5 03/2012
free
Last Call for Nominations
6
Success Awards Short Lists
8
National Student Volunteering Week
12
Are You ‘Fit to Sit’?
18
Hold Your Course Reps to Account
22
Submit your artwork for our front cover Each cover of The Scene has a theme, the next issue’s is the number 6. If you feel you can illustrate the number 6 in an interesting and creative way, or if you have any existing work that loosely ties in with the theme then please email it to Student.Union@cumbria.ac.uk and you could be featured on the cover as well as inside the magazine. It is a great chance to have your work viewed by 13,000 of our members, as well as getting a hard copy of The Scene for your portfolio.
www.thestudentsunion.org.uk |3
UCSU is now on
@Cumbriasu
@Lorricumbriasu @RachelUCSU @Liamcumbriasu @Tomcumbriasu Follow Your Sabbs You can now follow your Sabbatical officers on twitter to know exactly where they are and when you can talk to them. You can also contact them through their twitter accounts to make suggestions on how they can help you!
Follow UCSU on Facebook at facebook.com/CumbriaSU
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Last call for
Put yourself forward f
NOMINATIONS CLOSE 13TH March 2012 Success doesn’t just happen, you make it
What is your passion, what do you want to
happen! By putting yourself forward and
change, who do you represent! Put yourself
making a difference you make success
forward and make it happen. You are the
possible. Time is running out to volunteer to
Success. Stand up and be counted (and do it
be elected as a Students’ Union Officer.
quickly). Visit www.uscu.me to get involved.
r Nominations
for the UCSU elections
Other Important Dates Campaigning STARTS 14th March 2012 to 30th March 2012 Voting OPENS 19th March to 31st March 2012
www.thestudentsunion.org.uk |7
AND THE SHORT LISTS FOR THE SUCCESS AWARDS ARE... During the first phase of our Success campaign
NSS Award
we called for nominations for our 2012
Shortlisted nominees:
Success Awards... WOW! We had almost 300 nominations from across our campuses and
Education Placement office
across our courses. This is a testament to the
Tower Hamlets campus facilities management
calibre of the people here at the University of
Jen Hutton
Cumbria. We are pleased today to announce
University NSS Group
the short list!
Carolyn Reade
The awards ceremony will be on the 22nd
Out of Sight Award
of March. All Short listed candidates should
Shortlisted nominees:
have already received their invitation and are welcome to bring up to 3 subsides guests along.
Dave Hurn
The ceremony will feature a speech by Vice
Jane Barker
Chancellor Peter Strike. For more information
Bev Graham
please contact Lorraine.millar@cumbria.ac.uk
Claire O’Hara
or visit our website www.ucsu.met
Vikki Brown
Elected Student Officer of the Year Shortlisted nominees: Alex Walker Lewis Walker Rahul Mehrotra Matt Tennant John Sharp
Lecturer of the Year
Student Group Member of the Year
Shortlisted nominees:
Shortlisted nominees:
Chris Buxton
Clarissa Sorlie
Jen Bibby
Jon Daynes
Alison Buckley
Laura Rowell
Graham Hallet
Sian Lucas
Ken Beesley
Tom Southern Daniel Manning
Volunteer of the Year
Ben Patrickson
Shortlisted nominees:
Support Staff of the Year Katy Wainwright
Shortlisted nominees:
Lee Jones Jonathon Dawson
Claire Clarke
Emma Pilgrim
Lucy Roberts
Robbie George
Sajad Hoffman-Hussain Peter Dixon
Student Academic Rep of the Year
Helen Milroy
Shortlisted nominees:
Lesley Harding
Zoe Heathcock
Personal Academic Tutor of the Year
Hannah Glancy
Shortlisted nominees:
Lizzie Simpson Sabina Yasmin
Jane Dixon
Elaine Breen
Victoria Torrance Nicola Bishop
Community Award
Laura Baxter
Shortlisted nominees:
Ken Beesley
Jane Barker Paul Nedved Sam Riches Stuart Hyde
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456%&/5 -&% "35 4&44*0/4 '03 -0$"- 3&4*%&/54 WEEKLY SESSIONS BEGINNING WEDNESDAY 8TH FEBRUARY AT THE BRAMPTON ROAD CAMPUS Student led sessions on drawing, painting, embroidery and photography. If you’re interested contact Tom Underwood on Tel: 01524 590817 or Email: tom.underwood@cumbria.ac.uk
primary logo full clour print
single colour logo spot colour print
colour suite
EMILY REDUCED THE COST of everything for Uni, from her laptop to a new mobile, her course books, a winter coat and an alarm clock
can you afford not to? Get kitted out just like Emily‌visit nus.org.uk to see how you can save
All details correct at time of printing: July 2011
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Community volunteering reaps rewards for all Students from the University of Cumbria have
community members at the Brampton Road
been working with community groups as part
campus in Carlisle and conservation work at
of National Student Volunteering Week.
