2009 has been a year that highlights substantial progress within Edge Hill Students’ Union. Representation and Democracy has seen further developments which have led to improved elections and saw our first Union Council and full Union Executive elected. Representation has now taken a ‘forward leap’ and students have begun to see their issues tackled and their representation at the forefront of what we do.
Our Advice, Information and Guidance department has built strong partnerships with organisations such as the Police and has participated in ensuring students are safe and well informed, by running campaigns about safety on campus. The introduction of the ‘Team Edge Hill’ philosophy and brand has facilitated a sharp ride in performance from our sports teams that compete in British University College Sport (BUCS). Our commercial services have developed on what it delivered during Freshers’ Week including events not centred around alcohol. We are also pleased with our developments around the NUS Extra card and the development of our clothing range which we have introduced for our students. We have become an ambitious Union that is constantly striving for success and improvement. I hope that you find this report informative and enjoyable. I would like to finish by sating thank-you for your continued support. Dean Currall (SU President 2010/11)
Vision (what we hope for) Our vision is for all of our students to have the best experience possible whilst learning, socialising and participating in all that we do. Mission (what we exist for) Edge Hill Students’ Union exists to: • Promote the interests and welfare of our students • Be the recognised representative channel between students and Edge Hill University and any other external bodies • Provide social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of our students Values (fundamental principles guiding how we behave / act) Edge Hill Students’ Union will: • Stand up for student rights • Respect all student opinion • Be open and celebrate diversity • Act with courage, humility and integrity • Be honest, professional and courteous • Be an enjoyable place to belong Strategic Objectives (what will focus our work over the next 5 years to move towards our Mission and Vision) Edge Hill Students’ Union will: • Represent all students effectively • Be truly student led through our democratic and deliberative structure • Provide cultural, social and sporting opportunities to assist students develop personal and life skills • Offer a first class customer experience in our commercial services Strategic Enablers (what will continuously underpin our ability to function) • Staff – Be, and be seen as, an excellent employer • Finance – Ensure there is a robust financial plan to facilitate all future development • Technology – Embrace technology and new media to develop and improve identity and communication • Quality – Have a commitment to standards, continuous improvement and exceeding expectation
Our primary function is to democratically represent our members, the students of Edge Hill. We have been doing this in several ways during 2009-10: Union • • • •
Democracy Union Council has now been running for a year and held 7 meetings during the academic year. 21 policies were passed in total including: Elections good conduct No platform policy Assessment and feedback consultation document
Union • • • • •
Elections 2009 There were 27 positions in the March elections 33 students ran for these positions, 12 of which were for 4 sabbatical roles In all 17 positions were taken up with the vacant positions put forward to bye-election in October 2010 This year’s elections were our most highly contested elections in recent years The total number of votes cast was 976, the highest number of votes cast at Edge Hill
Student Representation • A significant improvement was made in this area with the appointment of a one year fixed full time member of staff, the Course Rep Development Worker • This enabled the Course Representative system to thrive with a dedicated member of staff facilitating training, recruitment and sustainability of the system • In May 2009 there were 439 Course Reps registered with the Students’ Union and 30% of these were trained • Academic Reps Council was established with 5 meetings taking place throughout the year which allowed all Course Reps to attend a meeting to inform the work and direction of the Students’ Union • The first ever Edge Hill Course Reps conference was also held which allowed Course Reps to share their experiences, achievements and to develop their ambitions for the coming year • We also, for the first time sent some of our Course Reps to regional and national conferences Student Experience Survey • The results from the 2009 survey captured the views and opinions of students and informed and gave greater substance to the Student Written Submission to the Quality Assurance Agency
Following on from the restructure in 2008/09 Academic year, the Advice service has continued to grow and develop. Whilst last academic year was to be spent focusing on the building and planning of the new service, this year the emphasis was on implementing these plans to ensure a solid advice service was available to all students. Last year saw 547 students accessing the advice service for a number of different issues, queries or general information, an increase of nearly 100 students utilising the service. Drop In Services
Police Drink Awareness Campaign
The advice service continued to facilitate the legal advice service for both staff and students. A solicitor from Brighouse Wolff continued to attend campus to provide free legal advice every fortnight. This proved once again to be extremely popular with 141 people attending between October 09 and July 10.
