Societies’ Handbook Everything you need to know about setting up and running a society at UWSU. Student Handbook 1
Students’ Union Statement
Contents
This handbook tells you all you need to know about starting, running and developing your society. From finding members to your presence at freshers fair; from running an event to requesting funding.
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As a Union, we are here to support and uphold the rights and needs of the student body at the University of Westminster. This includes opportunities for student led activities such as societies.
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There is a diverse range of society activity for you already to get involved in. From political and religiously affiliated societies to course-based and down-right-wacky, there really is something for everyone.
Students’ Union Statement 2 Registering / Re-Registering Your Society 3 Some Important Information 4 Equal Opportunities Statement 5 Disciplinary Procedures 5 Health and Safety 6 Booking a Room / Stall 6 Promoting Your Society 7 Student Media / UWSU Website 7 Guest Speakers 8 Faith Based Societies 8 Freshers Fair 9 Funding 9 Things to Remember 10
TOP TIP Don’t be shy in getting know your SU. Our offices are always welcoming, and our staff are, amongst other things, sexy, sassy and fabulous. Make sure you get to know them we’re here to help!
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Registering/ Re-registering your Society
Step by step... 1. Come up with a great, original idea that you think will be of interest to other students. Get in touch with the Society Coordinator to discuss your idea.
To re-register your society, email the Society Co-ordinator with a completed re-registration form (available on the Committee Hub) before Tuesday 1st September. If you miss this deadline your society (account/online presence) will be deleted and you will need to register again as a new society following the steps below.
2. To demonstrate there is support from other students for your proposed society, you will need to get 20 Westminster students (and their student ID) to give their support to your application. 3. Find a committee. These should be people who share your passion and willing to help with the running of your society. 4. Submit the Affiliation Form to the Society Coordinator. You can find the Affiliation Form on the UWSU website. 5. Your society idea will be discussed by the SU. You will be informed of the decision as soon as possible. If approved, you are ready to go!
TOP TIP Top tips for new societies! Make sure your society is original and doesn’t already exist. Societies will not be approved otherwise. Make sure you plan your events in advance. Societies are required to hold at least two events each term.
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Some Important Information The society coordinator is your first port of call for all society related matters. They are responsible for reviewing applications in the first instance, managing society funds, as well as imposing sanctions as required. All approved societies are free to operate under the banner of ‘The UWSU’. Affiliated societies do not necessarily have to represent the views and opinions of the Students’ Union although they are required to adhere to the brand’s operating guidelines.
What you can expect from us... • A dedicated and experienced team of staff who can help you from start to finish with the organisation, promotion and running of your society and events throughout the year. • Transparency, availability and professionalism in the services we offer and provide. • You can expect a reply to your email within 2 working days. Please note there are busy periods where there will be delayed responses. • A great time working with us!
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What we expect from you... • Annual elections must be held (with two weeks notice) for any named post within your society. Committee members must all be full members of the UWSU. • All clubs and societies must have an up-to-date mission statement on their web page (please see the student media page of this booklet). • Every active club and society must attend every compulsory SU meeting that they are asked to attend (these will be emailed to your society account in advance). Failure to do so may result in sanctions. • All societies must communicate with the UWSU through their active society email account. Please don’t use your personal email account. • Every society must hold a minimum of two events / meetings per term. All societies must agree to the equal opportunities statement in order to be affiliated with the UWSU.
Equal Opportunities Disciplinary Statement Procedures All affiliated societies must agree to the following statement: 1. The UWSU seeks to encourage a community in which all individuals may contribute without fear of unfair and discriminatory attitudes and practices including (but not limited to) on the basis of gender, sexuality, disability, race and religion. 2. All SU clubs and societies must be open to the entire student body. All publicity and literature produced must be given in English (or with English translation). 3. All society events, elections and communications must be run democratically and fairly. If you are unsure about any of the above, or you feel this may interfere with the operating of your society, then please contact the Society Coordinator.
The SU does all it can to support its clubs and societies. In return we expect respect for our rules and procedures. If a society is found to have broken our rules or abused our trust the following course of action will be taken: A warning will be given to the president/ committee. Immediate expulsion of accused perpetrators pending investigation of the incident. In certain cases the entire suspension of a society for up to one academic year. In certain cases an entire suspension from the UWSU and all of its activities, with no refund of subscription or usage charges. Appeals: These will be taken to an SU committee and considered by the relevant staff and sabbatical officers.
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Health and Safety Compliance The safety of our members is paramount. Clubs and societies must make health and safety their absolute priority. Before any public event, performance, or meeting, a risk assessment must be completed and a copy sent to the UWSU in advance. These forms can be found online on the Committee Hub. For help completing it please contact the Society Coordinator.
TOP TIP Remember that there are four campuses that you can host your event at. Why not use this opportunity to explore and broaden your society’s horizons?
