WORCESTER STUDENTS’ UNION
IMPACT REPORT
2018/2019
WSU Impact Report
Contents
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04
Our Vision
06
Core Goal One
12
Core Goal Two
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Core Goal Three
Living our values in 2018-19
“Increase the number of students who know about and use our services”
“Facilitate wider student involvement in decisions that affect our members”
“Provide responsive, appropriate, and accessible support and advice to students”
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Core Goal Four
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Core Goal Five
54
The Year Ahead
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A message from Harry Lonsdale, Students’ Union President 19/20
“Create and promote opportunities for students to develop transferable skills”
“Help students to be safe and enjoy university life”
2018/19
Message from Lucy Conn Every year the Students’ Union team of officers and staff produce an Impact Report to highlight and summarise our outcomes and achievements. We really hope you enjoy reading this report for the 2018/19 academic year. It certainly was a busy one - indeed many felt it was our busiest yet! Delivering against our 5 core goals and our vision was key and we worked hard to action the many objectives laid out in our strategic plan, monitoring our progress throughout the year. We were very pleased that we managed to achieve, in full or part, over 80% of our objectives, as there were lots of them, and other unplanned projects and priorities emerged throughout the year. We were a very ambitious Officer team, determined to ensure the SU kept continuously improving for our members. The wellbeing and mental health of our students was a priority and from Welcome Week, we worked hard to ensure students knew how they could access help and support, as well as meet like-minded people. Welcome Week was a real success and we were delighted to put on special events for the students on professional courses who arrived earlier than the main cohort. The nurses, paramedics, and midwives seemed to enjoy a good welcome and we had much higher engagement from these students over the year in things like elections, societies and sports clubs, which was fantastic and one of our key aims. We delivered a range of new initiatives to support our students, including a Sport and Mental Health week, which other Unions have expressed an interest in replicating, a ‘Spotlight on Mental Health’ survey, completed by almost 500 students, and a ‘Body Positive’ survey, delivered by our Women’s Officer. We continued to work with the University and external partners to deliver events for World and University Mental Health days, and for International Men’s Day, with Papyrus, the Off the Scale vintage bus, Toni and Guy, and It Takes Balls To Talk being key partners on these days. I was personally delighted to achieve my aims around securing an extended Night Bus service for Worcester students beyond Welcome Week and I am very grateful for the support from University colleagues in helping to bring this about. I am so pleased this will launch in September 2019. I was also able to agree a new contract with Cathedral Cars, which includes fixed price fares
for students travelling certain routes and distances and a genuine wish by the company to work with us to ensure students get home safely. We continued to work closely with Tramps, our main partner, along with University Security, to educate and guide students on how to keep safe on nights out and be alert to things like drink spiking. I am very proud that we were able to show what true collaboration means and can achieve. Our Vice President Education, Euan, continued to encourage students to get involved in local and national democracy and he became a member of the official ‘For Our Future’s Sake’ campaign team, appearing in their promotional material and being photographed by renowned photographer, Rankin. We ensured Worcester students could take part in the two People’s Vote marches in London and were delighted to have the SU’s banner appear in national press articles. Eaun also worked hard to embed the new Code of Practice for Academic Representation, liaising with Course and School Reps, piloting a very successful Education Council (whereby School Reps could contribute more quickly and effectively to University policy), and running our very first Change Week, which was an overwhelming success. Harrison, our Vice President Student Activities, had an incredibly busy year, launching #TeamWorcTV (producing 17 episodes), Sport and Mental Health Week, Societies Week, and ensuring Varsity was, once again, a highlight of the year, with the highest number of ticket purchases by Worcester students
ever. We were a case study in the BUCS Inclusion Week for how we have fostered a positive #TeamWorc spirit and his engagement with all clubs and societies over the year was second to none. It was no surprise when we had the highest turn out for Colours Ball in our history! In other news, we raised over £37k for charity, increased satisfaction with us in all University and national surveys, achieved Gold Best Bar None accreditation and Very Good Green Impact Accreditation, had the most engagement ever with our Student Choice Awards, had the highest number of voters in our Leadership elections, and held our very first Tea Party, with over 100 local residents coming in for a wonderful afternoon of dancing. We also consulted students on a new governance structure for the Union to make us more accessible, and put forward recommendations to Student Council. So you can probably see now why it was such a busy year! I would like to extend enormous thanks on behalf of the staff and officers of the SU to the University and external partners who support us to achieve what we do and to keep on getting better at it. Change and improvement are the norm for an SU and we are no different. At this point, I must say a huge thanks to all of the staff of the SU who work tirelessly to support Officers to achieve their manifesto aims and make a difference to students. We couldn’t do it without them. I wish Harry, Meg and Mike, the officer team for 2019/20, all the very best. I have no doubt they will be absolutely brilliant. Best wishes,
Lucy Conn Worcester Students’ Union President 2018/19
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WSU Impact Report
Our Vision
“
REPRESENTING AND SUPPORTING STUDENTS TO DEVELOP AND ACHIEVE”
Living our values in 2018-19
Professional
Positive
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Student satisfaction with us continued to increase this year by 5% to 78% in the University’s Course Experience Survey. This has increased by almost 20% in 3 years. NSS – increased satisfaction in Q26 to 61% (from 59%) and in the optional bank of questions B2 to 41%, both above the national average We were ranked 36th out of 152 Students’ Unions in the NSS Were ranked 34th out of 131 Unions by WhatUni Achieved ‘Very Good’ Green Impact accreditation for a second year Had 6195 enquiries through our Welcome Desk Achieved Gold Best Bar None accreditation with a 100% score Contributed to national consultations on the TEF, the new Office for Students and NUS reform
Accountable ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
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Achieved quoracy in our All Student Meeting Received over 1,080 ideas from students as part of Change Week Held our second Course Rep Conference with 90 attending Solid and improved commercial performance Had 740 students fill in the ‘Big Worc Survey’ Produced regular Officer Vlogs to keep our membership updated on activities, on average reaching over 2,500 students on Facebook Visited our Course Reps studying in Devon and Cornwall Surveyed our core and student staff team on what it is like to work for us and changed things as a result Had sustainability initiatives during Varsity and supported campaigns to reduce single-use plastic
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Had 54 student articles in 3 more editions of Worc Hard Play Hard Produced 17 episodes of #TeamWorcTV, with excellent viewing figures Used our LGBTQ+ themed Varsity logo for a second year Organised a range of activities around mental health, including Sport and Mental Health Week, International Men’s Day, and It Takes Ball to Talk events Had 488 students fill in our ‘Spotlight on Mental Health’ survey Saw 169 students complete the ‘Body Positive’ survey run by the SU’s Women’s Officer Hosted our very first Tea Party, welcoming almost 100 local residents Were a case study in the first BUCS Inclusion Week for our work on ensuring a positive culture in #TeamWorc
Inspirational ▶
