SUpdate Issue #2 by JMSU

ISSUE 2 MAY 2015

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ONTHLY TO ISSUE TWO OF THE SUPDATE YOUR BI-M UPDATE FROM LIVERPOOLSU!

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SABBTALK INLIVERPOOLSU

AROUNDLIVERPOOL

CHEFSONCAMPUS

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

ABROAD VS. INTERNSHIP

DEALING WITH STRESS AT UNI

SABBT The Sabbatical Officers of LiverpoolSU are Liverpool John Moores, they’re here to help

Sam Davys @LSU_Pres

In the last couple of months I have initiated feedback mechanisms at the MiniSU’s on the newly formed career zones around campus to see if they are the best service they can be for students. With that feedback I will be feeding into a report for the university and hopefully this will inform how they operate in the future.As part of me being heavily involved in planning for Copperas Hill developments and the future of LJMU, I have set up a meeting for the estates team and the architects to meet with students from across the University so they can give their input and help inform some decisions going forward. This year has been a challenging but very exciting one for LiverpoolSU. We have moved away from our central location and have scattered ourselves around campus in order to be better placed for you. We hope you have utilised our services, whether that be joining a club or society, become a course rep, worked for us, visited our Freshers or Refresher Fair or maybe you have given us some feedback so that we can work with LJMU to improve your University experience. We appreciate your engagement and hope you use us more next year as we continue to be a better SU for you! Have a great summer, and the new officers will be keen to meet up with you again in September.

Josh McDowell @LSU_VPA Between February and April I worked on my 3 most important events the year! Firstly,The Liverpool SU Loves You Awards, which was a massive success and catered for over 500 students on the night! On the night we gave out an array of awards to different clubs and societies, got a chance to speak to loads of people and all in all I was overwhelmed by the positive attitude of everyone on the night and thoroughly enjoyed presenting event! Secondly I organised Varsity for all of our sports teams! This yearwe had a free bus travelling to all of the venues, we were featured in a programme for Bay TV and we had free t-shirts which were received really positively from everyone as it meant people could identify which University they were supporting! Unfortunately we lost Varsity but everyone will agree that it was an amazing day and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time. I’d just like to say thank you to everyone that helped organise the event and well done to all of our teams! All together I worked hard to bring some of the biggest and best events through Liverpool SU for the students and although it has been hard work, it has been great and I enjoyed every second of it!

TALK elected to represent students during their time at you out with any issues you may face whilst studying.

Dan Cole @LSU_VPC I’d like to say a massive thank you to all 3146 people who completed this year’s Rate Your Landlord survey. One of my objectives this year has been to focus on improving private sector accommodation, and we had a record 991 responses from students living in houses/private flats. Using student feedback over the summer we will work with accommodation providers on what actions they can take to improve their offer to students in the future. ‘Following the Merseytravel focus groups we held in February, I have created the Liverpool Students’ Transport Charter which I presented to the Merseytravel Board of Directors and local councillors in April. It was really well received and has been officially endorsed, meaning in their future work they will need to take into consideration these top 8 asks of students, which you can view on our website. Local transport companies will also be approached to provide an official response to the student asks. The last 2 years have been an amazing journey, and being able to support students and work to improve accommodation standards, as well as getting better deals for so you spend less money is very rewarding, especially when you can see how it benefits students directly. Looking forward to seeing the new officer team continue to do bigger and better things for LJMU students!

Lorraine Sebastian-Francois @LSU_VPAQ Since the last issue, I have been working on and successfully created the #itsnotok campaign, a week to raise awareness of Diversity. It was amazing, fun to do and something I thought made people understand a lot more about diversity. I’ve also been working with the student voice team about a top ten tips for personal tutoring across the university and what you should expect from your personal tutors so you're prepared! And finally I ran in our student offer elections and will be your President for LiverpoolSU so I look forward to seeing you next year!

U S l o o p r e v i L In

tivities, A catch up with our Ac

ent Voice Departmen

Community and Stud

LiverpoolSU Top Academic Priorities LiverpoolSU student sabbatical officers have selected the Top Academic Priorities based on student feedback over the last few years, which LiverpoolSU will be focusing on this academic year. LiverpoolSU Top Academic Priorities, in no particular order, are:

ASSESSMENT BUNCHING GROUP WORK

TIMETABLING

BLACKBOARD

IT ACCESS AND SUITABILITY TEACHING QUALITY

FEEDBACK

COMMUNICATION

PLACEMENTS

PERSONAL TUTORS These priorities are shared with LJMU, in order for us to work in partnership with them on improving these areas for students across the university and sharing good practice.

