QMSU Newletter - February 2012

QMSU Newsletter Find out what we’re doing for you

Who will you vote for? election video which will be available at www.qmsu.org/elections before the voting begins.

The Students’ Union election nominations close at 4pm Thursday 2nd February, which is when things really start to heat up. The Union is here to represent you so it is important that you play an active role in the elections and have your say about who should be the next leaders.

One of the best ways to find out more information about them is to come to one of the candidate debates at either Whitechapel or Mile End. Each debate gives you the opportunity to quiz the candidates on why they will be the right person for the job, what they are going to do to improve your experience and what separates their policies from their competition.

Whitechapel Speeches 6pm 8th Feb, Milton Lecture Theatre, Garrod Building

So how do you vote?

The Union elections take place online at www.qmsu. org/elections. We use a system called ‘Single Transferable Vote’ (STV), where you vote in preferential order. You need to put a number ‘1’ next to your favorite candidate, a number ‘2’ next to your second favorite and so on until you have no further preference.

You can vote online between 10am 10th Feb and 4pm 16th Feb. For more information on the elections and candidates go to www.qmsu.org/elections

There will be lots of ways for you to find out about why the candidates have chosen to stand Mile End Debate including their manifesto and 6pm 9th Feb, Ground Café

Award Tickets and Nominations It’s award season at QMSU! Now is your chance to nominate your fellow students for awards and honours! Nominations are now open online for the Awards & Honours Ceremony and will be open shortly for the Club Sport Awards Dinner. If you believe a student or group has excelled in their areas of interest we want to hear about it.

To nominate someone visit: www.qmsu.org/awards Nominations will be reviewed by a panel and awards will be given out at each event. You can also visit www.qmsu.org/awards to find out more information about each of the cermonies and to purchase tickets.

For more information and contact details visit: www.qmsu.org

Volume: 4 February 2012

Go QM Olympic Week is coming...

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• Queen Mary Students’ Union are organising a London 2012 inspired week of sporting activities, volunteering and events for you to get involved in the Olympics happening on your doorstep in 6 months’ time! This week is called ‘Go QM’ and will be taking place from Monday 12th to Friday 16th March. We have also been awarded the prestigious London 2012 Inspire Mark for GO QM week, for delivering events genuinely inspired by the London 2012 Games.

Some of the things we have planned are: •

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An opening ceremony with a mass balloon release in library square involving Union societies A power lifting competition Give it a go sports in library square including a portable climbing wall A triathlon competition where you can run, cycle and row An Olympics themed pub quiz

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Sports pro’s and Olympics hero’s fancy dress party in Drapers A Dodgeball competition for sports clubs to compete against each other 2012 themed volunteering opportunities in the local community QMSU Aspire project’s Paralympic Sport event day And more to be confirmed!!

We are looking for over 70 volunteers to help out in organising the week and ensuring all the events run smoothly, so this is your chance to get involved in the biggest sporting event in the world! To register your interest and to find out more information about the roles available, please fill in a quick form on www.qmsu.org/goqm and more details will be sent out to you.

As a volunteer, you will receive a free GO QM t-shirt, a certificate for your time spent volunteering, gain lots of skills that will boost your employability…and have lots of FUN!

Volunteering Week & Barnardo’s Trolly Dash In this year’s Student Volunteering Week we saw a wide range of opportunities for students to get involved in. We had stalls in library square throughout the week, two Whitechapel Mission CADs (Community Action Days) where students fed the homeless, a clean-up of the walking and cycling routes leading to the Olympic Parks organised by the London Olympics team, and our biggest event, the Barnardo’s Trolley Dash. At the Trolley Dash we collected hundreds of donated toys for the children which Barnardo’s looks after. Almost fifty students volunteered their time to help the Barnardo’s team collect and pack the hundreds of toys.

