Hi everyone. Following our second Union Council of the year on 14th November, here is a summary for those who missed it. We have changed the structure of Union Council to ensure everyone in the room (and online!) is engaged. Our free pizza seems to be the talk of the Union Council, and although we all appreciate free food, we decided to have a small break for students to collect their free pizza, and then the meeting can continue. This seems to work better as students stay engaged.
Wycombe Youth Enquiry Service (Y.E.S)
For this Union Council meeting, we invited back alumni and ex-President, Brandon Tester to talk about his new career in Y.E.S, the Youth Enquiry Service. Y.E.S is a registered charity, established in 1982 and is based in Frogmoor in High Wycombe. Y.E.S is made up of seven trustees and a small staff team which consists of volunteers and counsellors. The service provides guidance, information and counselling to young people aged 18-35. The service is available to those living in Wycombe and the surrounding areas. Their focus is to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people and provide them with early intervention. The Y.E.S service is free, confidential, and easy to access. They have recently started a new initiative called the ‘Youth Advisory Board’, which will help plan the strategy and future of the service. The team would like students to get involved in this initiative. To find out more, visit the Y.E.S website - yeswycombe.org. Alternatively, you can contact Brandon at brandon.tester@yeswycombe.org.
Elected Officer Updates
The Elected Officers have all been very busy with meetings and campaigns! Here are a few of their highlights.
-
Amy Pile (SU President), attended The Festival of Higher Education where she was on a panel, is working on Childcare Provision and Learner Hardship in Practice, is working on a campaign called ‘An Umbrella of Safety’ surrounding student safety, working with the Advice Centre and Student Hub, is working on an anti-bullying campaign and has an article about giving blood on the website. (Amy.Pile@bnu.ac.uk)
-
Wren Sell (SU Vice President Achievement and Belonging), celebrated Diwali at the SU, attended EDI Committee and Inclusive Recruitment Training, will be celebrating Movember with a Mo Party at the SU, spoke about free yoga session at the Gateway Gym, and is working on Student Mixers including: commuting students, students with disabilities, BAME students, postgraduate students and international students. (Wren.Sell@bnu.ac.uk)
-
Harry Tomlinson (SU Vice President Education and Welfare (HW)), took part in RAG Week pieing netballers and drenching dancers, is also working on Movember, has officially launched Harold’s Hydration, has started a Care Leaver campaign, and has attended various meetings. (Harry.Tomlinson@bnu.ac.uk)
-
Bethany Jackson (SU Vice President Education and Welfare (Uxb/Ayls)), attended Student Leader Training for Student Reps and introduced Rep Bingo, has been working on Breast Cancer Awareness, working with Freshers, bringing RAG to Uxbridge and Aylesbury, and her campaigns on online safety, student wellbeing, and stigmas around mental health. (Bethany.Jackson@bnu.ac.uk)
Constitution Change
The Union had a vote for a change to the Constitution. As the SU is a charity, the union is bound by a constitution, for any changes to take place, all members (students) need to be consulted. The change would allow students not part of the September cohort to run in the elections for Elected Officers. The elections are coming up in January, but the current wording of the constitution only allows students starting in September to run in any elections. The university now has many cohorts starting at different times of the year and the SU would like all students to have the opportunity to stand in elections. It was proposed that the wording be changed to ‘you have to be a current officer or student at the time of your nomination’.
To pass, they needed 66% of the room to vote in favour. The votes were as follows, including online votes: Yes: 75. No: 4, Abstain: 0. With 91 members at the meeting, 82% voted in favour of the change, which will be updated shortly.
Key Dates
- Monthly Monday Meals
- Smile Campaign (UXB): Mon 25th Nov at 12pm
- Christmas Volunteer Week: Mon 2nd Dec-Fri 6th Dec
- Union Council: Thurs 12th Dec
- Boxing Day Dinner: Thurs 26th Dec at 2pm at Spindle and Thread
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…Kristen Clarke!
Want to join Next Time?
Our next Union Council Meeting is Thursday 12th December 2024 and 5.00pm, both in HW Room S3.01 and online.