The Scene September 2010 by Harriet Airey

The

scene

Welcome 10 edition. FREE. September 2010.

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www.nus.org.uk

4 4

the union has changed

6 6

notes from your new sabbaticals

14 18 22 14 18 22 23 23

the tuition fee 5 ways to improve debate explained your education

last years successes

take a stand

24 28 30 30 24 26 26 28 an award winning union

representing the students

ucsu advice service

volunteering support

34 34 35 35 36 38 36 38

entertainments guide

Focus weeks

welcome from aaron porter

moving in checklist

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So what’s changed? Our Strategy We have restated our strategy and now subscribe to one single purpose – to work for a better education for you! We have reprioritised our money, our officers and our staff, and we’re now in a better position to do exactly this without being sidetracked by a thousand other things.

By the time you read this, the Students’ Union will have completed a huge project to reinvent itself. Proposals approved by a membership referendum in Spring 2010 prompted some major changes from how we are run, to what we do, what the roles of our elected officers are and how we are going to be the best Union we can be for you, our members.

Your Sabbatical Officers Previously, we had 5 Sabb’s, one for each of the 4 main campuses (Ambleside, Penrith, Lancaster and Carlisle) and one President. Because these were elected to campus rather than a specific role, their work was not always consistent with our goal of getting you a better education, particularly if you

didn’t study at any of those campuses! So, we now have 4 Sabb’s who work across all campuses representing all of our members, wherever and whoever they are. If you want to read more about them, or contact them about anything, their details are in the early pages of this magazine.

Your Meetings If you like sport, you like sport. If you want to talk about issues you have found with placements, that’s what you want to talk about. If you want the Union to change the way it works to be more inclusive of different types of people, that’s what you want. So we’re giving you the opportunities to talk about these things, but without having to sit through everything else as well! By setting up the Activities Assembly, Inclusion Assembly, Academic Assembly and Campaigns Assembly you have the chance to be involved in your own area of interest, to affect the way the Union works in those areas and to not get bored and put off by the other things! Feel free to attend all four, but if you have a particular issue or interest then go to the one that can make a difference for you and your peers.

Bars One of the most obvious changes is the closure of two of our three bars. In Ambleside and Penrith, our bars have consistently lost a lot of money. By closing these outlets, we have freed up this cash to spend on our core purpose – of working for a better education for you! For the Saints bar in Lancaster, we are having to scrimp and save to keep it open, so help us out and give it a try for your lunch one day, or even come in with your course mates and have a coffee whilst discussing the latest theories on

teaching best practise or sports coaching!

More opportunities to help us to help you! To help us to do more for you, we’re asking for your help. We have shifted from an approach where we tried to do everything ourselves with our limited cash and number of people, which often meant we were spread too thin and couldn’t do as much or as well as wanted, to one that will encourage, train and support you to help us to do more for you and students like you. This could be anything from writing articles for our publications, helping to develop our website, fundraising for clubs and societies, representing your peers at course quality groups, or arranging quizzes in the local pub. Our new approach will value the contribution of volunteers and will encourage more people to get involved in the countless opportunities we have available and of course help you to develop skills that will be valued when you move on to better things.

Student Academic Rep’s We got pretty good at representing students at senior University committee level, but we’ve been missing a trick here. By working with the relevant peep’s at the University we have taken over the course rep system and are in the process of overhauling it so that it is relevant, valuable and legitimate! Feel confident either standing for a rep position or just talking to a rep, because we’ll support you so much better now. Hopefully there’s something in there that sparks a bit of interest. If so, give us a shout and get involved. If not, come and tell us why – either way, make sure you are getting the most you can out of your Students’ Union, whoever and wherever you are.