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Raised over £37,000 for charity and were shortlisted in the Student Fundraising Group of the Year category at the National Student Fundraising Awards 2019 Helped 186 students volunteer 15,974 hours of their time Helped several charities with collections, including for the Bra Bank, Refugees, and Worcester Foodbank Encouraged 150 students to write to our local MP regarding Brexit and took 46 students to London to the People’s Vote marches Of the 11 candidates running in our Leadership Elections, 2 were international students, 3 were studying at Level 7, and 5 were mature students
2018/19
Student-centred
Entertaining
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Dealt with 359 student cases and 642 contacts in our Advice Centre Had the highest engagement in our leadership elections since 2012 at 17.7%, with 1862 casting their votes Spoke to 1600 students when we went Out and About 63 times (half of those to City Campus) Increased the number of nominations in the Student Choice Awards by 40% to 816 Paid 27 student staff £70,800 over the year Had 670 students and 50 landlords attend our Housing Fair Held Societies Week with 17 different societies hosting open sessions Trained 548 students in their various roles (e.g. Reps, committee members and volunteers) Helped students create 13 new societies ‘How Are You Getting Home?’ campaign went viral reaching over 50,000 people on Facebook
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Increased attendance, sales and profit in the refurbished Hangar, exceeding stretch targets Delivered our largest ever range of events for international and professional course students who started their academic year earlier Created a rolling programme of events with Funky Friday Saw 35 student-led events take place in The Hangar Had more students attend Varsity fixtures than ever before Increased student engagement across all social media platforms Welcomed 647 students and staff to our Celebration Week events (142 more than the previous year) Saw Liv (Lucy’s Guide Dog) get loads of fuss from students (and several teddies)
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WSU Impact Report
Core Goal One
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2018/19
“Increase the number of students who know about and use our services�
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WSU Impact Report
Outreach SU Officers and core staff went out and visited different parts of the University – most frequently at City Campus – a total of 63 times, speaking to over 1600 students. During these sessions we: 5 Talked about our campaigns such as Don’t Rent Yet, Plastic Free Worcester, mental health awareness, and more 5 Got students nominating University staff in the Union Awards 5 Advertised our student staff vacancies and Student Trustee positions 5 Gave students information on our Help and Advice service 5 Promoted our leadership and Autumn Elections 5 Spoke to students about Brexit and our support for the campaign for a People’s Vote 5 Educated students on the Academic Representation System
Marketing and Communication
Our amazing student staff team worked hard throughout the year, producing fantastic and distinctive artwork for our campaigns and events. Our communications wouldn’t be the same without our student staff, who bring to life all of the ideas of our Officers and students.
Across all of our campaigns and events, we want to make sure that our communications are engaging and relevant to all students at Worcester. We use online, digital, physical, and face-to-face promotion to make sure our students are kept fully informed of everything that’s going on at the SU. We put our students at the heart of all our communications. We listen to what they have to say and make sure our content is tailored to want they want. Our social media platforms continued to grow, with high levels of reach and engagement and we added new followers every day. 8
WSU Facebook 7,405 followers The Hangar 878 followers #TeamWorc 2,551 followers
6,963 followers
Instagram 1,911 followers
2018/19
The Website From July to November we worked with an external web development company, Blitz Effect, to completely update our website. The redesign has ensured the website is more engaging and user friendly for our students. It has allowed us to incorporate the SU brand colours, utilise much more intuitive navigation, and increase our use of images. Since its relaunch in November, the website has enjoyed increased users and sessions.
#TeamWorcTV This year our VP Student Activities, Harrison, launched #TeamWorcTV to highlight the Clubs and Societies that make up #TeamWorc. In total, 17 episodes were filmed and shared across social media, each featuring at least one club and one society, with interviews and footage of their fixtures and events. The first year of #TeamWorcTV was a huge success, with fantastic engagement from all those involved, excellent viewing statistics, and an increased profile for some of our less well known Clubs and Societies.
Societies Week Also introduced by Harrison, Societies Week aimed to promote everything our societies do and highlight how important it is for our students to get involved. We filmed a number of society sessions and events, interviewing members, and created a video to share across all our social media channels. We also held a Societies Week quiz in The Hangar to help raise money for RAG. It was a fantastic and very busy week and our thanks go to all the students who took part. 9
WSU Impact Report
The Big Worc Survey The Big Worc Survey returned for its second year, with a total of 740 respondents. The survey consisted of just over 60 questions, covering students’ general knowledge of the SU and its range of activities and services. It gauged levels of knowledge, engagement, and satisfaction with us, with overall performance increasing compared to 2018 results.
Some key findings from the survey were: 5 The vast majority of respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with the SU 5 Awareness of the services the SU provides was extremely high 5 60% respondents had used an SU service during their time at University 5 More than 70% respondents felt the SU represents them and gives them a voice within the University
5 More than 60% respondents had attended an event in The Hangar, a 5% increase from 2018 5 Almost 50% respondents stated they had utilised the Academic Representation System 5 More than half of respondents had used the Welcome Desk, with the majority satisfied or very satisfied with the service received
Following analysis of the full results and demography of the respondents, we will work on addressing areas where awareness or satisfaction with us has room for improvement.
Some of these areas of improvement are: ▶ To increase levels of awareness and engagement with traditionally harder to reach students ▶ Increase involvement in RAG and Volunteering with first and second year students
▶ Increase awareness amongst all students of all aspects of the Part-Time Officer roles ▶ Increase awareness amongst all students of the Academic Representation system
Increasing Awareness with the University Throughout the year, we’ve worked hard to try and increase awareness of the SU and our activities beyond just students. September saw the return of our Staff Open Day, for University staff to come along to the SU and learn more about what we do. Almost 100 staff members from the University took up our offer from a wide range of Departments and Schools. As a result, we developed closer links with new & different areas of the University, leading to stronger communication and collaboration.
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2018/19
Widening Engagement and Participation Increasing engagement and participation with previously “harder to reach� groups was a priority for the year. One such group identified was Postgraduate students and so we worked with the Research School to recruit a Senior Rep for Postgraduate students, along with nine School Reps. We also brought the Postgraduate Students Network under the SU umbrella, with 22 members currently signed up.
We continued to build our relationships with partner institutes and visited Iron Mill College in Exeter and the Learning Institute in Roche to deliver Course Rep training, as well as revitalising the on-line training for all our partners. We then held a meeting with Colleg Gwent to discuss how we can work together to help ensure full support for all of their University of Worcester students.
Induction Talks Across September, our Officer team attended lectures and seminars to deliver induction talks to new students, introducing them to the SU, our campaigns, and activities. They visited a total of
46 cohorts, from Archaeology to Psychology to Nursing and everything in between, reaching more than three quarters of our new student intake.
