REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
The Annual Report of AUSA
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
CONTENTS Our Vision, Mission Statement & Core Values Outgoing President’s Welcome Societies & Student Activities Sport Charities Welfare, Campaigns & Advice Education & Employability Student Media Democracy General Manager’s Report Social Activities & Events A Word From The AUSA President 2008/09 Financial Statements
3 4 5 8 11 13 16 19 21 23 27 30 31
FSC logo to be inserted here. Aberdeen University Students’ Association is a registered Scottish Charity, No. SC037971
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AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Our Vision
Enriching and supporting the student community by providing a wide range of high quality services and opportunities
Our Mission Statement
AUSA provides representation and services for students, run by students, to enhance their experiences and enable students to enjoy and gain more from their University education
Our Core Values • • • • • • •
A pleasant, safe and healthy environment An environment where students should have fun while learning Effective representation, advice and support for students Student focused service provision Opportunities for personal development Accountability, integrity and fairness Always striving for continuous improvement 3
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Outgoing President’s Welcome It is with great pleasure that I write the welcome to our annual report. This has been both a very busy and successful year for AUSA and I am extremely proud to have been President of such a fantastic Association. The annual report is a great way of documenting the success of AUSA over the past year and is another big step towards making AUSA more transparent and accountable to its stakeholders, as is the continued increase in the number of students attending the Association’s Annual General Meeting. More than 500 students attended this year’s AGM. Another huge step towards making the Students’ Association more relevant, more accountable - and most importantly more effective - was the election of AUSA’s largest student council yet. With over 100 elected representatives the
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positive effect this has had on the outputs of AUSA was clear to see. I would like to end this welcome by thanking all the AUSA representatives for their hard work over the last year, especially my fellow sabbaticals and members of the executive.
Angela Fraser AUSA President 2007-08
Societies & Student Activities
Societies Union Societies’ Fundraisers Alumni Funding Societies’ Forums Camapign for Societies’ Space Society of the Year Award
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Societies Union The Societies Union began the year with 60 societies, by the end of the second semester this number had risen to 90 and by the end of the academic year there were just over 100 societies at AUSA. This growth in societies also coincided with the increase in the number of filled positions on the Societies Union committee, ensuring that societies had a greater amount of representation on Council. Societies and Student Activities This year has been a particularly active year for societies with several new ones setting up. The Vegan and Vegetarian society introduced a new take on the importance of societies on campus with their dedication to the promotion and understanding of vegan and vegetarianism. The Land Economy society successfully pulled off another fantastic May ball due to the dedication of their committee. Nippon Connections held several enjoyable Japanese celebrations through the year and produced some of the best publicity material on campus. The fast growing campaign
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for sustainable transport on campus was boosted this year with the Becycle group finally securing a temporary workshop for their activities. Becycle collect and repair unused bikes to be used by members, enabling students access to hiring bikes in exchange for helping to repair more for the group’s collection. These examples are just some of the activities that occurred throughout the year but none of them would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the committees who host these societies. It is the volunteers talent that enables these groups to function under varying conditions and opportunities.
Societies’ Fundraisers Societies fundraisers were a new concept introduced this year to encourage
societies to work together and help each other raise money for their various activities. The first event held on Halloween, was a great success beginning at the Union Bar and moving on to the Tunnels - an excellent late night venue in the centre of town. Without the support of this local venue many of the societies events would not have been possible this year. Alumni Funding Further addressing the issue of the funding situation for societies, the Societies Union was successful in its application to the Annual Alumni Fund and was awarded £10,000 to assist societies in their desire to expand their current activities. The funding enabled societies to give their members a greater experience of their group. Several societies benefited from the fund such as the Hungarian society who subsidised their members to go to Budapest to experience the true culture which they celebrate. The newly formed Dance Society were able to purchase a valuable dance floor which will enable them to hold tap classes and perform in a range of
venues across the city in a safe and professional manner. Such items as this will also benefit a range of other societies who may require it for one-off events throughout the year. Furthermore, the Revelation Rock Gospel
Choir were able to travel to London to attend a professional workshop from a leading conductor. It is opportunities like this that are so often prevented from occurring due to the lack of funding of the Societies Union. It is hoped that such vital funding may be available for future societies’ members to benefit from. Societies’ Forums This year, in addition to the many activities held by societies and the continuous debate on funding for societies, the area of student activities development was also
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
addressed. Inconsistencies across Scottish Student Associations has lead to a lack of support between student activity departments. It was therefore felt by the Societies Union Committee that Societies Forums should be championed by NUS Scotland, enabling AUSA and other Student Associations to participate in regular forums to share experiences and to provide support to one another. A motion was successfully passed at the NUS Scotland Conference in June and the support of such forums will hopefully be present to student activity departments in the near future. Campaign for Societies’ Space A key realisation for the Societies Union this year was the increasing pressure being placed on space at Aberdeen University. It was recognised early on
that a large proportion of societies’ funding is given to external venues. Societies are often expected to use spaces on campus that are unsuitable for their activities and this can often discourage several events from going ahead. The Societies Union continued through the year to lobby the University to give over a portion of space dedicated to Societies and Student Activities. While this campaign is on-going it is feared the longer the debate continues the greater the number of Aberdeen University students will fail to have the full experience of University life they deserve. Society of the Year Award The Society of the Year Award for 2007/08 was awarded to the International society who, after many years of successful organisation and activities, were finally acknowledged for their excellent work. While the International society were among many fantastic societies considered for this award, it was the commitment of the committee involved and the success of their events which proved to be their winning quality. The society boasts over 500
members and is at the heart of our international community on campus. The many trips, social events and meetings the group hold ensure their members gain a full experience of Scotland while they study at Aberdeen. Perhaps one
of the most impressive aspects of this society is that its committee are often largely international students themselves and with the frequent change over of its committee the society has maintained its identity and organisation year after year.