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Representation Sabbatical 2010/2011 Welcome to the University of Cumbria Students’ Union, whether as a under-grad, post grad, flexmod, part-time, full-time, mature or international student, you have joined us at an exciting time and in a year of important and exciting transition. My name is Martin Dodd and I am the Representation Sabbatical for 2010/11 having graduated from the university in July and as an active member of the students’ union for the past three years it is my job along with the three other Sabbaticals to ensure that UCSU effectively represents YOU. As the lead Sabbatical it is my overall responsibility for the your representation as well as all other University of Cumbria students, whether through our own structures and mechanisms or those of the university. This could be through our course reps scheme or advice service, by campaigning on issues which matter to you or providing activity and volunteering opportunities, UCSU is an organisation by students, for students and in which I hope you will get involved. As already highlighted UCSU is currently in the middle of numerous changes as a union to ensure we effectively represent you. Over

the summer we have seen both a change in our democratic and staff structure which will change how we operate for you. Our aim is to focus all we do around four key areas of Representation, Academic, Union Community and Student Life, an ambitious shift which presents a number of significant changes, potential challenges and massive opportunities. I believe there may be testing times ahead whether related to the long-term stability and sustainability of the university or the national debate on student funding, but it is you who ultimately decides our priorities and it is my promise to ensure these stay paramount in how UCSU operates over the next year. I therefore hope whether as a new or continuing student you will continue to raise issues, get involved and question YOUR UNION! Always remember that myself, the three other sabbaticals and our other elected officials are here to listen to your concerns, so feel free to stop us and have a chat when you see us out and about. We want to know what matters to you – as that’s what matter to us. Martin Dodd UCSU Representation Sabbatical 2010/11 martin.dodd@cumbria.ac.uk @ www.thestudentsunion.org.uk -7

Academic Sabbatical 2010/2011 Hi, my name is Lorri Millar, and I have the distinction of being the first ever Academic Sabbatical at the University of Cumbria. I was elected last year after completing a degree in Primary Education and Religious Education and I’m very excited to be representing you this year in this challenging new position. In the recent over-haul of the Students’ Union we defined our core purpose as being “the advancement of education of students at the University of Cumbria.” This simple statement drives us to demand the very highest quality of teaching and assessment possible for you, our members.

Whether you relate to academic excellence in terms of ‘value for your tuition fees’ or making sure that post-qualification your course is widely respected to maximise your chance of getting a good job it is the one aspect of being a student that unites us all, which explains why we’ve put it at the heart of everything we aim to do. My role is to take the issues you raise and add them to our ongoing improvement projects to strive to make the University better. To this end I head up a team of locally elected Faculty Representatives who are the Students’; Union’s first point of contact with the course and program level Student Academic Reps’ (or Course Reps.) These are elected by their course-mates in one of the first lectures of the year and provide support and feedback through the University and Union systems to assist in making sure the teaching, learning and assessment is constantly improving. The Union has recently taken ownership of this system and we aim to make it more accessible and effective in meeting the needs of students. If you believe you could contribute to a meaningful and progressive campaign to improve your courses then contact either myself or Dominic Leighton (UCSU Representation Coordinator dominic. leighton@ cumbria.ac.uk ) to find

out more about becoming part of the SAR team. We will also be leading a range of educational campaigning across all sites and courses, which may include such projects as RARA (Rules and Regulations Awareness), Late (recording late and cancelled lectures) and Contact (tracking contact hours – such as lectures, seminars and small group sessions for online courses– to rank value for money courses). We are also able to take your issues as they arise onboard and very quickly incorporate them into a campaign, lobbying session or any of the other avenues of action open to us. I have no doubt that over the next year changes within the University will have an affect on your academic experience, it’s my job to try and eradicate or minimise the negative and maximise the positive. If you have any issues please feel free to get in contact with me at any time, you can pop into any Students’ Union office or e-mail me at lorraine.millar @ cumbria.ac.uk Good luck and hope to see you at an Academic Group or Assembly soon!

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Hello my name is Liam Walker and I’m your Student Life Sabbatical 2010/11. This is my first year as an elected official within the Students’ Union, I’m very excited about the year ahead and looking forward to playing my part in maximising your experience and enjoyment here at the University of Cumbria! he Students’ Union is committed to finding ways to reach out to everyone within the University community, therefore I have made it my promise that I’ll be making myself as available as much as I can for any and all students. I aim to achieve this through publically posting my movements and contact details as well as through a flexible approach to working across all sites and campuses. I completed a degree in Coaching and Sport Performance at the Lancaster campus and have actively been involved in various activities, events and campaigns; such as refereeing and being vicecaptain of the basketball team, playing an active role in the Mark My Words and Not My Name (anonymous marking) Campaign and joining in with hockey and cricket activities. I feel that I benefited from a full and rounded student experience during my three years and want to now ensure you too can shape and participate at a level that you’re comfortable with.

