The Bucks Student: Edition 108

...and time to celebrate! A ‘poetic’ end to the year...

...we

make Winter feel good...

The winter holidays are fast approaching, but not so fast that we haven’t managed to put together another paper, as well as a whole host of events for you. As well as a packed Venue event schedule (that you can marvel at on page 12 & 13), Emily and Brandon have put together a Winter Feel Good Week to stave off those festive blues. You’ll find wellbeing sessions, craft opportunities, cosy events and much more on page 10 and around the Students’ Union Monday 5 – Sunday 11 December.

How does the Winter break make you feel? Glad to have a rest? Happy to be home? Or just nervous for exams? Well you can let us know about that, or really anything else, by writing an article or submitting some content.

So if you’re interested in anything to do with the newspaper - be it designing it, writing it, managing it or just creating the sudokus, drop an email to editor@ thebucksstudent.com or any of the Sabbs and we’ll take it from there.

For all advertising and media enquiries

contact the Students’ Union Communications and Marketing department.

Simon McDowellsimon.mcdowell@bnu.ac.uk Oli Gunsonoli.gunson@bnu.ac.uk

Nellie Hughesnellie.hughes@bnu.ac.uk

necessarily represent the views of Bucks Students’ Union but are that of the specific author. View this edition

SABBATICAL EDITORS update from your

November has certainly been a hairy one!

We’ve smashed our second highest target of £1000 for Movember, which means that:

• Emily Crawshaw will be slapped with a hand full of shaving cream

• Ratu will do Jess Bradbury’s makeup, and she has to wear it for a full day at work!

• Charlotte Leighton-Woods will spend a day at work in a full face of SFX makeup

• Brandon Tester will bring back his drag alter ego ‘Big Bertha’ for a full work day.

• Ratu will come to uni in JUST budgie smugglers.

The donation link will be active for the rest of the year, the last target is £2000 which will mean Ratu gets a moustache tattoo on his ribs! So keep donating!

Things are starting to feel very busy for us as the winter holidays approach, we have lots of meetings to attend and things to organise which is super hectic, but we love it!

We’re super excited for our Winter Feel Good Week which is starting Monday 5 December, where we are going to be tackling loneliness with drop in sessions, volunteering opportunities and fun activities, we can’t wait to see you there.

Finally, as this term starts to draw to a close and the nights are getting darker, please make sure you’re keeping safe and looking after yourself. Winter can be a tough time, so make sure you’re spending as much time as you can doing the things you love with the people you love.

You’re nearly there, we’re so proud of you!

Brandon Tester

VPEW (HW)

Charlotte Leighton-Woods President

Jess Bradbury VPSI

Emily Crawshaw VPEW (Uxb & Ayls)

By Nasandra Bartley

Poetry Corner

Dear friend

Dear friend, you ran across my mind today, so I thought I’d take the time, to write to you words that I rarely say.

I’m not great at expressing my feelings, so this is a bit tough, but for you dear friend, I decided to pen my feelings even though it chokes me up.

I believe our paths were cross for a reason, your kindness and compassion remains steadfast throughout the seasons

You are there for me, whenever I need you, you have proven yourself time and time again, that you are the epitome of the word friend.

There are no value in this world that I could equate to your worth. Words are insufficient, they don’t serve you the justice you deserve.

Like an anchor I know your friendship will hold to the end. You have taught me what it’s like to be a good friend. The way you love others, whole heartedly, I’m convinced you are heaven sent.

I apologise if it seems as if I don’t care, the fact is, you mean more to me than I’d like to share. Even though you are few, you make up for the many, because your friendship is genuine and your love is true.

So my dear friends, just to let you know, I love you, and thank you for being you.

What do you see?

Tell me what you see, when you look at me. Do you see my broken pieces, on display for all to see.

Can you see the presence of despair, that lingers around, with invisible hands like ropes, I am bound.

Tell me what you see, when you look in my eyes. Do you see the pain I suppress, or the misery I hide.

I want to smile, be happy, but it’s not without difficulties when I try.

Tell me, When you look at me

Can’t you tell, that I am looking at you pleading, wishing you would see me, instead of the person I pretend to be.

The track of my tears are forever etched in my skin. It is a constant reminder of my suffering.

I’ll tell you what I see, when I look at me.

I see the remnants of the girl that I used to be. Spirited and carefree that was me.

Now in her place is a husk, awaiting the day I return to dust.