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WSU Impact Report
Core Goal Two
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2018/19
“Facilitate wider student involvement in decisions that affect our members�
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WSU Impact Report
Elections Dennis the Duck returned to campus in October to help us promote our Autumn Elections and the Leadership Elections in March saw a new twist on ‘Don’t Duck Out of Democracy’, with superhero ducks taking over campus.
President | Vice President Student Activities | Vice President Education|
SU LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS 2019
Our Autumn Elections in brief: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
668 voters cast 2634 votes – a 79% increase in the number of voters compared to 2017 We increased the number of candidates by 4 to 17 – with 3 contested positions The Sustainability Officer position had the highest number of candidates with 3 students standing for the role and received the highest number of votes at 513 25% of candidates came from the School of Science and the Environment The School of Sport and Exercise Science cast the most votes An over-representative Student Council was created when compared to our student population, with 17% from a BAME background and 23% having a declared disability
VOTING CLOSES 14:15 15TH MARCH
Our Leadership Elections in brief: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
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1862 voters cast 5208 votes – representing 18% of our student membership, a 3.5% increase compared to 2018 There were 11 candidates for 3 positions, 7 of whom were mature students, 2 international students, and 2 of the winning candidates were studying at Level 7 The School of Sport and Exercise Science cast the most votes with a turnout of 43% All schools saw an increase in turnout with the exception of the School of Science and the Environment The two courses with the highest number of students voting were Adult Nursing and Sport and Exercise Science The highest turnout came from first year undergraduates
#DONTDUCKOUT
Vote online at www.worcsu.com/vote or at polling stations at St John’s Main Reception or Charles Hastings
Make sure you don’t just vote for your first choice. Voting for your second and third choices ensures you still influence the result if your first choice doesn’t win.
#voteworc
2018/19
Change Week We held our inaugural Change Week in February, giving students the opportunity to share their ideas about all aspects of student life at the University of Worcester. Throughout the week, students submitted a massive total of 1087 ideas, with these ideas then receiving 8454 votes via our Change Week boards and our new online Ideas Forum. The VP Education, Euan, worked with School Reps in ‘Hackathon’ sessions to identify where the SU and University could turn these ideas into reality. A few of the changes that were immediately made, thanks to ideas from our students, included:
Idea
Idea
Sign language classes
Organise a student bake-off
Action
Action
A British Sign Language Society has been approved by Student Council and will begin operating in the 2019-20 academic year
As part of Fairtrade Fortnight the SU held a Fairtrade Bake-off competition
Idea
Idea
SU to increase the profile of Societies
Toaster in the SU
Action The SU held its first ever Societies Week and the VP Student Activities included at least one Society in every episode of TeamWorc TV
The aim of Change Week was to make our feedback processes as visible as possible and highlight how the SU and University address feedback from students to improve their experience. We were delighted with both the number of ideas and votes
Action A toaster will be put in the SU from the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year
received throughout the week and beyond. The Officer team for 2019/20 will continue to work with the University on the ideas submitted and update students on any progress of ideas through email, our website, and social media. 15
WSU Impact Report
Course Reps This year we had 387 Course Reps within the University’s new College and School structure volunteering their time to represent the views of their course mates and ensure their voice is heard. This year saw the launch of a new accreditation scheme, specifically for Course Reps, where they could receive recognition from the Students’ Union, subject to carrying out certain tasks. The accreditation scheme is broken down into three levels: Merit, Honours, and Distinction, depending on how many tasks the Rep involved themselves in. 14 students this year received accreditation in their role as Course Rep, which we hope to build on next year. 16
Some of our Course Rep achievements over the year: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
More study skills sessions were put on following student requests – Allied Health An increase in the number of trips and industry guest speakers - Arts Recorded lectures will be implemented in a number of modules – Worcester Business School New chairs and tables in the Hines building to suit the learning environment - Education Electronic feedback and submissions are now encouraged throughout various courses – Science and the Environment Additional exam prep materials are now being provided – Science and the Environment Information and lecture slides uploaded to Blackboard more frequently – Sport and Exercise Science Trigger warnings implemented in modules dealing with sensitive subjects – Humanities
2018/19
School Reps This year we filled 22 of our 23 School Rep positions. School Reps were involved in School specific training for Course Reps and encouraged Course Reps and other students to provide feedback on their educational experience. This year, School Reps met at monthly Education Council meetings, chaired by the VP Education. As a new committee in its pilot year, Education Council was a sub-group of Student Council to oversee educational policy at the SU. School Reps discussed a range of topics throughout the year including timetabling, multiple assessments, and Blackboard.
Members of Education Council also submitted the following motions to Student Council, with all four being approved to stand for 3 years: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
The SU to oppose the ‘Fit to Sit’ policy The SU to lobby for the removal of multiple deadlines on the same day/week The SU to lobby for the standardisation of Blackboard pages more frequently – Sport and Exercise Science Trigger warnings implemented in modules dealing with sensitive subjects – Humanities
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WSU Impact Report
Course Rep Forums We hosted three Course Rep Forums throughout the year, which were attended by 121 Reps and focused on: ▶
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Retention and recruitment – Reps had the opportunity to feedback to the Head of Strategic Education Projects and the Director of Comms and Participation on matters like attendance and University Open Days Assessment and feedback – attended by the University’s Director of Quality and Educational Development, discussions included late submissions, timings of reassessments, and reassessment requirements Digital learning and teaching – the Head of Digital Learning and Teaching discussed the concept of the ‘digitally capable’ student, the future of Worcester’s digital campus, and learning analytics
Course Rep Conference The annual Course Rep Conference is a one day event giving Reps the opportunity to network, develop transferable skills, and broaden their knowledge of higher education policy. Staff members from across the University and SU delivered sessions ranging from leadership to time-management. Reps also attended a high level panel debate with the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost (Sarah Greer), Pro Vice Chancellor Students (Ross Renton), and the NUS Vice President Education (Amatey Doku). The debate covered a range of issues such as the potential changes to the higher education landscape, Brexit, value for money, and inclusion and diversity within Higher Education.
All Student Meeting This year our ASM was incorporated into the Course Rep Conference and was attended by 71 students, making it quorate. Alongside the approval of our annual accounts (for the previous year), our auditors and affiliations, we used the meeting to showcase what the SU and our members had achieved over the previous year, along with our plans for the future. Students were also given the opportunity to ask the Officers and management any questions they had about our operations or strategy. 18
2018/19
Student Council
There were a number of motions passed by Student Council in 2018-19, mandating the SU to: ▶
Over the year, 19 out of 28 positions were filled on Student Council, which consists of Full Time and Part Time Officers alongside representatives from different student cohorts.
