Transport or Bus-t

By and Large the last 18 months have been successful as far as making-good on my manifesto pledges is concerned. However, one particular challenge which has irritated me over the last couple of years has been the limited access that student groups, especially non-sports groups have to affordable transport for their activities.                                                                                     Kent Union currently hires a 12-seater minibus and 9 seater car for use by our groups. Club use of these vehicles is high and it is necessary to complete a driving course supplied by the Union in order to drive the larger vehicle. For 9-seaters in the UK a full clean UK licence is needed and drivers need to be 21 and driving for two years in order to be insured with us. Only fuel costs are charged to groups. The demand for the training courses is very high and we are always over-subscribed.

An additional challenge is that if the competitive clubs cannot get to their fixtures then they cannot play which has lead to the minibuses being paid for out of the Kent Union Sports budget. This means that clubs get priority access combined with a first-come first served and fair usage allocation. 

What this means is that a culture has developed where non-sports groups don't even consider the vehicles as accessible to them and don't factor them in as an option due to their low availability. This leads to thousands of pounds being paid out from the development fund, society grant budgets and members' pockets which are all a little cash-scant. I don't think this is a very efficient allocation of monies.

In February Kent Union will start its budget proposal round for next year's budget for approval by the board of trustees. We will be submitting a proposal for increase in the societies budget in order to get a 9-seater specifically for non-sports club with Wednesdays (fixtures day) being negotiable. The current vehicles will still be available to all groups as they are currently. Not only will this hopefully cut costs but will also lead to a culture change where groups that have perhaps never thought of attending an event outside of the immediate local area, will start to think further afield for national events! How exciting!       

   

Union Council Report January 2013

Vice-President (Activities)

The main focus of the last few months has been the development and management of the Building-up priority campaign; attending society meetings, canvassing for postcard signatures at lunchtimes with volunteers and presenting with the Union President to senior University management. We have successfully secured agreement for some investment in physical development and are now in a position of negotiation with the University for a facility which will be appropriate for students’ needs. The lack of facilities has finally become an issue being talked about at all levels of the University, recognising the negative impact on student activities. Next steps include a delegation of students meeting members of EG including the VC. Thank you to all volunteers and officers who worked on this project to date especially the college committees, societies federation committee and the Canterbury volunteering committee for your help canvassing signatures, of which we obtained circa 4K.

Working with president to ensure investment at Medway and Canterbury in block grant will go towards new full-time staff members in activities in Canterbury.

Delivered chairing training to Medway students including Medway volunteering committee chair.

Visited the University of Kent Brussels officers. It was fascinating and educational to hear about the experience of Kent students in Brussels especially with different challenges and a very different student demographic.

Attended Societies council at Medway; their principle issues are (unsurprisingly) facilities and funding.

Working with the University to develop a University of Kent awards scheme which will bring together ongoing campus awards and raise kudos considerably. Early discussions include £400 prize money per category plus internship possible opportunities.

Working with the University to develop a Worldfest Bitesize programme which supports international, religious and cultural events across campuses. This includes Chinese new year which I am also helping to support and organise.

I am undergoing Counselling Training as part of my ongoing personal development in order to help support students experiencing, stress, conflict and challenging workloads especially through their volunteering in Kent Union.

Attended the opening of Colyer Fergusson music building.

Continuing to raise issues faced by minority student groups at Student inclusivity and diversity working party. This has included lobbying the university to collect data on students with dependants and share this data (with students’ permission) with us to allow for more targeted approach to support and development.

Met with licensed trade and society members to develop the new international night as well as interviewing for new ents manager.

Meeting with potential candidates for part and full time officer elections

Met with module convenors to discuss possibility of integration of CSR with teaching modules, soon to be meeting with PVC External to bid for increased investment in the station perhaps for an additional full time member of staff

Approximately 20 new societies

Met with Head of Kent County council

Helping students to apply for a project fund from the university (RAG, Malaysian Society)

Planning for refreshers fayre

Planning for worldfest and international showcase looking for a stage manager

Allocated eliot hall and missing link for societies, clubs and SLVGs

Volunteer project at Gulbenkian is now in pilot mode, met with members of Gulbenkian staff to get this running. Cinema prices likely to rise slightly at Gulbenkian.

