Lawrence Coomber, Union President
This is our final fortnightly update! It’s been a genuinely fantastic year, and I cannot believe it has gone so quickly. Some final updates from me include helping host a visit from Buckinghamshire Students’ Union, my final Sustainability Strategy Board meeting and final Rules Review meeting incorporating comments from our Student Senate meeting.
We hosted Bucks SU on a visit where we met their present and future Sabb team, sharing best practice and showcasing the best of what SUSU does, including our facilities and how we host events. It was great to talk to other Sabbatical Officers about what they do differently and how we can incorporate their knowledge for us in Southampton. My final Sustainability Strategy Board update focused on the development of the University’s new Sustainability Strategy post-2025, which was influenced by our discussions in the Student Forum. Our Rules Review has now incorporated much of the student senators’ feedback from its approval and is in the final stages.
Now that this year and my term are coming to a close, I’d like to highlight some particular wins of this year that I am most proud of. The launch of the SUSU+ App, now giving you all cashback on the purchases you make, our largest Grad Ball in years (2500+ of you), and the support we have been able to give students through our Advice Centre are all things that have been outstanding this year and have been a joy to be part of.
I now hand over to your new Union President, Emma Brown, who will do an amazing job, and sincerely thank every single one of you who has reached out for help, attended any of our events, and engaged with us in such a positive way this year.
Lawrence Coomber, Union President 2024/25 😊
Rebecca Would, VP Education and Democracy
Thank you all for the most incredible 2 years, I can’t believe it’s all coming to an end…
In true Rebecca fashion, I do still have some relevant uni updates for you – it’s not been getting any quieter for me! – starting with the All Student Vote on Alumni Emails. Thank you again to everyone who has voted and engaged with consultations and sent us their thoughts via the form; this has been really helpful to lobby the University to maintain some level of access to alumni accounts. Although it is unlikely full access will be kept, the uni are currently exploring the cyber security risks of a possible forwarding system, and some maintained access for PGR students as well as undergrad and post-grad taught students that publish. They have also confirmed that all current students maintain access to their student account for 152 days after graduating, and you can sign in to your continued access to the careers service using your personal email accounts. I can’t make any promises on exactly what will happen, but I am certain that your voices have raised this as an issue, and I am hopeful that the University will do the best thing for students while maintaining high levels of cyber security for the staff, students and alumni.
Between this week and next week, we have also been in the final stages of the consultation parts of the Academic Calendar Review. This is work I have been involved with for the last 2 years, and again I want to thank every student who has engaged in a workshop, filled in a form, or simply expressed where being a student is unnecessarily stressful over the year. Because of your continued engagement and strength of views, the University are looking to implement a modest change to the calendar that better accommodates students, particularly after the end of semester 1 exams and going into semester 2. Any changes will happen at the earliest, in 2026/27, and I strongly encourage all of you staying around next year to get involved where possible so you can shape an experience that works for you and future students.
To every rep and student, thank you. For my reps, it has been my honour and privilege to see you grow and succeed, and my success is not in what I have done but in seeing what you have been able to achieve. Reps will always be my favourite bit about this job, you really are essential to the uni and SUSU, and I’m so proud and appreciative of every one of you, you still make my day, every day. To every student, whether you’ve seen what I’ve been up to or not, I hope I’ve been able to make a difference somewhere in your experience, no matter whether I’ve represented you in SUSU, in University meetings, or just kept your voice in mind every day.
Congrats to every student graduating (or nearly graduating), you will go on to be amazing, I’m sure, and best of luck to all students continuing their studies – keep getting involved in feedback!
Rebecca x
Conor White, VP Sports
Hey everyone,
As I write my final update as your VP Sports, I’m filled with immense pride for everything we’ve accomplished this year together. Your dedication and passion are what continue to drive Team Southampton forward each year. This year, we’ve seen some incredible successes: smashing Portsmouth in Varsity, with the biggest margin ever, and once again securing a top 30 finish on the BUCS leaderboard!
Beyond the victories, I hope that sport has given you what it gave to me: lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories and an enjoyable outlet from your studies. For those of you graduating, I wish you the very best for wherever life takes you. I have no doubt you’ll go on to achieve great things. To our returners, I can’t wait to see you back in September, ready to build on this year’s successes and fly that Team Southampton flag even higher! Before I sign off, I’ll be doing a BUCS Season Review on the Team_Soton Instagram account, so make sure to check in for a recap of this year’s incredible season.
Thank you for a fantastic year, and I hope you have a brilliant summer.
Conor
You Make Change Updates
You Make Change update: Thank you as always for your ideas and queries. We look forward to receiving more submissions in the next two weeks!