So next time you look at me, look beyond what you can see.

Then maybe you will realise, that the shell I present is not me.

By Kate Hughes

Are your circumstances...

Exceptional?

If you are unable to submit your work on time or sit a scheduled examination, there are options available to support you.

Firstly, the very best option is to submit your work, if at all possible. Please be reassured that foundation year and level 4 marks do not contribute to your final award classification so a low pass mark will not affect your award classification. Planning and meeting submission deadlines is an important part of your student journey and life skill.

However, we know sometimes the unpredictable happens so if something unforeseen or unavoidable occurs BNU is here to support you.

You can apply for one of the following three options, the best for you will depend on your individual circumstances:

• Extension to a submission deadline for an assignment(s) where a later deadline (normally 2 weeks) will enable you to complete the work. An assignment / practice extension form can be submitted to the tutor up to a maximum of 2 working days following the original submission deadline.

• Mitigating Circumstances where an unexpected event during or in the period leading up to (normally 15 working days) an assessment deadline or exam seriously affects your studies where an extension is not feasible or appropriate. A mitigating circumstances form should be completed and submitted to your Registry Officer by email. If the claim is approved it will be considered, along with your academic profile, at the summer 2023 Assessment Boards. The claim must be submitted within 15 working days of the assessment deadline/exam.

• Interruption of Studies (a break from your studies for a year) sometimes, as a result of changes in your personal life, or due to a prolonged, on-going or serious illness, you may be having difficulties fulfilling all the requirements of your course. In these circumstances you may wish to consider requesting to interrupt your studies and return when you are able to focus again on your course. Your Personal Tutor will be able to discuss your situation and explain the options open to you. Depending on your programme of study there may be certain restrictions, such as the point at which an interruption must be taken or the date of return to your studies.

If you are in your final year of study, please be aware that late Semester 2 submission may impact your ability to attend the July 2023 graduation ceremony – speak to your Personal Tutor or Registry Officer as soon as possible if you have any concerns about any June submissions.

Please, please, please if you are experiencing difficulties, contact your Personal Tutor and Registry Officer as soon as possible. They can advise you on the most appropriate course of action for your situation. Email registry.services@bnu.ac.uk if you do not know who to contact.

Further information can be found on the BNU website: bucks.ac.uk/current-students/registry-helpdesk-and-academic-advice/exceptional-circumstances

By Andrew Markland

Mentoring BNU

The BNU Careers Team is proud to announce that following previous success with the mentoring programme, we will be running it again this year.

The scheme gives students the opportunity to be mentored by an industry professional and build their CV and employability skills while studying for their degree. Many of the mentors are Alumni of BNU and are now working in industry in a wide range of upper management and operational roles.

The priority of the Directorate for Student Success for the last couple of years has been to help our students feel supported and connected during their time at BNU, and to support students with their personal and professional development alongside their academic achievement. The mentoring programme is an essential part of that support. The importance of a mentor relationship cannot be understated, and it is a unique opportunity that BNU is offering to students. I found the experience very personally rewarding when I mentored a student last year, and my mentee found the experience highly productive and useful as well, having gone on to successfully secure a job at BNU after graduation.

The mentoring dynamic differs from the relationship students have with their lecturers. The relationship is self-directed by both the student and the mentor, and gives an opportunity for students to work on setting their own personal and professional objectives, with the mentor providing them with insight from their own professional experiences. There is no formal structure or assessment, and discussions between mentors and mentees are completely confidential.

Mentors and mentees are matched on the basis of subject area and interests. We try our best to match mentees with a mentor who works in the industry that they are aspiring to get into once they graduate. In today’s competitive job market, having a mentor is a no-brainer. Mentors can provide much needed insight for students who can learn a lot from their mentor about the career they are aspiring to, which can assist them in their decision making and which can arm students with the knowledge of how to stand out to employers, and how to get ahead and land the job of their dreams.

The mentoring programme is open to students from all courses, all disciplines and all year groups. The important thing is that you are interested in developing yourself professionally and are willing to dedicate your time to the programme. Mentors and Mentees are expected to meet at least once per month, however this is up to the mentee and mentor.

Applications for the mentoring programme are still open and the programme will start in midNovember. If you are interested in getting involved then please contact careers@bucks.ac.uk

The BNU Mentoring programme has relaunched for its’ 3rd year!

Money saving tips: Kitchen edition

By Katie Smith

Money Saving Tips

Kitchen edition

• Plan meals in advance, work out when you are in for dinner and who you can cook and eat with.