Met with Ethnic Minorities, RAG and MEdway volcom officers for mentoring, support and development.

Union council is January 24th on the Medway Campus, all are welcome to attend. The proceedings will start at 7pm

Get Involved! Have an experience! Learn Valuable Skills

The Part time officer elections are coming up! Perhaps you are thinking; what's a part-time officer? Or, what's that to me? Or, why should I be interested? Then hopefully this short blog entry should be of some benefit.

Any union member who is a student studying a University of Kent course can stand in election to be a part-time officer. There are a very wide range of these posts from the liberation officers doing important campaigning work through the representation of women, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi, trans-people) ethnic minorities and students with disabilities, to the college presidents who organise social, fundraising, sporting and pastoral events in each of the colleges. The roles are voluntary and hours invested by officers can be logged through the employability and volunteering toolkit  and also accrue employability points as part of the EP scheme. Together these schemes offer volunteers the opportunity to record and develop their experience and recognise the soft and transferable skills that have been developed during volunteering and awards internships, work-placements  as well as prizes such as Amazon vouchers to students based on the number of points they have earned.

As well as developing skills which employers really value such as communicating with a wide range of different people, being organised, report writing and public speaking (for instance) volunteering to be a part-time officer is a great way to meet people and make new friends and connections. It is also an excellent way to learn more about the workings of the Union and University and is a great opportunity to give back to the student body and really make a change that will improve the University experience for the benefit of all students. It is also an opportunity that opens doorways to other options, through increased exposure to the full time sabbatical officers you may get an idea of whether this is a path that you might like to consider yourself.

Part of the role whether the Ethics officer or international students' officer, is to sit on Union council, one of the most senior decision making bodies in the Union where all part-time ad full-time officers discuss matters brought by members of the council or the membership of the wider student body. This is an excellent way to learn more about others' politics and ultimately come to understand the different perspectives of individuals. I have always found that through understanding the motivations of others I can better understand my own perspective. Its also always good to be challenged on views that you may have always taken for granted. Sometimes it can get pretty heated, but this is how you know that the topics mean something to people and are therefore worth debating.        

The amount of time spent volunteering can vary incredibly and its always worth remembering that it is better to have someone in a post doing one hour a week than no-one in post. Even if you have not been involved in the past and this may be your first volunteering experience there is training provided all the way. In addition, this year has been the pilot year of a new scheme which has trained all full and part-time officers in Volunteer management, a qualification accredited with the Institute of Leaders and managers. More information can be found on this in my previous blogs.

As well as representation on a local level can lead to running for NUS (national union) delegate position, representing Kent students on a national level and making sure that our voices our heard. Gaining exposure to students from around the country has given me an incredible sense of wider community, that students are 'in it together' which on its own is a feeling worth having.

If you would like to discuss any of the opportunities available please contact me by email on or on twitter @kbuddinyourface and I can direct you to the best person if I don't  know the answer myself.

Although full-time officers sometimes have the most time to dedicate, some of the greatest achievements in Student Union history have been from dedicated part-time officers and volunteers. Just ask them yourselves here!

Nominations close at 12:00 on Wednesday 6 February 2013 

The polls open at 17:00 on Friday 8 February 2013 

Nominate yourself here! 

Top Tips for Avoiding a Festive Society Punch-Up

Ever heard of the November blues? Over the half way point of the first term, the excitement of welcome week seems like a distant memory, the Christmas still seems an age away and all too real is the essay deadline you've been putting off for the last three weeks.

This is about the time that you start getting a bit ratty about the fact that your housemate listens to ‘that dubstep remix’ on repeat when you are trying to sleep, that the guy who sits next to you in lectures never seems to make as many notes as you or do the reading but never fails to get a first and to top it all the president of the society you are a member for is really getting on your nerves. The kicker is that they’re all the same person and you spend most of your time around them.

This is when societies go into meltdown!

So here are some tips you might like to consider before you casually lace their morning brew with a dusting of constipation medicine sufficient in strength to drain the colour out of the boldest ox and sweat the bristles off a badger’s bum.

Have you read The Societies Handbook? It is available here kentunion.co.uk/societies/runsociety/societyforms/ to all societies and is packed full of useful information. It is a one-stop shop for basic queries and a great starting place for you to start if you need information.  

