The Reading Rep Issue 30 by Reading Students' Union

Issue 30 FEBRUARY ISSUE LGBT+ THEME

Featuring interviews with LGBQ+ Part-time Officer Edda Pernice & Former RUSU President Sal Pearman on inclusivity, community & equality!

5 BEST MONEY SAVING APPS FOR 2020 Boost Your Budgeting with RUSU Advice Top Tips!

Student Spotlight Stories

Help Spread the Love: “I can just be myself. There’s no need to hide.” 1

RUSU.CO.UK

In this Issue… February 2020

Features

StudentLife Life Student 04

Student Spotlight Stories This issue the spotlight is on LGBQ+ Part-time Officer Edda and how the community around you can make all the difference.

Inclusivity within Representation Previous RUSU President Sal Pearman gave an inspiring talk at our Rep Conference last month. Turn to page 8 to find out her top tips for making everyone feel comfortable.

Wondering why you should vote in this year’s elections? Education Officer Fifi tells you why it’s so important to have your say.

Course Rep Leah Logan is our Rep of the Month after organising extra training sessions on ROSIE for her fellow Reps.

Regulars

This issue we discuss saving money and the world, and how incredible our brains are!

Student Money Week

11 RUSU Money Advisor Barbara shares her top picks for the free apps that could help you manage your money better and boost your budget.

Find out what Activities Officer Daisy’s highlights of the year were in the back page quiz.

Your Say Check out what other Reps are saying about their experiences and share your stories with us by getting in touch… “The voting period for the RUSU main elections are coming up, taking place between Tuesday 25 th and Friday 28th February and it’s more important than ever to have your say in who is leading your Students’ Union for the next academic year. It is so important that you vote for the voices that you want representing you during your time here, so that decisions made at Reading are decisions that you feel are in your best interest. The students that you elect will steer the direction of RUSU and drive the change that you want to see, so vote for who you think will be the best person for the job. Also, as voting only takes five minutes, it couldn’t be easier! Head to rusu.co.uk/elections to cast your vote!” RUSU Education Officer, Fifi Bangham on why it’s important to vote in this year’s elections

WHY YOU WANTED TO BE A REP “I wanted to be able to voice the opinions of students and make a change, especially for those who were worried about bringing their opinions forward.”

“I felt undervalued and ignored by my department at times, so I decided to run as Course Rep so they would have to listen to me, and so I could represent like-minded students.”

LGBT History Month We’ve got lots going on to celebrate LGBT History Month at RUSU, with LGBQ+ Part-time Officer Edda planning film nights, guest speakers and even a LGBT+ DJ club night! We decided to find out more about LGBT History Month and our fave fact this year is that the rainbow flag, that is now synonymous with Pride, actually stands for six different values. Originally designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 with 8 stripes, they then got reduced to 6 representing Life, Healing, Sunlight, Nature, Art, and Spirit.

RUSU RATES…

Photo of the month! Could Spring be just around the corner? With all these blue skies, we can just about deal with the plummeting temperatures!

Sex Education Series 2, Netflix Unashamedly tackling those difficult issues head on, we love the inclusivity of this series. With new faces, new challenges and more, it’s impossible not to watch this series in one sitting.

The tattooist of Auschwitz Heather Morris £8.99, Harper Positive affirmation of the issue:

“If I wait for someone else to validate

my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.”

– Zanele Muholi

4 days

Nominations for the RUSU Elections may now be closed but that means that the voting period will soon be here! With only a 4-day voting period this year, it’s essential that you get your vote in as soon as possible so get voting! VOTING OPEN: 25TH FEB VOTING ENDS: 28TH FEB

the view

Collins Based on the true story of Lale Sokolov and the two and a half years he endured at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Full of hope and courage, this illuminating tale will truly open your eyes.

Did you know? Save water, money and the world! Living in student housing, everyone wants to save a bit of money wherever possible. With the average shower in the UK taking nine minutes, and making up 12% of your water bill you can easily save time, water and money, just by cutting down on those stellar karaoke performances!