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Support the campaign for a People’s Vote and a Final Say on the Brexit process Lobby for a shuttlebus service between City and St Johns Campuses, every weekday from midnight until 3am Approve the affiliation of the Postgraduate Network with the SU Rename the LGBT+ Officer position to LGBTQ+ Officer Sign up for Plastic Free Worcester and lobby for the removal of plastic cups and straws from the campus shop, the removal of plastic cutlery from the canteen, prevent the sale of single use bottles of water in the campus shop, and for all drinks in The Hangar to be served in glass or reusable plastic Ban domestic air travel within Great Britain, unless it is the most economically sound way of travel
Governance Review We completed the second phase of our consultations on a new governance structure and prepared a proposal for a new structure, with implementation to take place in the 2020-21 academic year. A total of 233 students filled our feedback postcards and 84 students attended focus groups.
Following this consultation, a draft proposal has been produced and will be used as a basis for further consultations with the student body, the University and external stakeholders. The consultation process will be completed by November 2019, with new governing documents to be approved by Student Council, the Trustee Board, and the University Board of Governors by February 2020.
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WSU Impact Report
People’s Vote In September, Student Council approved a motion for the SU to support the cross-party campaign for a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.
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2018/19
On October 20th 2018 and March 23rd 2019, Officers and students from the SU attended the two People’s Vote Marches in central London. Over half a million people joined the marches from all over the country, with the SU (showcasing some fantastic signs and placards) marching alongside fellow students and prominent members of the People’s Vote Campaign.
Our VP Education, Euan Morrison, spearheaded the SU’s involvement in the People’s Vote, speaking to students, staff, and the wider community on what seemed like a daily basis. Euan became somewhat of a celebrity within the People’s Vote movement, speaking on national TV and being part of the official For Our Future’s Sake (FFS) campaign, which involved being photographed by leading fashion photographer, Rankin. He encouraged students to write to their MPs and even took over the official People’s Vote Instagram account in November, giving Worcester students the opportunity to campaign on a national level.
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WSU Impact Report
Core Goal Three
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2018/19
“Provide responsive, appropriate, and accessible support and advice to students�
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WSU Impact Report
Wellbeing and Mental Health Mental health is extremely important to our students and we have worked hard with University support services to deliver a range of campaigns and activities promoting health and wellbeing.
Spotlight on Mental Health Our President, Lucy, launched our first ever mental health survey to gather feedback and data on the mental wellbeing of our students. The survey asked questions on factors that affect students’ mental health and awareness of the support available. The survey was open throughout March and April and was completed by 488 students. Responses to the survey were shared with the University and will help inform future SU campaigns.
Sport and Mental Health Week At the end of January, we held our first ever Sport and Mental Health Week to raise awareness of the positive impact of being involved in sport. Over 30 sports clubs took part in a social media campaign to help create a video of the week, the Social Sports Society organised a Social Sports Day, and Nufffield Health gave free health MOTs.
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2018/19
International Men’s Day Taking place in November, International Men’s Day helps to raise awareness for men’s mental health and suicide prevention. We invited It Takes Balls To Talk back to campus to encourage students to be more open about their mental health and take part
in positive conversations on the subject. Toni and Guy set up a makeshift salon in The Hangar to offer free haircuts to students, and our Student Minds and Gaming Societies also took part, with a range of activities to engage students and get them talking about mental health.
Chatter and Natter
for people to talk and have simple interactions to combat loneliness, and have a positive impact on someone’s day. The SU now has a ‘chatter and natter’ table available every day for students and staff at the University.
This year we became the first venue in Worcester – and the first SU in the country – to sign up for the Chatty Café scheme. The scheme creates spaces
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WSU Impact Report
Body Positive Our Women’s Officer, Alia Moorhouse, conducted a survey on Body Positivity, asking students for their feedback on body confidence, the impact of social ‘norms’, cultural influences and social media. The
survey was open throughout April and was completed by 169 students. Responses will be used to help shape future conversations on the subject, with potential for future campaigns and awareness raising.
Don’t Rent Yet and Housing Fair Once again, we ran our ‘Don’t Rent Yet’ campaign throughout November and December, encouraging students not to commit to accommodation until the second semester. Alongside this, we continued to promote our ‘Housemate Finder’ group on Facebook.
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The Housing Fair was held during Refreshers Week at the end of January, welcoming 50 landlords and 650 students to The Hangar. We gave out lots of freebies during the event, including packs of pasta and SU branded pasta measurers.
2018/19
Part Time Officer Campaigns Throughout the year our Part Time Officers delivered a number of campaigns to support our students and the groups that they represent. This year they: ▶ Hosted a Chinese New Year celebration in The Hangar, supported by the International Experience team
Anthony Nolan In February, the SU heard the story of Oscar Saxelby-Lee, the five year old son of a University of Worcester student who needed a life-saving blood stem cell transplant. We invited the charity Anthony Nolan on to campus to encourage
▶ Ran a month of events for LGBTQ+ History Month including debates, joint sessions with LGBTQ+ and other societies, and a social media campaign ▶ Hosted a stall in the SU on World AIDS Day to raise money for the National AIDS Trust ▶ Banned single use plastic in The Hangar after submitting a motion to Student Council ▶ Teamed up with Plastic Free Worcester to try and reduce the amount of single-use plastic used at the University
students to sign up to the stem cell register in the hope of finding a match for Oscar. Anthony Nolan is a national charity that raises awareness, offers support, and ultimately finds stem cell matches for people with blood cancer. The event was a huge success, with hundreds of students signing up to the stem cell register there and then.
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WSU Impact Report
Core Goal Four
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2018/19
“Create and promote opportunities for students to develop transferable skills�
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WSU Impact Report
Societies We had a total of 1057 society memberships over the year from 867 students, a small increase compared to 2017/18. Over the course of the year, 17 new societies were created. Although four societies folded during the year, we still had 13 new societies carrying on into 2019/20. More than half of these new societies had an academic focus, with societies being formed for Nursing, Physicians Associates, Paramedics, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Archaeology, Arts Collective, and Biomedical Science. We also saw the formation of three new culturally focused societies in the Islamic, Indian, and Polish societies.
Societies Week This year we ran our very first Societies Week, with the aim of promoting all the great things our societies do and how important it is for students to get involved. The SU attended a number of society sessions to film activities and interview committee members, asking them about the benefits of being part of a society. A video was produced of the week and we also held a special Societies Week Quiz in The Hangar to help raise money for RAG.
Worc Hard Play Hard We produced the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of our student-led magazine Worc Hard Play Hard. Over the year we had over 50 articles written by students covering the Elections, fundraising events, Varsity, BUCS success, society events, health and wellbeing, academic representation, and much more. We also produced a number of online exclusive articles on our revamped Worc Hard Play Hard pages on the website. Throughout the year, we distributed hundreds of physical copies of the magazine and had over 2,000 online impressions.
