Postgraduate Guide
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Contents Welcome 3 NUS Extra
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The Students’ Union
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The SU Ethos
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The SU Physical space 10 Your Officers
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Part Time Officers
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The Education Network 15 Make The Change
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Advice 19 Get Involved
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Sports 23
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Welcome A massive welcome! I'm Elliott Denham - your Postgraduate Officer at the University of Nottingham Students' Union - and I am delighted to welcome you to our thriving Postgraduate community. In a nutshell, I am here to represent you through all aspects of your Postgraduate experience. Whether it's social or academic, from welfare to accommodation, or sports to national representation, I am here to make your voice heard, ensuring you have the best possible time whilst at the University of Nottingham. They say time flies when you’re having fun and I am fortunate enough to be entering my fifth year at the University of Nottingham; what an incredible ride it has been! From Undergraduate level, now through to one of your Students’ Union leaders, it is an honour to be representing you. Your Students’ Union offers a huge diversity of networks, activities, sports and societies, but also works hard behind the scenes to represent you on both a local and national scale. There’s so much going on that caters to everyone’s taste, so whether you’re an active athlete, a thrill-seeking adventurer, an avid reader, a passionate debater, or fancy yourself as the next James Bond, you’ll be sure to find something to suit your needs. And, if for some reason you can’t, then you can easily start your own society! You can always count on your Students’ Union leaders; after all, we are here for you. From tweet to drop-in, feel free to get in touch anytime…we’d love to hear from you! For now, enjoy the beginning of the next phase of your life. Hold on, because it is going to be a fun ride! Postgrad love, Elliott Denham 3
Elliott Denham Postgraduate Officer supgofficer@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ Postgrad Discover Shape Belong
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The Students’ Union Welcome to Nottingham! Whether you’re here for one year, or three there’s an array of opportunity here for you outside the lecture hall. From representing you, to helping you make the change and to connecting you with other likeminded students, the Union’s here for you. Together we can make sure you get the most out of your time here at the University of Nottingham. Your time is precious and your goals are high and to support your aims we offer a range of ways to help maximise your potential. There are multiple course based societies to join, sporting opportunities for every ability and chances for you to help out the local community with our Student Volunteer Centre. You’ll be able to find out about this and much more at the Welcome Festival taking place across University Park from 21st to the 25th of September.
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We’re here to support you in your studies and represent your academic interests to the University. The SU trains and supports over 900 student Academic Reps to ensure your academic experience is exactly what you want it to be. You can find out more about how your views are represented on page 15
It’s also imperative that you feel at For more information make home here in Nottingham, and this sure you attend the Welcome sense of belonging is as vital to the Festival but for now head to SU as it is to you. There are various su.nottingham.ac.uk for levels of welfare support, ranging more information. from the Student Advice Centre, to answer any question or concerns you may have, to Nightline, a student ran confidential listening service. In this guide you’ll find an introduction to the platform the SU provides for you to grow, learn and get the most out of your time here.
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The SU Ethos The Union isn’t just a physical space; it’s you and every student around you. We’re run by students for students. There are seven full time officers, seven part time officers and many more student leaders elected by the body student body. Each officer has their own remit and their job is to represent you! They shape the Union in accordance to your values and communicate your views to the University.
You can find the Officers in their office on B Floor of the Portland Building, on Twitter or on Facebook. Get to know them, talk to them about issues you’re passionate about and collaborate with them towards change. 9
The SU Physical space Now we’ve explained our ethos, it’s handy to know where you can find us! In the Portland Building on University Park you’ll find the majority of the SU services. On B Floor you’ll find the Student Advice Centre, the Print Shop, the SU Shop, the Sports and Societies office and how you can make those changes happen. One floor above you’ll come across the Student Volunteer Centre, drop in and see where your urge to give back can take you in the world. You can also find a quiet spot in the Hub on C Floor or head to the Studio on A Floor where you can escape for a moment, discuss papers with course mates or hold society meetings. Opposite the Studio you’ll find Mooch, the finest place on campus to feed your hunger and quench your thirst.
If you’re over on Jubilee there’s an SU shop to keep you stocked up on all those study essentials and if you’re studying on Sutton Bonington head to the Barn where you’ll find the Guild, your very own SU team. The SU Hub on Derby campus houses the University of Nottingham at Derby SU team (UNAD). Use this space to chill out, and find out about the sports and societies and welfare support on the Derby campus.
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Your Officers Take in their faces, their values and manifestos. Your Officers connect you to the University and act on your student voice. They have been democratically elected by the student body and were students here too. If you’re interested in running for next year’s PostGraduate position register your interest with Elliott and start collecting information for your manifesto from day one. Elections run in the second term, so you’ve got plenty of time.
