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Issue No.6 September 2009

FREE to a good home

FEATURES Your Sabb’s

Your Sabb’s -

Who? What? Why? The ofﬁcial voice of Northumbria Students’ Union www.mynsu.co.uk

Hands up who knows who the Sabb’s are? Hands up if you even know what a Sabb is? Chances are you won’t because by our title it’s not clear what we do. The name Sabb is short for Sabbatical, which refers to taking a year out of study. We are Northumbria Students who have been elected by Northumbria students to run your Students’ Union for the next year. We work full time. We make the changes that YOU WANT. We work hard to represent you and to have a good time whilst we’re at it. There are 5 of us and this is what we do:

Got an opinion?

Dave Wright President Job Role: Spokesperson and ﬁgurehead of Northumbria Students’ Union. Highlight of the Month: Getting to know the new team and setting priorities for the year ahead. What have you achieved for the students this month? We’ve planned what our priority campaign will be for students this year to represent them the best we can. We’ve also made plans to improve student council and have already welcomed new International students to the University. Low Point of the Month: Attempting to get through 1400 emails! Looking forward to: Having the students back on campus. dave.wright@ northumbria.ac.uk

Alison Jones Vice - President Communications & Involvement Job Role: Editor of NU:Life magazine, the SU Website, Videos, Elections and Communicating to all students about what’s happening in the SU. Highlight of the month: Actually starting the job and putting plans and ideas into action. What have you achieved for students this month? Securing the development of Online Opinions on the SU website www.mynsu.co.uk (keep your eyes open) and beginning to achieve fair representation of your views in NU:Life. Looking forward to: Working with the students at long last! alison.jones@ northumbria.ac.uk

Becky Warburton Vice - President Activities & Development

Adam White Vice - President Academic Affairs

Pete Woodward Vice - President Welfare & Equality

Job Role: Leading Welcome Week, Societies, RAG, NSCA. Highlight of the month: Training, and lots of it! From other Sabb’s, the National Union of Students (NUS), and the outgoing ofﬁcers. What have you achieved for students this month? I’ve set the massive range of activities which will be on offer over the next year involving all ranges of students. Looking forward to: Welcome Week. Its going to be amazing. becky.warburton@ northumbria.ac.uk

Job Role: Academic misconduct, marking, Course Reps, School Reps. Highlight of the month Working with and getting to know the new Sabb team. What have you achieved for students this month? I’ve ﬁnished recruiting all the School Reps so everyone at Northumbria is represented. Also planning our annual Course Rep Conference and Ball! Looking forward to: Welcoming new and returning students. a.white@northumbria.ac.uk

Job Role: Issues outside of the classroom, Housing, Student Health, Sexual Awareness, Community Reps. Highlight of the month: Learning the ropes of the job. What have you achieved for students this month: I’ve been working with the University, Police, Local Council and Students to make sure you have the smoothest entry into student life possible. Looking forward to: Welcome Week. Getting suited and booted for the ball. pete.woodward@ northumbria.ac.uk

E-mail us! We love it. No seriously, it’s our job to 04 nu:life

nu:life 05

FEATURES Police

GET INVOLVED Active Societies

Fancy meeting like-minded people or doing something outside of lectures that you take an interest in? The Students’ Union has over 60 societies and many more being added to the list. Have a look at the societies you can join.

Meet Your Sabb’s Get Talking With Hot Topics SU News & Reviews

If there’s nothing which takes your fancy why not set up your own society? It’s easier than you think and we give you guidance and support to do so. Interested? Then send an e-mail to su.activities@northumbria.ac.uk with any questions or contact Becky Warburton our Vice-President for Activities and Development at becky.warburton@northumbria.ac.uk OR pop up to see us on the ﬁrst ﬂoor of the SU. Accounting Afro-Caribbean Students Amnesty International Architecture Break Dancing Catholic Climb Kilimanjaro Christian Union Computer and Video Games Conservative Debating Design Social DJ Drama Engineering Society English Language Centre ERASMUS Ethical Hacking Fight Racism, Fight Imperialism Film at Northumbria Gaming and Roleplay Global Scholars Medical Grey History and Archeological Hong Kong Howard League for Penal Reform Islamic Japanese culture, Animation & Comics Kayaking Club Labour LGBT 14 nu:life

Liberal Democrat Literary Malaysian Musical Theatre NBS Postgrad Newcastle Links (St. John’s Ambulance) Northern Ireland Supporters Northumbria Association of Nigerian Students Northumbria Business NU Soka Gakkai Student NUTS Performing Arts Pole Dancing Politics Postgrad Researcher Debate Progressive Fighting Systems Northeast Real Ale Appreciation Rock Rockclimbing Snowsports Socialist Socialist Workers Students Sociology and Crimology Street Art Students Offering Support Stop the War Taiwanese Culture Club TUGS United Nations Association Vietnamese

POLICE 1 IN 3 OF YOU READING THIS WILL BECOME A VICTIM OF CRIME WHILST AT UNIVERSITY. WHY?