February’s Up and Coming CADs: Sunday 12th : Whitechapel Mission: Feeding the Homeless (5:30 a.m. start) Tuesday 14th : Trees For Cities:

Keep your eyes peeled for more events confirmed and sign up forms to register for the events on www.qmsu.org

Planting Wednesday 22nd : Thames 21: Help Clean-up the canal by QM! Wednesday 29th : Whitchapel Mission: Feeding the Homeless Look for all these opportunities and more on our website: www.providevolunteering.org (Opportunities are typically made available to apply for a week or two before the date of the event) Sport Volunteering Opportunities: Sport Relief: You could be a part of the national Sport Relief programme, volunteer to help Marshall the London Sport Relief Mile run and make it happen!

London Youth Games: The largest annual youth sports event in Europe, you can volunteer in Media, Sport or Events. Full training is provided, and it gives you the chance to gain real experience working with kids, working in sport, media, or event management.

Look for all these opportunities and more on our website: www.providevolunteering.org t Studen eek: ring w e e t n u Vol 77 ers olunte V s t n Stude 285 red luntee o v s r Hou

Be a part of it!

Marathon Volunteering: www.providevolunteering.org dreds of spectators and runners.

3. To coordinate crossing points for spectators and keep the route clear for runners.

Provide Volunteering, for the seventh year running, has been allocated 70 volunteer positions on Mile 19 in Canary Wharf to help ensure that one of the highlights of the British sporting calendar, the Virgin London Marathon, runs as smoothly as possible. The marathon will take

place on Sunday 22nd April 2012.

Volunteers will take on the role of marshals, with three key main tasks: 1. To ensure that the runners are kept safe.

2. To provide information and answer any questions from hun-

Not only is this a superb chance to be a part of sporting history, it’s a great opportunity to develop skills stewarding and customer service, and it will also be great experience for any Games Time volunteering you may be getting involved in or on any application forms and at interviews. Please note that due to the highly paced, pressurised and demanding nature of this volunteer role, you will need to be able to speak and understand English with confidence to fulfil this role.

For more information and contact details visit: www.qmsu.org

Free Adidas kit and lunch will be provided, as will free travel to and from Canary Wharf on the day.

If you think you’re up to the task then make sure you get your application in as soon as possible.

Visit www.qmsu.org/londonmarathon now to register yourself!

Do you want your lectures recorded?

Student Council

www.qmsu.org/learningresources for your chance to be entered into a free prize draw.

At least four times a semester the Union’s Student Representatives and Part-time Officers meet to discuss and debate the things that matter to you – from fees and cuts to First prize is a £75 Amazon Vouchenvironmental impact and the Uner with three follow up prizes of ion’s direction.

£25 Amazon Vouchers.

Every year the Union runs a Student Experience Seminar to inform the College on a particular topic decided by the Course Reps. This year the chosen topic is Learning Resources. It is clear from the feedback provided by Course Reps there are several potential issues including the library, access to individual work space, course packs, printing and a new demand on recording lectures.

As part of finding out what students think, the Union is conducting a survey to present the College with your opinion! It is crucial that your voice is heard and you take part in the research.

We will also be conducting some follow up research including videos and focus groups, if you want to take part please email philip.gilks@qmsu.org for more information.

You said: There are problems with the learning resources at QMUL.

We did: We will present to the college our recommendations on making improvements to learning resources on the 7th March.

Fill in the survey now at

Any students can attend meetings, submit an issue or motion to be discussed and take part in the debate.

It’s how you can get the Union to focus on your issues and enhance your student experience.

The meetings scheduled for Semester 2 are: 6.30pm 31.01.12 in Francis Bancroft Room 1.02.6, Mile End Agenda Item Deadline: 6.30pm Tuesday 24 January Amendment Deadline: 6.30pm Thursday 26 January

6.30pm 20.03.12 in Francis Bancroft Room 1.02.6, Mile End Agenda Item Deadline: 6.30pm Tuesday 13 March Amendment Deadline: 6.30pm Thursday 17 March 6.30pm 10.05.12 Venue TBC Agenda Item Deadline: 6.30pm Thursday 3 May Amendment Deadline: 6.30pm Monday 7 May Additional meetings can be called by the Student Council Chair. To contact the Chair email chair@qmsu.org.