Have Your Say All year we have been asking you on your opinions about topics such as Timetabling, Bursaries, Food and Placements. We’ve been taking your ideas on board and we’ve summed up everything we’ve done over the past year into a little video, check it out at YouTube.com/LiverpoolSUTV

Activities Year Review The 2014/15 BUCS season has been an eventful one for our LJMU sports teams. There have been testing moments and disappointments, hard fought fixtures and great triumphs but best of all there has been some real cause for celebration! The Men’s Rugby Union Club saw both of their teams win their respective divisions and gain promotion for next season! They also saw the 1st team go on an unbelievable cup run where they lost out narrowly to University of Newcastle in the Conference Plate Final – a hard battle between two sides of quality kept it a very tight affair, but unfortunately in the end the Newcastle side just had a little too much for us and ran out 25-17 winners. The Men’s Basketball 1st team have been in top form this season in a division which threw up a few difficult fixtures for them! After a tense finish, which went down to head to head performances with Edge Hill, LJMU came out on top!!! The maths meant that LJMU had won the league due to scoring one point more against Edge Hill than they had managed to score against us and so the Men’s 1st team were crowned league winners. It is a fantastic achievement and highlights the Basketball talent we have at LJMU. On the subject of the Basketball talent at LJMU, the Women’s Basketball 1st team have shown that anything the Men’s team can do, they can do better! The Women’s team have been in unstoppable form this season and have so far been unbeaten! They have won the BUCS Conference Trophy this season (beating University of Liverpool in the final – get in!) and they are still undefeated in the league going into the final league fixture of the season. They are red hot favourites to win that game as well and that will mean that they have gone the full BUCS season undefeated – an achievement which owes to their fantastic ability as individuals, a great team spirit and understanding – not to mention all the hard work they put in for each other on the court! LJMU’s BUCS teams have done some really great things this year and we’re sure that it’s a step in the right direction for us to grow as a sporting force and continue working so that we can celebrate even more sporting achievements like these – on behalf of the SUpdate, we’d like to congratulate everyone who took part in BUCS this season for LJMU; you’ve made it one to remember. The 25th of March saw Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool go head to head in the annual Varsity event. This year’s Varsity was the biggest and best ever in terms of fixtures, attendance and there was a great buzz around all 3 venues. There was an outstanding effort from everyone involved and all LJMU teams really gave a good fight – but unfortunately, in the end, the University of Liverpool were just too strong as they ran out 83-52 winners! After the successes of this year’s event we’re sure that Varsity is only going to get bigger and better! Roll on 2016 so we can make amends and take back the bragging rights in the city!

2014/15 Wins Making the move from the Haigh Building work

Creating amazing ambassadors for LiverpoolSU with amazing Student Staff

Helping 3,200 students move into halls

World Travel Society

Welcome Fair and Refreshers Fair Amazing Videos Media Sales

SO Elections 13% voters Wellbeing Charter

2,204 Club and Society Members

1,100 Course Reps

1,700+ Students Registered to vote

1,300 ATA Nominations

750 Advice Appointments

1,000+ people using the Varisty Bus

Alcohol Impact Accreditation

Over 13,000 conversations with students Investors in People Silver

Liverpool Food & Drink Festival Liverpool Food and Drink Festival is a real celebration of the city’s fantastic restaurants, bars, cafes and regional producers. The city’s leafy Sefton Park is set to play host to the Autumn festival on 19th and 20th September. Transforming Sefton Park into a ‘food heaven’, Liverpool Food and Drink Festival brings together the most talented local chefs and producers to serve up a giant feast for the public.

AROUND LIVERPOOL BYNIAMHPARKER

Wax's 90s Summer Jam Party June 6th 9pm-4am If your a 90's kid you can't miss the nostalgic party on the 6th of June! bigger and better than the last 90's party with bouncy castles pink limos and the best 90's tunes ever made.