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2018/19
Volunteering Throughout 2018/19, 186 students volunteered 15,974 hours of their time to a number of worthy causes. Around 65% of hours logged were for community work in organisations such as Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, British Heart Foundation, Sight Concern, Midlands Air Ambulance, and more. The remaining 35% of hours logged were for society and club commitments, and our SU Crew members who helped out during Welcome Week, Refreshers, Change Week, and the Elections.
Acorn’s Children’s Hospice Worcester Rainbows Worcester Scouts Barnardo’s Children Store Cat’s Protection Disability Sport Worcester Midlands Air Ambulance National Childbirth Trust National Trust The Hive Tudor House Museum SANE Sight Concern St Richard’s Charity Shop Sense West Mercia Police
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WSU Impact Report
Festive Fortnight and Tea Dance This year we held our first ever Volunteering Festive Fortnight. During the first two weeks of December we held a number of volunteering and fundraising events including a ‘RAGVent’ raffle, puppy pat and chat, gift donations for Worcester Foodbank, and a food and period poverty drive hosted by the Mature Students’ Society. The highlight of Festive Fortnight was the Christmas Tea Dance, held in collaboration with the University’s Senior Physical Activity and
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Adapted Sport Programme. The Tea Dance aimed to bring together two very different communities; university students and the more ‘mature’ local community. Funding for the event was secured through a grant from Worcester City Council, with £300 raised on the day for RAG. The event was a huge success with 98 local attendees and more than 30 student volunteers. It was a brilliant afternoon thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and we will be doing it all again in December 2019.
2018/19
“
THE STUDENTS WERE ADMIRABLE HOSTS AND I WOULD LIKE THEM TO KNOW HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATED THEIR EFFORTS.”
– Attendee
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WE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO WE OTHERWISE WOULDN’T HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO”
– Abbie Simms Dance Club Chair
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WSU Impact Report
Raise and Give (RAG) This year was our most successful year ever for fundraising. Over summer, our students voted for West Mercia Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre (WMRSASC) to be our charity of the year. WMRSASC are a free, confidential, and nonjudgemental support service for survivors of any form of sexual attack, whether physical, verbal, or emotional. We worked alongside WMRSASC over the year to promote their message and help with their fundraising efforts.
Some of our RAG highlights for 2018/19 include: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
▶ ▶ ▶
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More than doubling our RAG total from the previous year with a total of £37,585.35 raised Being shortlisted for the Student Fundraising Group of the Year award at the National Student Fundraising Awards 62 different student groups and individuals hosting fundraising events Our widest range of fundraising events yet, including a Tapathon, sports tournaments, Christmas carolling, social sports day, CPR-athon, Three Peaks Challenge, and a VK Rave takeover in Tramps Nightclub Raising money for 40 different charities including WMRSASC, Children in Need, Mind, Movember, and Alzheimer’s Society Raising £1,585 during RAG Week through a quiz night, Zumbathon, bucket collections and Where’s Wally takeover of Tramps Nightclub The return of Student Race Day at Worcester Racecourse on the opening day of the season, with 148 students attending and over £600 raised
2018/19
Green Impact We have maintained our commitment to supporting sustainability and pro-environmental initiatives this year, with our Sustainability Officer, Shannon Bolton, leading the way.
This year we have: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
Maintained our Very Good accreditation in the NUS Green Impact Programme Signed up for Plastic Free Worcester alongside the University Begun work towards banning the use of single use plastic within the SU Passed a motion at Student Council to ban all unnecessary domestic air travel Delivered ‘green training’ to SU staff
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WSU Impact Report
Student Staff The SU would not be able to achieve what it does without the help of our student staff. We have continued to employ student staff in frontline roles, such as the Bar and Welcome Desk and in back office support roles for our engagement and marketing activities. Over the year, 27 staff members earned £70,800 working 8,550 hours. Each month we also rewarded their amazing work through the Student Staff of the Month award, whereby core staff nominated student staff who had gone above and beyond.
Winners over the year were: KELLY SMITH
– Graphic Design Assistant
DENISA ZETTLOVA
– Graphic Design Assistant
DAN JONES
– Film & Photography Assistant
KAYLEIGH STODDART
– Student Engagement Assistant
LAUREN MAGUIRE
– Welcome Desk Assistant
ADAM MOORE
– Welcome Desk Assistant
SAM LYNCH
– Welcome Desk Assistant
GEORGE PRICE
– Bar Assistant
MEG PRICE
– Bar Assistant
LUKE ELDRED
– Security Assistant
KELLY CHAMBERLAIN – Welcome Desk Assistant At our Union Awards in May, we present our ‘Student Staff of the Year’ Award. This year, it was impossible to give this to one individual and so two of our amazing graphic designers, Kelly and Denisa, were both winners. They have been absolute superstars during their time with us, producing some amazing work. We will miss them enormously but have some talented students taking over for 2019/20.
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2018/19
We conducted our annual survey of student staff to ask them what it’s like to work for the SU. Positive findings were as follows:
Some things for us to work on were:
▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
▶ ▶ ▶
All understood what their role in the organisation was All had appropriate knowledge to perform their job well All had developed new skills while working for the SU 90% felt they could ask for help if they needed it All felt customer service was a priority for the SU All enjoyed working for the SU and would recommend it to others
Having regular meetings with supervisors Encouraging student staff to come up with new ideas Ensuring students are better informed when things change
“
WORKING FOR THE SU HAS BEEN A PRICELESS EXPERIENCE DURING MY TIME AT UNIVERSITY. THE JOB OFFERED A RANGE OF PROJECTS FROM ALL TYPES OF BACKGROUNDS, HELPING ME EXPAND MY PORTFOLIO AND SKILLSET TO HEIGHTS I WASN’T AWARE OF REACHING. IT GAVE ME THE CREATIVE FREEDOM I NEEDED TO DEVELOP MY STYLE, HELPING ME PERFORM BETTER IN MY MODULES. THANKS TO THE AMAZING TEAM AT THE SU, I GOT TO HAVE A SAY ON IMPORTANT DESIGN DECISIONS FOR ALL TYPES OF PRINTED AND DIGITAL MEDIA. WORKING FOR THE SU TAUGHT ME HOW TO BALANCE WORK, STUDIES, AND MY SOCIAL LIFE. THROUGH WORKING FOR THE SU FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS I HAVE GROWN CONFIDENT IN MY WORK AND MY IDEAS, MAKING IT EASIER FOR ME TO GET OUT INTO THE ‘REAL WORLD’ AFTER UNIVERSITY.” Graphic Design Assistant Denisa Zettlova 37
WSU Impact Report
Student Training and Development This year we trained 218 society and club committee members, our new student staff intake, 37 SU Crew volunteers, Course Reps, School Reps, Student Councillors, along with candidates and campaign teams in our Autumn and Leadership Elections.