To help you get to grips with what I do here are examples of two main areas of responsibility covered by my general remit to improve all non-academic sides of the University experience. Firstly student clubs and societies (i.e. sports teams, drama clubs, neighbourhood watch teams - in fact anything that you want to set up or take part in); and secondly - campaigning (i.e. sexual health, fair trade, tuition fees, accommodation issues). If you have an idea or issue that doesn’t fall under these areas don’t worry, I’m here to help with all welfare issues and point you in the right direction. I’ll make sure you get the advice and support you need and deserve, and I’ll always do my best to try and ensure your time here at the University of Cumbria is stress free! Overall always remember this is your Union, and we work to your direction, so please tell us what you want. Hope to see you around soon. Liam liam.walker2@ cumbria.ac.uk

Student life Sabbatical 2010/2011

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Community Sabbatical 2010/2011

Hello! I’m Tom Underwood your Union Community Sabbatical. It’s my duty and my ambition to unite all the students across all our campuses, which is no small task considering we have more than a dozen sites across Cumbria, Lancashire and even in London! I act as the eyes and ears of the SU at the local level and as a first port of call whatever your issues are, if you have a problem, idea or suggestion then I’ll be about to field anything and everything. I hope to achieve this by devoting at least two days a week at sites other than my ‘home’ campus, which is Lancaster, which means I’ll be spending a lot of time in the SU car or on the West Coast Train line, but I’ll have my SU mobile and laptop so I’ll always be contactable. This is the first year of a new system of how we are organised as we strive to represent your needs. A key feature of our fresh approach is to devote serious time and resources to making sure we have a true cross campus focus, and I am confident and eager to make it work and talk to as many of you as possible. As an elected sabbatical my areas of speciality will be equality, diversity and inclusion, and I look forward to working both locally and across the entire institution to allow students

to lead the development of a University where everyone can play a part in their educational life and union community irrespective of how they are defined. Look out for me over the first few weeks of term, I’ll be making high profile initial visits to each campus and site and would love to chat to each and every one if you. Keep an eye on SU messages sent through the global email where I’ll be publicising where and when I’ll be visiting each site. In the meantime whether you’re new or a returning student enjoy your first few weeks at Uni and see you soon! Tom tom.underwood@ cumbria.ac.uk

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Since University tuition fees were increased from £1,250 to a maximum of £3,225 in 2006/07 – a move approved by the most slender of majorities (just 5 votes!) in the House of Commons – the landscape of higher education was fundamentally altered for all students and Universities. It was agreed at that time that the HE funding/ fees situation would be reviewed a number of years down the line, and in November 2009 the Labour Government launched the Browne Review; a panel, chaired by Lord Browne, set up to consider the future direction of higher education funding in England. The Browne report is due to be published around October of this year.

So who is Lord Brown? Well to start with, he is the Chair of the independent review of higher education funding and student finance. He is also a former Chief Executive of BP with a strong commercial background. A previous graduate of Cambridge University he has a clear interest in engineering and science as well as having strong links with culture and the arts as a Trustee of both the British Museum and Tate Gallery.

What is the Scope of the review? When the review was announced, according to Lord Mandelson, it would consider “a balance of contributions to universities by taxpayers, students, graduates and employers”. It will look specifically at how much students should be charged for attending university and how this should be paid. Further, the review is asked to consider the continuing goal of widening participation and simplifying the system for student finance and bursary payments.

What are the likely outcomes of the review? Well at the moment it is important to make clear that nothing is decided and until the review formally feeds back in early to mid October this will remain the case. However, many commentators are expecting some sort of rise in tuition fees of up to £10,000 which would be staggered across a number of years. As well as this, many believe there will also be changes to the terms in which these are paid back for example, the earnings limit for repayments is currently set at £15,000 and it is suggested this maybe reduce to £12,000 or even £10,000. The truth is at the moment only Lord Browne knows what the recommendations will be and it is down to the student body as a whole to try and influence the decisions to get the best possible outcome for ourselves.