Liverpool International Music Festival Thursday 27th – Monday 31st August 2015 LIMF is back celebrating the global music city featuring inspiring 'Music Migrations' Commissions, special Partnerships, the LIMF Academy, culminating in Europe’s biggest free music event, LIMF Summer Jam! Tickets are available at www.limfestival.com.

Run or Dye Liverpool Run or Dye, the world’s most colourful 5km, will be coming to Liverpool on Saturday 6th June for a colour-filled 5km run through the legendary Aintree Racecourse. Bringing the spectacular explosion of the Run or Dye colour to the Racecourse, the event will encourage runners and walkers of all ages and abilities to have fun rather than race to the finish line and to enjoy the most colourful running event the Racecourse has ever seen. Visit www.runordye.co.uk for registration and more information

Sing A Long Frozen 13th June Disney's Frozen gets the full Sing-a-long-a treatment! Who hasn't been singing Let It Go and wanting to dress up as Elsa! Join in the full interactive experience with a screening of the film with lyrics on screen and sing along with Elsa and Anna. If you want a laugh and singing along to frozen is your guilty pleasure be sure to book tickets at echoarena.com

CHEFSON CAMPUS Time 20 - 25 mins

Serves 4

Pan fried cajun salmon with sweet potato mash BYLOISFROST

Cost £8.00 That’s on £2.00 e ly ach!

Ingredients

- 1 salmon fillet per person - 1 medium sweet potato per person - Handful of salad (we used prepacked) - Cajun seasoning - Lime

Method Peel and chop the potato and add to boiling water in a saucepan and leave for 20-25 mins or until soft all the way through. Heat up a frying pan to a medium/high heat with small amount of oil. Sprinkle one side of the salmon fillet with the cajun spice until coated and place spice side down onto the hot pan.While one side is cooking, sprinkle the other side with the cajun seasoning. You should cook the salmon for 4-5 minutes either side. (Be sure to check it cooked all the way through before serving.) Take off the heat when the salmon is cooked. By now the potatoes should be done, drain them and put them back into the pan with a small amount of butter (if desired) and some salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes up (a fork will be fine if you haven’t got a masher, because the potatoes should be really soft) Wash some salad and place on your plate with the mash and the pan fried salmon.

N Our Digital Content Team have put together some of our favourite classics incase you are ever unsure what to listen to, enjoy! Remember with your NUS Card you can get 50% off Spotify Premium membership! Scandalous by Misteeq Mood Bomb by Superfood Hear Me Tonight by Modjo She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult Never Forget by Take That Satisfaction by Benny Benassi He Got Game by Public Enemy Gaslight Anthem by We came to dance Dancing Shoes by Arctic Monkeys Do You Wanna by The Kooks Rock DJ by Robbie Williams Paint It Black by Rolling Stones

WORKING ABROAD VS.UK BASED INTERNSHIP WORKING ABROAD BYCAOIMHECOLTON In my first year at university I heard about 3 Adventures and decided I wanted to work with children in America. I worked in a camp in New Jersey and it was the best experience ever! I knew I would be so bored at home if I didn’t go somewhere. I lifeguarded during the day and had a cabin of kids to look after every night. I am hoping to get a job within the criminal justice industry, but the skills I have learnt through camp has enabled me to work with younger children which may lead me to a role within the youth justice system in the future. Whilst at camp I received my first aid course and life guarding certification. Other skills which are so important are listening and being able to multi-task. At camp so much is going on, it is important to be punctual and looking out for your children, as when you think about the reality of it, their parents have put their children in your hands for 2 weeks, maybe more. You become a role model for them and they look up to you. The hardest part was missing my family and I was away for my 21st birthday.

However, Skype is a wonderful invention! I also sprained my ankle really bad irish dancing and was on crutches for 4 weeks and a boot. (Crutches and sand do not go well together by the way). I still enjoyed camp life despite this. Making new friends from all over the world including, Australia, London, Brazil, America and France was amazing. Especially travelling the East Coast after camp ended. America was always on my agenda and from the pictures I had seen online, I was inspired to work with children as it looked incredible. If you’re doing camp, go with an open mind. Every single person is different and unique in their own way. I also learnt it is so important not to judge someone, as you never know what any child or adult is going through. At camp we had four core values which we encouraged the children to abide by; caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Even in my daily routine outside of camp-life I ensure to keep these values with me. You won’t ever regret it! You’ll create a second family there and you will want to go back again and again.