You may think you’re hard up and living in a dodgy ﬂat, students tend to own more expensive consumer goods per head than the rest of the population. Let’s face it you’ve probably got a mobile, an expensive laptop, games consoles and a range of household electrical items to boot. You’re probably in a house share too, which means a house jampacked full of very attractive shiny things for thieves to get their hands on. Natalie from Manchester lives with four of her mates in a house share in Jesmond. “I’ve lived in Jesmond for a couple of years so I know the area well. I didn’t think twice about leaving the door unlocked when I popped to the corner shop one afternoon. I arrived home a few minutes later to ﬁnd some lass in the house. I’d never seen her before and knew that she wasn’t friends with any of my housemates. When I asked her what she was doing, she asked me for directions to Osborne Road and it looked like she’d already had a few drinks. I told her the way and asked her to leave, which she did - joining up with some lad who was waiting down the road for her. Once she’d left I realised that my mobile was missing and so I got straight on the landline and phoned the police to report the burglary.”

12 nu:life

The Police found the two suspects on Osborne Road and they were taken into Police custody. The female suspect was later picked out during an identiﬁcation procedure and charged with burglary. She was remanded in custody by the court and found guilty, receiving eight weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. Student Liaison Coordinator, Fay Paterson, says “The female discussed here is now out of prison and back in the community. Be vigilant, people like her will change their appearance to blend in and often make up a cover story when discovered. This particular woman has been known to target both Halls of Residence and community houses around the Jesmond, Heaton and Shieldﬁeld areas. The best advice is to keep your windows and doors locked and keep your property out of sight. So many burglaries happen because of insecurities and they are totally preventable.” For further community safety tips please visit www.knowurstuff.co.uk

y o sa ave t y n’t hbut it ma if o d u Yo thing ence any your defention harm don’t m ned... io u yo quest when

Friday 11th Sept WELCOME WARM UP

Saturday 12th Sept SOCCER SATURDAY

Your stuff is all moved in, now it’s time to let the party commence and enjoy your new found freedom. What better way to do that than joining us in Reds for some kicking tunes and cheap drinks?

Join us in Habita to watch Premier League football live on our huge screen and our shiny new plasmas with drinks offers galore and our all new ‘Prediction Sheets’. Guess the scores, get them right, and get those free drinks ﬂowing! WHERE: Habita WHEN: 12pm

Drag your new ﬂatmates down, meet hundreds of new people and get yourself properly warmed up and ready for the rest of the week!

The party really gets going on the Saturday night, as we transform the building into a spectacle of 3D, with a 2 hour long DJ set by THE HOOSIERS. Get your glasses on and prepare to be blown away! Expect rockin’ DJ’s, UV, glow sticks, body paints, dancers, Thai cocktail buckets and tons of freebies!

WHERE: Reds Bar WHEN: 8pm

THAI FULL MOON PARTY 3D RAVE WITH THE HOOSIERS

WHERE: The Main Venue & Reds Bar WHEN: 8pm

www.mynsu.co.uk

Tuesday 15th Sept POP SHOTS Pop shots is your weekly music intro style quiz! The concept is a simple one: We play you a tune, you tell us what it is, and if you are right we give you a FREE SHOT! How easy is that?! The perfect way to start your Tuesday night! WHERE: Habita WHEN: 7pm

ROLLER DISCO They don’t do club nights like this anymore, except at Northumbria! Get your skates on and roller round our rink to the best disco anthems on the planet. You can wear what you like, though we do love it when you dress up. 70s/80s gear, abstract, character, it all adds fun to the night out (you may even win a prize!). All abilities welcome!

www.mynsu.co.uk

Northumbria Students’ Union proudly presents... GET Y’SKATES ON Everyone loves a bit of Skates, that’s probably why it sells out Reds week in week out without fail. The longest running alternative night in the Toon will be laying down the best slabs of HipHop, Ska, Punk and Dn’B every Tuesday, and if the music doesn’t suit you then it’s worth coming in just for the ludicrously cheap drink! As a special Welcome Treat, we have some very special guests on stage at 8.30pm.

Wednesday 16th September Starring RADIO

ONE’S EDITH BOWMAN...