Have your committee attended societies training? A big training day is held at the beginning of the first term and at the end of the summer term. However, there will be some mini top-up training sessions organised throughout the year. If you are interested in attending one of these either because you missed the training at the beginning of the year or because you’re a new society then e-mail standout@kent.ac.uk to book your place on the course. If there is any additional training you feel would be useful then you can also send requests to the same address.

Are you struggling to organise an event? Remember that external organisations will want one point of contact between you and them. This helps the Union also. It’ll make things easier for you as everyone will be on the same page and have the same information.   

Plans scuppered by others? Although it can be difficult to do this try and plan as far in advance as possible. It takes 3 weeks to get permission for an external speaker, a week to book a room, three weeks to apply for a performance licence etc. The bigger the event and the more people involved the greater the chance that somewhere along the chain something will get delayed. Or lots of something’s.

Have you got written role descriptions for your committee members? This is something that can be very useful as the society can outline the voluntary role responsibilities in advance giving the committee something to refer to if allocated tasks are not being completed. You can even have individuals sign this when they ‘take office.’ If you would like to see a copy of a template try contacting Steph s.l.j.hughes@kent.ac.uk.

Delegation of tasks: This is an important tip for presidents. Trust your team! Sometimes entrusting a member of the team with a task can be very empowering, it also means that you don’t have all of the weight on your shoulders. Conversely, giving someone a task and then micro-managing them or not entrusting them with anything at all can be very dis empowering  This is a difficult technique to learn if you have had no previous managerial experience but it is key to maintaining a cohesive team and achieving great things. Don’t underestimate your volunteers; they can achieve incredible things with a little freedom and your presidential support.

Document your committee meetings. If something is agreed, get it in writing. This is the responsibility of the secretary to do.

Have you got an up-to date constitution? This isn’t something you should be having on every society committee meeting agenda, if you do then you’ve probably got other issues in the committee that need addressing. This is the document the committee, members, staff, myself and Union chair refer to when needing clarification or when things go wrong with elections or democracy within your society. Not having an up to date constitution means it’s difficult to get union support. I have about 40-50 digital constitutions. If you’re not sure if you’re one of the groups these belong to, contact us in the office.

Money worries? Read the handbook and find out what kind of support is available. Do you really know how much is in your account? Do you know how the grant system works and that you are entitled to more than meets the eye on your accounts? If you’re not sure... ask! One of the reasons the trustees struggle to justify more money for societies is that they never spend what they have.

Societies federation, Your Union zone and Union council and A.G.M. are your voice on campus not only as individuals but as societies. If you want to be represented and informed then you need to show up.  The most successful groups are the ones that keep abreast of the latest information and the ones leading the pack are the ones setting the trend. If you don’t know when, what or where the meetings are then ask!

Make friends with other societies. Many hands make light work, two heads are better than one etc. This is a great way to boost the membership of your society as well as pool resources, contacts and cash. This applies to KTV, CSR and Inquire as well. Nothing wrong with a bit of mutual back-scratching.

Are you on the KSCV scheme? If not, why not? As a society committee member you are a volunteer and this means that you are eligible for the KSCV. Contact Natalie n.tiu@kent.ac.uk if you want to know more or visit the website www.kentunion.co.uk/eandv As part of the scheme you are entitled to reviews with a member of staff where you can flag any concerns you have with your volunteering or society.   

Has it all just gone a bit Pete Tong? Want to come in and talk about it? If things have really gone ‘a tad bad’ then we can do mediation meetings with a staff member and officer and work out a way forward for your society.  

  

  

   

Popcorn, Websites and Scratching

One of the most rewarding areas of my Manifesto to work on has been the Gulbenkian 'complex'. Every meeting with the (fairly) new Gulbenkian team is positive and it feels like we are moving forwards, improving the engagement and dialogue between students and our on-campus arts facilities.