Last year saw the Union work alongside the local Police on a campaign to highlight the high volume of female students putting themselves at potential risk after drinking. Due to the success of the ‘Bottom of the Glass, Bottom of the Class’ campaign the decision was taken to continue this into this academic year and to roll it out to all students both male and female. Once again 500 personal attack alarms and credit card sized safety tips were handed out to all to encourage them to take better care whilst out drinking. Widespread publicity was received in both the local press and national radio with positive feedback once again received. A DVD was produced to be played in both local bars and clubs and 1000 drinks mats produced to highlight the key messages of the campaign. The campaign won first place at the Southern Division Problem Orientated Partnership Awards Police annual conference and was a finalist in the national Problem Orientated Partnership Conference. The campaign has also been adopted by Kent Police force as a best practice campaign.
The Police also began to do a weekly drop in to provide both staff and students with a chance to meet their local neighbourhood police team, free crime prevention advice and materials, UV property marking and free panic alarms. Last year saw 103 people accessing this service between October 09 and July 10 The advice service also began to facilitate a late night advice drop in session designed for students on placements or those with families or in employment. This proved to be successful and highlighted the need for a later service as 67 students accessed this drop in.
Social Media CommunicationPC Paul Facebook Group Following on from the success of the campaign, more effective communication methods between students and the Police were considered. This led to the creation of the PC Paul facebook group where a cartoon policeman was developed to allow students to find out information on what was happening on campus and in the local area. The page was launched in August and currently has 305 members. The facebook group is also supported by a notice board located in the street area of campus advertising the group and providing information such as local events and an introduction to the Police team for the University. Crime Awareness Day Due to a small increase of burglaries on campus, the Union alongside the Police and NUS launched a campaign entitled ‘Shut It’ designed to provide students and staff with information on how to prevent themselves becoming a victim of crime, in particular burglary. A Burglary Action day was held in May to raise awareness and saw a team of student volunteers dress in burglar fancy dress and travel round campus posting leaflets and information through open doors and windows. The Police Crime Prevention van was also on hand to provide free crime prevention materials such as timer switches and UV marker pens. During the night a cops and robbers theme party was held in the University Club with prizes for the best fancy dress handed out by ‘Burglar Bill’. The day was a huge success with publicity in the local press received and was followed by a visit to the local prison cells for our student burglars. Plans are in place to hold a number of other action events during the coming academic year.
Self Defence Classes As a result of the above campaign, free self defence classes were offered to all students with 25 students regularly attending on a weekly basis. The classes were designed to ensure key skills could be taught and developed and also developed personal fitness skills. The Self Defences classes will continue throughout the coming academic year.
Life Fair During the planning of the Freshers Week programme, the decision was taken to split the Freshers fair into two with one focusing on Welfare services and charities and local services available to help students throughout their time at University. Around 20 organisations and charities were invited to attend campus to promote the services they could offer. The separation of the Welfare related services from the commercial aspects of the Freshers fair proved to be a success and plans are in place to hold a number of similar welfare events throughout the coming year. Community Volunteering Opportunities The last Academic year saw plans for the Universities first ever Police and Communities Together (PACT) Panel. Five student volunteers were recruited to sit on the panel and their role was to collect any queries or concerns students may have about safety or security both on and off campus. These concerns are then put to the local Police team and they are tasked to find solutions to these which are reported back to students. Alongside this the first recruitment event for students to work alongside the Police in the role of a Special Constable was held with 14 students currently going through the recruitment process. As a result of the newly formed link with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, the Union promoted the opportunity for students to volunteer with the Fire Service in a variety of roles. 64 applications were received and are currently being processed with plans to hold further recruitment events for both the Fire Service and the Police.
Community Links Building on last year’s links with local services the Union continued to work in partnership with the Chlamydia Screening Service and the Samaritans. As well as continuing to strengthen the link with the local police by working on projects to benefit both the students and local community, links were also developed with other key services such as the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, local women’s refuge, Southport Rape Crisis centre, local businesses such as Help Direct and charities such as Anthony Nolan Trust. Health Screening Events Following on from last years Healthy Living Week, a number of screening events were held on campus to promote both health and wellbeing. The local Chlamydia screening team attended campus regularly and approx 750 students have been screened throughout the year. This work was further supported by both the Union and the University by the promotion of a national screening event which saw Rock FM attend campus as part of their ‘Spend a Penny Win A Grand’ campaign. Alongside the Chlamydia screening programme, the first Bone Marrow screening event in aid of the Anthony Nolan Trust was held on campus. This saw 90 students be screened and signed up to the national bone marrow register and resulted in two further events for the Trust being held on campus , proving to be just as successful as the first. Plans are in place to continue to both run and develop the screening programmes on campus.
