WELCOME Hi I’m Andrew your Student Union President for 2015/16. Firstly, I would like to welcome you to your Union and I look forward to meeting you all in the coming year! The University of Stirling Students’ Union is an organisation dedicated to Making Students’ Lives Better. The Union is a democratic body led by students, ensuring that at the centre of everything the Union does, there is a beneficial impact on students’ lives. This short guide aims to give you an introduction to Your Union, the things we do, the services we offer and our achievements from the past year. This includes the collaborative work we do with the University around employability, student development and ethical issues, to our external work on mental health, environmental issues, internationalisation, charity and volunteering. Over the last year the Union has worked hard to enhance the student experience and we hope to continue our good work. We pushed for enhanced transcripts which have now been adopted; the new transcripts now showcase student’s extracurricular activities as well as their academic performance. We’ve secured funding for a new multi-purpose development to be used as a recreational space by day and adaptable venue or meeting space by night. The Union has also engaged in numerous campaigns and has had sizeable presences at various demonstrations including the CND protest at Faslane and a Free Education demonstration in London. The Union did a lot of great things last year, we hope to do even more this year and hope you will be a part of it!
Andrew Kinnell, Union President 2015/16
REPRESENTATION & EMPOWERING STUDENTS We have a long history of being an active, campaigning Union and we work all year round to ensure your rights as students are protected and extended. Whether you volunteer to be a Course Rep and attend staff-student meetings, come along to a general meeting or buy a subsidised bus ticket to a demonstration, you’ll be part of a strong and influential democratic organisation. Course Reps and School Officers are directly involved in giving feedback about courses and improving your academic experience; we recruit every year so head to the Union website for more info. Last year we empowered students to attend four major political demonstrations, from Glasgow to Edinburgh to London. We were often the biggest group and if we weren’t biggest we were the loudest! Our campaigns and priorities are shaped and inspired by Union officers and current events, but they are decided on by you. Our Stir It Up and four Zone meetings give you the opportunity to table ideas, policy and campaigns. Look on our website or drop into the office if you want to contribute to the agenda. We have over 600 Course Reps, 14 School Officers, 13 Executive Officers, 4 NUS Delegates and 4 full time Sabbatical Officers to represent you on all levels of the University and externally to really make your voice heard!
VOLUNTEERING Volunteering is at the heart of what we do. From Student Officers to society Committee Members and F Team, we believe in volunteering and what it can do for you. Whether that’s enabling you to learn transferrable skills to boost your employability or simply allowing you to contribute to your student community. 45 of our V-Team visited 8 local charities and voluntary organisations, impacting on the wider Stirling community. Your time on Committee is being recognised through Enhanced Transcripts, an amazing CV booster! 2 winners and a further 6 nominated at the local Stirling Volunteer Awards. We also received 4* Volunteer Champion award through Scottish Student Sport (SSS) and Investing in Volunteers re-accreditation for 2015-18.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS We’re here to guide you through any problems you might have during your time at University. We provide independent academic representation for our students and our experienced staff work with Sabbatical Officers and University staff to get the best results possible. This 1:1 support and guidance to students is 100% confidential and involves support for appeals, complaints, disciplinary procedures and professional progress. We provide signposting to appropriate services for many student welfare issues. In the last academic year the Union assisted 172 students and the chances are we can help you too, even if that is just to tell you who else might be able to help. Casework has highlighted some issues that do not just affect one individual, but many students. Our officers and staff communicate these issues to the relevant departments, while always ensuring confidentiality. Some areas where casework has led to a change for the better include: The student experience in University Accommodation was highlighted and improved. A review of Accommodation Liaison Students roles and responsibilities. A study into the levels of plagiarism in the University, and a report being produced by VP Education for the University to consider.
FACILITIES The Union building is at the centre of the University campus, hosting regular events and activities. We have a bar & catering outlet, Studio, open 7 days during semester, serving hot food and tasty cocktails! Our coffee shop Underground serves Starbucks Coffee and offers a selection of toasties and delicious cakes, as well as a healthy Juice Bar! The Venue is your daytime social space and catering outlet as well as our evening events location hosting all the Freshers Week night events, as well as further nights throughout semester including the weekly Open Mic and Coffee House Sessions. Underground, Studio, The Venue and the Union Shop exist not just as a service for you, but to provide an income to fund everything else we do for you: from representation, clubs & socs, sports teams, welfare and volunteering. Every penny you spend on tickets, coffees, beers and food is reinvested back into your student community. 4,286 tickets for Freshers events including Basshunter, Hot Dub Time Machine and many more. We sold 3,515 of our famous Stirling University hoodies from the Union Shop. You ate 5,720 pizzas from Studio and drank 16,829 lattes from Underground!
SPORT If you’re serious about sport or serious about expanding your social circle and getting fit whilst doing it, join a sports club! With over 1,800 members in 50 clubs, we cover a wide range of sports and abilities. Clubs welcome new members throughout the year, with main recruitment taking place during Freshers & ReFreshers. Clubs also run ‘Give It A Go’ sessions at these times so you can try before you buy. We work hard to make sure all sports are inclusive and are run with equality in mind. Keen? Info and contact details for every club can be found at: www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/sportsunion We love to shout about both individual and team success at a local, national and international level: Our Ladies football team completed a Scottish League and Cup double this year along with reaching the semi-finals of the UK Universities Cup. Our American Football team has won the British Universities Championship two years running now! Stirling University golfers have competed at the highest levels of amateur golf attending competitions around the world as well as dominating UK Universities golf.
