Queen Mary Students' Union Impact Report 2017-2018

T C A IMP T R O REP 2017-18

Queen Mary Students’ Union 2017-2018 Impact Report

Introduction Queen Mary Students’ Union is a diverse, student-led charity that strives to be at the heart of the experience of all students at Queen Mary. It is our job as a Students’ Union to ensure all our students get the most out of their time here, and we have been working hard during the first year of our new strategic plan to achieve this.

working more collaboratively than ever before to achieve our goals.

We have seen impressive levels of engagement in our activities, including our highest ever turnout in the Students’ Union elections, working with our student groups to create strong communities and engaging more Course Representatives than ever before. We will continue to ensure all activities and services we offer encapsulate our values and create an environment where together, we improve students’ lives.

This is the first Impact Report of our new Strategic Plan, and we have set ourselves clear and challenging targets linked to our Mission, Vision and Values and have been

President’s introduction I am incredibly excited to introduce the first Impact Report of our 2018-20 Strategic Plan.

We have done some impressive work over the last year to implement a plan that encompasses our Mission, Vision and Values. I am proud to see the work our representatives have achieved through campaigns and inititatives, and it has been fantastic to get our Clubs and Societies involved in so many of our key campaigns.

Ahmed Mahbub President & Chair of the Board of Trustees 2018/19

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There is still work to be done to achieve our new strategic aims, but I am so pleased with the start we have made. One of our key aims over the next year is to represent, gather and act upon feedback from students to implement changes they want to see during their time at Queen Mary and to ensure the student voice is at the heart of all we do.

Our Mission

Our Vision

Together we improve students’ lives

We want to be at the heart of the student experience

Our Values

Inclusive Student-led Accessible Democratic Welcoming Transparent Fun Supportive Committed

Executive Officers 2018/19

3

90%

of students feel they have gained skills through their involvement in Students’ Union activities

4

Highlights Here are some of our favourite highlights from 2017/18!

We are so proud of everything we have achieved and we look forward to building on these in the years ahead.

223

student staff employed by the Students’ Union

2,680,338 views on the website

662

1st year students had mentors through the Buddy Scheme

10,208 students involved in

Students’ Union activities

£58,504

2017-18

100

students assisted through the Graduation Fund

4,000

440

Course Reps in post across the University

new students received Welcome Packs before they arrived at university

5160 students voted in the Students’ Union Spring Elections

generated through advertising sales and NUS Extra commission

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Theme 1 We will make sure that students’ voices are heard, valued and acted upon We represent an incredibly diverse student body, and it is important that we understand our students and their needs. We have worked hard throughout the year to empower students to be able to raise and discuss issues that matter most to them through supporting representatives and student groups to run campaigns, created better space to showcase the activities and opportunities on offer and giving students the information they need to make the most of their Students’ Union.

Highlights

4,000

new students received Welcome Packs in the post before they arrived

5160

students voted in the Students’ Union Spring Elections

10,350

attendees at the Welcome Fair over two days

63%

of student group committee members are satisfied with Students’ Union processes

50

different events were provided during Freshers’, culminating in our Freshers’ Ball

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1.1 Understanding our Students In the development of our new strategy, we reviewed several pieces of feedback and research, ran several focus groups and workshops, but, most importantly, we involved students every step of the way to ensure our new strategic plan was fully representative of the needs and values of our students. Focus groups have continued throughout the year to gather student feedback on aspects of sport and the development of a new-look website.

1.2 Success for Disabled and SLD Representative Mile End Disabled and SLD Representative Katherine Toomey identified a need for action to call for a policy that would aid the learning of disabled students through the consistent usage of QReview across all schools and the accessibility of lecture materials. Katherine wrote a paper with the evidence she had collected through student feedback, which she then presented to University staff and Senate.

The University agreed actions to review Queen Mary’s lecture capture policy, to ensure the provision of lecture notes in advance of lectures via QMPlus, and to review reading lists to ensure they are accessible.

1.3 New Signage and Poster Space Through the refurbishment of the Nest, we have invested in more poster spaces for societies and student groups, as well as new signage to help students understand what we do and why we do it, including our new Mission, Vision and Values and wins resulting from student feedback.

New poster spaces for student groups have been installed in the Nest, in Ground Café and in Qmotion, enabling students to showcase and market their events in our places and spaces. This is something students have been asking for over a number of years.

1.3 Accessible Videos We produced a variety of videos throughout the year for Welcome, Elections, Societies Awards, the Elite Athlete Programme, Sport and our Community Sport Camps. All videos uploaded to our Facebook and YouTube channels with a presenter or a voiceover had subtitles added. This is the first year we have achieved 100% subtitling for all our videos.

1.3 Welcome Campaign and Welcome Fair We sent 4,000 Welcome Packs to new home, international and Barts and The London students to introduce them to our services, opportunities and outlets before they arrived.