“Approx 750 students have been screened throughout the year.”
Sport at Edge Hill has had a very busy year which started with the rebranding of current sporting activities and ended in Women’s Football and Men’s Cricket competing in the Conference Cup Finals in both their sports. Team Edge Hill was launched in the summer of 2009 and participation increased almost immediately with the introduction of 8 new teams to Wednesday afternoon fixtures. Students participating in sport also increased dramatically from 209 members to nearly 400 during 2009 - 2010. Throughout the year 36 teams competed across 15 sports as well as over 40 students representing the University in their chosen sport on an individual basis. The 2009 – 2010 season started in mid October with some big wins particularly from Rugby League 1st that were determined to start the season on a high, following their promotion to the BUCS Super 8 League. Not only did they take 1 point away and draw against Leeds who had previous been unbeaten for the past three years, they also qualified for the National Rugby League Challenge Cup. Along with great games, the introduction of new teams in Badminton, Futsal, Gaelic Football, Squash and Table Tennis helped Team Edge Hill increase their league position by 14 places to 81st. 2009 – 2010 also saw the introduction of paid coaches for some of the established teams, which definitely helped alongside the dedication of current staff and students to ensure Team Edge Hill achieved great things. Team Edge Hill also fielded teams for the first time in Climbing and Futsal at the BUCS Championships in March and Futsal highlighted the talent of some students. Having only been formed in October 09 the team qualified unbeaten for the Championships only to get knocked out in the Quarter Final stage by the team who later won the Championship. Students competing in individual competitions also performed well with a National BUCS Boxing Champion and England Nationals Boxing Silver Medallist being within Team Edge Hill. Edge Hill students also represented England in many competitions, the highlight being when one student was selected to represent England in the HE snooker Home Internationals where the team walked away victorious and saw the student go on to win The International Masters Trials.
Fresher’s Week 2009 With 9 days and nights worth of entertainment, Freshers Week 2009 started in a flurry of activity. The annual ‘Takeover’ trip into Liverpool grew and saw over 1,500 Edge Hill students dance the night away in Cream, the biggest and most well known nightclub in Liverpool, before settling into University life with a karaoke session with a live band the following night. Fresher’s Week 2009 brought about a mix of events from old favourite such as ‘The Takeover’ and ‘Essential Thursdays’ to new events such as Livin’ La Vida Local – giving new students a chance to sample the nightlife of Ormskirk and choose their local. Trips to Alton Towers and a Family Fun Day which gave student parents an opportunity to show their families the University Campus made sure Freshers Week offered a wide range of activities and events for all our students.
“The annual ‘Takeover’ trip into Liverpool grew and saw over 1,500 Edge Hill students dance the night away in Cream”
Overall the week again took events at Edge Hill into the history books with more Takeover tickets than ever sold to new and returning students, a greater diversity of events and also a Meet Your Street event, where students and local residents came together to say hi!
Essential Thursdays 2009/2010 saw the return of Essential Thursdays following its success in 08/09. The night re-launched during Fresher’s Week with a huge birthday party, which included chocolate fountain, live instrumental and fire show on stage. Once again we aimed to showcase various guest DJ’s, entertainers and different themes each week which provided students with a different music, night-time experience on campus. Over the year Essential Thursdays brought back old favourite such as a Halloween Foam Party, Australian Beach Party and the Old Skool NEON RAVE foam and UV bubble party all hosted by the resident student DJ.
Re-Fresher’s Week 2010 Following the success of Freshers Week, Edge Hill Students’ Union decided to run another week of events and activities in January 2010. Events included the first Silent and Roller Disco on campus which attracted over 1,000 students. We also ran an off campus evening trip to a local nightclub and a Pub Quiz which saw over 20 teams enter all battling out for the £500 prize! Shindig Shindig was the official off campus night during 2009 / 2010 which saw students transported to Studio 55 in Southport every Monday. Taking the style of a 18 – 30’s event, Shindig regularly saw 250 students compete in games, dress up for various themes and sing their hearts out at karaoke. The Tuesday Night Project Launched as an alternative, chilled out night ‘The Tuesday Night project’ provided students with the opportunity to take part in Guitar Hero, Pub Quiz and various other competitions throughout the year. With the opportunity to win a prize just for turning up, its aim was to make sure the Union was running as wide and diverse selection of events as possible. Sports Awards 2010 Following its success in 2009, Edge Hill Sports Awards returned in April 2010 to recognise and award not only high achieving sports teams but also individuals who have contributed to improving sports teams within Edge Hill University. All sports teams were represented at the Awards Ceremony which was held at The Floral Hall, Southport followed by an after-party at Studio 55, Southport. On the night over 250 students were in attendance and over 33 awards were presented, including new awards for Most Improved Team, Outstanding BUCS Individual Entry and Student Community. Graduation 2010 Edge Hill Students’ Union Graduation Ball took place on Saturday 22nd May 2010, with over 500 students in attendance. Students were greeted with a champagne reception and enjoyed a three course meal before being entertained by a live band, tribute act and DJ set. The events doubled in size on 2008 and with a chocolate fountain and great setting it gave all graduating students the perfect opportunity to celebrate their previous three years in style.