As with everything there are frustrating barriers to be overcome or worked around but in the last 18 months I've started to see real change. Attendance in the cinema is up to 30% students, which might not sound like a lot but outranks many on-campus cinemas around the country, the next target is the theatre. Other projects that I am working with the Gulbenkian to implement include a volunteer scheme which will support interested University of Kent students to experience technical  front of house and theatre marketing in a professional arts complex under the watchful eye of experienced theatre professionals. The value of this to students is unquestionable especially for those who which to enter into a career in the world of theatre. The Gulbenkian was my first experience of working in a professional theatre and I'm passionate to cement this scheme before it is time to 'shuffle off this representational coil.' Another fabulous opportunity available to students is the Gulbenkian feedback forum (which I informally call the G-spot) where everyone has the chance to offer their 'tuppence worth' as Grandpa would say and help to improve the Gulbenkian experience. 

I thought I'd include some of the Topics discussed in a Q+A style here for those who couldn't attend.

Q: What are the obstacles to the Cinema showing blockbusters in release week? If we could see the films that the Odeon shows, the Gulbenkian prices are much more student-friendly.

A: Film distributors often put caveats on cinemas getting the films such as 'x' number of showings in the first week. The Gulbenkian only has one screen and is heavily restricted as to when it can show films.

Q: Why can't the cinema be more flexible in its showing times in the week?

A: The cinema is not released from timetabling until 6pm. Until this time it is used as a lecture theatre. Low availability of lectures theatres means there is little flexibility here.

Q: What about Wednesdays?

A: On these afternoons the cinema is used for UCAS Days for potential future students.

Q: What don't you serve proper popcorn?

A: Some people think it goes against the 'arthouse vibe' of the cinema.

Q: Yeah but doesn't everybody love popcorn? Especially students?

A: We'll take your feedback onboard and look into buying a machine.  

Q: Can we take popcorn into the theatre?

A: It depends on the company, if its a quiet show possibly not. But for comedy, perhaps. 

Q: The Cafe seems really expensive which is why some students are put off from eating there. Why is this?

A: This is down to having to charge V.A.T to everyone when they eat (making it 20% more expensive for students but no more expensive to staff.) We're looking at ways to keep the price down for students and keep the quality high. 

Q: If we wanted to see a particular film or re-run would that be a possibility?

A: Absolutely! let us know about it. We already do this through the customer comments section but we're looking at whether we could have online polls where students could vote for films.  

Q: What's the chance of using the theatre if available for open rehearsals if we're drama students?

A: Talk to us. 

Q: How can we get involved?

A: Contact Kenny at the Union union-activities@kent.ac.uk or Jess at the Gulbenkian j.l.thomas@kent.ac.uk.

Hi everyone, 

I am currently participating in Movember as are my all male team of colleagues where we all grow and sport moustaches to raise money for prostate cancer research. 

I did this about two years ago as its something that has affected many people close to me  

The link to our team page is here - http://uk.movember.com/team/534917 where you can either make donations to the team as a whole or to individuals.

Update and Union Council Report

Vice-President (Activities)

Priority Campaign: The completion of the University commissioned feasibility study was completed giving us some concept designs to shape how the buildings might look and work. At this stage these are concepts and not architectural designs. We are campaigning for University investment in student facilities not specifically this design. Working closely with volunteers, staff and officers we have jointly lobbied senior university staff and are working to campaign deadlines successfully. My thanks go to everyone who supported the photoshoot outside the library. We aim to have the postcards signed by as many students as possible to deliver to the Vice Chancellor by Christmas. We are also investigating other sources of funding for the building.

National Demo:  I supported and attended the national demo taking 2 coachloads of students from Medway and Canterbury to the march. Although wet, people seemed to have an enjoyable time retuning on schedule with no injuries or incidents.

Refreshers Fayre: I have been working to arrange plans for the Refreshers’ fayre, date being February 7^th being primarily based in the Eliot Dining Hall. I will be working with marketing and the officers to draft a brief for future events to ensure that student groups get the maximum benefit from Welcome and refreshers Fayres given the targets for marketing sales at the events.

Worldfest: I’m currently working with the international development office to develop worldfest ‘bitesize’ which will celebrate annual cultural, international events. I am exploring the scope for student group involvement in this project and if anyone’s’ society has an annual event they celebrate please drop me an email at union-activities@kent.ac.uk The Union’s contribution, to the main Worldfest Event in February (a celebration of international culture) will be the international (talent) showcase. This will be the 6^th event I’ve been involved with being performed in the Gulbenkian theatre with cash prizes awarded to the top performing groups.

