In line with the Governments’ recent announcement for England to enter third lockdown, we wanted to make sure you know what that means for our on-campus activity. The last few months have been a bit tricky for many of us and we were very much looking forward to welcoming you back on campus. Although things have changed and our campus offices are closed, our whole team is still here for you! We will be online and still be doing everything we can to make your student experience the best it can be. Below you can find all the changes that will be happening to our services and how you can still access them and any support you may need.
Obviously guidance is changing regularly and we are none the wiser as to when things will ease up or when we can return to campus, but if there are any they will be published online and through our social media channels. If you have any questions about this or anything else please don’t hesitate to contact union@bucks.ac.uk, send us a message on social media or get in touch with a member of staff.
Welcome back!
Best Wishes
Tamsin, Tash and Tom
This information will be reviewed regularly so that we can offer as much as possible as soon as we are able to do so. This guide should be read alongside the information that we usually produce such as on our website, social media and in the Membership Guide.
Advice Centre
If you need advice or someone to share a problem with, we are still here to help you with any issues you have with: money, the University, your course, your accommodation, your employment or consumer rights or anything else that’s worrying you.
Our service is confidential and independent of the University.
The easiest and quickest way to make an appointment is to email us at suadvice@bucks.ac.uk. We will respond within 24 hours or sooner during weekdays and we will arrange an appointment for you to speak to an adviser as soon as possible and at a time to suit you. You can also still make an appointment at the Students’ Union reception desk at High Wycombe or the Students’ Union Office at Uxbridge.
Appointments can be:
- by telephone – we will phone you
- online through Microsoft Teams – we will organise this
Telephone and online appointments are preferable during this current situation and will usually be available within 24 to 48 hours of a request from 10am-4pm, Monday to Thursday and to 3pm on Fridays. Appointments outside these times are possible but may take longer to arrange.
Limited face-to-face appointments will still be available at the High Wycombe Campus, but to minimise contact we will be reserving these for students who really need to see an adviser in person. All face-to-face appointments will use the latest COVID-19 guidelines. Students will need to wear masks to an appointment, email any paperwork for the meeting in advance wherever possible and sanitise on entry. Advice will also be carried out through a protective screen. Unfortunately, we are not able to carry out face-to-face appointments at the Uxbridge Campus at present. We will inform you as soon as this changes.
Shuttle bus
The shuttle bus service will continue to run from Wednesday 6 January and you can find the schedule here. If there are any changes to the schedule, they will be posted on the shuttle bus page and across our social media. Your ID will be scanned when you use the service and a face-covering is mandatory, unless you are exempt. Please maintain social distancing when you travel on the campus link to ensure the safety of our University community
Bucks New University
The new national lockdown that means universities in England must teach online until mid February, except for future critical worker courses. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 raises many questions for our University community. The University have answered many questions on their page, ‘Coronavirus: information and guidance to protect our University community’ and they will continue to update these FAQs regularly. Please email student.centre@bucks.ac.uk if you can't find the answer to your query.
Asymptomatic testing for students is available on our High Wycombe campus. The test centre will be open and students can book for appointments from Monday 4 January. You can find out more about Asymptomatic testing on campus here.
Student activities
We have been working through the new guidelines and what they mean for student activities at Bucks; unfortunately, as things stand, will be suspending all sports sessions throughout Lockdown until the new restrictions are lifted or eased. We know this is disappointing and we share that disappointment. We are currently working towards online activities for our sports clubs. Any changes or updates will be made here and through our social media.
Societies will be able to continue, however all activity must continue online until the new restrictions are lifted or eased, and it is safe for societies to hold in person sessions again. You will still need to take registers, so please remember these in your online sessions and to send them to daniel.lawrence@bucks.ac.uk.
Skills sessions and recreational activities
There is a full and diverse programme of activities scheduled for this term.
All of our developmental activities are held online and they remain completely free courtesy of the Big Deal. Follow Sarah Activities Bucks on Facebook so you are always up-to-date with what’s on offer.
Activities can be booked through the What’s On page of our website by selecting the event and ‘buying a ticket’. Some activities require a deposit which will be refunded to you once you have attended and you can sign-up to as many activities as you like.
If you have reserved a ticket, we will contact you the working day prior to the activity with full information, timings and any Zoom/Microsoft Teams link you will need to join.
If you experience any problems, have any questions or have any suggestions as to what activities you would like us to run, please contact us at sutraining@bucks.ac.uk.
Working while you study and beyond
Finding a part-time job to support you through university may be particularly challenging under the current circumstances so we are updating our JobShop regularly to put you in touch with local employers offering flexible, part-time opportunities to work around your studies.
Our main Union Jobs page will be the place to find graduate opportunities and you should also take a look at My Bucks Career which is linked to all the main job boards and offers a whole host of resources to support your successful move into the world of work.
If you require any assistance with your CV, completing application forms, interview techniques or anything else at all that you think will help get the right job for you, please contact us at sujobs@bucks.ac.uk.
Student media
'The Bucks student’ newspaper will continue to be published every two weeks and you can find the link to the latest edition on our website or social media. You can keep up to date with all the latest news and goings on in these digital only editions, and we hope to be able to continue offering the newspaper in print again soon.
Rusty’s Radio is based on campus and means that currently you wont be able to tune in live for the quality banter and melodious voices that are the Rusty’s Radio team. However, the team will still be doing all they can to bring you their favourite tunes each week so make sure you follow them on social media to keep up with your favourite shows.
Events and The Venue
In line with the guidelines for bars and social spaces, our events will continue to operate as online events until restrictions are eased and so The Venue will remain closed until further notice.
Bars and café’s
Our bar, The Lounge, and Rusty’s café will also be temporarily closed until further notice.
Pulse will remain open on our Uxbridge campus as will Beats in High Wycombe and the Basin Café in Aylesbury. You can view our opening times here.
Please maintaining social distancing and remember to wear a face covering unless you are exempt.
Our offices and reception
Our receptions will be closed in both High Wycombe and at Uxbridge. However, students are still able to get in touch with us via email and social media. Where you know the staff member you wish to speak to you are encouraged to contact them by email directly. If you are unsure who you need to speak to you can also email union@bucks.ac.uk.
We are also operating a new virtual reception making it even easier for you to get in touch with us. So, if you have any questions, or just want to know a little more about the Students' Union, you can use the pop-out chat feature in the bottom right of our website. We will have staff available throughout the week, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.
Union meetings and student representation
All of the Union’s student-focused meetings will continue online through the Microsoft Teams platform. This includes Union Council, Athletic Union Council and Societies Council. Meeting invites will be sent out by member of Union staff either through email or on social media and students will be able to join the meeting directly from the link provided.
Student rep meetings will also continue to be held online and will again be conducted through Microsoft Teams. A member of Union or University staff will send student reps a calendar invite that will include a link to the meeting, enabling them to join and effectively, to share any course-based feedback they may have. This will also be the mode of delivery to complete things such as student rep training, ‘virtual coffee sessions’ with a Head of Academic Department and the ‘meet the rep team’ sessions.
Regular updates on this situation will be posted on the Union website, social media and via detailed emails to help ensure effective communication is in place during this period.