September update
Welcome back to another monthly update from your President Team! September has been our busiest month yet, with International Welcome Week, Freshers and a lot of new faces on campus. Here is a look at what we have been up to.
What have we been up to?
At the start of the month, Emily and Vriti travelled to London for student governance training. As student governors, this was a valuable opportunity to learn how to make our voices heard and what to expect when sitting in Board of Governors meetings. We came away feeling better prepared to represent you at the highest level of the university.
Poppy and Emily also attended the WonkHE Senate Summit in London, which covered all the things currently being talked about within the Higher Education sector. From employability, placements and postgraduates to student rights, AI, Erasmus+, and the real cost of university. There were some great conversations and a lot of talk of how
You may have noticed some changes at the SU. This month we launched the new SU Coffee Lounge, and the SU has been spruced up and renovated for students. We hope you enjoy the refreshed space, and we would love to hear what you think of it.
International Welcome Week began on 14th September, and it was a pleasure to welcome our international students to Plymouth. The presidents hosted International Speed Mates in the new SU Coffee Lounge, and we also ran an International Karaoke night and an International Quiz. Alongside the events, the week was full of meetings and inductions, and we introduced ourselves to our faculties as your presidents.
On 21st September, we joined the Feel-Good Fair. On the same day, we filmed a video with the Safe Bus in Plymouth. The Safe Bus provides medical and other assistance to anyone in Plymouth who needs it, and we are highlighting it because it is especially valuable for students on a night out. Students can charge their phones there, and anyone who thinks they may have been spiked can get tested. On the second day, the
Commercial Freshers Fair took over the SU roof and marquee with a wide range of stalls. On 23rd September, we held the Sports Fair, where sports groups introduced themselves and new students could find a group that matched their interests. On Thursday, the Societies Fair gave students the chance to meet all of our societies. We finished the week with the Friday Night Quiz.
We want to make sure that period products are never a barrier to your education or social life, so for any period needs, we have provided pads with clear signage, so they are easy to find. Emily took the initiative on this, and we hope it makes life a little easier for you.
All three of us have also now handed in our dissertation projects for our Masters! Congratulations to any other postgraduates who have recently completed their programs, we will see you at graduation!
Who have we been talking to?
This month has been full of meetings across the university. Alongside our faculty inductions, we attended finance meetings for the Board, the Honorary Awards meeting, and the Finance Committee. On 21st September, we also attended the Quality Standards Subcommittee (QSSC) meeting.
Poppy was live on BBC Radio Devon at the start of the month talking about how students can stay connected with their families when they move away for university. She talked about how students can find family at university when they move away but also how easy she found it to stay connected to home when she moved away using facetime to talk with family and see her horse.
On 23rd September, we met our school representatives and introduced ourselves to them. Vriti also met with the Head of Careers to talk about plans for an International Women’s Day event in March.
This week, we met with the university’s senior leadership about the concerns students have raised over Turnitin. The university is aware of these concerns, and a formal statement on the issue is expected soon. We want to reassure you that student wellbeing is a shared priority, and we will keep working to make sure students’ interests are looked after.
We have also been holding a series of leadership meetings, where we discussed a wide range of issues affecting students.
What events are coming up?
We are excited to launch our Faculty Mixers in October. These are an informal chance to meet friends, old and new, from across your faculty in the SU. The events run from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
Faculty of Health (hosted by Vriti): Monday 5th October
Faculty of Science and Engineering (hosted by Poppy): Tuesday 6th October
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business (hosted by Emily): Thursday 8th October
The Wellbeing Fair takes place in the SU on 6th October, from 11am to 4pm. It is a chance to find out what wellbeing services are available to you, both across the university and throughout the wider city.
We have also been working with the faculty EDI teams to host a Menopause Awareness event on the 14th October in the SU. This event will run from 11am until 2pm so come along to find out more about menopause and how you can support family or friends experiencing menopause.
We are also launching Cafe and Chat on 30th October. We will be in the cafe for an hour, and you are welcome to come and chat with us about anything on your mind.
Make sure to keep an eye on our Instagram account and SU website to find out what we are getting up to throughout the month.