Hi everyone. Following our third Union Council of the year on 12th December, here’s a summary for those who missed it. We had a usual Elected Officer updates and spoke about Student Life at BNU for an exciting opportunity coming up. We also changed the order of the Elected Officer updates to see how this came across.
Elected Officer Updates
Our Elected Officers have been busy with events and campaigns. Due to Harry’s absence, Bethany gave his updates on his behalf. Here are a few of the highlights.
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Wren Sell (SU Vice President Achievement and Belonging), updated us on the Student Mixers they have been attending, their ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ campaign, Movember, and Varsity Captain. The ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ campaign is to ensure that all rubbish is disposed of correctly, e.g. recycling and general waste. Posters have been put up around campus and Accommodation showing information about how to use each bins. The final amount raised for Movember is a grand total of £668.18. Well done to everyone who got involved and massive thanks to all who donated. The nominations for Varsity Captains opened on the 6th January. If you are interested, you can nominate yourself on the SU website. If you have any questions regarding Varisty Captains, you can speak to the Committee of societies of reach out to Wren. (Wren.Sell@bnu.ac.uk)
- Bethany Jackson (SU Vice President Education and Welfare (Uxb/Ayls)), updated us on the Volunteer Event she attended, the Smile Campaign in Uxbridge and Takeovers in Uxbridge. Bethany was invited to a thank you event by One Can Trust, which was also attended by other volunteers who have helped One Can Trust throughout 2024. In Uxbridge for the Smile Campaign, Uxbridge students and Bethany handed out Fairtrade to the community and received a total of 58 smiles. Thank you to all students who got involved in this volunteering experience. The SU activities team and Bethany held a takeover in Uxbridge at the end of November and intend to do another one at the end of January. (Bethany.Jackson@bnu.ac.uk)
- Amy Pile (SU President), updated us on the Safety Net Campaign, University Council and Accommodation issues. The Safety Net Campaign is the new name for the Umbrella of Safety campaign she has recently been speaking about and working on. Shortly, there will be an article released with all the information. At the University Council, the SU presented a paper which one of the main topics included were student safety. A few months back at a Union Council meeting, there were issues raised about the Student Accommodation. The University are now rectifying these issues. (Amy.Pile@bnu.ac.uk)
- Harry Tomlinson (SU Vice President Education and Welfare (HW)), updated us on the Smile Campaign in High Wycombe and Harold’s Hydration. During the Smile Campaign for High Wycombe, students and all the Elected Officer’s handed out Fairtrade products to the community and received a total of 2000 smiles. Thank you to all students who got involved in this volunteering experience. (Harry.Tomlinson@bnu.ac.uk)
Student Life at BNU Activity
The purpose of the activity:
The University Council is a university committee that reviews the running of university to ensure it is doing the best for the students. The committee includes external members and reviews items such as governance, strategy and decisions made. For the next meeting on the 5th February, students have the opportunity to attend. The council would like 4 to 6 students to come and talk about their different and individual university experiences. After sharing the experiences, the council members will break off into groups, are given one of the scenarios to discuss and come up with what support they would offer the student. Attending students have the opportunity to be part of these groups and help, and also speak directly with the council members. If any students are interested in this opportunity, please reach out to Amy (Amy.Pile@bnu.ac.uk). As part of the meeting, there will be a board which will have other student experiences for the council members to read.
At the Union Council meeting, we asked attendees to answer questions about their student experiences at BNU. These answers would be put on the board. The answers could be anonymous or have their names attached. Answers were either submitted via Menti or by using Post-It notes. The questions were as follows:
- What has been the most positive aspect of your time at university so far and why?
- Are there any challenges or obstacles you’ve faced during your studies and how could the university improve to address these?
- How satisfied are you with the resources and facilities provided by the university (e.g. libraries, study spaces, sports, social spaces)
- Do you feel supported by the university in terms of mental health, academic guidance and career support?
- How would you describe the sense of community at the university? Are there any suggestions you have to improve inclusivity and student engagement?
- What’s one thing you think the university could do to enhance the overall student experience for current and future students?
- Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
Amy will review these answers for the board and will be speaking to those looking to be involved.
Winter Break
- Over the Winter Break, there was support available for students.
- Visit bucks.ac.uk/services-open-our-students for university support services
- The SU email, union@bnu.ac.uk was monitored
- There were activities for those students who was still around, including hot chocolate bomb making, quiz, board games, winter social.
Check the What’s On page on the SU website for all the details and upcoming events.
Key Dates
- Monthly Monday Meals
- Boxing Day Dinner: Thursday 26th Dec at 2pm – Spindle and Thread
- Christmas Break SU events
- Refresher’s Fair: Thursday 16th January 12-3pm
- RAG Week: Monday 27th – Friday 31st January
Officer Hot Seat
Every Council, students can quiz our Elected Officers and hold them accountable to ensure they still represent you and act in your best interests.
A summary of the questions and answers from this Union Council can be found here.
Prize Draw
Each month, a lucky student wins a £20 supermarket voucher for attending Union Council. The winner of the prize draw this month is… Lucy Thompson!
Want to join Next Time?
Our next Union Council Meeting is Thursday 16th January 2025 and 5.00pm, both in HW Room S3.01 and online.