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We ran our two day training conference for club and society committees, to give them the key information and guidance needed to fulfil their role. We held role-specific information and practical sessions on topics such as fundraising, health and safety, marketing, how to use our website, and GDPR.
2018/19
Skills and Employment Fair As part of Welcome Week we held a Skills and Employment Fair, expanding on our Employability Fair held in 2017. The Fair was designed to help new and returning students find local volunteering and employment opportunities. A total of 22 organisations took part including charities, national and local businesses, the University Careers team,
and the SU. Over 400 students attended on the day and we received positive feedback from stall holders and the students themselves.
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WSU Impact Report
Core Goal Five
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2018/19
“Help students to be safe and enjoy university life�
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WSU Impact Report
Colour Run As part of National Fitness Day on 26th September, we introduced our first ever Colour Run. It took place on St John’s Campus, with the route taking students and University staff around the campus grounds with some paint-filled surprises along the way.
The run was a huge success with all 200 spaces selling out beforehand. Over £1000 was raised on the day for WMRSASC, Smile For Joel, and funding for future RAG events. The success of the event means it will return as part of the 2019 Welcome Week lineup.
ThisBUCsGirlCan Once again, our Marketing and Communications Assistant worked alongside the VP Student Activities, Harrison, to put together a video in aid of #ThisBUCsGirlCan. The campaign supports the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign from Sport England, highlighting the opportunities that are available for women to get involved in sport and physical activity. The video featured interviews with 42
some of our women athletes, along with training and matchday footage of them in action. The video was one of our most successful posts on social media ever, reaching over 10,000 users on Facebook. A big thank you goes to all those who took part from Dance, Women’s Football, Women’s Rugby, Swimming, Fencing, Netball, and Women’s Basketball.
2018/19
BUCS Inclusion Week BUCS Inclusion Week was an initiative from BUCS encouraging its institutions to engage in physical activity and celebrate their efforts to create an inclusive culture for students and staff. The SU was chosen by BUCS as a case study during the week, highlighting our efforts to create a positive and welcoming culture within our sports clubs and significantly reducing incidents of poor behaviour. We were able to highlight a number of our successes in creating this positive culture, such as
overhauling our committee training, introducing Inclusivity Reps and ‘Look After Your Mate’ training, taking a zero tolerance approach to poor conduct, and working with clubs and teams to change attitudes and collaborate more together. Our Chief Executive joined the Inclusion Board of BUCS and is helping to promote inclusion initiatives regionally and nationally.
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WSU Impact Report
Varsity Our annual Varsity took place against the University of Gloucestershire in early April, with 26 teams going head to head for the trophy. All the fixtures were extremely competitive with closely fought games throughout the competition. After a strong start from #TeamWorc, it all came down to the last fixture, with Men’s Cricket gaining a final point to take the overall score to 13-13. This meant the overall competition ended in a draw and we shared the trophy with Gloucestershire for the year. Once again the atmosphere and support for #TeamWorc was incredible, with sold out fixtures and our highest number of spectators yet. Our day at The Arena - Worcester Wednesday - was a particular highlight with some fantastic team performances, particularly from Dance who were cheered on by a raucous crowd. It was an incredible and intense two weeks, and we’re immensely proud of all the students who took part. Throughout Varsity we continued to support the BUCS #TakeAStand Campaign and our crest, designed by one of our student designers, retained its LGBTQ+ theme.
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2018/19
BUCS The BUCS season finished with Worcester placed 57th out of 153, with 572 points. That means we improved by four places and almost 30 points overall. There were league wins for American Football, Men’s Basketball 1st, Men’s Basketball 2nd, Netball 4th, and Men’s Ultimate. In individual competition, Rebecca Redfern also placed 4th in the Women’s 50m Freestyle Swimming. One of our star athletes, Yasmin Somers, won two gold medals in the Women’s Wheelchair 100m and 800m at the BUCS Outdoor Championships.
Cup and Trophy Competitions Eight of our teams reached at least the quarter-final stage in their respective cup and trophy competitions, with three going on to reach the final. Men’s Basketball 3rd and Ultimate Frisbee were sadly beaten in their finals, but still did
#TeamWorc very proud in their performances. Men’s Basketball 1st won the trophy final at Big BUCS Wednesday to finish off an incredible year for the team.
Further Success Once again the Dance Club entered the ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ competition with some fantastic results: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
1st in Ballet 2nd in Tap 3rd in Contemporary 3rd in Jazz
And our Wheelchair Basketball team once again competed in the University Championships finishing in 2nd place.
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WSU Impact Report
Safe Sex Express
How Are You Getting Home?
We continued to provide a free and confidential condom delivery service as part of our Safe Sex Express campaign and 156 students used the service during the year. We want to increase this significantly next year due to concerning rises nationally in sexually transmitted diseases.
Once again we teamed up with University Student Services and Security, as well as Tramps Nightclub, for our “How Are You Getting Home?� campaign. The aim of the campaign is to ensure students look out for one another on nights out, use taxis safely, and know what to do if they find themselves in uncomfortable situations. The campaign received fantastic support from students, the University, and even the wider community, with one HAYGH post going viral on Facebook reaching well over 50,000 people, more than five times the number of Facebook followers.
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2018/19
The Hangar
External Bookings
This year saw a number of changes in The Hangar. We created a new cocktail and mocktail menu and introduced a number of new draughts and gins on the bar. Our Friday night events saw a revamp with the introduction of Funky Friday, adding regular RnB and Retro nights to our monthly programme.
The range and number of private bookings in The Hangar has continued to grow, providing us with much needed income. Events included wedding receptions, awards ceremonies, fundraisers, birthday parties, and high school proms. Over the year, our private bookings brought in an income of ÂŁ4.8k.
Throughout the year we had over 11,000 students attend events in The Hangar, an increase of more than 10% from the previous year. We also hosted 31 studentled events such as quiz nights, charity events, and showcases. Once again we achieved Gold Best Bar None accreditation with a perfect score of 100%. 47
WSU Impact Report
Welcome Events Our welcome to new students kicked off at the beginning of September with a full programme of events for those on professional courses. We held meet and greets, a welcome BBQ, karaoke, quiz nights, and an ‘Early Starters’ welcome fair. The main cohort of students arrived in mid-September and we had a full lineup of events and activities for them to take part in.
15th - 23rd September
Week
15th - 23rd September
EVENING EVENTS
DAYTIME EVENTS sat
sat 15 th
sun 16
th
Welcome bbq & RECREATIONAL SPORTS union square 3pm - 8pm
giraffe trail various locations
mEET OUTSIDE THE STUDENTS’ UNION (Maps available from welcome desk)
mon 17 th
skills & employment fair
tues
welcome fair
18 th
sports centre 10am -4pm
wed
clubs & societies fair
from midday
sun 16
th
crafternoon the hangar 12pm - 3pm
19 th
the hangar 10am - 3pm
sports centre 10am - 3pm
Welcome Fair attended by over 3,000 students speaking to representatives from over 50 commercial businesses, charities, and University services.