• Most supermarkets are doing price comparisons with Aldi and Lidl these days.

• Look out for deals that will save you money but also beware of those that don’t – i.e. 1 tin of beans for 25p and 3 for £1 is not a saving!

• Look at shelves above and below eye level – supermarkets stock their premium, more expensive products where they are easy to find.

• Housemates - shop, cook and eat together! Invite other households/ flats round for dinner – run a ‘come-dine-with-me esque’ competition… points for lowest cost meal! It is cheaper to cook more portions than catering for one, both in food and energy costs.

• Watch portion control to save waste and unnecessary cooking time and therefore energy use, or bulk cook and freeze for future meals. Most meals can be frozen in freezer bags rather than needing plastic pots.

• The cheapest methods of cooking are microwave, slow-cooker or using the hob - avoid using the oven, unless you can make it run efficiently by making good use of all the shelves. Air fryers are also extremely economical, but a pricy outlay at the moment.

• If you are using the oven, cook more than one dish and freeze excess for future meals. You could always roast a dish of seasonal vegetables and blend into a cheap, nutritious soup.

• Cut ingredients into small pieces to save on cooking time and energy use.

• Cook one pot meals such as paella/risotto/chilli/hash/stews/curries.

• Use lids on cooking pots and dishes, make one out of tin foil or put a plate over the pan - this conserves energy and speeds up the cooking time. Put the shiny side of the foil face down as this conducts more heat.

• Use alternative proteins to meat – better for your body, planet and pocket, i.e. chickpeas, lentils, beans, grains – full of fibre and keeps you fuller for longer. Many vegetables also contain protein, i.e. peas and broccoli.

Ken’s recipe resources

Jamie’s £1 recipes jamieoliver.com/ budget-friendly-recipes

£1 Dinners - BBC Food bbc.co.uk/food/collections/ 1_dinners

Save the Studentrecipes and more savethestudent.org/save-money/ food-drink/student-recipes

Ken Hom budget recipes metro.co.uk/2022/09/30/budgetfriendly-recipes-for-only-120-per-person-by-chef-kenhom-17475865

Subhash International Students’ Executive Officer

As students, we all have different concerns when it comes to University life, and international students face a lot of unique issues.

The University are the first and only point of contact for international students to get solutions for their queries, and these can be anything from academic queries, to questions about visas. Currently, the support provided for International students at BNU is limited and there is no centralised point of contact that is specifically knowledgeable in International students’ affairs.

As part of my role as Executive Officer, I have communicated with international students and held network sessions to gather feedback. During these sessions, many students raised similar issues, which outlines the importance of dedicated international student support.

The Importance of an International Students’ Office.

This feedback is as follows:

• International students do not have a specialist team to provide advice on immigration, employment, funding, academic and personal matters. Additionally, there is no one to guide international students who have queries about visas, particularly regarding placement years and support for students with maternity leave.

• There is no proper induction to assist international students with settling into a new country, particularly where English may not be their first language.

• Currently, students have been facing a process which has required them to send emails to every department on campus to organise something, and most students spoken to waited up to a month for a response or didn’t get a reply at all.

• Students, particularly those in their first year, feel out of their depth when it comes to publishing their transcript to proceed with the visa formalities and getting delayed response from tutors make it even worse.

• Students who have taken an educational loan are required to submit their Term 1 results to release their second instalment for fees, but students have experienced delays with their results being published and are being blocked from Blackboard prior to submission deadlines. This, in addition to the University putting pressure on students to pay their fees has had a negative impact on student wellbeing.

• We have seen high international student dropout rates and immediate action is necessary to prevent this and support them in the journey.

We have over 1000 international students at campus and there is no efficient support provided for them at the moment. It’s high time to take action to help our international student community at BNU. I aim to lobby the University to create an International Students’ Office on campus and, until this is in place, an immediate solution is required to support our current international students.

If you are an international student, I would love to hear your feedback on your experience at BNU and what you think about additional support. Visit the link below to complete a brief survey and share your feedback.

bucksstudentsunion.org/surveys/ internationaloffice

Sruthi

Peter Ashiagbor School Officer for Business and Law

Hello Everyone, for those who do not yet know me, I am Peter, the School Officer for Business and Law.

I would like to take the opportunity to mention what I have been up to as School Officer. My main duties encompass putting forward your voices to support your learning journey.