But as a current student this surely doesn’t affect me? Lord Browne: Chair of the panel reviewing tuition fees.

Wrong. The outcome of this process will affect all students and graduates to at least some

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degree. It maybe that the terms of your current student loans are changed, or the quality of your University facilities and teaching is affected as longer term affordability becomes an issue to address immediately. The bigger picture though is about access to higher education for all sections of society, now and in years to come. It is feasible that by allowing Universities to charge different fees for different courses, there will be a commercialisation of Universities and courses which can only result in elitism and a vast difference in the quality and value of teaching and learning where only the rich can afford the best.

What is NUS doing? NUS (National Union of Students) has continued to be proactive, initially launching its broke and broken report into the current state of higher education funding and its various problems, as well as its funding blueprint suggesting a progressive alternative for funding higher education. Furthermore they have continued to lobby the government for a favourable outcome to the review. NUS are now planning a national demonstration in London to coincide with the publishing of the Browne Review to ensure that student concerns are heard. Students from across the country are encouraged to attend to provide support and energy for the campaign. For further information on the National Union of Students work regarding the review visit www.nus.org.uk/en/Campaigns/Funding-Our-Future/

What is UCSU doing? COunting the cost

As well as engaging with and participating in the debate with NUS as much as possible, UCSU also organised a number of town takeovers in which University of Cumbria students campaigned to raise local awareness of the issue. As the announcement of the review comes closer, UCSU will continue to be involved including a number of events during representation week. If you have any ideas on what we can do to get the message out there about fees, do get in touch. For further information on the University of Cumbria Students’ Union work regarding the review and other campaigns visit www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/countthecost

What can I do? • Get

involved!

Read about the issues, make up your mind and come and talk to us. If you want to help out with local campaigns, or even attend the national demo in November, your energy will be very welcome. If you fancy it, you can even stand for one of our elected rep positions in the October elections, or become a Student Academic rep, standing up for your course mates at school level. By standing for such a role, you will find yourself at the heart of change agenda – working together to bring about a better education for students, both here at the University of Cumbria and nationally, now and in the future.

• Let us know what you think the best funding solution is. We’re running a poll on the UCSU website to canvass opinion on what the students of the University of Cumbria think the best way for

their education to be funded is. There are a few options, and the website has short but informative explorations of the benefits and drawbacks of each of the main alternatives. Go online and check out the briefings at:

www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/countthecost To find out more about the positions available and the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Student Academic Rep scheme visit www.thestudentsunion.org.uk or bob into your local office for a chat.

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Volunteer yourself as a Student Academic Representative

The Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union in association with the University operates a system where each course elects or appoints one or two students from their lecture group to take up the role of Student Academic Rep (also known as a Course Reps). These Reps liaise with their fellow course-mates, teaching staff and Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union volunteer officials in raising grass-root level issues and seeking to represent student feedback on their modules and general quality standards. How? Volunteer your name to your tutor at the beginning of your course or contact the SU for more details.

Become a SU elected leader

The lifeblood of the Union are the elected officials, students who stand for a position and are voted in for a year as a volunteer representative. The majority of the roles are based on either academic groupings (such as Faculty Reps), constituencies of students (such as Part Time Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Rep) or fulfil a purpose in preserving the student-ownership of the Union, such as Independent Chairs. The roles are supported by training, the guidance of professional staff and are encouraged to help set up wider networks of student activists within their area. How? For more details on what positions are available and how to stand please see page 23.

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Participate on your own terms

Get involved in a local SU Group

At the Carlisle, Penrith and Lancaster sites the high numbers of students’ living in Halls of Residence allows us to run localised specialist SU Groups, which are gatherings of like-minded students who have a shared interest in pursuing certain types of action. They are collected under the heading of the ‘Activities Group’ (which includes students who wish to participate in sports teams and nonsporting societies), the ’Campaigns Group’ (which covers any non-academic campaign objectives from fundraising to welfare campaigning), the ‘Inclusion Group’ (which allows any student who for whatever reason feels that they face barriers in participating in any aspect of their University or student life to seek to address those issues) and the ‘Academic Group’ (which principally allows Student Academic Reps and other students to discuss localised educational topics). Any and all students can attend these groups and a local leader is selected by the members of the group to be the main liaison with the SU. How? The first meetings of these groups will be widely advertised at the main sites and you should just turn up and pitch in.