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Sport
Sports Union Superteams Blues Sports Ball Granite City Challenge and The Boat Race Soccer 6s Rugby 7s Intra-Mural Sports Facilities Fixtures Blues Winners 2007/08
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Sports Union The Sports Union is responsible for running student sport in the Students’ Association. Its job is to increase participation in sport and recreation by putting on events and activities. The VP Sport’s job is to oversee all of this including our 58 affiliated sports clubs by arranging fixtures, training times, facilities, managing the volunteers and much more. Superteams This one day event was held on Sunday 9th March on campus. It was one of the biggest student sport participation events of the year with over 400 students involved. The volunteer team worked tirelessly on different stages of the event, which included many fun sports events. The event was a big success, everybody had a great day out and it increased student’s
participation in sport - a big aim of the Sports Union. Blues Sports Ball This year we moved to Hilton for a bigger and better ball with 601 guests, various prizes and awards including the Blues winners
were presented. Guests were also joined by ITV commentator Clive Tyldsley who gave the guest of honour speech. Granite City Challenge and The Boat Race The annual inter-varsity sporting challenge against city rivals - The Robert Gordon University – took place on Wednesday 19th March. Although the Granite City Challenge itself was lost to RGU the Boat race was successfully defended. Soccer 6s The men’s Soccer 6s was held on Kings playing field
and attracted 30 teams. A BBQ and bar was also held during the day which contributed to the football club raising badly needed funds for their club. Rugby 7s Held every year on Kings playing field, this event is always a favourite with players and supporters. It is a big fundraiser for the rugby club with a barbeque and bar. Intra-Mural Aberdeen University could always boast a successful intra-mural football programme. After some analysis of the successes and failures of other institutions a re-vamp was started which saw the move into rugby, squash, cricket and hockey. The year ended with 1,000 students competing weekly in fun leagues with and against friends within the University. Further expansion plans see indoor hockey, bowling, a range of racket sports and a further football league all being unveiled for season 2008/09. Sports Facilities The new sports facility, Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV), continues to rise rapidly from the dust
as the sportscotland, University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council partnership continues to bare fruit. Exciting times certainly lie ahead for sports development and provision within AUSU, University of Aberdeen and the wider community. This sports development has been encouraged by extra funding made available for coaching and has seen direct results in the sports
targeted. Fixtures Over 300 fixtures were played by Monday 4th February. The next stage saw 24 of our 34 teams
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AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
qualify for the BUSA knockouts, an Aberdeen University record, to compete against teams throughout the UK and 9 won their leagues (another Aberdeen record!). Of these 24 teams, 4 made it to the final, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Fencing and Men’s Golf, a third record and both Golf and Volleyball won. These are amazing achievements considering Aberdeen have previously only had one win in many years...and the fourth record of the year.
Blues Winners 2007/08
a three year deal all clubs and teams now play in identical strips. The design, named ‘Butchart’, will be recognisable across the world. After negotiations ceased 3,500 pieces of clothing for 750 athletes costing £42,000 were ordered and will be ready for season 2008/09.
Outwith inter-University there were some notable successes in local and national leagues. The most impressive being the Men’s Rugby win over Portobello Rugby Club in the final of the Scottish Hydro Electric Plate at Murrayfield. It was an amazing spectacle that saw several thousand supporters applaud the first University in history to an SRU finals day win. Sports Brand A combined University of Aberdeen sports brand was an exciting new project started last year and which is now beginning to see results. With the help of £20,000 pledged by the University and £24,000 from Kukri Ltd in
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Full Blues Name David Campbell Tim Bergin Sean O’ Murchie Patrick Gallagher Fiona Thomson Carol Montgomery Hayley Stuart Joy Elliott Nikhil Ninan
Sport Rugby Rugby Gaelic Football Gaelic Football Athletics Field Sports Underwater Hockey Shinty Cricket
Half Blues Name Jamie Rupar Gabriel Holmes Michael Hunter Michael Barrie Rory McGowan Andrew Laurie Emma Parr Jamie Alexander Hannah Llewellyn Margaret Coward Eilidh Walker Ross McClelland Helena-Leigh Henneveld Ashling Egan Emma Dobbs Anna-Marie Love Catriona Kyle Jennifer Boyle
Sport Rugby Rugby Rugby Gaelic Football Gaelic Football Rifle Rifle Archery Archery Underwater Hockey Shinty Waterpolo Waterpolo Gaelic Football Gaelic Football Gaelic Football Lacrosse Lacrosse
Charities
Student Show BookEnds Torcher Parade Other Events
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Throughout this past year, members of the Charities Campaign have been working hard to raise as much money as possible for local groups in and around Aberdeen. This year £58,417 was raised by Aberdeen students via a wide range of small and very large scale events and initiatives. £50,000 was disbursed to 76 local charities and voluntary organisations in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire areas with amounts ranging from £50 to £8,000 and £8,417 disbursed to 7 national charities, where amounts ranged from £150 to £2,500. This is a great effort once again. Student Show “Date Expectations” was this year’s Student Show and was, as always, of an incredible standard. It was well received by the public and raised over £30,000.
