Your Students’ Union and our promise to you: YOUR MEMBERSHIP BOOKLET
#proudtobestaffs
WELCOME
#proudtobestaffs
Every student is a member of Staffordshire University Students’ Union. That means you! Your Students’ Union is a student led organisation that strives for the best experience for you. You’re a member of the Students’ Union as soon as you enrol which strives to represent and support you and ultimately provide you with not only the best student experience but make you Proud to be Staffs. Your Union is a registered charity, which means any profits it has at the end of the year from running trading services, go back into other services for students and not to bonuses and shareholders. The Union receives an annual grant from the University with extra money coming from its bars, shops and other commercial ventures. Every single penny the Union makes is invested into its services to provide bigger and better student opportunities.
We are working with the University to achieve our vision: That every student will be proud to be part of Staffs (#ProudToBeStaffs)
You are also part of a bigger family www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra (Buy yours now) Staffordshire University Students’ Union is affiliated with NUS. The National Union of Students (NUS) is a federation of affiliated Students’ Union, Guilds and Associations. The NUS represents the views of over seven million students in the UK. Being part of Staffordshire University allows you to reap the benefits that NUS provides for students. So grab your NUS Extra discount card. NUS Extra gives you exclusive student discounts in selected stores and online. NUS Extra cards cost £12 and can be upgraded for an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) for an additional £1.99. Cards can be purchased online and then collected from the Students' Union reception at Stafford,Stoke or delivered to your home. Get your card now and start saving!
#your student officers www.staffsunion.com/officers
Here are your officers‌ Your officers were elected by the membership in February, and are here to represent you, and ensure you have a voice in the running of the University. Feel free to pop in for a coffee, a chat or even a rant. Mel, your Students’ Union President alongside Dayo, Tom, Louise and Yashwanth, your Vice Presidents, has been elected by the student body to represent you. The team continue to implement a five year strategy that began in2012 and focuses on: Celebrating quality and student success at Staffs / How we can engage all students / Getting to know you better / Ensuring our students are well served / How to develop you throughout your student experience.
#Be the Change www.staffsunion.com/union/council
Better Staffs Forum This forum approach is to broaden the input from students, and make decision making more accessible to the membership. The Better Staffs Forum is supported by elected students, who are there to source student views and represent you. Those views are passed onto a panel of students that are randomly selected before each meeting to have the power of voting. The elected students cannot vote, they can only advise. This new approach is there to encourage all students to get involved in student democracy and understand the power of your vote.
Student Council Student Council is traditionally the governing body of the Students' Union. It is composed entirely of students with voting members exclusively elected by the student body. Alongside Student Council for this year, the Union will be running a pilot scheme with three forums. Last year Student Council voted to try out the approach where there are forums for Better Union, Better University and Better Community.
The Annual Student Forum The Annual Student Forum is your biggest opportunity to provide feedback, with over 200 students expected to attend. It takes place on Wednesday 6 November from 4:30pm. The forum will be held in LRV on the Leek Rd campus. Awaiting confirmation from LRV that we can book the location. Wednesday 6 November from 4:30pm. Leading up to the forum, the Union identifies three topics that are of importance to students through extensive research and communication with students. These topics will be discussed in turn, with your officer team giving a small presentation on each and then asking for your views.
Autumn Elections The Students’ Union’s autumn elections are a chance for new students to express their views and help lead the Union as a student councillor. It is a councillor’s role to make the strategic decisions on behalf of the Union as a group and hold the Union executive (its full time officers) to account.
www.staffsunion.com/elections
What are Student Academic Reps (STARs) www.staffsunion.com/advice/academicreps Our Student Academic Representatives make sure that the University and Students’ Union know exactly what students think and want, striving for positive change to improve the learning experience at Staffs. How can they help me? Each cluster of related courses has an elected representative for each level to gather views from his/her coursemates and feed those comments back to the University. Your representative can then work with the Students’ Union to make positive changes in the University that may improve your experience. Great! How do I become a Student Academic Representative? Anyone can nominate themselves to become a STAR and with all of these great benefits why wouldn’t you? • Gain transferable skills. • Improve your CV. • Receive formal recognition for your voluntary work. • Receive rewards through a loyalty card scheme that includes free entry to nights out, free meals and Amazon vouchers. • Have a positive impact on the student experience. • Training opportunities will be available.
What ARE Student Academic Partnerships (SAP) www.staffsunion.com/studentacademicpartnerships The Student Academic Partnerships scheme offers an opportunity for individual students or small teams of students to work in equal partnership with academic staff. Together you can strengthen the development of learning and teaching and the facilities and services of the University for the benefit of all. And you won’t be out of pocket as each project has an allocation of funding to pay for the student time contributed.
When you join a Club or Society‌ www.staffsunion.com/activities/clubsandsocs Your Students' Union sponsors and supports a diverse range of student-run groups here at Staffs. These include both competitive and recreational sports groups, special interest groups, academic societies and some that we are just unable to categorise! You can find out contact details and any info the groups have posted by following the link above.
Or if you just want to play sport, Active Uni is for you www.staffsunion.com/activeuni Active Uni offers you and staff the opportunity to participate in recreational sport leagues and competitions within the University without having to commit to the demands of University club training or sports clubs. With over 800 students participating in a variety of sports throughout the year there is no better way to become more active and meet new people. We’ve got all sorts on offer including football, netball, hockey and badminton. Campus sport is designed to be fun, friendly and hassle free, with teams coming together to represent the halls in which they live, the course they are on or the friends they have formed.