Heathlands in Carlisle, part of the Glenmore Trust.
The university students from the Carlisle, Penrith, Ambleside and Lancaster campuses
The Lancaster IT sessions were led by Lauren
joined students from all over the country
Lloyd. Lauren said: “I was a basic volunteer
who were making a difference to their local
last year and this year I am the project leader.
communities through events organised by the
I am running the IT sessions for the elderly
Students’ Union.
residents and we are helping them with their basic computer skills. As well as helping the
The University of Cumbria students took part in
residents learn a new skill, we are portraying
various activities, including IT sessions for retired
a positive student relationship with the
local residents in Lancaster, art workshops for
community.�
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The volunteering week also included the
Kati Brown, Students Union Volunteering
second Community Arts project session in
Facilitator for the Students’ Union is pleased
Carlisle. The student led project invites local
with how the week went. She said: ‘It’s been
residents onto the Brampton Road campus to
great to see so many different students getting
try their hand at different creative arts such as
involved and giving volunteering a go. Some
drawing. Twenty members of the community
of them have taken part before but some
are already involved.
people got involved for the first time.
Student Volunteer Danielle Spratt said: “Some
“It’s also great that we can bring together
of the local residents who attended the
the community. As well as volunteering at
session had never drawn at all so we taught
Heathlands, we were able to support five
them different skills. It’s rewarding and fun. I’m
of their members who are attending our
getting to interact with people who aren’t my
community art sessions as part of their OCN
own age and it’s just a bit different.”
qualification in art.”
To finish off the week, ten student volunteers
“There are many volunteering opportunities
carried out conservation tasks at Heathlands,
available to students and we want to continue
near Harker, Carlisle. Chopping, digging and
to raise the profile so that more students get
sawing tasks were carried out at the inclusive
involved in volunteering in their community,
day centre for adults with learning disabilities
giving them valuable and rewarding
to improve access to the garden area
experience that will have a positive impact on
for the members.
other people.”
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www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/volunteering
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Are you ‘Fit to Many students find that they encounter
Major household problems e.g. fire.
difficulties during their time of study which can
Acute personal or emotional trauma,
have a serious impact on their coursework
e.g. acute anxiety or depression, family
and examinations. For many students though,
breakdown or the breakdown of close
problems can be easily remedied if you ask
personal relationship.
for help before your situation gets worse.
Major and unplanned changes to employment circumstances or patterns of
There are many means of support within the
employment (EXCEPT Full Time Students).
Students’ Union Advocacy & Advice Service and the University Support Services (LISS) to
Everyday occurrences such as colds or
help you through these difficult times, seeking
known conditions such as hay fever will not
help as early as possible is always advisable.
qualify unless the effects are unusually severe. Avoidable situations such as printer or travel
If you are experiencing difficulties and
issues will not be deemed to be valid. To apply
have genuine reasons, you can apply for
for EC’s, fill out a form that you can download
Extenuating Circumstances (EC’s) up to 5 days
from the university website, UCSU Advocacy
after the submission date of your assessment.
