MONTHLY REPORT (Ref.001) NAME: Paul Greene ELECTED POST: President (Communications & Democracy) DATE: 06/02/14 Update and achievements from previous month Community - Sat on Garthdee community council and had a number of meetings with Paul O’Connor of Inchgarth community centre on working together to improve the students’ image in the community and also to see where we can link up to support each other in joint campaigns. - Have engaged with a range of MSPs, MPs, and local campaigners with regards to the organisation of 2 RGU independence debates to ensure students are informed and that they know how to register to vote. - Have engaged with other students unions with regards to motions, shaping student policy at a National level including the University of the West of Scotland. - Met with locals in the community, the council, local architects and RGU:Sport reps to expand and plan our community garden plot. Engagement - Chatted with numerous students at refreshers fayer, where I mainly manned the student media stall to promote the new version of the Radar Magazine. - Held a number of student media meetings since the last report – First RGU:TV video is out, new version of Radar is out and RGU:Radio are starting to get more organised with regards to training new presenters. - Sent down 5 students to Edinburgh to take part in the University Challenge trials. - Dates have been organised for the 3rd Union & Societies forum of the year. - Have taken on a Gray’s student as a 10-week placement to work on graphic design for the Radar Magazine. Representation - Have had meetings and discussions with the University and other officers
on implementing new Union policy as mandated by the students at the last AGM. While some will come in to place more or less immediately, we have ensured that there is a commitment for transitional discussions. - Represented students in the Garthdee Community Council. -Met with Bishop Hugh Gilbert and Issac Poobalan to discuss representation for Catholic students as suggested by the chaplain, Issac. On campus, myself and Issac helped arrange a mass in Riverside East led by the Bishop. Support - Wrote support pieces supporting our striking staff who are fighting for fair pay in the Higher Education sector and assisted them in the picket lines. - Have continued to support student projects and events by assisting in promotion in publications such as ‘Wired’ and in the Radar Magazine. Development - Have worked on and have had meetings on upcoming trustee board with Michelle, Paddy and Stephen. - Have kicked off some of our climate challenge fund projects by getting started on the garden scheme, getting bikes to the bike shop, organising training by the NUS and hiring staff to take the schemes forward. Have also held meetings with Michelle and Judith on this. - Have been involved in a range of staff interviews to appoint a new volunteering Coordinator with Michelle and Steve and members of staff to run our environmental projects with Michelle. Outline and plan, with timeline, for current month - To work on more promotional videos – one being the delayed distance learner video and the other being the independence debate awareness video – To be done in February. - To continue advancing RGU:Radar, RGU:TV and RGU:Radio by generating content and assisting the media team – February. - Attending academic council with Steve on 11th Dec to discuss and support current academic issues. - To raise awareness of the ‘Fossil Free’ Campaign on Campus – Go Green Week (From 10th Feb). - Promoting and chairing upcoming Union & Societies Forum – 26 th Feb. - Continuing to work with rest of sabbs and management on constitution and short life working group (future of Union) discussion – This has become weekly.
- Pushing for the final furnishing of our student hub in Riverside East and developing the space to be used by student media participants and others – This is to be completely finished by mid-feb according to estates. - To 'GOAT' and 'GOAL' more in order to raise awareness of student media and the RGU Independence Referendum. - To hold two RGU:Independence debates – The radio debate on 12 Feb and the Big debate with guests on the 24th Feb. Personal objectives/Manifesto update
Team objectives/progress update - To really support the promotion of the independence referendum with the neutral had of the Union on in semester 2. Campaign(s) proposal outline (Please remember to submit your completed campaign form.) Campaigns that I will be helping push are: - The independence referendum – being informed and using your vote – happening in semester 2. - Student Media Campaigns to raise awareness of how they can get involved. - The Fossil Free Campaign – Highlight the fact that we should not be increasingly relying and investing in fossil fuels. - Save the Union Campaign (Should we not have city centre presence or if the University fail to offer an alternative). Future Training Course(s)/Conferences details (Please remember to submit your completed Training Course/ Conference form.)
- NUS Scotland Conference 22nd – 23rd March 2014, Dundee. - NUS UK (National) Conference 8th – 10th April, Liverpool. Are there any points you would like raised at the next Executive Board
(Please attach any relevant papers for circulation) -