Hi everyone, we had the best kick off to the academic year that I could've asked for with an amazing Freshers Fortnight. I spent a lot of time attending and working the events over the two weeks, and it made me incredibly happy to see new and returning students having fun in our spaces. It's been a good few weeks since Freshers' and it's been a whirlwind having students back on campus, and you’ve all been keeping me very busy, which I love!
More recently, I’ve been attending lots of important meetings with the University, including Council, where all things business are discussed, and Senate, where we discuss educational matters from across the institution. I have also met with Thames Valley Police to discuss night time safety in the community. We were informed that our Student’s Union bar, The Venue, is the safest venue in High Wycombe, which made me incredibly proud of our team.
It's great to hear that our venue is the safest in town but we shouldn't stop there. I’ve partnered with the former mayor of Wycombe, Andrea Baughan, and Lisa Squire to discuss night time safety in and around campus. This was inspired by Lisa’s daughter, Libby. I’m currently working on a Liberty’s Legacy campaign in honour of Libby, focused on keeping our students safe on nights out, which I can’t wait to share when it’s ready.
I’ve also been planning my Care to Share campaign, where I hope to encourage students to open up their ears and hearts to the lives and experiences of their peers, in the name of encouraging more loving and caring behaviour towards one another. I’ll soon be starting my Behind the Cover podcast, because you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, where I invite students to share their stories to educate their fellow students about topics they may not have had the opportunity to hear about previously. I’m a strong believer in that a two minute, open-minded conversation can break so many stigmas, misunderstandings, and unconscious biases.
Of course, I'm always here to help you out on an individual level, creatr plans, sign post, help to navigate student finance, and generally just lend an ear. My door is always open, there is no issue too big or too small. But aside from that, I have a big bowl of sweets and make a cracking brew, so pop in whenever you fancy a catch up!
-Charlotte, Students' Union President.