To find out more about Student Council, including how to submit motions, agendas and minutes, visit www.qmsu.org/studentcouncil.

6.30pm 28.02.12 in the Milton Lecture Theatre, Garrod Building, Barts and The London Agenda Item Deadline: 6.30pm Tuesday 21 February Amendment Deadline: 6.30pm Thursday 23 February

Go Global! Queen Mary International Celebration Day On Friday 2nd March, Queen Mary will be hosting our first ever International Celebration Day: ‘Go Global’, which aims to highlight and celebrate the diversity of nationalities represented in our student and staff body. Go Global will be a unique opportunity to showcase the international nature of our college, with a variety of student performances, food samples, traditional costumes and international music for visitors to enjoy throughout the event.

Upon arrival, all staff and students will be issued with a ‘Go Global Passport’ which will give you access to the event. When you have successfully travelled

around all the different locations and submitted your completed ‘Go Global Passport’ you will then be entered into a draw for the opportunity to win one of three great prizes.

Thanks to all students and societies who have so far volunteered to help out with this new and high profile event. If you would like to be involved but haven’t yet submitted an application to be included in Go Global you can contact claire.britton@qmsu.org for further details.

What would you like from www.QMSU.org?

New Studio Timetable - Now Online Have a smart phone? Scan the image below to download the timetable!

Have an idea for the Timetable?

Email Qmotion@qmsu.org.

Not a member? No problem – Join a class for just £4!

QMSU.org is getting a facelift and we want to know what you want!

The Union will be running a survey and focus groups shortly to find out what you want from the website.

What do you like? What don’t you like? What parts are hard to use?

And what would you like to use the site for? Once the survey is completed we will be looking for candidates to participate in focus groups to help us finely tune the details of the project to make the site the best it can be.

For more information and contact details visit: www.qmsu.org

Until the survey goes live, if you have any suggestions please email webhelp@qmsu.org and we will include your ideas, thoughts and suggestions into our plans.

ut To find o g in everyth e n with th e o g n i o g ak s term m all i h t n o i w Un ick up a p u o y e sur at the planner y Blomele Centre!

Perform at the 2012 Paralympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies!

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympics Games (LOCOG) has issued a call for enthusiastic and energetic performers to participate in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Successful applicants will perform in front of a packed stadium and a worldwide broadcast audience for this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of one of the largest events ever staged in the UK. You do not need to be an experienced performer or dancer to apply, just lots of enthusiasm!

Applicants must be able to participate in up to two auditions that will take place on evenings and weekends in February and March, up to two or three rehearsal sessions each week of up to four hours per session from June, and a number of all-day rehearsals in the three weeks leading up to each Ceremony. All of these rehearsals will take place in East London.

You can find more information and register your interest for this opportunity by completing the online application form at www.london2012.com/ceremoniescasting. The deadline for receipt of applications is 22nd February 2012.

Make sure you tell the Students’ Union about your progress as we’d love to hear your London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic stories!!

You Said, We Did...

You Talk, We Listen...here are the latest suggestions from students that your Union has acted on.

You Said: You enjoyed movies but there is no where on campus to watch them.

We Did: We launched a new monthly movie night with a 100inch projector screen and digital surround sound in drapers club. Showing blockbuster movies recently released from the cinema. These events are totally FREE. You Said: You wanted more sport volunteering opportunities.

We Did: We created a comprehensive line-up of opportunities which you can sign up to on our website, www.providevolunteering.org , including the classics like London Marathon, and the biggest youth sports event in Europe; and some new ones including: Sport Relief, the School Games, a Kids Mini-Marathon, and the introduction of student ‘Sport Makers’.

EARLY BIRD AVAILABLE 8AM - 9.30 AM

SMALL COFFEE £1.20 REGULAR COFFEE £1.60

You Said: You want more student led events in Drapers We Did: We opened applications online for an event that will be held on Feb 9th!

You Said: You want more comfy seats and WiFi in Drapers.

We Did: Watch this space for next months newsletter to find out our plans....

If you have an idea let us know at feedback@qmsu.org

For more information and contact details visit: www.qmsu.org