INTERNING IN THE UK BYHOLLIEBRADBURY One minor downside about moving away to university was that I had to give up a job that I loved in my hometown and despite taking up part time work in Liverpool, in my second year of uni, my accommodation tenancy was up in May. This left me with no other option than to move back home to try and find some temporary work until term started again in September. I knew that few employers would be willing to offer me work for 12 weeks, so I started to search for internships that would last the duration of my summer, giving me something productive to get stuck in to and also building the skillset on my CV. I am the kind of person to always be thinking ahead to the future so it seemed like the perfect way to spend my time, that being said a lot of my friends thought I was crazy turning down holiday’s and summer fun to work hard for free. A little while before I had to leave Liverpool, I found out about ‘City internships’ - a recruitment agency that sources internships for students in major cities such as London, New York, L.A and Hong Kong. After a lengthy application process and many interviews I secured an 8 week placement in London working for an innovation company.

Those 8 weeks were both the best and hardest two months of my life, the experiences that were opened up to me including working for international companies were endless, not to mention the contacts I met whilst working in the heart of the capital. The additional skills that I added to my CV after my summer placement helped me to secure freelance work and other exciting projects that I wouldn’t have been able to get my teeth into had I stayed at home that summer. My favourite part of interning was the responsibility that I was given as my internship was properly sourced and I didn’t waste any time making tea or going on lunch runs, my boss was very fair and treated me as if I was a contracted employee, valuing the skills I learnt at uni. I also loved hanging out with my fellow interns after work and soaking up London life both working and playing hard. I really recommend spending your summer interning for a company that interests you and will possibly benefit the future career that you are working so hard at university for. More and more employers are looking for experience over a single degree and a summer between studies is the perfect time to accomplish that.

DEALING WITH STRESS AT UNIVERSITY

BYSHANIVIZMA

Managing the demands of university assignments alongside personal issues, such as, part-time work, relationships, your future, are all catalysts to causing unnecessary stress at university. This is not to say that any of the factors need to be removed, but instead, change the way you approach them. It is inevitable that trying to mentally manage all your worries at the same time, listing them to yourself, will cause panic. With most scenarios, fretting about a situation only prolongs the stress. Making a start on a task or trying to resolve a situation straight away rather than leaving it, in more cases than not, reduces stress.

EXERCISE

There are so many places offering different ways to get active, there will be one to suit you. Research what style you’d like to do, Liverpool offers so many creative ways to exercise, such as, hot yoga, a variety of dance classes, gyms that offer multiple activities within their membership, like spin classes, or, if you’re really not interested in any of these, there are so many beautiful parks to walk around and get some fresh air. Try something new by yourself, the act of going to one of these classes by yourself will not only build self-confidence, but you’re more likely to commit to it if you’re not relying on someone else.

MEDITATE

This is such a quick and simple thing to do and there are so many free effective guides available online and to download to your phone. One app which is free to download is ‘HEADSPACE’ which I 100% recommend for anyone to use. Sign up for free today and follow their take 10 programme, this is just 10 minutes a day for 10 days. For anyone who hasn’t meditated before, it’s an easy guided meditation that can fit easily in to your schedule. As someone who has used this programme, I noticed a difference in stress levels after the first day.

SEEK ADVICE

It’s always good to remember that there are services avaliable for you at the Student Advice and Wellbeing Centre opposite the Aldham Robarts Library and LiverpoolSU Advice Centre can help you with any Academic Issues you may be dealing with. To get in touch with LJMU Student Advice & Wellbeing by emailing studentwellbeing@ljmu.ac.uk, calling 0151 231 3579 or tweeting @LJMUsaw.

LiverpoolSU

Advice Centre LiverpoolSU Advice Centre is here to provide free and impartial advice and support on academic issues to all LJMU students. Whether it is a single misunderstanding or a long-running dispute, we are here to ensure that you know what your options are and that the decisions taken by LJMU are fair. We can advise you on:

You can now book appointments via our website just head to LiverpoolSU.com/advice and click on Book Appointment Now!