations 50/50 and raising money for both RAG and the society itself. Those wanting to participate in tournaments or jackbox party pack games will be encouraged to donate a minimum of £2. During the night time we will have late night kitchen working for all of our late night owls staying the whole 24 hours or showing up late in the evening, most attention during that time will be paid to the stream on twitch where you will be able to find a variety of old school games like diablo, but also some fun stuff like morning stream for a game that requires not to blink (after 12h+ of gaming). On Friday, we are planning to have a VR set up and ready for our enthusiasts to try games like beat saber or super-hot! And also, smash tournament for those who come after classes. This is an event we have been looking into for a while, and we really want to invite everyone to pop by and give it a shot! Time: Thursday 7 5pm – Friday 8 April 5pm Twitch: twitch.tv/bnugamingsociety (to watch the event live online)

Puzzle page

March edition 105

Puzzles and colouring! Samurai sudoku 8 3

Word Wheel 1

7 8 7

8 2

9 7

8 2

8 4

6 7

5 1

5 6

3 9

8 3

6 4

4 7

4 3

8 3

Anagrams

All words are linked to sport... ARVY SIT http://www.sudoku-space.com BUCKER COUP ERUPTS PROS ASPS FRONTS

1 7

EMOTICON PIT

4 7

8 1

6 6

2 7

No. 2

1st 30 words 2:1 25 words 2:2 20 words 3rd 15 words

9 2

R F S

Using only the letters in the word wheel, how many 4 letter or above words can you find?

E I

6 6

4 Samurai Sudoku

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