1 month in... The New Team and the journey ahead of us

Posted By Ricky

It has been about one month since I last blogged where I reposted my final email to the faculty of health.

So what a month since then ... the new team are now officially in and settled into their new roles.



Pictured from left to right:

Jim Dale - VP for Science, Engineering and Environment

Caroline Dangerfield- VP for Health and Social Care

Ricky Chotai - President

Christabel Brown- VP for Arts, Media and Social Sciences

Maros Kravec - VP for Business, Law and Built Environment

This year is going to one of the most pivotal years, we have seen in the Higher Education Sector since the introduction of fees for University Students.

There are two reasons for this, we shall hear the outcome Lord Browne Review, and the public sector cuts.

The Browne Review is the review that is looking at the methods of the different ways Universities can be funded for Undergraduate Teaching. The Guardian did a very good run down of the different possible outcomes. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/20/university-fees

The public sector cuts, are going to hit Universities hard and Salford by no means will be escaping them.

That is the picture nationally, however what we doing at Salford Students' Union about these issues.

Firstly lets look at the funding, NUS which is the National Union Students' will be having a massive demo about this, this year. The demo will be headed up by the Vice President Higher Education Usman Ali (former Salford SU President 2 years ago). We will have more details soon and we will be doing events on campus, but also asking as many of you to come on the demo in London to show the government and everybody on where we stand at the possibility of higher fees for students.

Public Sector Cuts – Now this is a tough one, over the next few years the University is going to have to do a lot more, with less. As a Students' Union we firmly believe that whilst we understand that cuts may have to happen, however any that are detrimental to the student experience we really should oppose. As students we pay a minimum of £3000 pounds for our courses a year, whilst a lot more for Postgraduate courses. We must ensure that we are getting value for money.

I think that is enough doom and gloom.

Welcome Week 2010

We are already planning Welcome for September 2010, there is loads to do but things are starting to come together and can honestly this will be the best two weeks of your life.
We have so many great events over the two weeks, and for all the new students will be an opportunity to find out what your union does. Our activities range from student media, student activities, to student representation. In the mean time keep an eye on our website http://www.salfordstudents.com/welcome and make sure you join our facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17359979849


Come and Get involved in YOUR union

I have been involved in the Students' Union, for 5 years now and I got involved for two reasons I became a course rep and I got involved in the SU Radio Station Shock Radio (www.shockradio.co.uk).
The majority of Salford Students have no involvement in the union and this is something that I personally want to see change over the next year. Over the last few years, things have got a lot better more course reps, more people involved in Student media, more people involved in Clubs and Societies. As a Union we really offer a wide range of activities however the main thing we do is being your voice to the University and creating change for the better.
Whether you come and get involved in any of the activities I listed above, the best thing you can do is tell what you think.
Whether that be about the University or about the SU itself and how we do things.

Remember that ugly photo at the top of the post? One of them is your vice president (Unlucky huh) and represent students in your faculty. Don't forget me, as SU president feel free to get in touch any time, on any issue. My contact details will be at the end of this post.

The Union is not about what me and the rest of team what to do, it is YOUR union. We were simply elected to make the changes that you want to see made in the University or in the SU.

So if you have an idea for welcome week? Think we should be doing more for student reps? Feel the University does not support you enough with your studies?

Come and see us, we are all based in University House on the Peel Park Campus.

If you can't come and see us get in touch.
My contact details are;

Email: president-ussu@salford.ac.uk
Mobile:07540222310
Tel: 0161 351 5413
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SalfordPres

You can even add me on Facebook and contact me on there http://www.facebook.com/salfordpres

Feel free to get in touch if you got any questions, big or small I should be able to point in the right direction.

I really am looking forward to the year ahead, I think it is going to be awesome.

Thanks,

Ricky
SU President

Final email to all Students with Health and Social Care

Posted by Ricky

Dear All,

This week’s starts the handover process between the officer team, for this year and next year.
It has been one year since I started the role of being Vice President for Health and Social Care, and I thought it would good to share the positives of this year but also what is next.
This year, the union moved from traditional officer portfolio roles, to those where the 4 vice presidents move to represented one of the 4 faculties.
It was agreed that I would represent the faculty of Health and Social Care. The faculty at the start of the year was the one faculty that was the least engaged with the Union. The number of people who voted in SU was the lowest in the University, people had no idea what the Students’ Union does or even knew we existed.
Once of things I had to work out was why? In all honesty, in previous years I don’t think the Union has been good at finding out in the past the issues that affect you. Over the year the biggest challenge was changing the perception of the students’ union that it is just as much your union, as it is that of students who study on Peel Park.
I think students within the faculty are now getting, what they should have always been getting from the Union. With the role of the Vice President I think you really do have a voice not just within the Union, but championing your views/ concerns to senior management to the University. Elections statistics for this year’s elections saw a massive increase in students within the faculty. I have also personally seen more and more students getting involved within the Union.

