On Monday morning the Vice Chancellor held an open forum in the Taliesin with regards to potential campus developments. It was great to see staff and students leave the auditorium buzzing with excitement and anticipation.
That evening I filled the executive committee in on the developments and informed them that I was setting up a “campus development working group” to look at ways of ensuring students voices were heard and best practice particularly in relation to student services and facilities at other institutions, were seen and raised.
Alongside this I announced the creation of two further working groups (yes I’m afraid it is an addiction). The first would be the “Safe Drinking Working Group” – a group aiming to look at how we work to ensure the safety and security of our students on campus and at Union run events. Alongside this looking at our promotion of drinking, prices, events etc but most importantly how best to promote safe drinking within the Union.
Alongside this was a working group which is really the basis for attaining a major target of mine for this year. Swansea has a good turnout in sabbatical elections considering the number of students we have. However I am a firm believer that we are just ticking over and should we change a few things, use examples of best practice and generally increase awareness and interest we could increase our turnout substantially. As a campus University with a student body who I genuinely believe if made aware will become interested and active.
On Tuesday I put into effect the next stage of my community action plan, as a group of us in some incredibly sexy hi- visibility jackets descended upon Brynmill and Uplands. We went from door to door with two aims;
1) To meet students and highlight the Students Union, discuss with them any issues they might have with their accommodation, the community or whatever. Then raise the fact that there have been problems in the past in the area between students and other residents, giving sensible advice on how to avoid any issues. Finally handing out some safety advice (and UV pens) with regards to burglary and how to prevent it in your house.
2) To meet local residents and give them a face and a name for students in the area. Often this is the biggest problems in areas of high tenant turnover- where tenants don’t introduce themselves to their neighbours and thus they are faceless and nameless – and should they cause trouble residents often become more fearful and feel unable to speak to them about their concerns. Thus problems escalate and other agencies are called first, when a simple conversation might have sufficed. Therefore we wanted to show the residents that we are local students who care about our community and care about what they think. Alongside this we give them a point of contact should anything flare up.
The reception was so good that I will definitely be rolling the process out as a fix for problem student areas. Residents and students really appreciated the effort and the impact was excellent
On Wednesday and Thursday a number of us descended on Fulton House giving out condoms, attack alarms, spikeys, UV pens and most importantly free safety advice. Alongside this the advice centre stress balls went down a treat – even if some exec members hurled them at students with the helpful advice to “think fast”.
Finally on Friday Simon Maughan (Services Officer, Dave Turner (Accommodation Officer) and I returned to Fulton House but this time in tuxedos and with looks to kill.
This was part of my “Bond, My Bond” campaign, the aim being to encourage more students to get their deposits back at the end of tenancy, and is part our larger attempt to increase the reputation of student housing within the city, and the student experience in general. With simple advice from taking pictures of damage when you move in, or checking your landlord has used the deposit protection service and most importantly utilising the support available from the Union particularly the vast experience of our advisors in the Advice Centre.
Finally that night I made my way out for another SSHH campaign, I knew it was going to be a long night when one student decided to hold a sit in until we would give him another lollipop!
Oh nice commitment.