BookEnds BookEnds, our second hand bookshop, is also continuing to improve, with more and more students becoming aware of and using the service, in turn generating more money for the Campaign. thousands of pounds. Nevertheless, the support from the Aberdeen public was amazing and will undoubtedly secure the future of the event for years to come.
Torcher Parade This year’s Torcher Parade was unfortunately cut short as a result of an incident involving a motorbike on Union Street prior to the parade setting off on its second leg from Queen’s Cross. The difficult decision to abandon the parade was made in conjunction with Grampian Police on the grounds of safety and the floats were diverted to AECC for dismantling. There was obvious disappointment for the thousands of people of all ages who had turned out to see the parade - and the loss of potentially
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Other Events In addition to the annual events that remain popular including the Fashion Show, Jailbreak and Jeans in the ‘Deen, this year saw a return of Gala Saturday as well as the introduction of a Grand Raffle. All of these, along with the smaller bake sales, Eureka selling, street collections, carol singing, pub crawls and schools collections were organised and contributed to the final total disbursed. (Torch Bearer photo -credit: David Porter)
Welfare, Campaigns & Advice
Welfare Campaigns & Events Niteline Info & Advice Centre
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Welfare This year Welfare at AUSA has moved from strength to strength. The Info & Advice Centre has seen a far larger number of students gain from its services, while the full time permanent staff position of Centre Coordinator meant that services and events could be further developed. This allowed the Vice President Advice & Support more scope to support and represent students with appeal, complaint, and discipline cases, as well as to engage further in AUSA development, and University led discussions on matters such as the Curriculum Reform process, the advising system, and equality and diversity at the University. This year also saw the change of title for the Sabbatical Officer responsible for the general area of student welfare. At the AGM in February 2008, it was unanimously decided that as of the academic year 2008/09, the Vice President Advice & Support would be known as the Vice President Welfare & Equal Opportunities, offering more clarity as to the areas of responsibility under
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the remit of this Officer. At that same AGM, a new standing committee was also created, which will fall under the remit of the Vice President Welfare & Equal Opportunities. The new Environment & Ethics Committee, along with a corresponding Executive Officer, reflects the changing views of students, and will no doubt contribute to the environmental and ethical practices of AUSA and the University. Campaigns and Events This year the Info & Advice Centre, the Welfare Committee and Equal Opportunities Committee jointly organised several campaigns and events. The year began with the Easy Tiger campaign during Freshers’ Week, reminding students to ‘Have Fun, Be Safe.’ A Finance Week was organised in October, where AUSA’s
resident money advisor had a record number of appointments and drop in sessions. In December a World AIDS Day event took place, where 92 students, staff, and other members of the community formed a ‘human red ribbon’ in order to mark the day.
Stress Awareness Fortnight took place during the exam period in February, with juice and healthy snacks being given out, as well as information on relaxation and avoiding exam stress. A Safety & Security Week was also held, with information from Grampian Police. March saw the 2nd annual Accommodation Fayre, with 500 students meeting landlords and letting agencies, as well as getting useful information from AUSA and external groups. Also in March was No Smoking Day, where information packs were
given out by mascots including Angus the Bull of Aberdeen Football Club. Many of these campaigns and events were successfully organised in conjunction with local organisations such as NHS Grampian, Grampian Police, and Aberdeen City Council, for which AUSA is grateful. The Vice President Advice & Support has also been involved in several ongoing campaigns. These include supporting the AUSA President in the campaign to create a safer route from campus to Hillhead Halls of Residence, as well as the joint campaign between AUSA, the University Unions, and the parents group of the Rocking Horse Nursery, in order to secure the future of Universityprovided childcare on campus. Other national campaigns included the opposition against the Scottish Executive recommendations for placing limits on the number of HMO licensed properties in an area, as well as opposing the Scottish Executive proposal to raise the alcohol purchasing age, as student groups in Scotland do not see this as a realistic and fair way to tackle
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
the drinking problem in Scotland. Niteline This year Niteline had 41 volunteers, and benefited from closer links with the Vice President Advice & Support as well as the Info & Advice Centre Coordinator. Development plans for Niteline are in place for more tailored training, as well as the possibility of securing funding for the annual residential training weekend.
popular of the Centre’s services, with an average of 30 properties per month available on the accommodation database between August 2007 and July 2008.
Info & Advice Centre The Info & Advice Centre has quickly become the ‘face’ of AUSA Welfare, and often AUSA as a whole. This year the Centre has had over 4500 drop-in visits alone, not including queries dealt with via
email and telephone. Accommodation advertising and advice remains the most
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Education & Employability
Education & Employability Education Committee Class Reps Joblink Volunteering Non-Academic Recognition Scheme
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Education & Employability Education and Employability is possibly one of the largest remits within AUSA. It covers all aspects of academic affairs through to opportunities for students to improve their CV with the Joblink and Volunteering Services. This year it has been dominated by the on going Curriculum Reform at
the University, which has included a large degree of involvement of student officers in the development of the University, and its future plans. There was an increase in the number of class reps being trained. This coupled with Sparqs project to look at student engagement within the University of Aberdeen has lead to Schools working with AUSA to improve the experience of the student reps.