Below are just some the wins of the year:

New Concourse Redevelopment that has now given health students a social learning zone.
Increase in Semester 3 services both the Union Shop, but also the University Catering Outlets.
An increase in students seeking advice from the Student Advice Centre, particularly in the areas of Fitness to Practice.
Consultation on the Cash Machine
Increase in the Number of Student Reps within the Faculty
Specific events for mature students
March Welcome Event for the new Nursing Students

What is Next?
The year I have seen one of the big issues that affect a lot of students are centred on placement issues, and I think next year there is work to done, to ensure that we help as many students on this issue.
Over the year although I mentioned above that number of people that use of our advice centre about Fitness to Practice, however I still think there is more the University came be doing in terms of advising people of how on a day to day basis this affects them.
I am sure, in the next few weeks Caroline (Your new Vice President!) will be in touch with her full contact details.
Over the next few weeks if you do not anything from the Union please feel free to email VPHSC-USSU@salford.ac.uk), as the email remains the same each year regardless of the officer or telephone 0161 351 5400.

It has been a pleasure to be your vice president over the last year, and I look forward to the challenge of being Students’ Union President over the next year.

Good Luck to all those who took exams over the last week.

Thanks,
Ricky

Ricky Chotai | Vice President Health and Social Care
University of Salford Students' Union | University House | Salford | M5 4WT
Tel: 0161 351 5424 | Mobile: 07540222310 | Fax: 0161 351 5428
Web: www.salfordstudents.com | Twitter: www.twitter.com/SalfordVPHSC
MSN / Email: VPHSC-USSU@salford.ac.uk
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The Pav: Facts and Figures

Posted By Ricky

Dear All,

There have been questions about why one year we were fighting to save the Pav and the year after the choice was made to close it for good.

What happened last year?

This time last year the University told the Union that the Pav had to be closed at the end of last year.
This then sparked the “save our Pav” campaign that was spearheaded by last year’s team which I was also involved in. The motivation behind the campaign was the view that the University’s request was quite simply an attack on the independence of the Students' Union particularly when the trading figures projected that although trade had decreased, the Pav was still a commercially viable venue at that point.

And now?
The easiest way to explain the change in thinking is to look at the figures. Below are the figures for the net financial contribution of the Pavilion to the Union since 2005 (calculated by taking the surplus generated by the bar and subtracting the net cost of putting on entertainments)

2005 ₤56,416
2006 ₤66,131
2007 ₤95,457
2008 ₤61,676
2009 ₤28,462
2010 ₤565 (projected)
2011 ₤(3,000) (projected)

As a result of trade falling a further 30% this year, the Pav will just about break even. Next year the Pav is estimated to make a ₤3000 loss. This loss would have to come from cutbacks in other areas of the Union. Also, from 1 June the Union will have to register as a charity. The Charity Commission takes a negative view of charities that run loss making trading activities that are not connected to the primary reasons for the charity’s existence. The Trustee Board took this into account in its decision making process too.

The new venue??

This time last year, the University promised not to close The Pavilion until a replacement venue was available on campus. Since those discussions took place, substantial cuts in higher education funding have meant that the University has had to reconsider its investment options. The development of a new venue got as far as costing out initial drawings. However, those schemes came back costing around the ₤1 million mark. In addition, the venue would only have held 200 people and would have had to operate at absolute capacity from day one to generate a very small financial return. The University’s view was that the level of investment was not justifiable to impact on a small sample of the University population, nor when it would generate such a small financial return.

The Future??

The loss of the Pav is sad, however as a Students' Union we will move on and it gives us a real opportunity to look at the offerings of entertainment on campus.
Next year we will be having a Freshers Ball and we are looking at tie ins with clubs in town.

This however is your opportunity to have you feedback please join the group The Pav is closing... what entertainment do you want next year? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122573974434875#!/group.php?gid=122573974434875&v=info
and if you are not on facebook please get in touch by email VPHSC-USSU@salford.ac.uk

The Full Press Release from the Union can be found at http://salfordstudents.com/files/PAV_FULL.pdf


Ricky
Vice President Health and Social Care
(President Elect 2010/2011)