To make sure that what we do is actually what our members want us to do we run series of surveys, polls, focus groups and feedback exercises. We desperately need as many students from as many different backgrounds to get involved, but as ever you can decide at what level you wish to participate. Many of the polls and surveys are done online, and so you can fill them out over a coffee at your leisure. Feedback exercises may be face to face or run through student volunteers, so please if an SU activist approaches you asking for your input on an issue try and make the time if you can. We are keen to get the names of a students who would be willing to take part in regular but infrequent focus groups (about twice a term) where we’d provide tea and biscuits in return for your time, thoughts and opinions. How? Check your student email and BlackBoard for SU sent global messages outlining these feedback opportunities, as well as keeping in touch with your course based Reps.

Get in touch and volunteer some time

The final way is to just give us a shout/ email saying you’ve got ideas or some time to spare and what kind of things you like to be involved with and we’ll put you to good use! That could be organising events, consulting with students on pressing issues, designing posters or even help develop exciting new services, we’re always looking for people with talent and enthusiasm to help us make the University a better place.

There’s a new way to get around town at our Lancaster Campus. We’ve got 50 brand new Trek urban bikes to loan out to students from just £35 per year. The bikes come with a lock and lights and you can take advantage of the new secure parking installed outside The Gateway and Waddell Hall. This is a great way of getting

around Lancaster cheaply during your time at the University without the worry of parking permits, traffic and finding a parking space. You can find out full details of how to loan a bike at www.cumbria.ac.uk/ velocampus. Bikes will be loaned on a firstcome first-served basis so get in quick as they’re sure to be popular.

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UCSU is looking for a few extraordinary individuals to help us take the University to new levels of quality and professionalism – could you stand out form the crowd? Bye-elections will be running right from day 1 of the new term to fill the last few vacant volunteer places in the Students’ Union leadership, and we encourage all new and

returning students to ask themselves if they could commit to a couple of hours a week working on behalf of their fellow students in helping us achieve our goals.

Positions Vacant! Senior Positions open to all students from across all campuses: Student Director Independent Chair (3 posts) Cross-Campus posts open to students from any site who self-identify with the role: Part-Time Students Representative International Students Representative Postgraduate Students Representative Women Students Representative

Penrith – Arts, Business & Science Faculty Representative, Further Education Representative Site Representative positions also remain at each of the Barrow, Whitehaven/Energus and Cockermouth sites. Find out more: HYPERLINK “http://www. thestudentsunion.org.uk/elections” www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/elections or email representation@cumbria.ac.uk

Campus Specific Positions only open to students from the indicated site: Carlisle – Health Faculty Representative, Further Education Representative Lancaster – Part Time Campus Executive (includes a paid element), Health Faculty Representative. www.thestudentsunion.org.uk -23

University of Cumbria an award winning Students’ Union These are exciting times to be a student. You’re about to undertake your course of study at one of the newest Universities in the country and join one of the top Students’ Unions at the same time! In a recent two year national auditing process approved by the government UCSU was granted a bronze level award, indicating that in terms of how we prioritise the needs of our members we are comparable to grand old timers like prestigious Edinburgh University Union and vibrant Birmingham Guild of Students. For the full list of the 24 recipients see opposite. The Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative award guarantees a panel of independent experts has inspected, challenged and reviewed your Students’ Union and found:

• UCSU to be member focussed (i.e. interested in your needs and not those of the organisation). • A team of elected officials and staff concentrating on positive outcomes for our students above all else. • Locally orientated but with national goals – i.e. interested in tracking impacts on students, the University, and the local community. • Focuses on the democratic and value driven aspects of the Students’ Union. • An organisation deeply committed to recognising the dynamic changing membership of the University. In summing up 65 Unions have been involved in the award scheme but only 24 have been successful and Cumbria SU was particularly commended for how far we have come in such a short period. Things are moving fast, and we hope that we can keep up momentum as we move forward into 2010/11!

the results: Gold

University of Leeds Students’ Union Sheffield University Students’ Union

Silver

University of Bath Students’ Union University of Hull Students’ Union University of Reading Students’ Union Loughborough Students’ Union Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union Exeter Students’ Union

Bronze

University of Birmingham Guild of Students Edinburgh University Students’ Union University of Essex Students’ Union

University of Cumbria Students’ Union

Nottingham University Students’ Union University of Teesside Students’ Union University of Bedfordshire Students’ Union De Montfort University Students’ Union Strathclyde University Students’ Union Queens University Belfast Students’ Union York St John Students’ Union Aberdeen University Students’ Union University of the Arts Students’ Union Huddersfield Students’ Union Portsmouth Students’ Union

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Representation

What is the Students’ Union? How big is the organisation?