We provided induction talks to the majority of new undergraduate and postgraduate students, and ran over 50 events during Welcome Week, culminating in our Freshers’ Ball.

Our Welcome Fair is hosted over the course of two days in Welcome Week and is designed to showcase our hundreds of Student Groups and the services and activities we have to offer.

The 2017 fair saw over 10,300 people pass through the event over the course of the two days and featured performances, showcases and demonstrations from Clubs and Societies at multiple performance locations.

Your Ideas

Our Changes

You said you wanted more microwaves to bring in hot lunches from home to eat on campus.

We have installed more microwaves in the Students’ Union Hub, the BLSA Building and have recently installed two more in the Nest!

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Theme 2 We will support students’ education and welfare so that each student has the opportunity to fulfil their potential Improving the educational experience of students is fundamental to what we do as a Students’ Union. We work tirelessly to improve academic representation through more robust Course Representative training, improving study space on campus, running campaigns to improve wellbeing and lobbying the University to ensure students have adequate financial support during their time at Queen Mary.

Highlights

440

Course Reps in post across the University

937

nominations received for the Education Awards

662

1st year students had mentors through the Buddy Scheme

100

students assisted through the Graduation Fund

82%

of Course Reps feel recognised as partners by the University

700

students involved in sport helped to raise awareness of the Zero tolerance campaign

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2.1 Academic Representation Over 120 Course Reps attended the first Course Rep Conference. Course Reps shared experiences from their Student-Staff Liaison Committee meeting and co-created new ideas for improving students’ academic experience. The Conference enhanced our communication and collaboration with Course Reps and their sense of community. 2017-18 saw 412 Course Reps in post across the University, up 32% on the previous year.

Additionally, Education Zone launched the Student Experience survey, which focussed on digital resources for teaching, learning and assessment, specifically on the provision of specialist software, plagiarism checker and the availability of Q-Review.

2.2 New Funding for Bursaries Following a campaign from a large group of students and our Executive Officers to reverse changes to the Queen Mary Bursary, the University announced that it would be allocating £260,000 to student bursaries for the next two years.

The issue of student bursaries for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds is important to the Students’ Union and the commitment to new funding was welcomed. A joint study with the University is now underway to understand the impact of bursaries, retention, welfare, extracurricular involvement and reasons for withdrawal.

2.1

The Hive Becomes the Nest Following feedback from students, in 2018, the University handed ownership of the Hive to the Students’ Union following a full refurbishment. Students had highlighted the need for a more flexible social learning space, where they can work alone or collaboratively on group projects and assignments. The new facilities include more soft seating, group study pods, a higher number of small and large group work desks, and individual workstations for independent study. The space also includes vital new space for Friday Prayer, following years of lobbying from Executive Officers and students.

2.3 Welfare through Sport

2.3 Buddy Scheme

Sport was ingrained into several initiatives and campaigns run throughout the year, including Study Well, This Girl Can Week and Volunteering Week. The inclusion of sport in campaigns is an important step in getting more students and staff involved in sport and getting active. We chose the Zero Tolerance campaign to be the Merger Cup campaign this year, with over 700 students raising awareness of the campaign through t-shirts, temporary tattoos, social media photos and more. Qmotion also ran a campaign to raise awareness of the link between exercise, mental health and cognitive performance.

We changed the way in which we advertised our Buddy Scheme to new students and worked on improving the recruitment process for mentees. We extended the application process into Welcome Week, with applications previously closing during the first week of September, before students arrived. This allowed us to allocate mentors to new students if they began to feel overwhelmed once they arrived at Queen Mary. Last year, we allocated 662 First Year students mentors through the Buddy Scheme, a figure much higher than our target of 300.

2.3 Study Well

2.4 Campaigns and Celebrations

We delivered our annual Study Well campaign that aims to support students and minimise stress during exam season. The campaign included specifically tailored events, studying tips, 6 weeks of free sporting activities and additional signposting and provision of study space to ensure students are well aware of the facilities available to them. We also gave away free water and fruit with a branded wheelbarrow venturing around campus.

We ran several campaigns and celebrations throughout the year, including Black History Month, Islamophobia Awareness Month, Asian Heritage Month, and supported part-time representatives to run Pride Week, Women’s Week, This Girl Can Week, QM International, SHAG (Sexual Health and Guidance) Week and more to celebrate the diversity of our membership. We supported student groups and representatives to run student-led events on a range of issues from mental health to healthy relationships. Each campaign had its own look and feel to achieve maximum impact across our campuses.

Your Ideas

Our Changes

You wanted a campaign to tackle bullying, hate crime and discrimination on campus.

We started to develop our Zero Tolerance Campaign, launching an initial stage at the 2018 Merger Cup.