Oh how our brains like to play tricks on us! Whilst brains are capable of wonderful things, they are not able to store memories like full videos, only snapshots pieced together, meaning your childhood memories may not have occurred exactly as you might think. Perhaps bear this in mind the next time you argue with your flatmate about who used the last of the milk…

Help Spread the Love: “I can just be myself. There’s no need to hide.” Student Spotlight Stories:

As we enter a new decade, the number of homophobic attacks taking place in the UK is still rising and without a single country in the world reaching equality for the LGBT+ community, the fight for equal opportunities is still far from over. There has never been a better time to raise hope and awareness through the community, allies and on a global scale. We spoke to LGBQ+ Part-time Officer Edda Pernice who told us why community is so vital… INTERVIEW: BETHANY BROWN RR: Why is community so important for people that identify as LGBT+?

RR: How has the LGBT+ community on campus influenced your time at Reading?

Edda: I think community in general is just a group of people that share the same interests or traits, or they just get along - it could be anything! It’s a group of people that accept each other and are friends with each other; an area where you feel safe and accepted for who you are. Historically, those that are LGBT+ have always been different and not treated equally. Often, they don’t have the same rights as everyone else so having a community of people they can identify with, and can be friends or potentially even have relationships with, is important to ensure you never feel alone. That goes for anyone - nobody likes to feel alone or be left out because they are different, so being seen not only as equal, but also special, when you’re part of such a welcoming community like that is amazing!

Edda: The LGBT+ community has definitely made my uni experience so much better. The majority of my friends are members of the community and it’s been really great to be in a country, and town, that’s so accepting and has so many people that are allies - it’s not what I’m used to at home. Neither staff nor students discriminate and they don’t care who you are as long as you are a nice person. I was lucky enough to meet lots of people who are part of the community, so I think ‘it was great to come to this university and think I can just be6myself. There’s no need to hide.’

FEATURE

RR: Why is it important to celebrate LGBT+ History Month? Edda: I think it’s important because a lot of people both in the community and outside, think “you have legal marriage, you’ve won your battles”, and maybe that’s true but there’s still so much more that needs to be done and progress that needs to be made for true equality. We’ve been through a lot and it’s good to look at our history and see where we’ve come from and all the battles we’ve won. It’s always important to understand what people have had to go through, to both celebrate our victories and look forward, setting more goals for the future. For example, marriage is legal here but not back home in my country! We need to reflect and recognise that what has happened to gay people in the past is now happening to trans people, so it’s important we continue to fight for equality for all. RR: What are you doing to promote LGBT History Month? Edda: We have several events coming up! We want to raise awareness by doing a Union takeover with fun activities where everyone’s welcome. We’re also putting a specialist round in the Mojos Quiz and having speakers sharing their experiences throughout the month. Hopefully, people will learn things about the history of LGBT+; I’m not expecting them to know the answers to the questions but they will learn things through socialising and being with their friends. Knights Pride falls outside of LGBT+ History Month but is still raising awareness of LGBT+ in sports and making it a much more welcoming space, which I think is a really topical issue at the moment. Finally, I want to organise a potential runway show, with drag performers and whoever else wants to join. It’s really exciting! I think a lot of people especially at university really understand awareness when it comes with having fun. Students are more likely to go to union or the quiz than they are to go and sit in a lecture, so it’s just tackling awareness from a student perspective. If that’s something they enjoy then let’s have fun with this and help them understand that at the end of the day, we’re not any different from anyone else! It’s about going out and meeting people and realising we’re not that different, we’re just trying to have a good time too and not experience bullying or being left out.

“You’re unique in your own way. You shouldn’t be discriminated against, you’re just a person like everybody else.” – Edda Pernice RR: What do you hope for the future of the LGBQ+ role at RUSU and the community in general? Edda: For my role, I hope more than one person will run! I hope they are engaged like I was and talk to people, including the Full-time Officers and societies. Get involved in the union, like running talks and events, and if they see issues outside of the union, that they try to change things for the better. Also continuing Knights Pride over the years would be great! In general, for the community I would like to see progress. You see a lot of regression in the news sadly; it’s like one step forwards and one step back, so hopefully we can see more progress and less hate and violence. We just hope people get involved in things we do. We want people in the community to get involved but also encourage allies and everyone else. I want the community to be normalised, so that being LGBT+ is something that makes you special but shouldn’t be a defining characteristic. You’re unique in your own way, but everyone is. You shouldn’t be discriminated against for your sexual orientation, you’re just a person like everybody else.