CLUBS Joining a Club or Society is probably the best thing you can do whilst you’re here to help build skills, make new friends and grow your CV! With over 1,200 members in over 60 clubs, we cover a wide range of clubs and activities from course-based clubs such as Geography and our award winning Media Socs to niche interest clubs like Anime or Wizarding. Clubs welcome new members throughout the year, with main recruitment during Freshers & ReFreshers. Clubs also run ‘Give It A Go’ sessions at these times so you can try before you buy. We work hard to make sure all clubs are inclusive and are run with equality in mind. Keen? Info and contact details for every club can be found at: www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/clubssocieties With activity levels at an all-time high, check out our successes from this year: We’ve had a lot of new clubs this year, taking the total number of clubs to 64, with new clubs, Pool and Red Cross also going on to win awards at Clubs Ball 2015. Clubs have been reflecting on their development this year and sung about their achievements through the Earn your Stripes initiative, with Business Club getting Gold in all four criteria. Our Media Societies had a great year, with Brig producing a culture magazine, Air3 Radio launching Air3 Xtra and AirTV winning awards for their content on a national level.
ENVIRONMENT The Green and Blue Space is the heart of all the Students’ Union environmental activities. Located in the Atrium, it’s the hub for info on anything from food growing to affordable sustainable food and re-use scheme. Led by members of staff and a large team of volunteers, they strive to make student life here at the University of Stirling more environmentally friendly and build a stronger community for all students. Visit stirlingstudentsunion.com/environment for more info or pop in! With an ever expanding array of activities, this year; Over 1,400 volunteer hours were delivered between all our activities. We opened up a food cooperative and saved well over 3 tonnes of reusable items from going to landfill. The team won Environmental Innovation Award and Union of the Year (small commercial) as well as renewing their Green Impact Gold Standard status.
HOUSING Your Union considers safe, warm, clean and affordable housing to be a human right. We will continue to campaign around housing issues and support you in your housing options. Whether you choose University accommodation or off-campus private housing, we're here to provide information on your rights as a tenant, find you the perfect pad and help you with any problems. Find your flat for next year with our property website, Stirling Digs! Whether it's a flat for two or a big house to share, we have listings from reputable landlords who cannot list with us without proper landlord registration, all licenses and safe deposit schemes. Visit stirlingstudentsunion.com/housing for more info. To date, over 12,213 unique visitors have viewed properties on the Stirling Digs website. Stirling Students Union is affiliated to the Living Rent Campaign, meaning that we call for rent controls and more regulation of the housing market, ensuring that everyone in Scotland has a warm, clean and affordable place to live. Returning VP Communities, Lauren Marriott, worked alongside last year’s Union President to lobby the University over on campus accommodation prices. Because of their efforts, weekly rents on many older residences remain frozen for this academic year.
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WHO’S WHO IN YOUR UNION Sabbatical Officers
Andrew Kinnell | Union President Jess Morris | Sports President Lauren Marriott | Vice President Communities Hollie Cameron | Vice President Education
president.union@stir.ac.uk sports.union@stir.ac.uk communities.union@stir.ac.uk education.union@stir.ac.uk
Executive Officers
theunion@stir.ac.uk Scott MacKay | Clubs & Societies Officer Hollie Irvine | Communities Officer Aileen Sissons | Health Promotions Officer Anni Rahtu | International Officer Astrid Smallenbroek & Rebecca O'Neill | Liberation Officers
Student Media
Andrew Baxter | Air3 Station Manager Andrew Pope | AirTV Station Manager Lucy McLellan | Brig Editor
Staff
Audrey-Clare Burns | Chief Executive Frances Slorance | Commercial Manager Nick Manton | Marketing & Events Coordinator Lauren Kirk | Marketing Assistant Alban Dickson | Student Activities & Volunteer Coordinator Christopher Purdie | Sport Development Coordinator Stef Black | Policy & Reseach Coordinator Lynn Maher | Academic Representation & Development Coordinator Laurelin van der Molen | Environmental Project Coordinator Wendy Forbes | Union Secretary Jill Lowe | Sports Administrator Sasha Young | Finance Manager Karen McGregor | Shop Manager
stationmanager@air3radio.com stationmanager@airtvonline.com editor@brignewspaper.com
audrey-clare.burns@stir.ac.uk frances.slorance@stir.ac.uk n.d.manton@stir.ac.uk lauren.kirk1@stir.ac.uk alban.dickson@stir.ac.uk christopher.purdie@stir.ac.uk stef.black@stir.ac.uk lynn.maher@stir.ac.uk laurelin.vandermolen@stir.ac.uk wf2@stir.ac.uk jill.lowe@stir.ac.uk sasha.young@stir.ac.uk shop.union@stir.ac.uk
/stirlingstudentsunion @stirlingunion @stirlingunion www.stirlingstudentsunion.com