So far, I have had a session with the Head of School for Business and Law, Sarah Williams. We discussed the following points:

Business and Law School Officer update

• Specific grievances concerning module delivery received by you and how to go around some of them

• How Business and Law students could come together more often to engage in productive activities. We thought it good to form a society for you in the school. Updates will come through your Student Rep soon.

• We discussed the feel of Blackboard and what could be added to it to make it better for experience.

• We discussed open days for well-known companies and what the benefit would be for you.

• We thought of some sessions that could be run to support you in your learning journey

• There was also mention of the Business and Law school LinkedIn page and how beneficial it could be for communicating and growing the school.

If you feel there is an issue that we can resolve, kindly email me on peter.ashiagbor@bnu.ac.uk and

I would be happy to take it up. You can also reach Sarah on sarah. williams2@bnu.ac.uk

I have also recently received feedback from your Student Rep regarding what learning is like for you. We have noticed some unfortunate circumstances and we will be sure to address them as soon as possible. Once addressed, your Student Rep will be prompted to communicate the outcome to you. Again, please email me or surepresentation@bnu.ac.uk if you have anything you would like to communicate to us.

Lastly, I have recently been working with the International Students’ Executive Officer, Sruthi Subhash, who has a wonderful idea for an event. We are still in the planning stages for this event, but we hope for this to be focused on management and boosting key employability skills, tailored specifically to Business students.

If you have any feedback, ideas or suggestions for what you would like from this event, we would appreciate an email from you to sruthi.subhash@bnu.ac.uk or peter.ashiagbor@bnu.ac.uk

I am happy to be contacted via email on peter.ashiagbor@bnu. ac.uk if you would like to mention anything at all regarding my tasks. Alternatively, please contact surepresentation@bnu.ac.uk with any concerns.

Thank you and have a lovely month.

We're not too far away from the winter break and to keep you all feeling your best in the run up, Brandon and Emily have been busy setting up a whole week of feel good activities running from Monday 5 December to Friday 9 December. We've dropped a few hints in our newsletters recently, but we now have everything in place and ready to go. With plenty of wellbeing and volunteering opportunities, this Winter Feel Good Week is all about tackling loneliness, so keep and eye on our what's on page and look out for the evens surrounded by snowflakes.

Kicking off the week, Brandon and Emily will be taking over our Instagram to give you the low-down on everything coming up. We have a variety of skills sessions, activities, awareness sessions and even some free Wellbeing Boxes for you to pick up. We'll also be hosting a Cosy Night In where we'll be showing Inside Out and turning The Lounge into the ultimate comfy space with free hot chocolate and popcorn. It's going to be a great night in so get your friends together and bring your own blankets for extra cosy vibes.

To help tackle loneliness this winter, we'll be creating Christmas hampers for the elderly residents at Ryeview Manor Care Home and we need your help. We are asking for students and staff to bring in donations for the hampers. Any donations would be much appreciated, please bring any donations to the Bucks Students' Union reception. We are asking that any donations are brought to the Students' Union by Wednesday 7 December 2022.

We are asking for a selection of Toiletries and sweet treats:

• Shower gels

• Christmas sets

• Toiletry sets

• Chocolates

• Sweets

• Biscuits

•

Quiz / puzzle books

During the week we have lots of volunteering opportunities taking place and if you'd to volunteer to help pack the hampers or deliver them, then drop an email to volunteering@bnu.ac.uk. Volunteering is a great way for you to group up with some friends, or even make some new ones whilst giving a little something back to those in our community.

Want to see what else is happening this week? Check out our timetable on the next page or drop an email to union@bnu.ac.uk

The Bucks Student

Monday

Wellbeing session with Women’s aid TBC, 11am–noon

Remote Reiki session Zoom, noon–1pm

Pet TherapyUxbridge, 12.15pm

Packing RyeView hampers Students’ Union, all day

Keep an eye on bucksstudentsunion.org/whatson throughout the week for updates, more sessions and more winter feel good!