Help spread the love! Edda has organised the following events for LGBT History Month, come and get involved... Union Takeover- Wednesday 26th FebruaryLGBT+ DJs, photobooths and more Mojos Quiz- LGBT specialist round will be popping up at a quiz this month Drag Runway Show- want to be involved? Contact Edda for more info LGBT@rusu.co.uk Knights Pride Sports Day coming soon

Practise Makes Perfect

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THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN ENSURING INCLUSIVITY from Organisational Psychologist Sal Pearman I think sometimes conversations about identity and equality can get really lofty and academic, with people using big language, but really I think there are small steps that all of us can take to make our workshops, conversations and our communities more inclusive.”

see the benefits of how participating in something like an election can actually bring you abundant opportunities at university and into the future! Graduate employers are often looking for that ‘extra’ something and becoming a RUSU Rep or Sabbatical Officer, can bring careerboosting benefits too. Regardless of your motive, getting involved with your Students’ Union can have many positive outcomes. Read on to find out a few good reasons why you won’t regret running for a Rep role this year 

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Not everyone will immediately

Stand up & Stand Out: The Benefits 1

MEET NEW PEOPLE  standing in an election may be daunting for some, but they don’t have to be when you’re surrounded by like-minded people, who are in fact, very supportive and often care about similar things you do!

JOIN A COMMUNITY  you may not find a sports club or society that suits you, so why not look to a community that you are already part of - your Students’ Union and immerse yourself as a member. Whether you’re a Full or Part-time Officer, Senior Rep or Student Trustee representatives come together throughout the year to meet, share experiences and learn new skills.

DRIVE CHANGE  last but by no means least, have your say and raise the student voice to make sure positive change is enacted and leave a legacy for future students.

Sal Pearman is a former RUSU President and Consultant who has been working in Learning and Development for over 10 years; specialising in creating joyful workplaces, positive psychology, wellbeing, gender, and inclusion. Her LinkedIn Profile reads Facilitator, Non-binary, Kindness. So we decided she would make an excellent guest speaker at out our Annual Representation Conference in January to speak to students about Inclusivity in Representation. She delivered a thoughtprovoking and open-minded talk to attendees who had plenty of questions for her. Afterwards, we caught up with Sal to ask a few of our own and quizzed her to give her top tips on how to stay as inclusive as possible…

“State your own pronouns when you introduce yourself to create a safe, respectful environment and it will help other people disclose theirs and talk about their identity in a relaxed way.”

“Be mindful that not everyone wants contact with other people. For example, unwanted touching, we own our own bodies and it is possible that we might not want people to touch us. Often in the UK we go in for the hand shake so I maybe try alternatives to that – doing a little dip to indicate you thank them for their time. Also, you could put your hand to your heart as a recognition that you’ve seen them.”

“Be mindful about using protected characteristics as jokes or ‘banter’. I’ve heard people say in an office environment, ‘I’m so OCD’, and my response would be ‘You’re not OCD, your desk is a mess’; in the same way you wouldn’t drink a can of coke and joke about being ‘so diabetic’ – you wouldn’t do that because we recognise that this isn’t funny. But by people saying, ‘I’m so bipolar’, ‘I’m schizo’, ‘I’m OCD’ – sometimes using that language can make people feel excluded and uncomfortable in being their authentic selves.”

DID YOU KNOW? The LGBT+ community have reclaimed the word ‘Queer’ that was used to bully and demonise their community in the 80s.

“Google the meaning of phrases if you’re unsure of the origin. For example, I often used to say ‘Oh you really sold me down the river on that’ and I didn’t realise that this was a phrase about selling black slaves down the Mississippi River. I now think more about what the origin is behind the phrasing that I’m using.”

“Remain mindful about using gender language, for example, opening a workshop with ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ or writing ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ in an email. So many of us identify outside of that binary and the things you say really can create the weather in a room.”