We have approximately 13,000 members as every student (both full and part time) is automatically a member.

How many people work for us?

We currently have 13 full time staff, 20 – 30 student staff and 35 voluntary elected officers, so there are nearly 100 people all working on your behalf.

How much do we spend?

How wide an area do we cover?

Our annual turn-over in funding all the services, activities and representational is approximately £750,000 (gross) or 3/4 million pounds! The University of Cumbria Students’ Union covers approximately an area of 9,700 square km and last year the UCSU cars clocked up a total of 25,000km – that’s without including train travel (although we are committing to new environmental targets to try and reduce car use.). Statistically speaking the average student member of the Union is over the age of 28, is female and is most likely to be on a part-time course in either the Faculty of Health or Education. Bet you didn’t know that!

The Students’ Union is you and all the other students of the University of Cumbria as one big group fighting for the very best education you can get. It’s really as simple as that. Ok, maybe it’s not, but that is basically why we exist. In essence we are an independent organisation which is here to support, represent and provide for our members, our members being you the students. In meeting this aim we have a wide variety of staff and student volunteers geared up to provide you with all the information and advice you’ll need. With excellent links in the University, community and country if we can’t help you with something then we will make sure we put you in touch with someone that can. In February/March 2010 we underwent a wide-ranging overhaul of how we are organised and carefully examined how, as a membership organisation, we can meet the needs of all of members, whether they be a nursing student at a West Cumbria site, a sports scientist or teaching student in Lancaster or Carlisle or a web-based distance learner living overseas. We quickly realised that there is no ‘one-size fits all’ solution, and that we needed to be a more flexible, open and less bureaucratic organisation if we ever stood any chance of representing the majority of our members. The structure we came up with was approved by our membership and consists of four ‘Sabbatical’ student leaders (who are elected to do a one year paid term of office) who head up a series of departments which act across all sites, and you can read about them and their goals on pages 6 - 13.

We understand that not everyone who studies on a course at the University of Cumbria is based on a campus, and that not all ‘students’ are necessarily interested in drinks promotions and sports teams. That’s why we’ve shifted the focus of the Union towards academic representation and educational improvement. Our volunteers and staff will be out and about actively seeking to get every students’ opinion on what they want to see improved and we urge you to contact us if you have issues or suggestions. We will run a range of programs which will allow any and all students to get in touch with us so please look out for your chance to feed your opinions back to us. Ultimately the Students’ Union is your representational organisation and through both direct and indirect means you can – and should – be instructing and informing our work. The great thing about the ‘new’ SU is that you can dip in and out and participate at a level that suits you, the main thing is we need you to let us know how we can best meet your needs. You say. We do. If you’d like to learn more about how we work on your behalf then contact either the lead Sabbatical or staff member who head up our representation teams and they’d be very happy to chat to you further.

Martin Dodd – Representation Sabbatical 2010/11 martin.dodd@cumbria.ac.uk 01228 616272 Danny Prescott – Representation & Connections Manager daniel.prescott@cumbria.ac.uk 01524 526575

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UCSU Advice Service UCSU Advice Service is part of the Students’ Union Information and Advocacy Department and provides free, honest, impartial and independent information, advice and advocacy for students on a range of issues including University academic issues, housing, health and well-being. No issue is too big or too small so feel free to get in touch with any worries that you might have. The information and Advocacy Team is primarily based in the main Campuses of Lancaster and Carlisle but we support all University of Cumbria students regardless of their course location or site of study. All students can access UCSU Advice Service information online and you can contact us in person, over the phone and via email or why not visit the Students’ Union website and contact us using our virtual receptionist service and speak to a member of the team online Monday to Thursday between 10am until 3pm. Appointments are not always necessary and we offer a drop in service on various days at the Lancaster, Penrith, and Carlisle Fusehill Street and Brampton Road campuses – for more details have a look at www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/advice Email: suadvice@cumbria.ac.uk Telephone: 01524 526560 or 01228 616272