Roll Up Roll Up! It’s the main event! The night you will never forget. We bring you the ultimate in James Bond themes. So dig out your Sunday best for the first formal of your University life. We give you

WHERE: Reds Bar WHEN: 8pm

CASINO ROYAL, MOONRAKER LASER QUEST, A GLORIOUS PUSSY GALORE BURLESQUE SHOW, 007 MARTINI ICE LUGE (SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED), GOLDEN EYE PAPARAZZI, WINE RECEPTION

WHERE: The Main Venue WHEN: 8pm

and loads more.

www.mynsu.co.uk

IT REALLY IS

A NIGHT NOT TO BE MISSED!

Issue 01| Autumn 09

www.mynsu.co.uk

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

David Caldwell – Course Rep of the Year!

Hello and Welcome to the first edition of Get Involved! So you’ve come to Uni and the world’s your oyster! Do you want to spend your spare time lying on the sofa eating baked beans from the tin and watching day time telly, or do you want to get off your bum and make the most of your time here? Maybe do something good for your local community such as our recent Art in the Park project and possibly even achieve fame from being on the news and in the paper while you’re at it!

“A LOT OF ENERGY & PASSION” Or you may want to add some new skills to your CV through our Give It a Go sessions and make yourself stand out from the rest of your fellow tax dodgers!! Through the Get Involved programme here at Your Students’ Union we have something for even the most hardened Jeremy Kyle fans to get you off that couch and doing something positive! I hope you enjoy leafing through this magazine and I look forward to seeing you round the Union in the coming months!

Alison x

Icon Guide:

Get repped this year! | Tell us about yourself! | Give it a Go | Plus much more...

Hi David. Tell us about yourself!

Why should people get involved?

Well, my name’s David Caldwell, I’m a Computer Forensics Student at Northumbria and I’m in the School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences (CEIS). I’m also the Course Rep for Computer Forensics in my year. In 2009, I won the National Union of Students (NUS) Course Rep of the Year Award.

Representation is a unique form of volunteering, in that you’re not only helping your peers but you also help yourself in terms of improving your education. It’s also great experience for your CV – there aren’t many volunteering roles that let you to sit on management-level meetings and inﬂuence key policies for a multi-million pound organisation. And it pays!

What do you think are the most important qualities for a Course/School Rep to have? I would say that being able to listen without judgement or jumping to conclusions is a good skill as there are going to be a lot of times when you get stuck in the middle. Being able to talk to anyone is a great skill as it makes you accessible to all different kinds of students. You also need a lot of energy and passion for what you do!

If a Course Rep was an animal, what animal would it be and why? I think…an elephant! The reason is that elephants never forget, they are very sociable creatures, they have big ears for listening, and have power and force when they need it, but are generally quite gentle and peaceful. These are all valuable skills for Course Reps.

What were your biggest achievements as a Rep?

- Meet new people

- Have a lot of fun

- Learn new skills

- Make some money

- Make a difference at University

- Give something back

- Enhance your CV

- Voice student opinion

- Become a leader

- Get peer support

For me, winning the NUS Award was the highlight of my year. It made what was already a productive and enjoyable year all the more worthwhile. I think I was able to change the culture in CEIS in a positive way, and also empowered Course Reps to take action at a local level. Developing key relationships within the School was important because it means that the door is now open for future issues to be discussed.

Date For Your Diary Wed 21st Oct 2009 St James Park Course Rep Conference

CAMPAIGNING, CAMPAIGNS VOLUNTEERS

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE

Before the Students’ Union gets its Bat Cave makeover, we’re looking to do some serious caped crusading. Our campaigns are kinda a big deal around here, and we’re going to need some help getting them out there. And like every good superhero story, we’ve got a lot of mystery in this year’s big campaign. In fact, we’re doing our best to make you more mysterious, too, particularly in your assessments, so that you’re marked on your work and not your identity. If you’d like to unleash your inner-activist and stand up for issues that you believe in, and have a bit of spare time, why not come on over and see what we’re getting up to? If you’re not so much into the mystery side of things, we’ve got plenty of other things to keep you busy, and we’re always hatching new ideas. Maybe you’ve got ideas for a campaign we could run? We’re listening.

Passionate about the environment? Want to make the world a bit greener? Come hang with the new and highly-anticipated Ethics and Environment Committee. Make some carbon-free footprints over to the Students’ Union and recycle some old debates to make new changes in the University. Saving polar bears has never looked so good on your CV!