6 “If someone is brave enough to say that what you’ve said or your behaviour has hurt someone – apologise. We all have the capacity to be oppressed and oppress other people. So when people tell you you’ve done something wrong, try to apologise and ask what you can do going forward.”

“Notice the use of phrasing and language - It’s fine for me to say ‘I’m queer’ but if my big brother Lawrence said ‘Oh Sal, you big queer!’ it would be uncomfortable because he’s not from that community. Sometimes people start using language that isn’t from their community and that can be quite problematic when you’re representing groups. For example, phrasing that comes from black communities in the US that you see being popularised on RuPaul’s Drag Race, that then become used by white drag artists on TV and we might absorb that and start using it but this can be inappropriate.”

Watch the full video interview with Sal @ RUSUVids on YouTube

5 Best Budget Apps Nowadays, there are very few things we do without our phones and saving cash is no exception to that. It is easy to shy away from the daunting world of finances and savings with it all seeming a little too stressful and time-consuming. In the light of National Student Money Week and the rise of online banks and practical money saving apps, we thought we’d round up the best free apps that can save you pennies without the hassle…

WORDS: BARBARA HELD, RUSU MONEY ADVISER

Splitwise Cost: Free Phones: Android & iOS We would particularly recommend using Splitwise with your housemates. Splitting bills, household and communal expenses gets pretty confusing and can often lead to tension. Splitwise allows you to set up a house account in which you can add any expenses to be shared with your fellow flatmates. When your flatmates find themselves in the red, they can either choose to settle up their debts or pay for the next expense. Splitwise will update everyone's balances to keep track of how much each person owes. The app means that you aren’t constantly paying each other the odd 54p and instead can focus on there being a more even split. Splitwise also has a nifty feature that simplifies and minimises your debts. This means if Bob owes Harry £20 and Harry owes Bella £20, Splitwise will suggest that Bob pays Bella £20 - simplifying two payments into one!

Image credit: rightmove.co.uk/news/articles/property-news/app-of-the-week-splitwise/

Monzo

Image credit: lovemoney.com

Cost: Free Phones: Android & iOS Monzo is great for a tonne of reasons but we thought we’d focus on the features that really make it stand out from the crowd. Firstly, setting up an account is free, it takes less than 10 minutes and can be done from the comfort of your sofa. With Monzo, the days of sort codes and account numbers are in the past. Owe a friend money? All you need is to have them as a contact on your phone, facebook or other social media and ping the money over that way. Monzo also allows you to set up little money pots to separate money and save for goals. On top of that, you can set up automatic savings where spare change is rounded up and saved in one of your pots. “Budgeting apps are essential as a

Honey

Cost: Free Phones: Not an app but rather a browser extension! Although not a phone app, it seemed silly to exclude this gem from the list. Honey takes the legwork out of searching for discount codes online by automatically crawling the internet to find you the best ones. When online, do your browsing, add your items to your cart, go to checkout and viola - honey will do the rest. The browser will find and run all discount codes available at the time to make sure you are getting the best deal. The added bonus is that downloading the extension takes all of 2 seconds and is completely free – so it really does seem silly not to!

Trainline

Cost: Free Phones: Android & iOS This may not seem like an obvious money saving app but with Trainline’s newest updates, you could be missing out on some serious savings. As of January 2020, Trainline has introduced Splitsave, a split ticketing feature that combines tickets to make your journey cheaper. For example, if you are traveling from Reading to Manchester, Splitsave would combine a ticket from Reading to Stockport and then Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly rather than a single ticket covering the entire journey. The perks of this is not only cheaper tickets, but you typically can stay on the same train without the added hassle of changing.

student if spreadsheets aren't your thing, so you can manage your student loan and any other income effectively. As President I looked after commercial services in RUSU, and worked closely with the University on the development of their upcoming app. Now I work as a financial difficulties specialist at Monzo, and help students who might find themselves in financial hardship with debt management. Monzo or any of its competitors are a brilliant way to manage your money and make it last as long as you need it to!” – Jason Dabydoyal, Former RUSU President

Chip

Cost: Free Phones: Android & iOS Chip is for those of you who struggle to commit to saving (and don’t panic, you’re not alone). This app links to your bank account and uses AI to make personalised payments into your savings. The idea is that Chip analyses your spending, your region and your habits to put savings aside that you can afford and will hardly notice leaving your account. It really is as simple as that – set goals and watch your money grow before your very eyes.

