Hello! And welcome back to the start of semester 2. I really hope that you exams are going well, assignments are in and that you’re looking forward to an exciting new term at Aber.
Hello! And welcome back to the start of semester 2. I really hope that you exams are going well, assignments are in and that you’re looking forward to an exciting new term at Aber. As it’s the New Year, some people like to reflect on the things that have happened over the past year, and so I’m sharing with you the top 10 things that AberSU did for students in 2016 (well… semester 1).
- #StefansSocks Campaign
We launched our priority campaign for the year which aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health, start conversations about mental health and also call for more support for students. So far the campaign has also raised over £1000 for MIND Aberystwyth and support continues to grow. For more info check out the webpage at https://www.abersu.co.uk/stefanssocks/
- Hywel Dda Heath Board
We’ve consulted students on what they would like to see from local health services, and are now working with the health board locally to improve services for students, including mental health, sexual health and GP services. We are going to continue to work productively with them from now on to make sure the student voice is heard.
- Gender Neutral Toilets
The toilets in the Cwtch bar are now gender neutral. We believe that everyone should feel comfortable in their own skin and this is a step we have taken to help you along the way.
- Sports Funding
We’ve started looking at how sports are funded and the current models in place. They haven’t been reviewed in a long time and we want to make this work for students the best it can.
- Mental Wellbeing Week & Dog Petting Room
Mental Wellbeing Week brought a host of events to the union to help students with mental wellbeing, including free yoga sessions and sports centre sessions, as well as book swaps, board games and other fun things. We’ve also planned a stress busting dog petting room for during exams to ease the pressure at a difficult time of year.
- Funding For Volunteering, Academic Reps and Postgraduates
We secured extra funding to the tune of around £5000, which is going straight to supporting volunteering projects and development, academic representatives and postgraduate student initiatives and support.
- Raising & Giving (RAG) Month
We hosted a month long RAG period where clubs, societies, students and student groups were encouraged to host events to raise money for and give back to some incredible charities. So far the RAG total is over £10,000 and continues to grow throughout the year.
- This Girl Can
This Girl Can week highlighted incredible women in sport at Aber, and also encouraged more women to get involved in sport, fitness and wellbeing activity. We raised the profile of some of our own students on our social media and website, as well as securing women-only sessions throughout the week in the sports centre.
- Annual General Meeting (AGM)
We give you the power to directly influence the work that we do. We held our AGM on December 5th where many motions were written by, debated and passed by students including a Sexual Harassment Policy, sustainability motions and the call for a new mentoring scheme to be developed. Over 200 students attended our AGM - a record turn out! We’re now working on your ideas.
- Freshers & Activities Week
We gave students the chance to come to Aber a week early and try out the sports and societies we have on offer in our amazing Activities Week; over 50 students came and had a busy week of sessions. We also made sure that Freshers Week was another one to remember, hosting our annual Freshers Fairs, Freshers Events and welcome activities, including our new Conversation Corners.
Obviously the work we do at AberSU doesn’t stop there. We also managed to train your sports and societies committees and academic reps for the year, as well as host the autumn elections for some of our part time positions. Our partner Welsh-speaking union, UMCA, has had a fresh new look and continues to advocate for the rights of Welsh-medium students and host free Welsh lessons, and we’ve also launched Welsh Word of the Week to get more people involved in learning and using the Welsh language. Our Officers have also done lots of work externally to represent you and the future of education in Wales, including working with NUS, NUS Wales, Welsh Government and funding bodies for Higher Education. And finally, we were there throughout the process of selecting who will be the next Vice Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, making sure they are the right fit and will take Aber Uni where students need and want it to go.
We had an amazing time working with you over semester 1, and hope that you’re looking forward to more exciting things at AberSU for this term. Remember that our elections are coming up in the next month or so, as well as more events, activities and opportunities for you to get involved and shape what we do. Look out for our big sporting and society events this term including Superteams, Varsity and Rugby 7s, and more wellbeing events and student forums.
Please remember that we’re here for you, and that without students, AberSU would be nothing. So please get involved and let us know whether we’re on the right track, or whether you think we should be working on something new.
Finally, again, good luck with your exams and we’ll see you on the other side, looking forward into 2017 and another amazing year for Aber students.
Much love,
Lauren