» 17

Sound Impact Sound Environmental Impact is a national initiative which looks at how green a students’ union is. It was started by a former Northumbria student and the Ethics and Environment Committee can help improve the Union to achieve this award. We are at the Silver Standard and need your help to raise the game to Gold. Greener Halls The Greener Halls Campaign is all about making your halls more environmentally friendly. It’s part of a scheme we’ve picked up because we believe in clean living, and so do our students. Every one of the major Halls will need an Environmental Ambassador to play Captain Planet (uniform not included) and these Ambassadors will be directly involved in making changes to your Halls. Pretty good for the CV, and a firm way to make a stance about something you care about.

As a campaigns volunteer you could be going out and talking to students, handing out campaigns resources, and whatever else, but you can really make a difference to a lot of students’ lives. Either way, you’ll love it and get to meet new people.

20 «

» 23

by the Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive

To have a positive impact on the lives of all our students

It has been a very productive year for Northumbria’s Students’ Union. The University

Our vision

values its relationship with the Students’ Union and the professional and informed manner through which it represents the opinions of Northumbria’s students.

Northumbria Students’ Union’s vision is to achieve excellence in meeting our members needs through student-led activities and services, to be recognised by students and the university as an essential focal point for community life as a student, and to become indispensable to the overall quality of the student experience at Northumbria University.

President’s message Award Winning Union

Our key aims 1. Stand up for student rights through excellent representation and campaigns. 2. Provide consistently good quality services, activities and facilities. 3. Maximise the use and involvement in the Students’ Union by the widest cross section of students possible.

Run by Students for Students

6-7

Guiding Light

Reaching Out

Fighting for Student Rights

Warm Welcome

Active Students

Putting Something Back

Developing Services & Entertainment

People & Money

Looking Ahead

The student representation system at Northumbria is supported by excellent training initiatives, including the Annual Course Representative Conference and the publication of a nationally recognised Course Representative Guide for academics. I should like to congratulate two of our students, Thomas Gyr and Timur Jan Pinar, who have each earned the prestigious title of National Union of Students Course Representative of the Year 2008. During the past year the Students’ Union’s engagement with the University’s Executive Team, its Schools and Service Departments, has been most constructive; advancing academic standards, increasing feedback, enhancing participation in the National Students’ Survey, facilitating retention and improving key aspects of the student experience. I was pleased to be involved with the opening of Habita Café Bar which, as part of the ﬁrst phase of a three-year plan to transform the SU building to better meet the

Our core values We will ensure that we • Are a democratic organisation that is owned, run and focused entirely on our members’ needs.

needs of today’s students, has greatly improved our city centre campus. I look forward to the completion of the second and third phases, which will include the refurbishment of the Venue and the development of facilities to support club and society activities, personal development, community action, charity fundraising, student representation and other volunteering initiatives. Through its many endeavours the Students’ Union is Northumbria’s principal non-academic conduit for life-changing opportunities for its students; creating communities of common interest, enabling students to learn from one another

• Are accountable to our members through open decision-making that is underpinned by good ethical practice.

and to acquire skills which increase their employability. The University supports the Students’ Union’s mission - to have a positive impact on the lives of all students – and its commitment to increase the diversity of its offer and to appeal and to be relevant to the widest possible range of students.

• Defend our right to independently represent our members to the University to improve student rights locally and nationally. • Enhance university life through the provision of quality services and activities that wherever possible exceed our members’ expectations and are delivered in a way that minimises negative environmental impact.

• Are the community heart of the University to provide a safe place for all our members to network, socialise and be supported and represented.

Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive Northumbria University

• Make our activities fun and whenever possible involvement will contribute to the personal development of our members. • Develop teamwork between our ofﬁcers, staff, volunteers and establish productive external partnerships. • Have equality of opportunity at the heart of everything we do.

Professor Andrew Wathey Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive

northumbria students’ union annual report 2008

The Advice & Representation Centre

This year witnessed further impressive growth of the advice and representation services of the Students’ Union. Northumbria is rapidly building a national proﬁle for the quality of its student representation, recognised by NUS as sector leaders; the Advice and Representation Centre is continuously gaining credibility within the University for the quality of its support for students.

And the Winner is… Northumbria Students’ Union Reps Tom Gyr and TJ Pinar won the Award for Course Reps of the Year 2008 at the inaugural NUS Annual Awards. This achievement reﬂects

Course Reps

the quality of Northumbria’s students and Reps as well as the system in place to support them.

