Why it's important

The most important meeting of the year for University of Plymouth students at UPSU. The Students' Union is led by students for students and exists to improve your experiences as a University of Plymouth student, on and off campus. Therefore, the Annual Student Meeting (ASM), is your opportunity to scrutinize the work of your Students' Union and check that it is indeed being run in your interests.

What happens at the meeting?

At the ASM students:

• Are presented with the UPSU Annual Report. If you’d like a copy of it before, then please get in touch with the Student Voice Department
• Are presented with the Annual Accounts of UPSU for the previous financial year, and an opportunity to question it. Ever wondered what UPSU does with the money that it receives? Want to see if it is actually being used to help you?
• Can ask questions of the Trustees - UPSU is a charitable organisation and is governed by a Trustee Board. The Board currently consists of four Sabbatical Officer Trustees, two appointed Student Trustees and between two-four appointed External Trustees. The Trustee Board is the highest decision maker of UPSU, supported by the Senior Management Team and has collective responsibility for all activities of UPSU.
• Submit policy proposals (ideas for changing how your SU operates, or what it campaigns on) to be discussed at the meeting. If you would like to submit a proposal, you need to do so 10 working days before the meeting takes place. You also need to find another University of Plymouth student who can "second" your changes. Any proposal that looks at changing the Constitution or Bye-laws of the Student Union will need to be submitted 14 working days in advance. For more information on this, please contact the Student Voice Department
• Vote on any policy proposals submitted by UPSU members. If those in attendance vote in favour of a motion that you have submitted, then it will become UPSU policy (assuming that it’s safe, legal, and financially viable of course).

The deadlines for 2022 are as follows:

Reports published (5 working days) – Tuesday 1st March 

• Proposals to change the SUs M&A’s and By-laws (14 working days) – Wednesday 16th February 
• Policy Proposals (10 working days) – Tuesday 22nd February  

• Policy Proposals published (7 working days) – Friday 25th February 

• Amendments to Policy Proposals submitted (2 working days) - Friday 4th March

2021 Meeting

The Annual Student Meeting, or ASM, took place over Zoom this year. The Board of Trustees, Union Council, Accountability Board and the Sabbatical Officers gave their updates for the past year as well as voting on policy proposals. These reports are available for you to read below.

The ASM is an opportunity to ask questions of elected representatives, ask questions about the Students' Union's finances and ask questions of the UPSU Trustees - but it isn't your only opportunity. Your Students' Union is run by and for you and you have a right to ask these questions all year round.

To find out more contact the Student Voice team here.