Booking a Venue Alternatively, if you wish to hold a charity or fundraising event please complete the stall booking form. More information on holding this type of event can be found in the Societies Event Pack. If you want to book a room for your society event you can do so by submitting a room booking request. The form can be found online in the Committee Hub. Please ensure you submit a room booking request in good time (at least two weeks in advance). Note: The submission of a room booking request does not confirm use of that room on the requested day/time. If you wish to have an external speaker at your event, please note that there is a separate procedure for this (see Guests & External Speakers, page 8). Before filling out the form please consider whether you intend to serve any kind of food or refreshments. These need to be pre-approved by the Society Coordinator. To meet the University’s food hygiene requirements you will need to sign a food disclaimer form, which is available online via the Committee Hub. Although all efforts are made to fulfil booking requests, your first preference may not always be available.
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Student Media All societies are encouraged to make use of student media wherever possible. Be it to promote a forthcoming event, comment on a particular topic, or to celebrate their success. The student media outlets consist of Smoke TV, Smoke Radio, Smoke Magazine and the QH Newspaper. For further information or for details about promoting your event or having student media cover your event then contact: smokemedia@su.westminster.ac.uk If you wish to promote your society’s event on social media (Twitter, Facebook etc), please contact the Website and Social Media Coordinator on: web@su.westminster.ac.uk
UWSU Website www.uwsu.com Every society has an online presence through the UWSU website. It is each societies individual responsibility to supply a society logo, 200 word society blurb and contact information to the web team. Each society will be given an individual log in to access the dashboard. From here you can update your bio, blog and upcoming events, to keep both members and potential sign-ups in the loop. After you login you’ll also be able to find links for: • • • •
Room Bookings Inter-faith advisor contact details Go Fund Yourself! Request form Event report form
Before going online, all content is approved so must be in keeping with the SU societies Code of Conduct. For help with the website please contact the Website and Social Media Coordinator on: web@su.westminster.ac.uk
TOP TIP Tag @westminstersu in your tweets so we can re-tweet it to our followers!
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Guests & Speakers If you want to invite people from outside the University to your on-campus event, you will need to submit a list of all the externals coming, at least 24 hours before the event, to the Room Bookings Officer. They will forward the list of names to the relevant reception and your guests will need to sign in upon arrival. For more information on external guests (limits etc) contact room bookings. Contact - Interfaith Advisor Yusuf Kaplan Academic Services University of Westminster y.kaplan@westminster.ac.uk Contact - Room Bookings roombooking@su.westminster.ac.uk If your event involves a guest speaker (not a member of Westminster staff or a student), they need to be approved by the University Interfaith Advisor, irrespective of the nature of the talk. Make sure your speaker(s) is approved in good time. Please read the ‘Societies Event Pack’ for more details regarding external speakers.
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Faith Based Societies All faith based societies are required to meet with the Interfaith Advisor. This is to discuss the aims of the society and any subsequent or planned events. Your faithbased society will not be allowed to run until it has been approved by the Interfaith Advisor. If you require clarification as to whether your society would be considered ‘faithbased’, please contact the Society Coordinator.
Freshers’ Fair!
Funding
Societies are required to book a stall in advance. The deadline for the 2015 Freshers’ Fairs is 4th September.
When completing the Affiliation form, it is your opportunity to request funding for your society for the current academic year. Funding will be allocated according to:
To do so please email Andita Santoso (details below) with the name of your society and any special requirements. Please note that only fully registered and affiliated societies are permitted to have a stall at the Freshers’ Fairs. Societies are not allowed to advertise on behalf of external companies. For more information please email the Society Coordinator Andita Santoso on: society.coordinator@su.westminster.ac.uk
Freshers Fair 2015 (10am - 4pm)
Cavendish Campus Tuesday 22nd September Regent Campus Wednesday 23rd September Marylebone Campus Thursday 24th September Harrow Campus Friday 25th September
• Your society’s previous student engagement activities • Your society’s previous budget • Justifiable expenditures Your yearly budget will be allocated by the Society Coordinator based on the above criteria. Go Fund Yourself! If your society requires any additional funding throughout the academic year, you can apply for the Go Fund Yourself Pitching Scheme. There is a pot of money available for all societies and sports clubs that you can pitch for if you require funding on top of your allowance. You can find the form online at www.uwsu.com/activities Note that submission of a request does not equal an approval.
TOP TIP Be creative with your event to ensure value for money. If your request is not approved do not despair! Consider other fundraising options such as raffles, charity walks or ticketing your events.
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Things to Remember • All existing societies intending to continue in the academic year 2015/16 need to re-register on or before 1st September 2015. This can be done by completing the re-registration form which can be found online on the UWSU website under the Committee Hub tab. • Societies must offer their members at least two events per term. Societies which have not met this requirement will be in breach of the society Code of Conduct and may be shut down. Make sure you complete the event report form to avoid this happening. • Presidents/committee members must always use the society e-mail address to contact the SU with related matters. These details are also your login to edit your web presence and access the Committee Hub. • If you want a stall at Freshers’ Fair then don’t forget to register before the deadline!
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Contact Society Coordinator To get in contact with the Society Coordinator please email: society.coordinator@su.westminster.ac.uk UWSU Activities Office Room WS 115B, 32-38 Wells Street, London, W1T 3UW
@westminstersu University of Westminster Harrow Campus Cavendish Campus Marylebone Campus Regent Campus Little Titchfield Street & Wells Street Campus
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