Tuesday

RyeView manor visit 10.30–11.30am

Cuppa with Crawshaw Uxbridge, 10am

Sport in Mind - Badminton & Table Tennis Wycombe Leisure Centre, 1–2pm

Crafts with Janet Uxbridge, noon–1pm

Cosy Night In The Venue, 6.30pm

Packing RyeView hampers Students’ Union, all day

Thursday

Chats with Charlotte Beats, 10–11.30am

Present wrapping The Lounge, 11am–2pm

Post Pals Uxbridge noon–2pm

Kindness and Connection TBC

Pizza Mind The Venue, 7pm

Wednesday

Financial Wellbeing10–11.30am

Sport in Mind - Tennis High Wycombe Lawn Tennis Club, 1–2pm

One Can Trust 1–3pm

SAD Awareness Online, 1–2.30pm

Friday

Look after your mate 10–1pm

Pet Therapy Uxbridge, 12.15pm

Pet Therapy High Wycombe, 1pm

RyeView Hamper delivery Students’ Union, all day

The Bucks Student

They say the holiday season is a time of giving, and this month we gave it our all!

From laughter, to celebration, we’ve raised some incredible funds for Movember and Stonewall across our activities.

Now as the cold weather sets in, we’re gearing up for our 2022 finale, with some of the best events on the calendar to end the year with a bang!

Take your pick of the delicious festive treats we have in store, from TFIF: Foam Party to Winter Wonderland, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

You know it, and you love it! Frat House is back for more with our Naughty or Nice? Themed club night followed by our Christmas all dayer on the following Wednesday.

If you’re looking for something more upbeat, our TFIF club-night returns with some of the biggest names around. Hackney born, singer-rapper Lukman Odunaike, otherwise known as Not3s will be taking over The Venue for a TFIF music special. An indefinable style, Not3s combines AfroBashment with a melodic pop sound, inclusive of his Nigerian heritage and London upbringing. Join us on Friday 9 December for a wild night deserving of any holiday list.

If that doesn’t jingle your bells, we’ve got a holiday special Drag Cabaret on the horizon with your fabulous host Aeliana Cortez. Joined by special guests, Sareeba Tit and Emerald Gardens, these queens know how to light up the party. Come and kiki this December.

Club nights and music not your scene? Not to worry. Relax with Rusty is taking over Beats Study Lounge to help you unwind after a long day. With free soft drinks, games and feelgood films, we’ve got everything you need to bring in that zen vibe.

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 Come

To see everything we’ve got planned to end 2022 with a bang, head on over to our What’s On page at bucksstudentsunion.org/whatson

If you’ve got friends or family you want to include in the fun, all our public tickets can be found via our Eventbrite: eventbrite.co.uk/o/bucks-studentsunion-15628737679

Rep of the month

By Francesca Toms (she/her)

Rep of the Month

Every month as a Students’ Union we celebrate one of our Student Reps who has individually demonstrated effective representation of the views of their peers and improved the student experience in a significant and measurable way.

Anybody can submit a nomination for Rep of the Month, from students on the course to course teams and Heads of School by submitting a nomination on the Students’ Union website: bucksstudentsunion.org/yourvoice/repofthemonth

A massive congratulations to our October Rep of the Month, Nasifa Ahmadi, who is the Student Rep for Law, Level 6.

As the month of November has now come to a close, we can also announce our November Rep of the Month! Hassan Nisar, Student Rep for Level 6 Computing, Data Science, and AI Strands, is this month’s winner!

“Hassan is the Student Rep for Level 6 Computing, Data Science and AI courses. Hassan has been highly proactive in gathering both positive and constructive feedback from students within these courses on their experience concerning their modules. He is very receptive to feedback and ensures this feedback is relayed to the right people, whether that’s the course leaders, module tutors, the head of school and so on.

“

Nasifa is Student Rep for Level 6 Law and is in her first year in the role. Although she has only recently been trained, Nasifa has shown great initiative and passion in collating feedback to make sure that any issues from the course are being collectively raised from the perspective of all students ahead of the first Programme Committee Meeting of the year. Nasifa has really been pushing the Union’s ‘It Starts With You’ campaign, encouraging students to provide feedback to help to improve their course experience. The Representation team have been incredibly impressed to see such passion for improving the Student Voice so early in the year.”

Hassan ensures all students in the courses he’s representing have their voices heard in meetings, relayed to the academic staff and more. He really cares about the students having a positive experience in their courses and giving them the opportunity to provide any feedback they have about them.”

If there is somebody you could like to celebrate for Rep of the Month you can find out the full criteria and how to nominate here: bucksstudentsunion.org/yourvoice/repofthemonth

Staff Celebration

Staff Celebration is an opportunity for us to celebrate members of staff who have gone above and beyond, inspired their students, and deserve recognition for their work. The criteria for Staff Celebration mirrors the criteria for the three Excellence in Learning and Teaching Awards:

• Excellence and Innovation in Student Learning Support

• Demonstrating Excellence in Academic Leadership

• Excellence and Innovation in Learning and Teaching Practice All students and staff can submit nominations for Staff Celebration.

