CUSU CATCH UP Issue 02 // August 2015
HOW CUSU WORKS & THE STUDENT COUNCIL’S ROLE PHIL PILKINGTON, GENERAL MANAGER CUSU is a registered charity with a Board of Trustees. This Board is made up of sabbatical officers and ‘external’ trustees. These external trustees are appointed and approved by Student Council. There are also two student trustees who are elected by and from the Student Council. This election will take place at the first Council meeting of the year. Board of Trustees meetings take place every two months and it has responsibility for the good financial and strategic management of CUSU. The Board also has a subcommittee which looks at employment matters and monthly accounts and meets once a month.
policies which Executive is then instructed to carry out. There are other roles which Council members carry out in their individual roles, whether as Disabilities Officer or International Students Officer and so on. All Council members are encouraged and welcomed to be engaged with all the activities of CUSU from campaigning to being a delegate at NUS conferences.
The Executive Committee is made up of 5 sabbatical officers and the faculty chairpersons and meets every two weeks. Executive have to ensure that policies are carried out – to execute the business of CUSU.
The Council also have the opportunity to interrogate the senior management of CUSU (these are employees of CUSU) in the same manner a House of Commons Select Committee questions civil servants and government advisors. This will give Council members more information about CUSU and about its legal and financial framework of operations. This will happen once a term and Council need to select 6 or 7 members of Council to this ‘select committee’.
The role of the Council, in addition to approving the Board of Trustees membership is to hold Executive Committee to account, to scrutinise the effectiveness of the Executive Officers. The Council has the power to censure and even no confidence an Executive Officer. The other main role of Council is to propose and approve
All of the rules of CUSU, how it is run and the roles of Council and the way meetings are held can be found in the Articles of Association. This document is lodged with the Charities Commission as our official rule book. It is available on the CUSU web site but you can also ask for an individual hard copy if you wish from the clerk to
the Council. The clerk to the Council ensures that the minutes are taken for the meetings, that the agenda and other papers are circulated. She is a member of CUSU staff, Sue Davies. If you have any questions about Council or any other related CUSU query please do not hesitate to ask. There is no such thing as a stupid question – only answers can be Text stupid. A remember the Woody Allen principle: “The world is run by those who bother to turn up”. The external trustees are approved by Council for a period of three years. These trustees may stand for a further term of office of a further three years. They give their time freely and do not receive any payment. They are chosen as potential trustee candidates by the Executive Committee to be proposed as a trustee to the Council for approval. We are very grateful that we have had committed and knowledgeable trustees who have given their time and advice over the last few years. NB. Student Trustees (2) elected by and from Council; members of the select committee needed to question senior management.
WHO’S WHO AT CUSU A CLOSE UP LOOK AT THE MEMBERS OF STAFF THAT HELP MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN AT CUSU
FINANCE DEPARTMENT Stuart McCulloch
Hi, I’m Stuart, the Finance and Operations manager; I oversee and head up Central Services. This team filters into three sub-depts, one of which is the finance! Here I am responsible for the overall financial welfare of CUSU- ensuring forecasts are met, budgets are sustained and financial procedures / regulations are followed and adhered to. Further we are the face of CUSU, the first point of contact it is imperative we deliver a friendly, professional services to all, students, staff and external parties.
Beth O’Donnell
Hi there! My name is Beth O’Donnell and I am the Finance & Ops Assistant Manager and I look after the CUSU Reception, the transport fleet, the CUSU office over in CUC, SU Merchandise, the student union finances and the team that looks after them all! My team is the first point of contact for all student union queries, for internal and external customers and we are happy to help anyone that comes our way! Pop in and say hello.
SPORTS & SOCIETIES W
e attended the BUCS conference on the 15th, 16th and 17th July, the last night was the BUCS Awards for the 14/15 season. When we arrived at the awards ceremony it was with great delight to read in the programme that we Coventry were in the Top 3 for “Most Improved University” this year for sport. We were against Oxford Brookes and Strathclyde. We were exceptionally pleased to be in the Top 3 and hopeful we might win but sadly we lost out to Oxford Brookes. Oxford Brooke’s
finished 33rd this year with 988.5 points, last year they finished 51st with 689 points. This year we have finished 37th with 869.25 points, last year we finished 55th with 593 points. In 09/10 we were ranked 73rd so in 5 years we have almost halved our rankings. Although disappointed we didn’t win after finding out we were in the top 3, we are immensely proud of this year’s ranking of 37th!
VOLUNTEERING & EMPLOYABILITY
Stephanie Richards
Hey, I’m Steph the ‘Finance Assistant’ here at CUSU. I look after the Sales and Purchase Ledger, raising and settling of invoices. I send out the balances for Sports & Societies to the Treasurers so they can keep track on their spend, plus other duties such as the Bank Reconciliation, weekly payment run and chasing debt. Anything finance come and see me.
