RSU Scoop // October 2016

a new monthly newsletter from Roehampton students’ union

A new campaign from the RSU

let’s celebrate Page 4

Freshers’ week is now only 11 months away

A week to remember Page 3

also INCLUDED INSIDE Student Mentors Programme Reps fresh network growhampton

Picture: Q at let’s celebrate photoshoot

RSU SCOOP

Contents october 2016 // issue 1 // the scoop 3 Freshers’ week has come and gone. “a week to remeber” here’s a word from the other side of the fence.

4 (cover) let’s celebrate will span across the whole year. george cole will fill you in on what’s coming up in the next month.

5 student mentors. They are here to look out for you!

Programme reps. you can still aplly to be a programme rep.

6 growhampton has kicked off with a bang this year. all hail the kale.

7 fresh media has a new identity. malika kingston has the full scoop.

page 4

page 7

page 6

2

freshers’ week 2016

of people descended on the fair.

Ben Patterson and the RAG team were set up in Monty Hall with 7 shortlisted charities, urging students to vote for their favourite RAG charity of the year. They managed to curate 655 Votes and Breast Cancer Now along with the Children’s Society were picked as this years RAG charities.

photo: duke lighting up tuesday nights’ freshers fesst on froebel lawn

Our RSU societies flourished at the Fair. In total of 867 students signed up. Nearly 10% of students signed up to a society.

So after 5 Freshers’ Weeks across two universities and despite not enjoying this one as a student, I can safely say this was my favourite Freshers’ Week to date.

Please don’t show this to anyone from Brunel or I will be lynched.

Chris Meadway Graphic Designer RSU writes:

I have recently started working at the RSU after studying at Brunel.

It was strange to experience Fresher’s week form the other side of the fence but no less enjoyable.

Night and day the student’s at Roehampton came out in force to enjoy what the RSU had to offer.

The week really started on Monday when the BOP (which I have heard so many things about) was introduced to new students.

The silent disco and UV rave was a spectacle to behold, especially from behind a foggy camera lens.

The BOP was quickly followed the day after by Beat boxing, Brass Bands and Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream at Fresher’s Fest. Duke (pictured) came onto the stage and blew the roof off the Stretch Canopy; followed closely by one of our returning Summer Ball acts the Old Dirty Brasstards. I was

impressed to see so many students standing after their inaugural BOP. “Freshers’ Week at Roehampton blew me away. The buzz around campus throughout the week never failed to amaze.”

When someone said to me that the RSU rented out Thorpe park I did not believe them. But I was proved wrong when my sphincter was nearly removed from my body at the top of Stealth by the 4.5G. President Jack De France, VP Education Marie and I proceeded to run around the park, trying to cram as many rides as possible into the free time we had.

Friday saw Freshers’ Fair spanning half the length of campus.

Students qued throughout the day to get into the entrance at Digby Chapel. It was manic for the Staff working but worth it as thousands

3

black history month what’s on 3rd October – Lunchtime Society Showcase - Wysteria Walk - 12pm2pm 4th October – Cultural Night – Digby Diner and Hive – Evening 8th October – Stand Up To Racism Conference 10th October - Lunchtime Society Showcase – Wysteria Walk - 12pm2pm 12th October – British Museum Tour with Terry Riggs – 1pm – Meet at Grove House to head to South Kensington 17th October – Outdoor Cinema – 7pm – Froebel Courtyard 17th October - Lunchtime Society Showcase – Wysteria Walk - 12pm2pm 18th October – Late Live @ Hive – digby square - 7-9pm 19th October – Black Lives Matter Debate – 5pm 21st October – Exclusive Film Screening with Robert Beckford – 2pm 23rd October – Black Herstory Quiz – 8pm - Union Bar 24th October - Lunchtime Society Showcase – Wysteria Walk - 12pm2pm 2nd November – BAME Leaders – 12pm 2nd November - Black Future Night – 7pm – Union Bar

4

Let’s celebrate photo: jacob taking a hit from the poweder paint used in our let’s celebrate photoshoot.

George Cole, VP Community & Welfare:

Last year you may have seen our hugely successful antidiscrimination campaign ‘LETS STOP’. Through this campaign we aimed to tackle the discrimination on campus and amongst our students.

We ran workshops, held events and challenged the university to

change, with good success. But through this campaign we forgot about what we do well and how successful our students can be.

In light of that, this year we have chosen to make our SU year-long campaign focus on celebrating what we do well and how we can make our future the best it can be. ‘LETS CELEBRATE’ focuses around the positive messages in mental health, black history, environmental issues and so much more. We are going to do monthly focused campaigns around the issues that empower all of you to feel proud of yourself and your university.

Please do keep your eyes out for the first month in October which is Let’s Celebrate Black History Month and get involved!

The Student Mentor initiative was rolled out to great success this year. The Student Mentors are wonderful students who’ve taken a group of first-year students under their wing. Student Mentors help our new off-campus students discover University life and teach them the ways of Roehampton!

The RSU is keen to bridge the gap between the on-campus and off-campus experience for new students. The next steps are to reach out to the off-campus students and find out what we can do to improve their time at Roehampton. Off-campus students: How can we make student life easier for you? Let us know! We’re here for you. We work for you. We’re here with you.

STUDENT MENTORS join our new initiative

Please get in touch with myself if you’re interested in the Student Mentor initiative Jack.De_ France@roehampton.ac.uk

Why should you be a Programme Rep? What will you change this year?