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Volunteering Support & Development Department Activities

Would you like to have fun, make new friends, develop your skills and maximise your experience while you’re here at uni? Whatever you’re interested in and whatever your motivation, we are here to help you! We are your friendly volunteering development & support team and we’re here to help you make the most of your time at University. Look out for us in your SU office, call or email us – we’d love to hear from you! Allan facilitates all our volunteer-led Student Groups across Carlisle, Penrith and Lancaster Campuses. Our Captains and Presidents liaise with Allan to ensure that they are able to run their student groups smoothly and safely and that the appropriate teams can compete in British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS). For more information on any of our student groups, please contact Allan who will happily ask the relevant captain or president to contact you. If you’d like to set up a new student group, Allan can let you know how to go about it. There’s also more information on our website www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/activities. Kati works in our Carlisle and Penrith offices and Emma is based in our Lancaster office. Kati & Emma both work to provide you with quality volunteering opportunities, whether that’s one day events throughout the year or a suitable regular volunteering placement to fit with your time schedule, interests & skills. If you have an idea for a new volunteering project and/or would like to set one up, please let us know! Just drop us an email or call us on the numbers listed. For more updates, please join our Facebook group – ‘UCSU Volunteering’ or contact;

Emma Egglestone emma.egglestone@cumbria.ac.uk 01228 616164

Allan Stavert allan.stavert@cumbria.ac.uk 01524 526565

Kati Brown kati.brown@cumbria.ac.uk

Keep an eye out for our volunteering events coming up

Saturday 16th October, Solway Beach Clean in partnership with Vinvolved (transport provided from Lancaster & Penrith – limited spaces so sign up quick!) Saturday 30th October, National Make A Difference Day (open to families too) more details to follow – look out for posters and sign up sheets during Community Week (week beginning 27th September) To sign up on either or both of these one-day events, please email us at suvolunteering@cumbria. ac.uk. Check out our website for more information and to register with UCSU Volunteering www.thestudentsunion.org.uk/volunteering On receiving your completed registration form, we’ll send you our Volunteering Handbook and an ‘Hours’ sheet to record all your volunteering whilst you’re at Uni – These hours count towards your UCSU Volunteering certificate, available just before you complete your course. You can also be considered for our Volunteer of the Year Award! Here are some photos of some of last year’s projects…

www.thestudentsunion.org.uk -31

Unisex & Girls Hoodies in a Wide Range of Colours & Sizes

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ENTERTAINMENTS AT CARLISLE Week 1

Week 2

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Monday Tuesday Thursday

19/9/10 20/9/10 21/9/10 22/9/10 23/9/10 24/9/10 25/9/10 27/9/10 28/9/10 30/9/10

Welcome Party at Walkabout Live Comedians at The Brickyard Pub Tour round Carlisle hot spots Live Music at the Brickyard School Disco at Concrete Lo Reid, Hypnotist at The Brickyard Welcome Ball at the Lakes Court Hotel The Big Quiz see our website for details Themed Nights on Tuesday at Walkabout Themed Nights on Thursday at Concrete

ENTERTAINMENTS AT LANCASTER Week 1

Week 2

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Wednesday

19/9/10 20/9/10 21/9/10 22/9/10 23/9/10 24/9/10 25/9/10 26/9/10 27/9/10 29/9/10

Welcome Party at The Saints Bar Pub Tour round Lancasters hot spots Live Comedians at The Saints Bar School Disco at The Sugarhouse Lo Reid, Hypnotist at The Saints Bar Welcome Ball at The Saints Bar Live Music at The Saints Bar The Big Quiz at The Saints Bar Themed Night on Monay at Toast Themed Night on Wednesday at Sugarhouse

ENTERTAINMENTS AT PENRITH Week 1

Wednesday

22/9/10

Please visit www.thestudentsunion.org.uk for more details about Penrithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Entertainments and further information on all scheduled events.