This year the University entered into a project to review the curriculum on offer. This is a far reaching project potentially affecting all parts of the University. There were 3 student reps with positions on the Curriculum Commission, the main decision making body, along with heavy involvement from AUSA reps throughout the various sub committees. It is thanks to the involvement of these individuals that the voice and needs of students are held at the centre of this project. This can be shown by the mention in the reports to the Commission of the importance of the need to ensure adequate student support, the importance of co-curricular activities and the need to ensure future employability. Overall, this has been a year of many challenges and opportunities but with the dedicated work of AUSA Education volunteers there will be continued improvement in the education available to the students of Aberdeen, continuing to keep their voice at the heart of the University’s decision
making process. Education Committee The Education Committee has once again been one of the most active committees within the Association with involvement in ongoing Curriculum Reform, quality assurance and enhancement activities in the University. Also again the students were an active voice on the University Senate and in the committee structure ensuring the students views were heard. Class Reps This year there has been in excess of 350 class reps elected with over 100 receiving training. The
Education Committee has been working to improve the links between the academic units and the class reps to better realise their role in the University. There has also begun a
review to looking at the existing structure and how it will work within the new University structure. Joblink AUSA Joblink has continued to provide our member’s with links to quality employers including information and advice i.e. National Insurance numbers, National Minimum Wage, Income tax, part-time work, temporary opportunities and full time jobs. AUSA Joblink was established in 1996 as a means of alleviating student hardship. Paid employment enables students to gain valuable experience and work related skills which can improve their graduate employability. This year AUSA Joblink increased the number of hours that employers can advertise a post to 25 hours per week. AUSA Joblink realise that the pressure on students to fund themselves through University has increased and felt that it would be in the students best interest to be more accommodating during their employment search. In 2007 / 2008 AUSA Joblink had 3,543
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AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
registered students and 1,050 registered employers on their database. AUSA Joblink held 2 Recruitment Fayre’s this year, one in the spring term and the other in winter term, both of which were very successful with an average of 700 students attending each event. Volunteering AUSA Volunteering continues to offer students the opportunity to volunteer and gain new skills and experience in order to enhance their life skills and career prospects. There are currently over 100 voluntary organisations registered with the service, offering more than 200 different opportunities. These include: Childline Aberdeen Arts Centre Citizens Advice Bureau Aberdeen Countryside Project
Befriend a Child ASPIRENorth Active Schools Aberdeen During the year, voluntary organisations have visited the Students’ Association to promote their opportunities to students. AUSA Volunteering have also organised events to promote the service and encourage students to find out more. The key message has been the importance to them of “Standing out from the Crowd”; employers look for more than just qualifications; personal qualities and transferable skills such as time management and communication amongst others are important, which can be gained and built upon by volunteering. AUSA Volunteering also has a variety of internal voluntary opportunities which students can get involved with. These opportunities are varied and are spread over a whole range of different activities so there will be something to suit everyone which will, in turn, help students get more involved in student life from day one. These opportunities include:
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Aberdeen Student Radio (ASR) Niteline (confidential listening and support service) Dirty Weekenders (volunteering group who help out in the local community) BookEnds (second-hand bookshop) Students’ Charities Campaign Gaudie (student newspaper) Non-Academic Recognition Scheme 2007/08 saw the demise of Futureskills however the University recognised that skills development was extremely beneficial for our students and agreed, in conjunction with AUSA, to develop a scheme to support this. The Non-Academic Recognition Scheme was piloted from February 2008 for one semester, with some degree of success. Aiming to support skills development by activities recording and reflecting on the learning process involved within students’ extra-curricular activities, it was piloted using a small number of internal volunteers from AUSA including the Non-Sabbaticals on the
Executive Committee, our Dirty Weekenders Scheme Committee and the Area of Study Convenors on the Education Committee. Seven individuals submitted their documents for assessment and we were very pleased when all seven where awarded University certificates for their hard work and skills development. The scheme is running an extended pilot in the academic year 2008/09; renamed ‘The STAR Award – Students Taking Active Roles’ it will be bigger and more in-depth but will still aim to support the development of students’ skills through their extracurricular activities.
Student Media
18th March 2008
PAGE 2 FAQs got a question about the e:lections? Hopefully we have the answers inside...
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Gaudie
First Class support for Superteams Tom Ogilvie AUSA Sports Union
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Gaudie BACK PAGE
Est. 1934
VOTE NOW - OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE
Ross Brechin AUSA CANDIDATE INDEX This week's edition of Locate the candidates Gaudie - the last of the for each position - and term - has been given take a look at their mug- over to coverage of this shots!... year's AUSA Elections for Executive and nonExecutive positions for the 2008-09 Academic Year. MANIFESTOS Find out what each You should by now be candidate stands for and familiar with most, if not what they are going to all, this year's candidates do for you! and their campaigns - but if not, we've got all the information you'll need to make an informed decision when the polls MONEY MATTERS open on Thursday. Find out how YOU can get paid for coming to Remember these Uni... elections are YOUR chance to decide the future of AUSA and how it's run for the next year your chance to cast a vote SABB ROLES and make a difference. Ever wondered what your Sabbatical Officers These elections look set to are responsible for? be the fiercest-fought for a Find out here... number of years with over 30 candidates running for 17 positions. With posts ranging from PARTY TIME! the 'top job' of AUSA Whether you're celebrating an election President right through to non-sabbatical posts, win or the end of term, these elections provide its time to PARTY!