Angharad Smith President supresident@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ President
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Rob Jennings Activities Officer
Sam Peake Community Officer
suactivities@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSUActivities
sucommunity@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ Community
Dan Rattigan Education Officer
Sarah Pickup Equal Opps & Welfare
sueducation@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU_Education
suwelfare@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ Welfare
Elliott Denham Postgraduate Officer
James Bramley Sports Officer
supgofficer@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ Postgrad
susports@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ Sports
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Part time Officers There are also seven part time elected officers that lead specialist equality and diversity networks to ensure you’re supported in every area of student life. They’re there to support and represent you on anything you care about. Be proactive and email or tweet them over any issue you might want to raise. Emma Ehrenberg and Emma Quaedvlieg Women’s Officers
Parmeshwar Bawa International Students’ Officer
suactivities@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSUActivities
suinternationalofficer@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ BME
Emma Scali Mature Students’ Officer
Tom Parker Environment & Social Justice Officer
sumatureofficer@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ Mature
suenvironment@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ ESJ
Alistair Boulter LGBT Officer
Molly O’Brien Students’ with Disabilities Officer
sulgbtofficer@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ LGBT
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sudisabledofficer@nottingham.ac.uk @UoNSU _ Disbled
CELEBRATE your volunteering achievements The annual Student Volunteer Awards ceremony which takes place in Term 2 is a prestigious affair recognising student volunteers. Students who have volunteered on 3 or more occasions can apply for a certificate; we also have 4 awards categories that students and student groups can be nominated for. To find out more about applying for a certificate or the nomination categories email volunteering@nottingham.ac.uk
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The Education Network The Education Network The Education Network is a collection of almost 900 student academic reps underpinned by the Education and Postgraduate Officers. The network serves to represent and advocate for all students and their interests regarding their academic experience at the University of Nottingham, bringing about changes based on what students want and ensuring that students’ views and opinions are included and heard in University decisions about education policy at all levels. As Postgraduates there are two different Education Network roles that you could get involved in this academic year - Course Reps and members of the Postgraduate Sounding Board!
Course Reps We have a network of 850 Course Reps across the University, and 200 of those are Postgraduates! They are extremely important to all students and are an integral part of the Students’ Union as they represent all of their course mates and collectively influence changes to courses across the whole University. The Students’ Union Officers and staff support, train, and develop these reps as well as consulting them on important decisions the University wants to make to ensure that they are the best for all Postgrads across the University! If you’re interested in becoming a Course Rep, or want to know more about the role, please visit su.nottingham. ac.uk/representation, email sucoursereps@nottingham.ac.uk, or visit your school/research office. Time Commitment: approx. 1 Hour a month.
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Postgraduate Sounding Board The Sounding Board is made up of 10 Postgraduates - one Master’s student and one PhD student from each of the five faculties: Arts, Engineering, Medicine & Health Sciences, Science, and Social Sciences. They are elected in the autumn term to represent the views of Postgraduates within their faculty and meet once a month with the Postgraduate Officer to help inform decision making within the Students’ Union and University. They also make up the judging panel for the postgraduate categories of the University Staff Oscars and manage applications to the Academic Community Fund (a pot of money available for PG Course Reps to bid to!). Time Commitment: 1 meeting a month during term time.
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Make the Change Make the Change During your time at Nottingham there may be something you want to change, lobby on, or influence. This could be either something to do with the University itself or within the local community, or something on a national, or even international scale. Through the Students’ Union, you have access to a team of campaigning experts that help support any students who are looking to launch a campaign. They will help you develop your ideas for change, offer training on effective campaigning and provide support where you need it. If you’d like more information on campaigning, please email sucampaigns@nottingham.ac.uk
Make Change – The Student Leader Development Programme If you’re looking to get more involved in and/or learning about making change through campaigning but would like some more skills and training – then our Student Leader development programme, Make Change, is for you! This is a 10-week flexible program with sessions you can sign up to as your time and interests allow. It will cover all aspects of campaigning and prepare you with everything you need to know in order to influence change. If you’re interested in joining the development scheme, or would like more information on campaigning please email sucampaigns@nottingham.ac.uk
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Advice The Student Advice Centre The Student Advice Centre (SAC) is located on B Floor of the Portland Building in University Park. Our trained advisers are completely separate from the University and provide a free and impartial advice and information service to all University of Nottingham students. Education Advice Our Education Advisers can advise on a wide range of issues, including: academic appeals, complaints, fitness to practice and course progression. Our advisers can accompany you to university meetings and hearings to help you make the best representations regarding your ‘case’. Welfare Advice Our team of Welfare Advisers are also on hand to advise on money, housing, work and tax issues. House hunting can be stressful, whether you’ve done it before or not, and the SAC are on hand to answer any questions you may have. From rights and responsibilities, to contracts, deposits and council tax their wealth of knowledge is vast, so take advantage of it! 19
You can make face-to-face or phone appointments via phone on 01158468730 or via email suadvice@nottingham.ac.uk Nightline Nightline is a student run volunteering listening service. They provide a confidential and anonymous point of contact for students in Nottingham via. phone, email and instant messenger. Lines are open 24/7 during the last weeks of September and from 7pm-8am from then onwards with extra hours during exam periods. Phone 01159 514 985 Email nightlineanon@nightline.ac.uk Safer Taxi Scheme We’ve teamed up with DG Taxis, a local Nottingham taxi firm, to create the Safer Taxi Scheme to make sure you can always get home safely after a night out. The scheme is made up of a fixed price list and an emergency taxi scheme to cover all eventualities, you can find out more here. Text TAXI to 80818 to join the scheme.