Get Involved by volunteering www.staffsunion.com/volunteering We offer a wide range of volunteering opportunities through our Involved Scheme. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the local community and to meet and engage with a range of different people. It is really eye catching on your CV and it is up to you how much time you volunteer. Opportunities include working as a youth mentor; helping out in a local school, sports coaching, conservation work or if you would prefer a one-offvolunteering experience we can help you pull this together.We’re also a part of the Staffordshire Graduate programme so the hours you put in can also be recognised as part of your degree.
Need some advice – online web chat and telephone appointments www.staffsunion.com/advice The Student Advice Centre (SAC) offers confidential and impartial advice on a variety of issues that students might need guidance on. Our professional team are experienced in: • Student finance • Academic affairs • Student housing • Debt management And if there is an area beyond their expertise, then they have the contacts to refer you appropriately. In addition, there are a number of online self help materials which you can access from the website. We operate on an open access basis, meaning you can turn up and wait to see an adviser dependent on how busy we are. Alternatively we can advise by telephone, email or you can chat with us online.
Money Doctors www.staffsunion.com/advice/moneydoctors Money Doctors is part of the Students’ Union Student Advice Centre. Find out how we can help you keep your finances healthy and make your money achieve what you want it to. Last year, Money Doctors secured £739,201 additional funding for its students.
JOBS www.staffsunion.com/jobs We employ students in the Students’ Union as you are essential to our success. Student staff members play a key part in making the Students’ Union a success, whether it’s in an office, being a designer, promotions or as one of our venue or retail teams, every person is important in the Students’ Union delivering the best experience for students. Working with the Students’ Union offers a great opportunity for you to enhance your employability skills, meet new people and work in a dynamic and supportive organisation. We pride ourselves on our staffs’ enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism and will reward you by providing an extensive training program to enhance your employability.
Shops on Campus Whether you’re on campus all day or you live in halls, the Union Shop caters for ALL your needs on campus! Our product ranges include frozen foods, baked produce, household goods and an extended range of ethical product lines. Remember, all the money you spend in your Union shops gets re-invested back into your student experience! Leek Road Shop – next to LRV – now selling fresh fruit and veg! College Road Shop – in-between Squeeze Box and Ember Lounge. Beaconside Shop – turn right at the main entrance to the Beacon Building and follow the corridor.
Where to eat on campus No matter what gets your tastebuds tingling, there are tons of places offering great value, tasty food on campus.
Stoke Ember Lounge – College Road campus Run by your Students’ Union, Ember Lounge is perfect for an early morning espresso or grabbing a great meal deal with friends. The chip shop and karaoke nights are especially popular and our beef burgers, now sourced from local farms, are something we are particularly proud of.
www.staffsunion.com/ents/emberlounge Verve – Leek Road Campus Verve is a stylish bar that has just been part of an £800,000 refurbishment. Serving great food and drink, Verve’s ambience and menu reflect a casual American diner. Perfect for chilling with friends and relaxing in between lectures or spending the evening over great value food and drinks.
www.staffsunion.com/ents/verve
PROUD TO BE STAFFS
Squeeze Box – College Road Campus Squeeze Box is a vibrant and comfortable outlet, providing great service, quality and value. Squeeze Box serves freshly prepared, hot and cold food throughout the day, from breakfast, through lunch and afternoon tea. You can also create your own paninis and smoothies.
www.staffsunion.com/ents/squeezebox
Stafford The Lounge – Beaconside The Lounge sells scrumptious meals at great value. Try one of the fantastic locally sourced burgers on offer, freshly prepared 12” pizzas, gorgeous desserts or take away your favourite sub.
www.staffsunion.com/ents/legends
#ProudToBeStaffs www.staffsunion.com/union/council
Your Students’ Union’s mission statement is that every student will be proud to be a part of Staffs. Everything we do is to try and build that pride in Staffs as it’s a great place to be. Look out for our Proud to be Staffs badges and make sure you use the hashtag above.
Varsity One of the proudest moments every year is when we support our sports teams in their Varsity competitions. The Stafford campus competes against Wolves and the Stoke campus competes against Keele and the atmosphere is electric. Make sure you’re there to cheer us on to victory! To view photos from last year’s competition, go to
www.staffsunion.com/proud
Check list Join a Club Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Become a Student Academic Representative Place a nomination for the Student Experience Awards
Watch Varsity coverage live online Get your health fix with a smoothie from Squeeze Box Buy your NUS Extra card for some great savings Buy a University hoody from the Union shop Vote in the Leadership Race Cheer on Staffs at Varsity Nominate a great lecturer for the Student-Led Teaching Awards Party the night away in Legends or LRV
Vote in the Leadership Race online
Mel Ramsay mel.ramsay@staffs.ac.uk Twitter: @staffs_mel Dayo Odubonojo dayo.odubonojo@staffs.ac.uk Twitter: @staffs_dayo Yashwanth Nooka yashwanth.nooka@staffs.ac.uk Twitter: @staffs_yash Louise Mason louise.mason@staffs.ac.uk Twitter: @staffs_louise Tom Hope thomas.hope@staffs.ac.uk Twitter: @staffs_tom