We are thrilled to announce Megan White, Child Nursing Lecturer in the Nursing and Midwifery School as the first staff member we are celebrating this year. Megan was nominated by a student for the following:

“I think that Megan deserves this nomination for always going above and beyond for all of her students. She is always willing to help any of us out when needed and teaches us with passion – she shares her knowledge with us all willingly and no problem is too big. We always look forward to her lectures and seminars as she is great when engaging with us as students and explaining everything in great detail. She truly is a great asset to the University and deserves this recognition!”

Obiajunwa Ama, or Obi, is a Lecturer for LLB Law and has been highly praised by his students for his quality of teaching and support. We are delighted to announce that Obi has been selected for November’s Staff Celebration!

“Obi is an amazing lecturer. He teaches us with lots of passion and supports us with our learning needs – the quality of his teaching is incomparable, going above and beyond. He makes sure we understand the lectures by asking us if we understood them or not and provides a simpler explanation if need be. This is a talent because the core module of Equity and Trust is not an easy module, but the way he teaches us is so enjoyable and makes it easy to understand. Obi even offers us the time to book an online session with him to go over topics that we are not sure of. This is very kind and helpful of him to give us his spare time. He is deserving of this nomination. Thank you, Obi, for being such a great lecturer.”

We truly appreciate when lecturers go beyond what is required to support the student experience and really encourage others to follow in the supportive footsteps as Megan has demonstrated.

If you are interested in submitting a staff member for a Staff celebration, you can view the full criteria and submit a nomination at bucksstudentsunion.org/yourvoice/staffcelebration.

By Patrick Fillingham, Chloe Woodward

Super

Swimming Start!

Bucks Swimming Team offers students from all abilities to become apart of one of our two teams. Are recreational team allowing for members to swim at their own leisure and enjoy the facilities Wycombe District pool has to offer. Our second team is our competition team, together we meet with other universities locally in swim meets and galas. This allows you to meet students from different courses and universities all gathering to reach your full potential.

Both Swimming teams train once a week at the High Wycombe Leisure Centre, which has amazing facilities including the ability to be trained by qualified coaches from Wycombe District Swimming Club. The coach’s role is to aid members to become more confident in their swimming by guiding their technique which can be put in to practise at out Varsity. Varsity is held against Roehampton University every year where we compete in every sport to find who is the best university!

One of our new members Chloe Woodward, had to say...

“I am a first-year student at the new university of Buckinghamshire, I started just a couple weeks ago and I have to say that the university has made me feel extremely welcome and helped me fit in comfortably into my course, there is many people around to help whenever it’s needed.

There is lots to do to make you feel a part of a community hear at bucks university for example a big welcome fair that introduces you to curriculums that you can join alongside your course, I recently joined the swimming team and so far it has made me feel a part of a team and has introduced fitness into my week days to stay healthy and keep a good mind set going and in general is just a really fun and enjoyable sport to go to. everyone here has been extremely welcoming and makes me feel comfortable enough to be able to talk to about any concerns I have or just genuine questions.

I really do hope to continue to be a part of the swim team alongside the years of studies.”

Esports society: Valorant match report

The Bucks Student

By Renato Martins

Esports society

Valorant is a 5v5 character-based competitive shooter and is played by the BNU eSports team. The Valorant team will be taking part in the Red Bull Campus Clutch Tournament, which is a regional tournament, where teams from Southern England will be taking part. The tournament will begin on 15 October and the 4 universities that qualify will be going to the semi-finals which is a LAN event, where teams who win will be going to nationals. Winning the nationals will result in the teams receiving €20,000 and they will move onto the world stage.

The tryouts for the team were on the 25 September and 1 October

For the first tryout, the members who wanted to play in the tournament played a competitive match where the team captain watched the players and made the first selections of what players he wanted in the team.

For the second tryouts, we had a few more members show up so we did a 4v4 custom game against the university members, this match was also watched closely and the captain announced who the members for the first draft of the team would be. The players in the team will change until we have a formidable roster.

After selecting the members for the team the captain got us a coach to help train the team and improve their teamwork and individual skill, he also pointed out our weaknesses and strengths as a team. All this happened as the team was taking part in a few scrims.