International Students: I’m working with staff and international development to implement the ‘Go Global award’ a funding award given to the best student international/cultural project proposed. My endeavours to have a regular international night on campus are ongoing.

Gulbenkian: The second feedback forum was 26^th November where students are able to give opinions on the running of the Gulbenkian and shows and films available. Development in the last year at the complex has been excellent although we still have a long way to go. Student attendance is at a record high this year and there is greater increased student programming.  I’m working with the Gulbenkian to pilot the technical, front of house and marketing work placement project which is the final strand of my Campaign to be completed.  

Societies: Societies have experienced massive growth over the last 18 months putting pressure on existing systems and available staff and volunteer time. Other than the priority campaign this has consumed the largest portion of my time and the activities team are hard put to deal with queries in a timely manner. I firmly believe that a significant investment in staff is needed, for sports and especially societies, a point I shall be making strongly at board level up until my last representational breath in June.  Staff and I have been developing a quality mark framework to help support society development and this has included mine and the Students with disabilities officer’s work on societies’ accessibility and inclusivity of disabled students. The societies and SLVG storage facility is continuing to be delayed whilst waiting for other building developments. I am assured the facility will be complete by Christmas but have not been given a fixed build completion date. The original deadline hoped for was April 2012. The Societies Stand-out Scheme has continued highly successfully this year and has put an estimated £2K in student groups’ accounts and developed approximately 200 students’ employability skills since May 2012. I’m continuing to work with VP (Sports) to develop a workable transport option that works for all our student groups although limited funding and staff changes have caused delays in this. I am working to develop a technology strategy to put our current paper systems online allowing for online viewing, allocating and planning of groups’ accounts. The ongoing implementation of this strategy will massively reduce paperwork, waiting time and free up more stafftime to deal with student queries. Societies are currently breaking all time membership figures for this time of year, so well done to all involved! Approximately £2k of development funding has been allocated to societies since September by societies federation committee.

Volunteering: Student Led Volunteer Groups have experienced growth, totalling about 15 groups with funding being allocated by volunteering committee. Employability and volunteering week is being planned for February with training, lectures and many opportunities to meet volunteer organisations.  Approx 30,000 volunteering hours have been logged so far this year.

Media: CSR was shortlisted for two National Student Radio Awards and although we didn’t win the catagories, a great evening was had by all attendees at the awards ceremony.  Sadly CSRs conference bid was unsuccessful but there is good chance we may win the bid next year as it was University facilities not our own that seemingly let us down. CSR, Inquire and KTV continue to output high quality work and are really building on their foundations this year. CSR continues to seek investment as a matter of priority as the project is expensive to run and may be at risk if an injection of funding is not found.

Zones: I have attended the zones, being impressed by the range of ideas and quality of debate. It has been great to see so many students involved in Union Policy making.

Medway:  I have been spending considerable time at the Medway campus, training and supporting Medway volunteering committee as well as U.M.S.As Societies Council and Committee. Kent Medway students have elected their Volunteering committee chair Harriet, who I am pleased to welcome to Union council today.

Ents Forum: This is ongoing and functional in its second year with useful feedback coming through to licensed trade from a range of different students meeting twice monthly.

Wifi: The Completion of WIFI in Woolf, a campaign priority highlighted by 500 Postgrads in my 2011 Survey ‘PG Tips’ has finally occurred. This has been extended to all colleges by lobbying from the Union president. Congratulations to Tom and Claire Powell (Kent Graduate Student Association chair) for their respective work in the lobbying for this achievement. It wasn’t easy.  

RAG: Engagement numbers are great and I’m very impressed with the team’s work which I know has not been without challenges this year. More detail will be covered in Nick Shields’ report.

Blog: www.buddblogging.blogspot.co.uk                               Twitter: @kbuddinyourface

Challenges and Opportunities

Well oh well! I cannot believe that we are six weeks into term already.

 From the getgothe student activities office has been insanely busy and I've personally had no control
over my diary zipping from meeting with societies to university meetings and to-ing
and fro-ing between the Medway and Canterbury campuses. In fact, the only way I've
managed to find time to write this blog entry is because I have a long car journey today
and I'm not driving!