Louise Wheeler
My name is Louise Wheeler and I am the Reception Supervisor at CUSU. My main responsibility is to oversee our reception to ensure everything runs smoothly and student needs are met. My job role is front facing which means I interact with students on a daily basis, however I also do a lot of back office admin work and finance too.
Andy Bayston
My name is Andy, I am the Operations assistant, I joined CUSU last year after 30 years in the Fire Service. I look after the mini buses here at CUSU and all the maintenance and handy work jobs that are required by staff.
Charlotte McCann
My name is Charlotte McCann and I am new to CUSU. My role is Receptionist at CUC, which means I will be the first point of contact for CUC Students. I am looking forward to building relationships with students and staff to ensure that our students get the best out of their time at CUC.
Here’s what V & E have been up to this month Devina Whitwell Schools Organiser This month I have been focusing on the resit marking, which has been completed very successfully and planning for the teaching sessions for the next academic year, as part of this I have been conducting some research into how we can adopt a “flipped learning” approach in future teaching sessions. Also I have produced and evaluated from the data collected from the School volunteers and the School partners to enable me to adjust the way we do things in line with the needs of our service users. Fran Docherty Community Volunteer Co-ordinator I’ve am in the process of confirming the voluntary organisations we will be working with for the new academic year and setting out the volunteering opportunities that will be available, creating our marketing materials for the year ahead e.g. Volunteer Guide and Welcome Pack. I’m also about to start planning the training and support for our new Student Volunteer Team and
organising the first of our ‘Give it a go’ sessions for the first term. Corinne Gordon Volunteering & Employability Manager I am currently conducting performance reviews for the team and setting next year’s objectives for staff in line with the CUSU Business Plan. I’m also in the process of attending meetings all across campus to discuss partnership working and developing volunteering opportunities for students and meeting with Gabriela, our new Student Activities Officer to get to know each other and to set plans and objectives with her to take our department forward. Meetings with external partners this month have included a team day with Warwick Volunteers to share good practice and discuss collaborative student volunteering projects and a meeting with our City Libraries partnership to review our very successful Gen2Gen project (student volunteers supporting community members to access digital devices) and plan for next year.
HALLS NETWORK Sports Active will be running two social Halls Sport leagues in the 2015/2016 academic year; Halls Sport Football and Halls Sport Dodgeball. They will also be running various ‘Pop-Up’ sports in each of the Halls, table tennis, short tennis and badminton, but there is scope for this to increase, giving students the chance to try something new and different without leaving their accommodation. We are looking for a dedicated team of students to take part in the Halls Networks academic year 2015/16. Being part of the Halls Networks is a great opportunity… As part of a network you will meet lots of other students, gain leadership experience and other transferrable skills which will look great on your CV and enhance your future employability – always a bonus! Plus you get the chance to attend the Halls Network Training Camp 2015 which includes:
We are changing the way we offer support to students within Halls this year by concentrating on the social and community aspect. We are setting up a Halls Network which will consist of six networks that the students can sign up for. The Halls Network system is a joint scheme ran by Coventry University and the Students’ Union.
WHAT ARE THE HALLS NETWORKS?
The next steps:
There are six networks that students can be involved in: Social Events Network Do you like taking part in social events, what about running social events or even just meeting lots of new people? Then the Halls Social Network is the place for you! Care Leavers Network Are you a Care Leaver? Do you want to meet up with other Care Leavers to organise Social Events and make sure that there is enough support for Care Leavers? Then the Care Leavers Network is for you! International Students Network Are you an International Student? Do you want to meet other International Students and take part in fun cultural events and meet ups? Then the International Students Network is for you!
To apply at this stage, you must be available to attend the Halls Network Training Camp on 10th & 11th September 2015– accommodation and meals will be provided. Please complete and return the Application Form which can be found on our website: www.cusu.org/support/reps/halls-network/ To studentleaders.su@coventry.ac.uk
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO CUSU CATCH UP?
Green Network Do you have a passion about green issues and sustainability? Do you want to run incentives to get students to be more energy efficient or recycle? Then the Halls Green Network is the place for you! Campaigns Network Do you want to make a difference to the Student Experience at Coventry University? Have you been involved in or thought it might be fun to be involved in a campaign? Do you want to meet like-minded students? Then the Campaigns Network is the place for you! Sports Network Do you like sport but do not necessarily want to play a team sport? If so then become part of the Sports Network.
COVENTRY SU
• A chance to meet others students involved in the networks • A tour of Coventry University campus • Social activities • Meet staff involved in student accommodation • Leadership Training • Planning events for your network • And so much more!!!
Do you have something you would like to see featured or would you like to contribute an article to the next edition of CUSU Catch Up? Or maybe you would like to feedback on the content? If so please contact us using the following email address:
studentleaders.su@coventry.ac.uk
@CUSU
WWW.CUSU.ORG