The first scrim match was just a day after the second tryout and the team managed to get their first win! However, the coach helped them realize that some of the plays being made weren’t very helpful to the team and they were playing more like individuals during a solo session instead of an actual team, the coach informed them to focus on more cooperative plays and to communicate better as a team which is what the team would need to focus on in the next few scrims.

The second scrim also resulted in a win for us and it would seem as though we would be going on a winning streak for a while. During the second game, the team started implementing what the coach asked them to and immediately started seeing improvements, although it was not perfect and there were still a few mistakes being made they definitely did improve as a team.

After competing in more scrims and winning nearly all of them this is the feedback we received from the coach:

“The Buckinghamshire New University Valorant team for what they have done this week has achieved more than expected. The team itself has achieved a lot more than what was expected in training by winning against a lot of teams.”

This feedback assures me that the team will be able to get pretty far in tournaments and also get us a few wins.

Global Game Jam

By Vytautas Kravcenka

For the second year in a row Bucks Tabletop and Gaming Society are planning a 48 hour game creation event- Global Game Jam 2023. This is an amazing opportunity for any creative individual!

While planning the event this year we are having much more support from all sides: Bucks Students’ Union is keen to get involved with us, University is providing us with food and even the library is helping this year in the planning.

To participate in this game creation event you don’t need any experience, we welcome artists, media geniuses and those keen to learn about games equally. It is important for us to give everyone a good time that is why we have made some changes: We are hosting the event after any assignment work, so everyone is relaxed and happy. We are providing food and beverages through out the event, so students feel comfortable staying overnight/longer than planned. We are encouraging board game development as well as digital this year and provided printing budget for it.

This event is one not to miss. It gives your CV a better look when talking about your passions. It is a proof of your interests; it shows you are keen to work not only what may be mandatory but also on what makes you feel good.

So if this sounds like something you would want to give a shot, the registrations are online and open on Saturday 3 December. globalgamejam.org/2023/jamsites/buckinghamshire-newuniversity

We can’t wait to see you all on the 4th of February in the library to hear out the theme for this year’s games and jam it out for the whole 48 hours with food, laughs and being goofy.

We hope to see you soon!

Bucks Tabletop and Gaming Society

If you still have any questions, feel free to contact us: email: bnugamesoc@gmail.com Instagram: bnugamingsociety Twitch: twitch.tv/bnugamingsociety

By Amy Pile

Bucks Nursing society

Wow, these last few months have gone quickly, we hope you are enjoying university life if new or for those returning that you are getting on well.

It’s been a busy couple of months for us, we have restarted our drug calculation sessions, introduced our new ‘a brew with Sue’ with our welfare liaison, organised our cake and book sale which will take place in December, and we are currently putting together our A&P sessions which will be delivered in January.

We are also hoping to volunteer and do some litter picking around Uxbridge campus before we break for Christmas, if so, we shall advertise this around our social media.

We took part in the big Sleep out which we raised over 180 pounds for Wycombe homeless connection, we are really pleased with this and well done to everyone involved, such a great charity to support.

It’s been lovely seeing everyone on campus and getting to know you all, but what do we have coming up in 2023?

We have received our dates for our two collaboration takeovers which we are very much looking forward to sharing with you all the information next year!

We would like to organise a trip for our members so if you have any suggestions, please do let us know bucksnursingsociety@gmail.com

Drug calculation sessions will continue, and Anatomy and Physiology will start on a fortnightly basis.

We shall be introducing Dissertation study for all year 3 students, even if it’s having a coffee and speaking to each other or researching together, we believe that peer support can help especially towards your wellbeing.

Afternoon tea party shall make a return, we were very lucky the last time we did this event that Yorkshire tea sent us many boxes to give to those who attended, and it really was a lovely afternoon.

We have our Anatomy and Physiology sheets that are FREE for students in the SU floor 1 Uxbridge campus, this helps towards your studying and learning how organs function, this will continue for students and shall be over soon at Aylesbury campus, so please do go and take some.

We will have another cake sale before term finishes as we know everyone loves cake!!

And finally, thank you to everyone for your continued support, if you do have any suggestions, ideas etc please do get in touch.

Have a lovely Christmas and New year and we shall see you in 2023!

Bucks Nursing Society

By Tegan Arnott

MT’s Christmas has come early!