•

improvements in the Course Rep system and provide a dataset to benchmark future improvements against. Producing and distributing a ‘Course Rep: Best Practice

•

Key Achievements

This year the Students’ Union has ensured a big focus on building a motivated and engaged team of staff. A ‘Rewards and Engagement Strategy’ was launched to extend and provide clarity on the wide range of staff beneﬁts. A staff survey carried out with a response rate of 77% in November shows signiﬁcant improvements in satisfaction and overall Northumbria Students’ Union staff are proud to work for the organisation, with an overall satisfaction rating of 83%.

Financial Wellbeing The Students’ Union continues to face ﬁnancial challenges. Competition for the student pound in Newcastle is at an all time a high with many bars and clubs heavily discounting on price. The consolidated statement of ﬁnancial activities

September 2008. These services are now run in partnership with Northumbria

•

Launching the MAP Management Development Programme for managers and supervisors

•

Introducing a set of management competences so that all staff know what they can expect from their manager

•

Organising ﬁrst ever programme of social

•

events for staff including a start of term bowling trip with over 80 attendees Staff Survey response rate of 77%

•

Positive net current assets achieved

• •

for the ﬁrst time in ﬁve years Block Grant funding increased by 8.5% Total University funding increased by 9%

•

Positive cash at bank achieved over full year

to maintain the quality of its representation services and the breadth of student activity and personal development opportunities for our members. However, further expansion in the scope of these services and activities particularly at the Coach Lane campus is dependent on new funding being secured.

University through a Joint Management Agreement. Finances are student led, with the input of professional staff The Students’ Union continues to rebuild its ﬁnancial solvency with net current assets of £3,873 compared to negative liabilities of £82,422 the previous year and down from its peak of £493,007 in 2003. The University’s continuing conﬁdence

Guide’, with funding from Student Affairs Committee, as a •

People

the year ended 31st July 2008 showed an overall deﬁcit of £97,206. Exceptional items include a balance sheet write off of £67,958 relating to the transfer of city site Catering and Retail service to Northumbria University from the 1st

systems at Northumbria that the Students’ Union is conﬁdent are unique within the Student Movement. These include: Developing a Programme Leader Survey to identify future

www.mynsu.co.uk 03

for the Students’ Union and its subsidiary company Naturally Northumbria for

This year has seen unprecedented innovation within student representative

•

People and Money

Guiding Light

www.mynsu.co.uk

their hard work and I look forward to what I am sure will be a productive future relationship between the Students’ Union and the University. Professor Andrew Wathey

• Encourage the widest possible involvement of our members in all our activities.

‘It has been a very productive year for Northumbria’s Students’ Union. The University values its relationship with the Students’ Union and the professional and informed manner through which it represents the opinions of students.’

On behalf of Northumbria University, I should like to thank the Students’ Union for

tool for staff in recruiting and supporting their reps. Delivering N-tale sessions for academic staff in ‘how to get the most out of your reps’.

in the Students’ Union’s ability to manage its affairs in a prudent manner was rewarded with an increase in Block Grant funding of 8.5% and total funding of 9%

and are approved by the Board of Trustees. The Students’ Union complies with the Education and Charity Acts’ requirements on ﬁnancial record keeping, systems and reporting.

in the ﬁnancial year 2007-2008. This increase has allowed the Students’ Union

Developing an online Course Rep training module, with support from L-Tech.

Expenditure

Income

October saw the second annual Course Rep Conference at St James Park. 155 students attended this popular and successful event, which included a presentation from Deputy Vice-Chancellor Craig Mahoney and sessions led by Student Services, Library and Learning Services, Academic Registry and IT Services.

Tom Gyr and TJ Pinar accepting NUS Course Reps of the Year Award

Saleries & Wages

£1,323,445

Costs of Sales

£865,704

Building Costs

£209,257

PRS, PPL, Insurance, £151,950 Legal, Audit, Bank & Payroll Charges & other professional fess

northumbria students’ union annual report 2008

£67,958

Bars

Training, Development & Conferences

£40,917

University Block Grant

Administration

£33,700

NUS Affiliation

£32,016

Sundry

£16,171

Depreciation

£141,308

Subsistence

£13,543

Security

£92,969

Campaigns

£9,017

Marketing

£83,033

Subscriptions

£6,786

PGR Reps Training Event 2008

60 www.mynsu.co.uk

Loss of Asset

14 www.mynsu.co.uk

£882,514 £661,850

Catering

£527,469

Entertainment & Concerts

£299,169

Marketing & Membership Services

£247,579

Coach Lane

£139,171

Retail

£126,935

Sundry

£69,775

Machines & Vending

£30,325

Naturally Northumbria

£5,781

northumbria students’ union annual report 2008

Contents & Foreword

Foreword

Our mission