Pub Tour round Penriths hot spots

All the activities throughout the Focus Weeks will be available to all students, across all campuses! So with the exception of the specific dates of the

Freshers’ Fayre on each campus you don’t need to worry about location, just keep an eye or two peeled around campus and we’ll find you.

Student Life Focus Week

Academic Focus Week

Accommodation Campaign Launch Sexual Health Advice & Guidance Safety Awareness Activities

Advice Service Promotion LATE Campaign Launch (R.A.R.A) Rules and Regulations Awareness Campaign Launch Course Rep Recruitment and Engagement

20th September

Union Community Focus Week 27th September

Sports and Societies sign ups and various other freebies at the Freshers’ Fayre on all campuses: Fusehill Street Campus Tuesday 28th September @ The Learning Gateway Penrith Campus Wednesday 29th September @ The Sports Hall Lancaster Campus Wednesday 30th @ The SU Building Brampton Road Campus Thursday 31st @ (location TBC…

4th October

Representation Focus Week 11th October

Elections Counting the Cost Campaign Launch and Events including: Postcard Petition Sign Up. Higher Education Funding Debate. NUS National Demonstration in London sign-up. Meet Your Sabbaticals Events There will be lots more going on around every site, simply visit www.thestudentsunion.org.uk for more details or keep an eye out on campus.

Volunteer Sign-Up Volunteering Events Meet the Community Event @ The Park Hotel

www.thestudentsunion.org.uk -35

Welcome! From Aaron Porter

Students’ unions will play a crucial role in lobbying your local MPs, and you should pressure them into voting against higher fees should this be proposed by the Government. It’s a huge honour to be able to write to you as the new President of the National Union of Students. As the representative voice for students across the UK, NUS has a proud history of standing up for the rights of students, and fighting to ensure you can gain access to a world-class education system. NUS has played a critical role defending your rights and winning campaigns to make student life better. In the last two years we have clawed back millions of pounds for students to fight for interestfree student overdrafts, won a national tenancy deposit scheme to make sure you get your money back and conducted ground breaking research into the student experience to ensure your academic and welfare issues are prioritised within your university or college. During the recent General Election we ran the most successful pledge campaign of any campaigning organisation in the UK, where 1500 candidates and now over 150 MPs have already pledged to vote against higher tuition fees, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and nearly 100 Labour MPs. The year ahead promises to be both exciting and challenging. Government cuts to the education budget, and the reporting of the long-awaited review into University Funding and Student Finance chaired by Lord Browne will take centre stage. NUS will be leading the fight to oppose any increase in tuition fees, whilst fighting for a fairer alternative altogether. Students’ unions will play a crucial role in lobbying your local MPs, and you should pressure them into voting against higher fees should this be proposed by the Government. NUS will be working with SUs to support them in their efforts, and will

also be holding a National Demonstration later this year to show our opposition. Watch this space! But we won’t just be fighting on fees. Accommodation, feedback, contact time, quality of teaching, environmental issues, supporting students’ unions, hidden course costs, liberation, global justice, volunteering, employability, academic representation... and so much more are all on the agenda as we are determined to help make your student life better. To help us get better at communicating with you directly, feel free to check out HYPERLINK “http://www.nus.org.uk” www.nus.org.uk - as it will be kept up to date with the key student news, latest campaign wins, competitions, interviews and much more. And if you’re really keen on getting news even quicker you can follow us on Twitter: HYPERLINK “http://www.twitter.com/nusuk” www.twitter.com/nusuk or join our Facebook Fan page at HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/ nationalunionofstudents” www.facebook.com/ nationalunionofstudents Every student in a member students’ union is automatically a member of your students’ union and also NUS, and this means you are eligible to buy an NUS Extra card for just £10.99 which has a whole host of nationally negotiated discounts which students can access. You can also add on an ISIC Card for just £2. For more details check out our website - HYPERLINK “http://www.nus.org.uk” www.nus.org.uk NUS has a long history at leading the fight to ensure students’ can get the best deal possible, I’m really looking forward to my term in office and helping to make the lives of students’ even better!

Aaron Porter The new President of NUS

www.thestudentsunion.org.uk -37

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