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Theme 3 We will create and support social, cultural and recreational activities so that students will feel part of a community University is a great opportunity to meet new people, try new things and build important skills. We have provided our students and student groups with opportunities throughout the year to make new friends, build strong communities and to try something new. We have emphasised the successes of our students and student groups and have reached out to our new community of students in Malta to work towards creating the university experience they want to see through activities and representation.

3.1

Highlights

85%

of students involved in Students’ Union-led activities feel part of a community

88%

of volunteers feel their contributions have been recognised

93%

of Sport members feel their Club is accessible

95.5%

had a good experience as part of Club Sport

1249

individual students engaged in the Get Active programme

10,208

individual students involved in Students’ Union activities

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Student Group Communities Our annual Students’ Union Awards, events including the Correspondents’ Dinner, Heads of Media Meetings, the Societies Excellence Award and meet and greet events have led to 86% of students feeling like they are part of a community. Feedback from a variety of surveys has shown that students appreciate the opportunity to meet other student groups and celebrate successes. Students have also identified that being a member of a student group has developed their leadership skills and built friendships they would not otherwise have made. Our celebration of student success culminated at the end of the year with our Students’ Union Awards for Education, Societies, Sport, Volunteering and RAG.

3.1 Student Media Student Media saw 287 members across seven radio, print and television outlets. Student Media has gone from strength to strength over the past year, through Heads of Media meetings, the Student Media Meet and Greet and the reintroduction of the Correspondents’ Dinner helping to foster a new community spirit between Student Media members. The achievements of Student Media outlets are being well recognised by staff and on our website through the Student Media Shoutout, and students have fed back that they appreciate the opportunity to award their members through the Student Media Awards and the community spirit they help build.

3.2

Try Something New Our Try Something New programme provided a more varied range of alcohol-free events designed to reach postgraduate, mature and commuting students, as well as students who may not be interested in evening or club-night events. Try Something new events led by the Students’ Union saw 1,126 attendees across events including film nights, quizzes and Crafternoons. The programme increased and targeted its promotion more throughout the year, with a focus on seasonal activity including Halloween, Christmas and Easter activities, as well as student group-led events throughout Semesters 1 and 2. Over 100 Clubs, Societies and student groups also contributed a range of taster events to the guide.

3.4 Profiling our Students Through initiatives including our Sporting Focus articles, Societies Spotlight and profiles of student representatives throughout the year, we have showcased the amazing work our students and student groups do and encourage students to share their stories to inspire others to get involved.

3.3 New Friday Prayer Space in the Nest Back in 2013, the Queen Mary Islamic Society launched their #RightToPray campaign to provide adequate Friday Prayer facilities for Muslim students and staff on campus as it became clear that the allocated space on campus could no longer meet the demand for prayer space. Following years of hard work and campaigning by students and Executive Officers, in 2018, Jumu’ah (Friday Prayer) took place in the newly refurbished Nest for the first time. The refurbishment of the space included carpets, a shoe rack, moving walls and acoustic features.

3.4 Malta Campus With the opening of the new medical campus in Malta, the Students’ Union has developed a presence on campus during the first year. We are developing a three-year plan to grow our provision with a focus on community development, academic representation, welfare support and advocacy. We sent welcome packs to all new students, and BLSA representatives visited the campus throughout the year.

Your Ideas

Our Changes

Clubs and Societies told us they wanted more opportunities to showcase the opportunities they offer.

We have created new ways of profiling our student groups to ensure we are showcasing their hard work!

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Theme 4 We will empower students to shape their own future Students have told us that they care about their lives outside of and beyond university. Our Community Sport programme and Volunteering service provide hundreds of students with opportunities to build new skills and make new relationships. We are continuing to strive to be a sustainable and ethical Students’ Union, and have implemented several initiatives throughout the year that have enabled us to cut down our food waste and single-use paper cups in our outlets. We are continuing to develop workshops and sessions for students to build skills that will help them secure and succeed in their future careers.

4.1 Skill-Building Sessions

Highlights

70%

of Skills Award participants feel more confident about their future after participating

All students in student staff roles or those who take leadership and representative roles within the Students’ Union are eligible to take part in the Skills Award. 216 students signed up to the Award, benefiting from 23 training sessions covering a wide range of topics including First Aid, project management, teamwork and leadership, with 72 students achieving the full award. Students have had further opportunities to build new skills and network with industry professionals through the newly implemented Media Masterclasses and ‘An Evening With’ series.

4.3

91%

of students involved in Volunteering feel they have made a positive impact on the local community

10,735

attendances by members of the community at Community Sport sessions

60%

of students think the Students’ Union takes its social impact seriously

165kg

of CO2 saved through our Too Good To Go App

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Reusable Mugs Save Thousands of Paper Cups Going to Waste Since the introduction of our Students’ Union-branded reusable mugs across our outlets and a new, increased discount of 20% when purchasing a hot drink with your own mug, Ground and the Learning Café have seen a huge increase in the numbers of people bringing their own mugs. The Learning Café saw 9,977 transactions with people bringing their own mug, with Ground seeing 7,666, meaning thousands of singleuse paper cups have been saved from landfill. Furthermore, 1,079 people purchased our specially-designed reusable mug in 2017-18.