So far, we have done many volunteering opportunities; such as Brighton Beach Clean, One Can Trust, Theatre Shed and many more! We also achieved Society Of The Month for the month of September! Well done to our members for this achievement!

On Saturday 26 November, Bucks MT took part in Wycombe Big Sleep Out. Well done to our committee Members, Ellie Lee and Chloe Hayes, who took part at home, Tegan Arnott, Marissa Leyden, who took part at Adams Park and our member Emilia Page, who also took part at Adams Park. Overall, we managed to raise a total of £513! A massive shoutout to Emilia Page, who managed to raise the most within our group, raising a whopping £250! Well done!

On Thursday 17 November, we performed at the Wycombe Christmas Lights Switch on, both at the Frogmoor Stage & the High Street Stage! This was our first public performance of the year and we can’t wait to do more in Semester 2!

This semester, we had 2 masterclasses, one from an Alumni and one a Professional. We were delighted to bring back our former chair and now VPSI, Jess Bradbury, to do a Kinky Boots workshop and Q&A. We were also so excited to bring Olivia Moore to Bucks MT and delivered an amazing Heathers Workshop, alongside a Q&A.

We have even more external performances coming up before we break for the Christmas holidays. We are performing at The Royal Star & Garter and Hughenden Gardens on Wednesday 7 December, and at Rye View Manor on Friday 9 December. We will also be performing in Beats on Tuesday 6 December and raising money for our two RAG charities; Hearing Dogs For Deaf People & Buckinghamshire Mind.

Keep an eye on our social media, for updates on upcoming socials, end of year plans and many more.

It’s not too late to become a member of Bucks Musical Theatre! We hold sessions every Monday 7:30-9 in DS1! If you want any more information about what we do and any upcoming opportunities, feel free to pop us a message on our Instagram, @bucksmtsociety!

What a busy start of the year Bucks MT have had!

By Dylan Dua

DJ society

What a start to the year!

The DJ Society has kicked off with a bang this September with around 10-12 people turning up each week to hear blends and cuts of their favourite tunes, and learn to mix like the pros.

Working from the ground up, plenty of our members are complete beginners learning the art from the first time. With special guest visits from seasoned pros like DJ Mikky, DMFP, Whispa and many more to come - the DJ Society has been the exciting place to be every Wednesday from 5-8pm

There are some big things planned for the year to come. Our DJs need to be heard and they’ll be exploding onto speakers near you pretty soon.

As a reminder, the DJ society meets every Wednesday in the Rehearsal Room by the Red Shed (T0.18).

Bring a friend; bring headphones, dancing shoes and come down.

the session possible (from Dylan’s perspective):

“As the Dj society chair, the set up for the society begins as early as possible the day before. I make sure to check over all of the kit we use and pack it against a checklist I have. I would hate for people to turn up and not have anything to use. We have quite a few members so I prepare plenty of music for each person to use and still have the session sounding fresh. It would be pretty boring if we just listened to the same house track for four hours. Once all of that is taken care of the day before - I can sleep. On the day of, I double check my checklist and suitcases at 2pm and leave the house at 3pm. When you have as much heavy machinery and often people to coordinate with it all takes time to be in the right place. The DJ society committee is all great at staying organised and communicating with each other so that our set up can be as efficient as possible.

We worked with The Venue staff to get the society up and running in the beginning - we borrow a DJ Riser and a set of legs from them so that we have a working table in the rehearsal room. Once we’ve lugged all of that to the rehearsal room, we collect the key card to let ourselves in and get set up!”

After Christmas

After Christmas we’re hoping to launch head-first into some huge takeovers with all of your favourite societies, including our close friends at the Alt Society! After cementing ourselves in our first term, we’re hoping to make ourselves a household name within the Bucks ecosystem through volunteering and socials

After rescheduling due to two of our committee members coming down with covid, a special sit down interview with Bucks’ very own DMFP will be coming soon. Dan [DMFP] has taken time out of his schedule to tell us about the records that have inspired him to start his own record label and write his debut album. DMFP has toured with some greats in his time, and has experienced music to the fullest. If you fancy a night to go deep into the culture of dance music and dnb then come along and enjoy a nostalgia trip cut with the finest, classiest house and disco of the past year.

We’ll be ringing in the new year with some updated socials so we can bring you brand new mixes and videos from the sessions. We hope to see you at sessions soon, in The Rehearsal Room (T0.18) by The Red Shed at 5-8pm every Wednesday

Making