Emma Brown, Union President
Hi everyone! Can you believe it’s already February? With the days finally getting a little longer, we’ve been busy behind the scenes at SUSU working on more deals, treats and events!
Check out our What’s On calendar for the full lineup of events for Semester 2, but here are a few highlights I’ve been working on for you…
SUSU Shop – New Expanded Range
After collecting loads of feedback, I’m happy to announce we have an expanded range of items in the SUSU Shop, including more free-from and vegan items, new sweets and nuts, extra sides and drinks in the meal deal!
Stag’s Pizzas – Earlier Kitchen Opening Time
I’ve also been working hard with our Stag’s team to work on student feedback, and Stag’s Pizzas are now available at an earlier time. You can now grab a 12” pizza at The Stag’s from 6pm – perfect for an affordable dinner (from £8.95) before your society events or a night out!
Do you have more feedback about the Stag’s, or any of our venues? Submit feedback here!
Stag’s Super Bowl
This Sunday night, the Super Bowl is being shown in The Stag’s in collaboration with American Football and Vixens. For £3 entry, you’ll get a free drink on arrival, and there will be hot dogs on sale. Stag’s will be offering our cheap drink deals!
The SUSU Advice Centre
Just a reminder that the Advice Centre provides free and confidential advice, independent from the university, on financial, housing and academic matters. It’s open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, in SUSU building 40 (above the Stag’s).
Check out the What’s On calendar, select filter “Advice and Support” for the list of advice centre drop-ins if you’d like to chat to an advisor, from appeals, funding concerns, budgeting to landlord and housemate problems, and much more.
Upcoming Advice Centre drop ins:
14:00 – 16:00, Tuesday 10 February
13:30 – 16:30, Wednesday 11 February
14:00 – 16:00, Friday 13 February
You can also call (023 8059 2085) or email (advice@susu.org) The Advice Centre to book in an appointment to talk to an advisor.
Joshie Christian, VP Education
Hi all, I hope Semester 2 is treating you well!
I’ve got a few updates for you below – and there’s loads more going on too! A random example of what I’ve been up to, I’ve written guidance for making sure there are enough Course Reps on Joint Award degree programmes!
How was the new Exam Paper Error Reporting system?
You might remember my previous update about this change – your Course Reps and your School and Department Presidents all helped feed into how this system was changed this year.
As promised, there’s a chance to give feedback about the process, no matter what you study or whether you had any errors on an exam paper this Exam Season. Please don’t hesitate to also email me with any other feedback you may have!
Academic Awards Nominations are Live!
Do you know an amazing Course Rep or a spectacular Senior Rep? How about a fabulously hardworking and caring member of university staff? Nominate them for an Academic Award! Our awards celebrate everyone who makes a real difference to your student experience; awards include Best Consultation, Best Academic Impact, and Most Engaging Lecturer! Nominations are open until Friday 6th March…
It’s Another Duck Joke!
I was chatting to the Rubber Duck on my desk, who wanted me to remind you about You Make Change. If there is something you want to improve at SUSU or across the University, no matter how big or small, submit a request to You Make Change and your SUSU Sabb Team will get on it!
He also asked, “What do you get if you cross two ducks with a cow?” “Milk and Quackers!”
All the best from me,
Joshie Christian – VP Education
PS: We apologise for the quality of the jokes at the end of this section of the email.
Travis Arthur, VP Sports
As always, I’m running weekly drop-ins every Thursday from 2–3pm at Stag’s. Come by for a chat, to ask questions, or to share any ideas you have. If you’ve got thoughts about sport, physical activity, or anything SUSU-related definitely come along.
On the funding side, the Round 2 Sports Grant had ~£50,000 to allocate. However, the clubs had submitted approximately ~£170,000 in requests, so unfortunately, we couldn’t meet everything. With decisions now finalised, I’ll be contacting each club soon with the outcome of their grant.
For the Team Southampton Awards, following student consultation, we have chosen the most popular venue and event format. In addition, I have looked into the current awards and adapted them to ensure every category of achievement can be recognised. Nominate now before Friday 6th March, 16:00, to ensure students, teams, and sports clubs who have achieved excellence, shown commitment, and embodied the spirit of Team Southampton throughout the year are celebrated. The awards ceremony will take place on Friday 1st May at St Mary’s Stadium, keep a look out for tickets!
Although Varsity this year will be in Portsmouth, there’s still a lot to plan from SUSU’s end. So far, I have been involved with helping plan media coverage, ticket options and the after-party. I can’t wait for this year’s Varsity, and hopefully we will walk away with another win! In addition, I have started to go around many clubs to get some filming with them for this year’s varsity video, showing how all of Team Southampton works together!
Moving forward, I will be working a lot on the SUSU Safe initiative, aiming to inform students about the different forms of safety provisions SUSU, the university and the wider community offer. To start this, I have already created a guide that collates all the current guidance and initiatives that are already in place.
The badge scheme, which was introduced last year, allows recognition to clubs who deserve it by awarding them badges: community, inclusivity, engagement, sustainability and wellbeing. I am now working with the activity coordinators to ensure this recognition is noticed, ensuring students are being made aware of these achievements.
You can also reach me anytime via the @team_soton Instagram, on Teams or by email at vpsports@soton.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can book a meeting with me via my bookings page.
Ge 'Sparkle' Gao, VP Communities
I’m really pleased to share that this fortnight we’ve made meaningful progress across several key areas of work 💪
Firstly, I’m very happy to say that our anti-scam awareness project has moved forward in a tangible way 🎥✨ We’ve now completed filming our anti-scam video, which marks an important milestone for the project. We’re aiming to release this in March, and I’m looking forward to sharing it more widely to support international students with clear and accessible guidance.
Following the Christmas break and a busy exam period 📚, we’re also preparing to continue with the Exploring Societies video series. A huge thank you to the societies who have already responded — your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated 🙌
If any other society presidents see this update and would like to be involved, please feel free to DM me on Instagram 📩. If you’re interested in promoting your society and would like support from SUSU’s perspective, I’d love to hear from you.
Overall, it’s been really encouraging to see these projects moving from planning into delivery, and I’m excited about the momentum we’re building over the coming weeks ✨
Inclusion Update
This Fortnight, the start of your inclusion update is being written by Emma, your Union President.
Happy LGBTQ+ History Month!
This month is all about celebrating LGBTQ+ history – the icons, the activists and how far we’ve come as a community.
One of the projects I’ve worked on is a brand-new selection of pride pins in the concourse in SUSU Building 42 (by the entrance to the Bridge cafe) – which are free for anyone to take! They’ve been incredibly popular and some designs are already out of stock, but we are restocking soon. Plus, we’re making these a permanent fixture, so you’ll always be able to pick them up at the SUSU reception in the future.
Emma Brown – Union President
The Assistive Technology Suite
For a while, I’ve been working on lobbying the University for a series of changes and improvements in the Assistive Technology Suite (ATS) in the Hartley Library. Here are a couple of updates based on your feedback!
Short term: The upkeep of the ATS will include topping up cleaning wipes and other resources like coloured paper, staplers, and other stationery has been added!
Medium term: Some of the chairs have already been fixed, with more being fixed soon. Any faulty mice and keyboards will be replaced!
Long term: Altering the lighting levels in the room will be investigated during the Hartley Library Transformation project! The quality and functionality of all the screens in the ATS will be reviewed by iSolutions!
If you’re interested, you can read the feedback. If you have any other requests for improvements to the ATS, you can have a look to see if it’s already been said, but please do drop me an email!
All the best from me,
Joshie Christian – VP Education
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!