Edge Hill Stud
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Monday 4th Ap ril 2011 DW Stadium, Wigan Tickets Include:
Awards Ceremo ny Buffet Elements Wristba nd Return Transpor t Dress code: Sma
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edgehillsu.com/sp
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“Over 33 awards were presented”
Edge Hill Students’ Union and The Rose Theatre In an attempt to provide Edge Hill students with choice and a variety of events the Students’ Union in 2008 began working more closely with The Rose Theatre, this relationship continued throughout 2009 with events such as the Alternative Comedy Night and Short Cuts Film Nights. Faculty of Health RCN Trip In January 2010 Edge Hill Students’ Union was approached by the Faculty of Health to organise a trip down to Bournemouth so students who wanted to attend the Student Day at the RCN Annual Congress would have the opportunity to attend. The Students’ Union organised this and took 40 students down to Bournemouth overnight so they could attend the student day and meet other students and professionals from their field. They took part in discussions and debates and were also given the opportunity to try out new equipment which had not even been introduced into hospitals yet, this was a great experience not only for the student who attended but also for the Students’ Union to be involved in. Charity Events Throughout the 2008 – 2009, Edge Hill Students’ Union hosted a range of fundraising events the most successful for Children in Need which saw a female student have her head shaved, a gunge machine on campus and mass pyjama dance off raise nearly £500. Edge Hill Students’ Union also assisted lots of students in their individual efforts to fundraise for various charities, including The Dominique Williams Trust a charity set up in the memory of an Edge Hill student. Societies 2009 / 2010 saw the development of a lot of new societies, cheerleading and circus proved popular and Climbing Club, Anami, LGBT and Unite increased participation throughout the year. The development of societies having started in 08/09 improved throughout 09/10, but still has a long way to go. The Students’ Union recognises a lot of work will be required to not only increase the number of societies active on campus, but also the participation in them from the student body.
For the year to 31st July 2010 the surplus was £107,651 compared with a deficit the previous year of £27,555. The main reasons for the overall surplus were a surplus on Fresher’s Week and the Graduation Ball of £26,000; a surplus on retail clothing sales of £6,000; a capital grant from the university of £44,000; and income from NUS Extra, BAM, and sports cards amounting to £32,000. The successful commencement of clothing sales and the expansion of sports cards and NUS Extra card activities were significant developments in the year. Expenditure funded by the university block grant was kept under control and did not exceed budget; all purchases must now pass through a written ordering system. The £44,000 capital grant was used to purchase a new minibus (£38,000) and office equipment. The cash at the bank at 31st July 2010 was £125,000. The only liabilities at that date were normal trade creditors and one months PAYE due to HM Customs and Revenue, amounting to £14,000. That being the case, students can rest assured that this money, our surplus, will get reinvested to improve their student experience: Edge Hill Students’ Union; not for profit, just for students.
“Our surplus, will get reinvested to improve their student experience”
The Students’ Union is continuing to grow and do more for you, our students. In 2010/11 we want to make a massive impact with our campaigns to make your student experience the best it can be! We will be campaigning on: Assessment and Feedback Higher Education Cuts Green Initiatives Off Campus Accommodation Catering Services CMIST Opening Hours In addition to our campaigns, we will continue to further develop our Clubs and Societies, Advice Information and Guidance and our Events and Entertainment. We will also see progression in our representative and democratic structures and engagement with our National Union of Students. We believe that you deserve top class service locally from your University and nationally from the government, and we will be fighting to ensure that happens next year, especially with the impending HE Cuts and tuition fee increases! We believe that you deserve top class services from your University and we will be fighting to ensure that happens next year.
The Students’ Union is continuing to grow and do more forYOU
Edge Hill Students’ Union St Helens Road Ormskirk L39 4QP 01695 584255