Marie Johansen, VP Education writes:

Have you put yourself forward to be part of one of the biggest and most influential volunteering groups on campus yet? If not, act now before it is too late!

As a Programme Rep, you are so much more than a point of contact for your fellow students. Not only do you gather positive and negative feedback on a range of issues, but you represent students’ views to your Department and the University and provide suggestions for improving

the student experience. This means you have got the perfect opportunity to improve teaching, facilities, programmes and the community at Roehampton!

Being a Programme Rep is not only invaluable to both your course mates and the University, but also to you! It looks incredible on your CV, and provides you with the opportunity to receive formal training, learn negotiation skills, gain confidence and most importantly know that you are making a positive difference to the

student experience.

The Students’ Union provides all Programme Reps with comprehensive and ongoing training throughout the year after they have been elected so, don’t worry, you will know how to get the most of your role!

So, how do I become a Programme Rep? Programme Rep Elections take place in the first weeks of term, so if you want to contribute to changing the world around you, think about becoming a Programme Rep! Get in touch with your Programme Convenor if you wish to be a Programme Rep.

5

On Wednesday we did our first harvest of the year and as always picked the freshest, best vegetables ready for our big Market Day Extravaganza on Thursday. Here we set up our farmers market selling our campus grown greens alongside our amazing bread angel, smoothie bike, thrift shop, bike mechanic, the feel good bakery sandwiches, chegworth valley fruit, veg and juices and the cool cats from karma cola.

studio timetable

sept 2016 - may 2017 morning

lunchtime

monDay

abs 12.30 - 13.00 Gym

tUesDay

sanity 08.00 - 08.45 Gym

thUrsDay

ibiza stretch 08.00 - 08.45 Gym

WeDnesDay

Kettelbells 13.00 - 13.30 Gym

afternoon

spin 17.15 - 18.00 Gym

abs 12.30 - 13.00 Gym spin 13.15 - 14.00 Gym abs 12.30 - 13.00 Gym pilates 12.30 - 13.30 Davies

Dance aerobics 17.30 - 18.30 monty

abs 12.30 - 13.00 Gym

Kettlebells 17.00 -17.30 Gym

spin 13.15 - 14.00 Gym

yoGa 17.30 - 18.30 michealis

abs 12.30 - 13.00 Gym

FriDay

photo: Megan repping the new growhampton t shirts at their thrift shop.

Like many on campus, Growhampton kicked off the academic year with a bang during Freshers Week. Firstly we ran a student led tour of our edible campus. New students heard from one of our current volunteers who guided them around the container garden at The Hive, the chickens, the old and new orchards and our allotment as well as growing spaces.

satUrDay

ready. set. grow!

Celia Briseid, Growhampton Coordinator writes:

bootcamp 11.00 - 11.45 Gym

openinG hoUrs: monday to Friday 07.00 - 21.00 saturday & sunday 10.00 - 18.00

telephone: 0208 392 8181 email: roeactive@roehampton.ac.uk

roeactive roehampton University, Froebel college, roehampton lane, london sW15 5pJ

Friday was a huge day at Freshers Fair where we had presence both in Digby Square and up in the Freshers Village. We signed up around 150 new students who want join Growhampton.

It was fabulous chatting to so many different students from such diverse backgrounds and fields of study - it really was testament to how unifying food really is.

We had interest from such wonderful people who wanted to help take care of our chickens, harvest vegetables, help in the thrift shop, blog for us and of course learn to grow!

We are super excited about the year ahead and all the wonderful delicious food that we are going to grow, cook, share and eat. So get ready and get set because we are ready to grow! www.growhampton.com

6

Photo: fresh media has a new identity. malika kingston has the full scoop.

Fresh Media has been revamped in to completely new Fresh Network! The aim of the game is to provide a platform for students who love media and want to pursue career in it. No experience needed, the Fresher ( see what we did there, heh ) you are, the better!

Do you love music and you live to entertain people? Fresh Air Radio is the one for you! Want to do a 5 minute spotlight or a 24 hour stream? We have everything covered!

All writers and bloggers unite!

Want a platform to share your reviews, stories and experiences?

We’re here for you. All the articles will be published on our dedicated website and a selection of them will be printed in our magazine!

FreshTV is taking a brand new approach to student TV this year.

No more boring coverage of events. You decide what you want to see. Challenges, vlogs, stand-up shows. You get to choose!

“ Fresh Media has been revamped in to completely new Fresh Network! “ There are loads of exciting things Fresh Network will be involved in this year such as Jail Break, weekly events around campus, 24hr radio show and more. Get involved, have some fun and add something cool to your CV. Freshnetworkrsu.com Malika.kingston@roehampton. ac.uk

7

SP E E N CIAL I L N O

35

%

OFF

*

When you Spend ÂŁ30 or more online at dominos.co.uk

online code: GKJABJCN COLLECTION OR DELIVERY

188 Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen, SW14 8AN

020 8878 56 56 Opening Hours: Fri & Sat 11am - 1am, Sun - Thurs 11am - Midnight

8

*Not valid with any other offer. Excludes ice cream and drink. Valid at participating stores only. Valid online only at dominos.co.uk. see Competitions and Offers at Boring Legal Stuff at dominos.co.uk for full details. Offer expires 18/12/2016.