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FREE
the student body with a chance to participate in a democratic process to determine who will be running the Association in areas such as entertainments, welfare, education, representation, sport, societies and much, much more. If you are unsure why you should be voting, how to vote and who you can vote for, then read on! Instructions on how to take part in the e-voting system and all candidates' manifestos are contained within these pages and will help you to make an informed choice when voting opens at 0900 on Thursday 20th March, 2008.
Remember to make your voice heard and make a difference by taking part in these elections - don't just stand back and be apathetic! There are also other ways to get involved with AUSA in the coming weeks with massive events at King's Playing Field, Torcher Parade, and of course the musical comedy extravaganza that is Student Show - 'Date Expectatios' - runs at HMT from Tuesday 15th - Sat 19th April! For more informarion on these evetns and more, check out AUSA's website at www.ausa.org.uk
On Sunday the 9th of March Aberdeen University saw the return of the annual Superteams event. Thankfully this year we were not only blessed with good weather, but also two very generous sponsors in First Transport Group and the Army, without whose generous contributions the day would have been impossible. Superteams this year saw 48 teams competing over a veritable smorgasbord of events all in an attempt to be crowned Superteam of the year. The day started with the traditional sprints, with many teams making definite statements of intent right from the starting claxon. Throughout the remainder of the day teams were tested on the climbing walls, the laser clay pigeon shoot, on human dog sleds, human table football, and a particularly gruelling core strength base.
services weren’t required too often, leaving Dr Jonty ample time to mingle with the students and try his hand at some of the challenges. The organisers would like to thank everybody who was involved in this year’s event from the contestants themselves to the massive body of volunteers who selflessly gave up their Sunday to make sure the day ran smoothly. Special thanks go to the first aid group, and of course to those members of the Sports Union committee (and Ross) who worked all through the night to make Sunday a success.
Congratulations go to “We love the Smell of the PushUps in the Morning” who managed to accumulate a strong lead to finish the day as overall winners; whilst in the competition for the Supermen and Superwomen Reza Najafian and Sandy Jeffery showed their superior capabilities. We hope that everyone enjoyed their day, and that it has inspired you to come back for more next Despite the presence of the year! BBC’s Street Doctor team at the event, thankfully their
Aberdeen Student Radio (ASR) AUSA Website - www.ausa.org.uk
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Gaudie Over the course of the last year, Gaudie has gone through a number of changes. Perhaps the most significant of these was the move to full colour, which it is felt has improved the overall quality of the newspaper immeasurably. Gaudie covered stories ranging from the proposed closure of the Union Bar to AURFC’s historic visit to Murrayfield, as well as the usual mix of interviews, reviews and an insight into a student’s eye view on the world. It is crucial that the paper receives the backing of the student population for next year. Writing for Gaudie should be a badge of honour and hopefully through the sustained development of the paper this goal can be reached. It may be cliché, but the people who really have the power to help Gaudie improve and grow aren’t the AUSA or the newspaper staff - it is the students. So get behind Chris and the new team in the coming year and hopefully we can see Gaudie develop even further into something that the University can be truly proud of. Aberdeen Student Radio Aberdeen Student Radio (ASR) is the University of Aberdeen’s student radio station. ASR is about to go into its second year of internet broadcasting. This
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online media has brought the student body another outlet for students to voice their opinions, have live on air debates and generally get involved with current affairs and popular culture. It was also developed as a way to engage our diverse student body and involve them in the Students’ Association media family. ASR began its marketing campaign during Freshers’ Week 2007 and has since developed an outstanding volunteer base of over 100 dedicated
volunteers which include DJs, technical staff, programmers and station personnel. The station went live on its launch day on the 24th September, 2007 with a five hour live broadcast and then a gig at the Union, all recorded for the station. The first radio committee was elected in May of that year and took
the station through its first year of broadcasting. During the year the station aired 66 hours a week and operated over 80 hours a week - divided between the 6 committee members. ASR attracted listeners from all the large cities in Britain as well as listeners from all over the world. Along with broadcasting, the station actively covered local musicians and bands and hosted several successful music events throughout the year. ASR is now operating in its second year. This is the first time in the University’s history that a student radio station has operated for over a year. The station is moving on and continuously improving and is well established for the future with; live on location broadcasts, gig review, live music events as well as a wide variety of shows and debates. If you haven’t listened to ASR yet, now is the time to do so.
AUSA Website Work started this year towards the implementation of a brand new, more interactive website for AUSA due to some of the shortcomings identified with the current site. However, during this year the AUSA website was still heavily used with the Joblink, Societies and the Info & Advice Centre’s Accommodation pages being the top viewed pages for the year. In all from 1st August 2007 to 31st July 2008 the website was visited on 131,042 different occasions with 742, 670 pages viewed.