Classical Studies Course Rep Leah gets to know ROSIE! Since meeting RUSU in Welcome Week last year, Leah Logan has been a brilliantly engaged RUSU Rep and has recently befriended ROSIE (our Rep Online Student Impact Evaluation) tool. Read on to find out more… LEAH SAYS: I wanted to help set up some more ROSIE training for my fellow Reps who were co-opted later in the term. Sometimes it’s difficult to gather opinions when you’re not sure of how to start off. The extra training was to empower our new Reps to feel confident in gathering feedback and representing the Student Voice. It ensures that feedback can be collated and delivered in a way where students' issues and praise is received effectively and action is taken. I have really loved being a Rep this year. It gives you the opportunity to flex many skills that are great on applications and CVs. I have been able to practice effective communication and problem-solving skills, as well as continuing to be creative, proactive with ideas, and even dabbling in public speaking. Being a Rep is also good experience at getting to meet and talk to a wide range of people on my course, that I otherwise perhaps wouldn't have had the chance to get to know.

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I have really loved being a Rep this year. It gives you the opportunity to flex many skills that are great on applications and CVs. I have been able to practice effective communication and problem-solving. It is really fulfilling and satisfying seeing action taken and changes being resolved in real-time!”

This doesn’t apply to just students either. Getting to know and building relationships with the academics in my department is also important. Affirming all the amazing work my department does through giving them positive feedback is really rewarding and proves that I am making a meaningful difference in my department and throughout the university. The most important part about the Rep role is that it gives you insight into processes behind the scenes at the University and the Student Union.

It is really fulfilling and satisfying seeing action taken, changes made, and student suggestions/issues being resolved in real-time! My greatest achievement so far this year is that I have been highlighting a greater awareness on making learning and teaching accessible (in support for the learning of students with various health conditions and declared disabilities), which led to securing a meeting the Dean of Accessibility and Inclusivity to discuss this with regards to accessibility to teaching and learning on a university-wide scale, and I am proud that I managed to carry through the feedback I received to a positive change. RUSU SAYS: Leah has been a fantastic edition to the Course Rep team this year. The extra training for our new feedback tool ROSIE was a really simple and effective idea, and was able to be put in motion almost immediately. ROSIE is a great way to get your opinions straight to your Course Rep, so be sure to head to rusu.co.uk/rosie and complete the questions! 12

Announcements

“As an Officer you have so much support and freedom to do what's right for students, and the influence you have will be hard to find in any other job”

Quickfire Q’s Comedy or horror? Comedy Text or call? Call Pasta or pizza? Neither, I’m allergic to gluten! Instagram or Twitter? Instagram Early bird or night owl? Neither, I have an average sleep schedule Apple or android? Android Night in or night out? Out! Truth or dare? Dare Cats or dogs? Dogs, obviously Book or movie? Book Exam or Coursework? Coursework Mojos or Mondial? Mojos

Take part in our back page quiz and get a free Starbucks and Academic Rep water bottle!

Sharing a coffee with… Daisy O’Connor If you could make or change a law – what would it be? I would legalise gay marriage EVERYWHERE! How you will be celebrating your birthday this year? It will be during Elections Week this year, so probably by working a lot during the day, but I will make sure I get out and celebrate, at least a small bit. It’s a Wednesday, so probably Wednesday Union! What is your dream career? This is a good question. It might be strange answer but philosopher. I just want to do philosophy for a living. Who is your celebrity crush? There’s so many… Zendaya! What book is on your bedside table waiting to be read? ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat’ by Oliver Sacks has been on my bedside table for about ten years! Where is your favourite place that you’ve visited? Malaysia! What is your favourite part about being an officer? Actually seeing measurable things change.

PSST… Knight’s Pride and the 3G Pitch – check out all the information here! https://www.rusu.co.uk/representation/campaigns/current-campaigns/knights-pride/ https://www.rusu.co.uk/representation/campaigns/current-campaigns/3g-pitch/