& Advice Service have produced some guidelines that can be found on our website. If
The University considers extenuating
you are struggling to fill out the form, contact
circumstances to be “serious and exceptional
a Student Advisor; they will be happy to help.
circumstances outside the student’s control” which are “normally unforeseeable and
Evidence must be submitted with EC’s forms
unpreventable”. Essentially the University may
for them to be considered, you will not know
consider the following to be extenuating
whether your EC’s have been accepted
circumstances:
until after the EC’s board has met and their recommendation has passed through the
Serious ill heath (not already covered by
University Assessment Boards. Evidence that
special, pre-arranged examination provision).
can be included:
Personal accident or injury. Death or serious illness of family members
If an examination or an assessment
or close friends.
performance is affected for medical
www.thestudentsunion.org.uk |19
to Sit’? reasons then you should try to seek a medical appointment on the day/a.s.a.p. and attach a medical certificate/Doctors letter/Prescription to your form. Where extenuating circumstances are personal the University recognises that providing some sort of ‘official’ evidence may be more difficult. In those exceptional cases the University will accept evidence in the form of statements, and detailed discussions with your course leader etc. What can UCSU do to help? UCSU Advocacy & Advice Service is available for you to discuss your circumstances in confidence either in person, over the telephone or via email. A Student Advisor can also help you to prepare a statement and support you through the process. UCSU Carlisle: 01228 616253 UCSU Lancaster: 01524 590810
www.thestudentsunion.org.uk |19
Unisex Hoodies £24.00 or £21.60 with an nus extra card!
Ladies Hoodies £28.00 or £25.20 with an nus extra card!
Hoodies and much more available in The Shop on Lancaster campus.You can also purchase hoodies from your local Students’ Union office or online at www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/shop.
Toilets Smarties Lounge
Donald Coggan building Entrance
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Student Submissions We love celebrating the successes of our fellow students here at UCSU. One way we do that is by publishing work from across the Uni. To see your work featured in The Scene send examples to
Student.Union@cumbria.ac.uk
‘HOLD YOUR COURSE REPS TO ACCOUNT’ SU DEBATE GREATER ROLE FOR COURSE REPS An article by Andy Hamilton
The UCSU debated increasing the role of
The subject was debated, during discussions
course reps at their Annual General Meeting
of the Democratic Structures Review Motion,
on Dec 12, with talk of compulsory
proposed by Tom Underwood, who called
attendance at SU talks.
on students to ‘hold your Course Reps to account’. He said: “if your course rep on your course isn’t attending these sorts of things they should be…we push things through the course
reps, so hold your course reps to account. They
can pass policy in a general meeting and 25
[students] put them forward for your course so
through an assembly. This is less than 3% of the
they should be telling you these sorts of things
student body and could be seen as
as well. We try to do as much as we can but I
un-representative.”
cant be in every classroom of every campus.” UCSU has taken on the management of Robbie George, Student Trustee and Sports
Student Academic Reps (SARS) over the past
Officer argued that course reps should be
2 years and there is now a dedicated member
obliged to attend meetings, saying
of staff to mange and support the SARS.
“apparently we’ve got 518 course reps and
Debra Robinson Representation Facilitator
how many of them are here? I’d say if every
said “We have been really encouraged by the
single one of them came down that would
increased involvement of Reps this year. Being
be what you could call truly representative.
a Student Academic Rep is a really great way
Does that need a motion passing to make
to get involved with UCSU and make a real
them more accountable?” However Lorri
difference to your course”.
Millar, Academic Sabbatical, argued against making attendance mandatory. She said
UCSU has a number of assemblies coming up
that: “It would be absolutely brilliant if every
in March and would encourage anyone who is
course rep was here, but students have other
interested in getting involved to come along.
commitments, you’ve got assignments coming up round here and you’ve got your course,
Activities Meeting
so for me I think course reps work incredibly
Mon 19th March - 17:00
hard on the stuff that they do already. I think
Academic Meeting
by making it compulsory to make them attend
Mon 19th March - 18:00
these things I don’t think that’s the right way to
Inclusion Meeting
go about it”
Tue 27th March - 17:00
The subject was brought up during discussions
All meetings are streamed via VC to Lancaster,
of the Democratic Structures Review Motion,
Brampton Road, Fusehill St. and Penrith.
which aims to make meetings more representative of the large UoC student population. The motion reads: “Attendance has been poor both at General meetings and Assemblies with a maximum attendance of 46 at a singular assembly. Policy states 30 people
www.thestudentsunion.org.uk |23
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