4.2 Community Sport Community Sport is continuing to grow, with an impressive increase in participation since 2016/17, with the number of Sport Leaders rising by 93%, hours delivered by leaders in the local community rising by 48% to 1,416, participant throughput rising from 6,140 to 10,735 (75%) and Sports Camp participant throughput rising by 16%. Community Sport also introduced self-reflective forms for every five hours of voluntary work or paid hours within the holiday camps to help students assess their own participation.

4.2 Volunteering Over 1,000 students volunteered through our Volunteering service, with 3,000 volunteer hours recorded by student-led Volunteering Groups and over 200 students winning Volunteering Hours Awards. We updated our Volunteering Newsletter to incorporate images and content that is more engaging, and encouraged students to get involved through our annual Volunteer and Health Volunteer Fairs. January saw the introduction of our first ever Volunteering Week, led by our Barts and The London Volunteering Officer, Stephanie Yeung.

4.3

Our Commitment to Sustainability Last year saw the introduction of the Green Mary Market, a sustainable farmers market, the Switch Off Campaign, a campaign to encourage students in Halls of Residence to reduce their electricity consumption, and our Reuse Fair, a programme to donate unwanted items at the end of term.

Feedback from students attending the Green Mary Market suggested that holding a regular market would help them achieve a more ethical and sustainable lifestyle. The Students’ Union received “Very Good” in the NUS Green Impact accreditation scheme, improving on “Good” previously. We increased our total points awarded by 35%. Following the introduction of the ‘Too Good To Go’ app, our outlets have saved 174 meals from going to waste, as well as 165kg of carbon.

Your Ideas

Our Changes

You told us you wanted us to reduce the amount of disposable plastic we give out in our outlets.

We have replaced plastic straws with paper straws, and replaced plastic cutlery with wooden cutlery!

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Theme 5 We will build a strong Students’ Union that is ready to deliver for students We have implemented several initiatives to ensure that students know how to access the services we have to offer and to make our systems easier to understand and use. We have refreshed our outlets and spaces to ensure our brand is easily recognisable and identifiable. We are ensuring we are communicating what we do and why we do it to students through news articles and celebrating wins and achievements, and several wellbeing initiatives have been put in place to ensure our full-time staff team is happy and healthy.

5.1 Drop-in Sessions for Students

Highlights

223

student staff employed by the Students’ Union

5.2 Wellbeing Initiatives for Staff

2,680,338

Wellbeing initiatives for staff have been implemented throughout the year to foster stronger relationships within our full-time staff team. Initiatives include staffonly Get Active sessions, a staff netball team, regular coffee mornings and the continuation of the Staff Wellbeing Group to monitor and create new initiatives.

£58,504

5.4 Education Wins

views on the website

generated through advertising sales and NUS Extra commission

89%

of students understand that profits from our commercial services are re-invested

75%

of our staff are “proud” to work for the Students’ Union

24

members of staff attended our coffee morning in August

14

The Societies team and the Customer Services Coordinator have started offering regular drop-in sessions at the Hub and BLSA Receptions for student groups and student staff, meaning students now have more opportunities to meet Students’ Union staff face-to-face and discuss any issues or concerns they may have, making our staff team more accessible and approachable on a weekly basis.

Through our News page on our website, we communicated 5 University-wide wins to students. Articles have included wins by Student Council Representatives, securing more funding alongside campaigning students for bursaries, the opening of the Nest and changes delivered by the Executive Officer team, including the new training programme for Course Representatives and work we do for postgraduate students. We are looking to build upon this success over the course of our new strategic plan.

5.3

Refreshing our Spaces We refreshed and rebranded several of our spaces prior to Welcome Week 2017. We renamed Infusion the Union Shop, rebranded Ground Café, the Learning Café and the Village Shop to create a more streamlined and recognisable Students’ Union

look and feel across our outlets, and invested in the redecoration and modernisation of Ground Café. In all aspects of this work, we introduced more signage to highlight that the Students’ Union runs each space, and to emphasise the message that all our profits go back into improving the student experience.

Your Ideas

Our Changes

You said you wanted free sanitary products to be available in our female and gender-neutral toilets.

We now provide free sanitary products in toilets for those who need them.

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Contact details Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union, 329 Mile End Rd, London, E1 4NT su-studentsunion@qmul.ac.uk 020 7882 8030 www.qmsu.org/strategicplan Registered Charity No.1147786 Company Limited by Guarantee Company No. 8092471

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