Representation Democracy
Elections Council Executive Committee AGM Rectorial Election
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Elections Following on from last year’s successful introduction of the Online voting system it was used once again in this year’s elections. The total number of voters for the Executive Committee Elections in March was 1778 with 12334 votes being cast. This equates to almost 7 votes per member. The timing of the Executive Committee elections was also changed this year with the elections being held before the Easter break. This gave more time to run the Standing Committee elections after the Easter break before the exams started. This was probably not as successful as had been hoped and the timings of the elections will be re-evaluated for next year’s elections. By the end of the 2007/08 academic year AUSA had managed to fill its entire Executive committee for 2008/09 and have approximately 40% of SA Council places filled also. Council This year’s Council was the largest in the history of AUSA and also the best
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attended. Meetings took place every four weeks or on occasions more frequently. The main policies debated on this year included a no platform policy, an AUSA policy to support the campaign against increasing the drinking age to 21 in Scotland, and another to ensure that the Union is kept accessible to all, amongst a wide range of other student focused issues.
passed at the AGM was the introduction of an Environment & Ethics Committee. This, with the changes made to the number of members in the Entertainments Committee and Charities Committee mean that even more students will be able to get involved with the running of the Association. A motion was also passed to change the VP Advice & Support title to VP Welfare & Equal Opportunities.
Executive Committee The Executive Committee have been extremely effective. Always well attended the Executive met every two weeks during term time. The Executive are tasked with putting in the behind the scenes work to ensure that AUSA policy which is passed by Council is enforced. The Executive also ensure that constitutional commitments are adhered to. (see page 26 for the full Committee)
Rectorial Election With Robin Harper’s 3-year term of office as Rector coming to an end in the summer of 2008, an election was held to appoint a successor for the following 3 years.
AGM This year’s AGM was a great success and was attended by 576 students. The AGM debated on a number of constitutional changes aimed at making AUSA more accountable. The biggest change
Two candidates were put forward by students - Martin Ford and Stephen Robertson, MBE. The latter won a very close election and is to be installed at a ceremony in October.
General Manager’s Report
AUSA Strategic Plan Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) Curriculum Reform Audit Student Engagement Space Training & Development Staff Structure Members’ Feedback Partnerships with Stakeholders Proposal for Administrative Support Service Level Agreement
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
AUSA Strategic Plan This was the final year of our three year Strategic Plan (Autumn 2005 – 2008) which has been reviewed and updated on an annual basis. We are proud of our achievements and successes during the life of the plan and these are outlined in the annual Strategic Plan reviews (available to view on the AUSA website – www.ausa. org.uk). Real progress and development has been made in many areas over the lifespan of the plan, though we acknowledge that there is still much we can improve upon that will positively impact on our members and stakeholders. As the previous Strategic Plan ran from Autumn 2005 – 2008, we have been working hard during 2008 to produce the new short term Strategic Plan that will become live from Autumn 2008. With our involvement in SUEI, it was felt appropriate that a short term Strategic Plan was put in place meantime, as significant future changes may be recommended via SUEI. The implementation and regular review of the Strategic Plan will ensure that we drive forward the
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Association’s aims and objectives. Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) There is never room for complacency in any organisation and AUSA are always striving for continuous improvement. We signed up for cohort four of the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) which began at the beginning of January 2008. This is a two year process of assessment, evaluation, identifying areas for improvement, and evidencing outcomes of all activities within the Association, culminating in a final audit, report and application for accreditation. SUEI has become the national model of quality assessment within Student Unions/Associations and is endorsed by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills (DIUS). During 2008 (up until September), we have held and attended a number of workshops, undertaken self assessment and been working on producing
action plans for our first two themes which are now in the process of being implemented: Theme One - participation, representation and governance Theme Two - vision, objectives & yearly plans and member focus. Towards the end of 2008 and during 2009 we need to address themes three to five which focus on the following: Theme 3 - general management, effective performance and political management Theme 4 - impact, reputation and services Theme 5 - communication, finance and partnerships As expected this is definitely a challenging process. However, it is important if we are to ensure that everything we do is member focused, appropriate and relevant. Curriculum Reform The University is embarking on a major Curriculum Reform project. The Curriculum Reform project is a review of our education objectives, programme structures and curriculum content, with a view to developing a high
quality and distinctive educational experience for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Aberdeen, which takes account of developing international approaches. The results of the Curriculum Reform will potentially have a massive impact on students for many years to come. AUSA has been fully represented on the curriculum commission, steering group and most other ‘related’ groups. We have been able to undertake research, consult with and put forward the views of our members at all stages. As the University moves towards the decision making and implementation stages AUSA will continue to have full representation and ensure that the views and voice of our members is heard and all relevant issues addressed. Audit AUSA was subject to an audit in November/ December 2007 as part of the University Strategic Internal Audit rolling programme. This included ‘an audit of the governance arrangements
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
within the Association and consideration of the robustness of the Students’ Association interface with the University.’ A second element of the audit is ‘to review the respective roles and relationship between the Students’ Association Sports Union and the University’s Sport and Recreation Services.’ The audit report received in March 2008 made a number of recommendations for improvements in particular areas, some of which have already been implemented and others that will be addressed during 2008/09. A progress report was submitted to the University Audit Committee in August 2008. Student Engagement Space The Sabbatical team have been lobbying strongly for enhanced student engagement space. It is widely acknowledged that social and activity space on campus is lacking and this has a significant impact on our members. The 2008/09 team are committed to carrying on this fight for improved provision of these important facilities.