Clubs and Societies Fair saw over 2,000 students speaking to members of all our Clubs and Societies, and hundreds signing up to an interest list.
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welcome party
15 th
the hangar 8pm - 12am
sun 16 th
the hangar cider fest
mon
circus night
17
th
MON 17 th
Skills and Employment Fair had various charities, local businesses, and volunteering providers speaking to over 700 students about opportunities available to them.
Week
the hangar/ Union square 3pm - 11pm
the hangar 4pm - 12am
LIVE MUSIC AT CITY CITY CAMPUS 7pm - 12am
tues 18 th
wed 19 th
thur 20 th
quiz night the hangar 9:30pm - 12am
worcester wednesday the hangar 6pm - 12am
live @ the hangar
fri
21 st
fri
karaoke night
sat
vk takeover
22 nd
the hangar 8pm - 1am
sun
film night
21 st
(comedy night - £5 entry or free with tramps wristband)
the hangar 8pm - 11pm
karaoke night warmup city campus 7PM - 9pM
23 rd
the hangar 8pm - 1am
the hangar 8pm - 11pm
WELCOME WEEK OFFERS AT EVERY EVENING EVENT INCLUDING 2 FOR £7 COCKTAILS AND FREE ENTRANCE, SELECT NIGHTS ONLY
2018/19
Refreshers We held a number of daytime and evening events during Refreshers to welcome new students and help returning students settle into their second semester: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
Housing Fair (detailed on page 26) Refreshers Fair – bigger and better than ever Welcome Back Party The Big Quiz Worcester Wednesday Vintage Clothing Sale Friday Night Karaoke
REFRESHERS events 2 1 st - 2 5 th j a n
mon
housing fair
21 st
the hangar 10am - 3pm (tbc)
mon
karaoke
21 st
tues
the hangar time
refreshers fair
22 nd
the hangar 11:00 - 15:00
tues
quiz night
22 nd
wed
worcester wednesday
23 rd smurfs fancy dress the hangar/tramps time
thurs
open mic night
24 th
the hangar time
fri
peaky blinders
25 th pie & pint night the hangar time
the hangar time
B worcestersu A WorcesterSU
www.worcsu.com
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WSU Impact Report
Celebration Week Celebration Week returned at the end of May, giving us the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the successes of our students and of University staff. Building on feedback from last year’s events, we ensured improved menu options and a wider variety of drinks for attendees.
Union Awards We welcomed over 180 students and staff to our Union Awards night this year. The event incorporates the Students’ Choice Awards (whereby students nominate University staff for exceptional work) alongside recognition for students involved in societies, volunteering, and representation. We also celebrate individual students who have gone above and beyond during their time at Worcester. The evening began in style with a fantastic performance from the Saints Dance Society.
We also recognised students for their dedication to the SU, as paid staff, elected representatives, or volunteers. We really couldn’t do without these amazing students and the SU would certainly not be same without them: Community Volunteer of the Year - Mya Hawkesford-Barnes SU Crew Member of the Year - Heidi Taylor Course Rep of the Year - Heidi Taylor School Rep of the Year - Nathan Marsh Part Time Officer of the year - Shannon Bolton (Sustainability Officer) Residential Life Team Member of the Year - Alfie Griffiths SU Student Staff Member of the Year - Kelly Smith and Denisa Zettlová (joint) WSU Special Recognition Award - Harry Lonsdale Most Charitable Society - Uniboob Team
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The following numbers of students received volunteering awards for their contributions to the SU, University or wider community: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
50 Hour Award - Achievement in Volunteering (43 students) 100 Hour Award - Distinction in Volunteering (24 students) 200 Hour Award - Excellence in Volunteering (11 students) 500 Hour Award - Exceptional Attainment in Volunteering (1 student) Society Event of the Year - Education Enhancement: Adverse Life Experiences’ Conference New Society of the Year - Physiotherapy Society Promoter of the Year - LGBTQ+ Committee Member of the Year - Amelia Price (Marvel & DC) Committee of the Year - Student Minds Most Charitable Society - Uniboob Team Society of the Year - Education Enhancement
University staff members were rewarded for their support and teaching talents through the Students’ Choice Awards as follows: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
Outstanding Lecturer - Craig Williams (School of Sport and Exercise Science) Award for Exceptional Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) - Kathleen Morgan (School of Education) The Extra Mile Award for Support Staff (Non-Teaching) Declan Iles (Sports Therapy Technical Demonstrator) Module Excellence Award - Clare Taylor (Managing HR and Performance – Worcester Business School) Doctoral Supervision - Bérénice Mahoney and Sarah Davis (School of Psychology) Sustainability - PGCE Secondary Team (School of Education) Deputy Vice Chancellor Award for Excellence in Teaching - Jack McGowan (School of Arts)
2018/19
Colours Ball Colours Ball celebrates our students’ sporting achievements, from individual to team or club success. This year we had our largest ever number of guests at almost 500, and former England hockey and cricket international, Jane Powell, opened the evening by giving an informative and inspirational speech.
Club Colours were awarded to 99 students who had been active club members for three years and committee members for at least one year. Half colours were awarded to 70 students for representing their sport at a high level and/ or achieving notable success in their sport.
Overall award winners for the evening were: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
Full colours went to 19 students who represented their country at national or international level, or who were BUCS championship medallists.