From one perspective the amount of traffic in the activities centre is encouraging as it
means that more students are aware of where the Union offices are, what services we
offer and how to utilise them. On the flipside resources are more stretched then every
before and staff and students alike feel frustrated if even a single student leaves the
building dissatisfied. In a student Union this is doubly felt as staff genuinely care about the
clients they are working with and with what the organisation is working towards. The fact
is that at Kent the strategy focusses on growth with 100 society application last year and
40 received so far this year in Canterbury, a 70% growth in society numbers at Medway
a 50% increase in student led volunteer groups and a new Television station 'KTV' a real
investment needs to be made in activities in terms of staff and cash as this growth is just
not sustainable if standards of quality and support are to be maintained.

In one other student union each group of approximately 25 societies has a member of
administrative staff to support them as well as a full time member of staff responsible for
development. At Kent there are two full time members of staff spread across all societies
and sports clubs. The question is, where is the money going to come from?

I've had the experience of sitting on two recruitment panels in the last few months for
two members of staff who will be working in the broad and occasionally ambiguous
area of 'student experience' with one member based primarily at Canterbury and the
other at Medway. Where many of the issues facing students such as limited staff,
money and facilities are shared across campuses Medway does bear the burden most
heavilly. The new free Medway shuttle service travelling regularly currently on a pilot
scheme has already started to make an impact. Kent students studying at Medway are
turning up all over the place at society meetings, a talk for the NUS Demonstration
and many of the 'Stand-out' training sessions delivered by Kent Union. I must admit I
was a little suprised at how quickly this has started to influence this development. It is
vitally important that this service continues if synergy and community between the two

campuses is to continue to grow. This has been a long and hard-fought battle by staff and
students as well as Kent Union over a period of about five years and I am glad to see it
being utilised.

However, it is vital that development at the Medway campus is stepped up to the
next level. The C4 building is a real opportunity for development. Currently disused,
developing the listed building internally for use as a social study space in the day and
activities space for use by societies in the evening would be highly valued and have
untold benefit to existing students as well as be an attractive draw to prospective students
from a recruitment perspective. Yet the appetite for development has been quelled
due to stalling recruitment at the Medway campus. It may feel like too much of a bold
investment from the University's perspective to lavish dough in the current climate. After
all, the sector hasn't been in this place before? But this means that education institutions
all over the country are being forced to sink or swim, making decisions that they have
never made before. Investing in these flexible activities spaces is undoubtably the right
investment for the University of Kent and it may just be the sooner the better.

Unfortunately, for students currently studying at out beloved institution, 'sooner' is likely
to be 3 years minimum.

I had the good fortune to be able to sit at a table with a wide range of university staff
from a range of departments and discuss the 'student experiece' at both Canterbury and
Medway this week and give a short presentation on the challenges and opportunities that
exist for rewarding student activities at Kent. If anyone would like to see this short 10
minute presentation let me know and I'll happilly deliver it to your society or department.
In the looming shadow of the feasibility study which will not only propose designs for
a development of physical Union activities but offer solutions to many of the challenges
facing student groups I'm keen not to pre-empt any of the outcomes but am very excited
to see proposals being taken to the Board of trustees on November 12th.

Top moment of the week has to be the first meeting of societies council committee which
is the UMSA Medway version of socfedcom. I was asked to come and deliver training to
this group of society members and hopefully galvanise them into fighting the good fight
for Medway societies and activities in general. I'm expecting great things to come from
societies at Medway.

In other news. The NUS demo is fast approaching and funding has been secured in part
through a contribution from the UCU teachers' Union three coaches have been organised
and tickets subsidised so each return seat will be £5. At the 2010 Demo a £50 incentive
was given to societies or clubs who wished to take part for the group who sent the most
individuals being welcomed by groups. This was repeated this year with the intention to
encourage attendance from those who may not usually attend such events. This year there
has been some mixed response with some individuals claiming it is 'bribery' or forcing
the politicisation of societies. Others have welcomed the incentive stating that no-one is
being 'forced to attend.' This subject will be discussed at societies federation committee
this week. If you have any input for this meeting please let me or your societies
federation committee reps know, you can contact me at union-activities@kent.ac.uk.

Apologies that there are not any pretty pictures in this entry yet. I'm just keen to get the post out today :)