Training & Development Achieving the Investors in People (IiP) national quality standard in 2006 demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement and staff development. In 2009 we shall be required to undertake re-accreditation. Training and development is embedded within the strategic plan aims and objectives. This year staff, Sabbatical Officers and volunteers have undertaken a wide range of training opportunities during the year including short ‘in house’ sessions, workshops & seminars, regional and national conferences, and for three elected officers the opportunity to visit Australia, USA and Hong Kong respectively, on fact finding trips (paid for by the University) as part of the Curriculum Reform initiative. All the training puts individuals in a better position to provide improved service provision. Where appropriate staff and Sabbatical Officers have been encouraged to get involved with external agencies to keep up to date with the latest priorities and trends, and develop networking opportunities
(eg NUS, VSA, STADIA, SUS, BUSA, AMSU, Grampian PR Group etc) We have continued with rolling out 360 degree reviews to staff and Sabbatical Officers. Staff Structure AUSA has seen some changes to staff over the past year. New members of staff have joined our team to take up positions in student activities, whilst a number of staff members have moved on to pastures new. We have a very dedicated team of full time and part time staff who undertake an excellent job in supporting, advising and assisting the Sabbatical Officers, volunteers and students. Members’ Feedback AUSA is working hard to attempt to meet the needs of its membership and listen to members views on a wide range of topics. A number of questionnaires were undertaken during the year (both on line and face to face) including those relating to Freshers Week programme/events, and awareness of AUSA (including service provision and quality of service).
The results proved very interesting and valuable. A very high percentage of students who used AUSA services indicated that the services met or exceeded expectations (high 80’s and low 90’s in the majority of cases). We do need to improve on feeding back this type of information to our members particularly when they have taken the time to complete questionnaires and surveys. Partnerships with Stakeholders AUSA enjoy excellent relationships with a host of stakeholders. These include effective partnerships and many joint initiatives covering a wide range of our service provision. Proposal for Administrative Support Service Level Agreement Between AUSA and the University AUSA Executive Committee, subject to ratification at full Council, approved a proposal for an administrative support service level agreement between AUSA and the University. Under the proposed arrangements staff
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AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
employed by the Association would transfer to the employment of the University (under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) TUPE arrangements). The Executive Committee and the University have indicated the importance of AUSA retaining its autonomy and independence from the University under any proposed arrangement, so that it can continue to properly represent and serve the student body. Under the Service Level Agreement proposal, AUSA will remain an autonomous body and its constituent parts will continue to exist, with its constitution and committee structures unchanged. Its representation on University committees will also be unaffected by the new arrangement. Discussions will be ongoing during the latter part of 2008 and it would be hoped to have everything in place by early 2009.
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AUSA Executive Committee 2007/08
Angela Fraser, President
Clare Hobson, VP Charities
Gordon Cox, VP Sport
Helen Mackay, VP Socieites & Student Activities
John Hardey, VP Education & Employability
Sakthi Sithamparanathan, VP Advice & Support
Stephen Shirres Niamh Moloney Chris Browne Craig Mackie Sam Ochola David Bernard Nick Edwards Kevin Meechan Simon Doolin
JVP Charities JVP Sport JVP Sport JVP Societies JVP Societies JVP Education & Employability Welfare Officer Equal Opportunities Officer Foresterhill Convenor
Social Activities & Events
Freshers’ Week The Union Bar Grad Ball - Graduating Class of 2008 SA Dinner
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Freshers’ Week Freshers’ Week 2007 was a big success as AUSA inducted incoming Freshers into University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen City. The event programmes of 2006 were creatively expanded on and resulted in the most comprehensive Freshers’ Week to date. The Student Handbook design was outsourced to a local design company and the result was spectacular and very well received. The Academic Diary was retained as part of the Handbook and the feedback received from students was very positive. Both the Societies and Sports Fayres were once again held in a marquee on Kings Playing Field and were very well attended. Other daytime events included a week of events at Sunset Boulevard Entertainment Park. AUSA saw another successful partnership with Liquid Nightclub and welcomed The Tunnels on board for a week of very popular night-time events. AUSA developed its Freshers’ schedule with VUE Cinema and were able to provide a week long
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Freshers’ Film Festival as a non-drinking alternative which showed advance screenings of a number
of films and some student classics. The Thursday afternoon event for International Students was re-developed as a Scottish Culture Day and to teach International students about Scottish dance, dress, food and the history of the country. AUSA provided wristbands to all new students so Freshers could recognise each other and the Freshers’ Week Volunteers could easily identify Aberdeen University students when out in the city. This initiative proved very successful and volunteers reported that it made their job easier. AUSA Freshers’ Week Volunteers were utilised to their full potential and were a huge asset to
Freshers’ Week 2007. The Union Bar This has been a very eventful year for the Union Bar. At the start of the year news had filtered out to the student community that the Union Bar was to close in March. This news quickly gave the full Entertainments Committee a reason to work hard and keep the Union Bar open. The Entertainments Committee quickly got to work starting with the introduction of the hugely successful Friday Night Project. The Friday Night Project had the aim of being something different every Friday night, including Aberdeen’s top DJ, Frat Party Night and back to the 80’s. This along with the introduction of a number of other theme nights such as Cocktail Mondays and ‘Indiependant’, and the continued success of Tuesdays Quiz night was a big factor in the Union staying open. The fantastic news that the Union Bar had received a reprieve and would stay open was fantastic news for all and a deserved reward for all the hard work put in by members of the Entertainments Committee.