Sport Club Promoters of the Year – Men’s Hockey Charity Fundraisers of the Year – Dance Committee Member of the Year – Abbie Simms (Dance) Special Achievement Award – Maarja Konrad (Fencing) Tramps Club of the Year – Social Sports Male Athlete of the Year – Daniel JohnsonThompson (Basketball) Female Athlete of the Year – Thea Thompson (Netball and Rugby) Sports Team of the Year – Men’s Basketball 1st Sports Club of the Year – American Football WSU Special Recognition Award – Ultimate Frisbee
“
I HAD A GREAT EVENING AND IT WAS LOVELY TO SHARE SUCH A WONDERFUL SUPPORTIVE ‘FAMILY’ ENVIRONMENT. HARRISON AND THE TEAM DID A FANTASTIC JOB AND SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF THE EVENING AND THE YEAR JUST GONE. KEEP BEING YOU AND KEEP INVESTING IN THE YOUNG PEOPLE— THEY ARE OUR FUTURE. Jane Powell
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WSU Impact Report
Funding and Income Following a successful year, and the continued belief in the SU and our track-record of delivery, we received a block grant from the University for 2018-19 of £529k (an increase of 5.8% from the previous year). The University also invested in the SU in other ways to improve the student experience. These included a new floor for The Hangar bar and updated signage throughout the interior and exterior of the building. We are very grateful to the University for this support. We are now in the third year of five year contracts with both Tramps Nightclub and Domino’s Pizza, generating a further £72k in income for the year. The relationship with Tramps has remained strong with regular meetings ensuring effective communication and collaboration on entertainment and welfare initiatives. Tramps continue to be a strong supporter of #TeamWorc. Despite a national trend of students and young adults spending far less on alcohol and nights out, The Hangar had another successful year. Bar sales rose to £161k for the year, generating a profit of £11k to be reinvested back into the SU. A revamped Friday night offering, premium cocktails and spirits, and new products, kept students coming back. Consistent hard work and new initiatives from the bar team resulted in Semester 2 exceeding our expectations after a quieter Semester 1, and stretch budgetary targets were beaten. We will continue to listen to feedback from our students and ensure The Hangar delivers the 52
events and products they want. Next year we have further plans to add new products, along with a more diverse range of events to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Our Welcome Fair in September and Refreshers Fair in January generated a combined revenue of £10.5k, a marginally higher figure compared to the previous year. NUS Media Local (NUSML) handled the majority of commercial bookings for the Welcome Fair, although internal issues within NUS as an organisation meant management of Refreshers was brought back in-house. With NUSML now no longer in operation, Welcome Week 2019 was be organised by SU staff.
2018/19
TOTUM This year saw NUS Extra Cards rebranded as TOTUM. The change in brand, combined with competitors offering free discount cards, gave us challenges in promoting and converting sales. In total 1,546 cards were sold, generating an income of £18k. We continued to encourage students to purchase the card as, by doing so, they have access to great discounts and are supporting the collective student movement to fight for the rights of students both here and nationally.
NUS £19,040
Advice UK £246
BUCS £9,559 53
WSU Impact Report
The Year Ahead We always strive to live our values and offer the best possible experience for our students. This has been another fantastic year for us, but we know there are always ways for us to improve.
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2018/19
During the 2019-20 academic year we want to: Raise the profile of the Academic Representation system (including our online Ideas Forum) and the successes and impact of our Course and School Reps
Develop #TeamWorcTV with the introduction of live streaming on Worcester Wednesdays
Address areas of the University and student cohorts where satisfaction with us (e.g. in the NSS) is lower
Continue to promote a positive and inclusive culture in sport and be a beacon of good practice nationally
To have much more interaction with students from the Business School and Arts & Humanities, utilising their talents and skills to showcase and support the activities of our wonderful students
Introduce a #TeamWorc accreditation system for our Clubs and Societies to help them increase their reach and their impact on the wider student experience
Continue to develop our relationship with postgraduate students
Impress on students how getting involved in the SU enhances their employability and skill base
Increase the number of students involved in recreational sport and activities
Finalise proposals for a new governance structure within the SU following consultation with our members
Continue to develop and promote initiatives that support students’ wellbeing and safety
Help further a culture of sustainability amongst Worcester students and staff
Encourage more students to volunteer Continue to engage our students in democracy, both nationally and within the SU Work with the University to develop wellbeing spaces on both St John’s Campus and City Campus
Build closer relationships with University fellows and alumni Improve ways for students to access employment whilst they are at University and when they graduate
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WSU Impact Report
A message from Harry Lonsdale, Students’ Union President 19/20
It’s been another fantastic year at the Students’ Union. 2018-19 saw our engagement grow yet again, with more students than ever before getting involved in what we do, ensuring they had a fantastic University experience. Our core and student staff have been working tirelessly in order to achieve this, and a huge amount of credit should go to them. Last year’s officers, Lucy, Harrison, and Euan, worked extremely hard to continue the growth that our SU has seen over the past few years. Highlights were Lucy’s mental health survey and work towards a night bus, Harrison’s Colour Run and ‘#TeamWorcTV’, and after two years in office, Euan completely regenerated the Academic Representation System and helped our students become more involved in current political issues. I am sure they will all flourish in their future roles, putting everything they learnt here into practice - good luck! So… Meg, Mike and I clearly have a big task ahead of us but we are very excited for this and ready for the challenge. We are all very keen to implement new ideas to help students develop and achieve, as well as to continue the good work of our predecessors. Between us there is a lot we want to achieve. I would like to develop an app which allows students to have access to everything we do at the touch of a button, produce a ‘hot list’ of things to do in Worcester, and create some top tips for students to improve their university experience. I also want to develop our links with University fellows and alumni and create more spaces on campus that promote wellbeing. Meg (VPE) is looking to raise the profile of Course Reps and make it easier for students to access them, work closely with careers to develop the careers fair and other opportunities for students to seek employment, and engage students in local and national democracy. 56
Last, but by no means least, Mike (VPSA) is looking to develop ‘TeamWorc Points’ (an accreditation scheme for clubs and societies), live stream sport on a Wednesday, introduce self-defence classes, and promote men’s mental health. He also wants to work with the University to encourage more prospective students to choose Worcester through promotion of our clubs and societies. These are ambitious aims, but we feel they are realistic and things we can start or implement whilst we are in office. Collectively we want to boost the profile of The Hangar and the events that are run within it, as well as creating more opportunities for students to have a voice. Finally, thank you for everyone’s ongoing support of Worcester Students’ Union, we really couldn’t do it without you. Here’s to a great year ahead—we can’t wait!
Harry Lonsdale Worcester Students’ Union President
2018/19
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WSU Impact Report
Full-Time Officer Trustees 18/19 President – Lucy Conn
Vice President Education – Euan Morrison Vice President Student Activities – Harrison Jarrett
External and Student Trustees
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our Student and External Trustees this year. We truly value their support, guidance, and scrutiny, which continues to motivate, challenge, and reassure us.
Student Trustees – Robert Hampton, Abigail Toon External Trustees – Margaret Jolley, Elaine Spalding, Melanie Brittain
Part-Time Officer Trustees 18/19 BAME Officer – Vacant International Officer – Yanzhe Li LGBTQ+ Officer – James Gould Mature Students’ Officer – Vacant Student Disability Officer – Kaya Tveito-Duncan Sustainability Officer – Shannon Bolton Welfare Officer – Vacant Women’s Officer – Alia Moorhouse
Impact Report 18/19 designed by Alex Serbanica Photos by Daniel Jones, William Stewart and Tish Manning
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2018/19
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Contact Details Telephone – 01905 543210 Email – studentsunion@worc.ac.uk Website – www.worcsu.com Facebook - @worcestersu Twitter - @WorcesterSU Instagram - @worcsu Worcester Students’ Union University of Worcester Henwick Grove St John’s WR2 6AJ