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Get Involved Your time is precious and the SU offers great ways to fill your free time. With over 200 societies and a whole host of volunteering opportunities, there’s no skill you can’t attempt to master or community you can’t give back to! Societies All our societies are run by students for students, and they range from course based societies, to hobbies and interest societies to cultural societies that can bring a touch of home to your new surroundings! You can join any societies at any point of the year, but make sure you check out the Welcome Festival to find out exactly what’s on offer. Not sure you want to commit? No problem, all our societies are involved in ‘Try-it’. ‘Try-it’ takes place throughout the first few weeks of term and gives you a taster and idea of what societies get up to before you join. For the comprehensive list of societies visit su.nottingham.ac.uk/societies
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Volunteering If you’re in search of that warm fuzzy glow, the Student Volunteer Centre (SVC) on C Floor of the Portland Building is the place to be. No matter how much time you have, or what projects you envisage completing, the SVC can support you to reach your goals. There are various student led volunteering projects, such as Knit-a-Soc and Nottingham Night Owls, alongside opportunities to volunteer with well-known charities, such as Age UK and Rainbows Hospice. Whether you’re looking to get involved in a one-off event or commit an hour a week for the rest of the year the SVC will have the perfect opportunity.
Events Socialising is a huge part of student life and there are various Postgraduate-only events that take place over the year. You’ll find out about events over the whole year but watch out for the Snowflake Ball, the Graduation Ball and the end of term Postgrad BBQ. Your Postgraduate Officer, Elliott, is introducing weekly Coffee & Networking Sessions to facilitate and promote the establishment of sustainable networks throughout the year. It’s an opportunity to connect with Postgraduates across schools in a casual setting whilst reinforcing that important communication link between you and the SU.
Link16 Now in its second year, the Link16 conference is a one-of-akind interdisciplinary research conference led entirely by Postgraduate students studying at the University of Nottingham. It’s a chance for you to share research and a great opportunity to catch an inspiring keynote speaker. Last year Sir Martyn Poliakoff took to the stage and this year’s guest speaker is in your hands. Watch out for announcements over the year to see how you can get involved with this year’s conference or drop Elliott an email if you want to get involved supgofficer@nottingham.ac.uk
If you’d like to get involved with organising and hosting PG events, the Postgraduate Activity Committee are looking to recruit for the year ahead! To help out with organising and hosting PG events to bring together like minded students please fill out an application form.
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Sports With the second highest number of sports clubs of any UK University, we cater for all sporting needs. So whether you’ve never played the game before, are returning to a tennis racquet gathering dust in the corner or you’re ready for Rio, you’ll find your needs are met by UoN Sport. From Aikido to Kitesurfing, and opportunities to represent Nottingham at a local, national and international level you’ll be itching to take on the green and gold colours! If you’re looking for team spirit, you’ll find it in the Intramural Sports Programme (IMS) where student teams play against other student teams from within the University. We run the biggest IMS programme in the country, with more than 100 men’s football teams, 60 netball teams and 20 hockey teams competing in over 70 leagues.
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Costs are considerably cheaper than sport in the local community and it doesn’t matter what campus you’re on, it’s really easy to get involved and is a great way to meet new people! You can search for fellow team mates on the Postgraduate Sport Facebook page or email one of the relevant Sport Execs. If all else fails, we suggest a shout out in a lecture, you’ll never guess what ‘wana-be Messi’ will be sitting in your lecture hall! For more information visit su.nottingham.ac.uk/sports/a-z
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