Grad Ball – Graduating Class of 2008 The 2007/2008 Graduation Ball returned to the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) due to the success of the previous year. As per tradition, the event was held over 2 nights during Graduation Week. Tickets went on sale in April and the majority were sold within the first week. AUSA opened up dance tickets to all students, which sold more than the previous year. Graduates danced to Scotland’s biggest Ceilidh band, Iron Broo, and a local
DJ who played hits from the past 4 years while the students were doing their degrees. SA Dinner This year the annual Students’ Association Dinner was held at the Forum Bar in Aberdeen City
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
Centre. This lively night was well attended and enjoyed by all. Traditionally, awards are given out to deserving groups and individuals who have made an outstanding commitment to the SA during the academic year. The first award was the Society of the Year award which went to the International Society. The second award was the David Davidson award which is given to the most dedicated volunteer. Our long term Sports Union Treasurer, Nichola Reid, was the proud recipient of this award. The final award given out on the night was a new award, created by the 2007/2008 Sabbatical Team, appropriately titled the After 8 award. Going forward, this award will be presented to the best newcomer to the Students’ Association. There was a lot of competition for this award as the SA saw a number of new dedicated volunteers but we were happy to award Chris Browne and Michelle Mortimer who worked tirelessly and selflessly throughout the year.
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AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08
A Word From The AUSA President 2008/09... I would like to begin by expressing how incredibly excited I am about being elected by the students to represent them as the Students’ Association President for 2008/09. It is an exciting time to be a student at the University, and hopefully we can reflect that in the work of AUSA and make this a year to remember. In the coming academic year I would like to see AUSA further develop its services offered in The Hub and elsewhere. We also need to raise the profile of AUSA in relation to the services we provide – many students use AUSA services without knowing it is their Students’ Association that is providing them. We are also going through the Student Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) which is allowing us to critically evaluate what we are doing as an Association
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and examine where we are doing well and where we could be doing better. During my time as an undergraduate student media was something I was heavily involved in and hopefully this is something I will continue in my sabbatical year. Gaudie and Aberdeen Student Radio can play a large part in University life, not just for students, but staff and the wider community also. I’ve enjoyed my short spell at AUSA so far and I’m aware we are doing tremendous things however we must not rest on our laurels – there is always room for improvement, but with the committed staff, sabbaticals and volunteers alike I’ve no doubt we’ll continue to get better.
Duncan McKay President AUSA 2008/09
Financial Statements
AUSA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2007/08 Statement of Financial Activities For the period 22 March 2007 - 31 July 2008 Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds Total Total Period Period Period Period 22/03/07 to 22/03/07 to 22/03/07 to 01/08/06 to 31/07/08 31/07/08 31/07/08 21/03/07 £ £ £ £ Incoming Resources Disbursement Grant 981,877 0 981,877 450,942 Activities for Generating Funds 97,205 28,646 125,851 40,693 Charitable Activities 116,132 90,785 206,917 124,357 Investment Income 6,915 0 6,915 1,903 Total Incoming Resources 1,202,128 119,431 1,321,559 617,895 Resources Expended Fund Raising Expenditure 71,201 45,004 116,205 42,044 Sports Club Expenditure 278,577 33,847 312,424 148,277 Representation Expenditure 278,879 25,588 304,467 162,537 Administration and Overheads 567,870 5,367 573,237 238,031 Total Resources Expended 1,196,527 109,806 1,306,333 590,889 Net Movement in Funds 5,602 9,625 15,227 27,006 Total Funds at 22 March 2007 135,904 27,261 163,165 136,159 Total Funds at 31 July 2008
141,506
36,886
Balance Sheet as at 31 July 2008
31 July 2008 £ Fixed Assets Tangible Assets 39,528 Investments 5,520 45,048 Current Assets Debtors 22,170 Cash in Hand 223,758 245,928 Creditors - amounts falling due in less than one year 112,584 Net Current Assets 133,344 Net Assets 178,392 Funds General Reserve 141,506 Restricted Reserve 36,886 178,392
21 March 2007 £
178,392
163,165
32,947 5,520 38,467 84,390 225,597 309,987 185,287 124,700 163,167 135,905 27,262 163,167
Notes 1 - All figures are as per the unaudited financial statements 2 - These figures cover an unusually long accounting period from when AUSA gained Charitable status on 22nd March, 2007 until the end of the 2008 financial year. Subsequent accounts will revert to the usual 12 month period.
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Make a difference. Get involved.
The Hub Elphinstone Road Old Aberdeen AB24 3TU Tel: 01224 272965 Fax: 01224 272977 www.ausa.org.uk ausa@abdn.ac.uk Š Aberdeen University Students’ Association, 2008
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