My computer is broken

• Discussed feedback from Schools on the implementation paper - including 15 or 20 credit modules


• Began planning for next year - campaigns and reps


• Met with Clive Robertson, Head of the Student Learning Experience, to discuss group work, volunteering and sports


• Attended Life Sciences Learning and Teaching Committee to discuss the issue of statistics which students in the School had raised


• Met with School reps to discuss this semester and plans for next year

Christmas Crackers

• Had a presentation from Yannis Roussos - new consultant for the Campus Redevelopment - for the future of the Students' Union


• Had our Christmas party


• Learnt about the National Occupational Standards and where to find out more information to develop myself for the role


• Attended Learning and Teaching Committee where we discussed Peers Academy and the support it receives from Brookes, undergraduate research, support for students who resit and whether modules should be 15 or 20 credits


• Enjoyed a Christmas social with student reps in Life Sciences


• Attended Westminster Institute of Education's Board to discuss recruitment, finance, student satisfaction and the restructure of the Institute


• Met with Technology and Business staff to discuss the rep system - and improvements


• Had a rep stall at Gipsy Lane to promote the rep system and give away stress 'books' and Heroes to wish students good luck in their exams

Polar bears and hockey

• Went to Executive Board to consider further questions for the National Student Survey, a bursary scheme and work between the University and Students' Union


• Discussed assessment and feedback with the experts at ASKe (Wheatley)


• Held an EXTRA Reps Council with guest speakers Jude Carroll and Tim Field to discuss Turnitin and Space to Think
  
• Had a rep social in Harts with bread, cheese, tomatoes, mince pies and mulled wine to celebrate a great semester!


• Attended an extraordinary rep forum in Social Sciences and Law to discuss the Academic Offer with students


• Attended Research and Knowledge Transfer Committee to discuss use of the Buckley building, the success of research at Brookes, Higher Education research funding - including student enterprise


• Discussed Brookes Award - gaining credit or qualification for your voluntary work - employability and placements at the Experiential and Work-based Learning Forum
  
• Spent time at Marston Road and in Life Sciences for student rep drop-in


• Went to a meeting in the Built Environment for staff and students to voice their concerns about the Masterplanning and demolition of Lloyd


• Union Council agreed motions for School rep development, library opening hours and social networking sites


• Attended a Disciplinary Panel


• Discussed the successful AGM and room for improvement

Lots of mince pies

• Met with Business placement reps to discuss a placement rep system
• Had a reps meeting at Harcourt
• Met with staff from the Academic Policy and Quality Unit and rep support staff to discuss student representation in quality assurance - such as Quality Committees in Schools
• Attended a focus group of students discussing (honestly!) assessment and feedback
• Met with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) to discuss student issues - particularly assessment and feedback, Turnitin, plagiarism and library opening hours
• Made many mince pies for the Students' Union Christmas Gifts and Treats Fair
• Attended Health and Social Care School Board, and am addressing problems with the network
• Had a speed-dating event with the Senior Management of the University!
• Attended Health and Social Care Quality and Standards Committee to discuss quality issues within the School - including marking, practice-based modules and feedback
• Spent time at Wheatley for rep drop-in
• Prepared for a student rep stall
• Had a great day at Gipsy Lane giving out Heroes, publicising student reps and asking students about their issues

Launches and lunches

• We spent some time looking intensely at how the Students' Union works and how effective we are


• Attended the Mature Students Society launch!


• Discussed assessment and how courses will run


• Discussed marking disparities at Quality and Standards Committee


• Attended the international students forum


• Attended a rep forum at Health and Social Care


• Spoke with staff and students in Life Sciences to identify the problems with statistics and solutions


• Had an extra Union Council to decide that student safety is paramount in the Oxford Union debate on 26th November

Change Academy

• Attended reps training on public speaking - and put it into practice for...


• Reps Council where assessment, how courses should run and Turnitin were discusssed


• Exchanged ideas with Northumbria Students' Union Officers


• Discussed the role of School rep


• Made plans for assessment and feedback focus groups


• Went out to Harcourt for reps training and forums


• Contributed to discussions at Change Academy for the new Darcy replacement building


• Discussed assessment and feedback at Social Sciences and Law Academic Development Committee


• Went to Wheatley for reps drop-in


• Filmed some information on Turnitin for a student project


• Met with the Head of the Student Learning Experience to discuss assessment, Turnitin, personal tutoring and more...

Halls and balls

• Spent time at Marston Road asking students about the library and Union trip


• Had a School rep social and came up with some brilliant ideas!


• Helped out with Hall elections in Cheney, Morrell, Clive Booth, Warneford, Cotuit, Paul Kent and Crescent


• Attended Academic Board where we discussed the University's principles of learning


• Had a fantastic Arts and Humanities student rep forum - lots of ideas about the library and a student newsletter


• Attended Life Sciences School Board - issues included statistics help, Academic Offering and assessment and feedback


• Discussed assessment procedures


• Union Council called for an extraordinary NUS conference to review its conference at Oxford Brookes Students' Union will be sending 10 delegates

Forums for you

• The reps forums have really kicked off now - School reps have been discussing building plans, workshops, socials, group work, emails...almost everything!


• Academic conduct, exam appeals and complaints information sessions were really useful


• At Reps Council we discussed examination duration, Academic Offering and assessment and feedback


• We had a fantastic reps social in Harts with yummy food and wine!


• I met with the Deputy Chancellor (Academic) to dicuss the concerns raised by reps at Reps Council


• Attended an 'Employability' conference which sparked off some great ideas for reps and their CVs


• Attended the postgraduate party where I DJed!

Home sweet home

• There was a successful Reps Council at Wheatley


• I've been training reps - overall we've trained half of all reps!


• Listened to student views at Social Sciences and Law rep forum


• Attended Arts and Humanities School Board


• The Students' Union had a staff development day with interesting perspectives from international students and a recycling company


• I'm back home in Devon!

Reps rock II

• Baby ASBOs launch was last week but people can still get involved by emailing rthuggins@brookes.ac.uk
• And a link to thesu.com library stats: http://www.thesu.com/content/index.php?page=15980

Reps rock

• Spoke at lectures to recruit more reps


• Updated the library website with stats


• Spent time at Gipsy Lane talking to students


• Attended some rep welcome and training sessions


• Met to discuss a student learning project


• Met with Upgrade to talk about reps information sessions


• Went to a fantastic project launch "Baby ASBOs? Why not?" working with community groups and agencies on early intervention in substance misuse, young offenders, domestic abuse, child abuse and anti-social behaviour


• Talked to students at Harcourt Hill


• Drop-in time for reps at Wheatley


• Met with the Head of the Student Learning Experience to feed back about Reps Council and lots of other stuff going on

New perspectives

• I've been planning reps training


• We had a great Reps Council discussing library opening hours, the timing of exams and feedback from University committees...


• ...and I've been working on the points you raised


• We had a successful Annual General Meeting (after lots of preparation) with student speakers on Diversity at Brookes and Islam


• Attended Learning and Teaching Committee where we discussed the text-matching system Turnitin and the internationalisation of the curriculum - which basically means that all courses will include global perspectives in their area


• Discussed examinations with the Head of the Examination and Conferment Unit


• Chatted to students at Marston Road

Library update!

• Harcourt Hill library will now be open Mon-Fri from 8.30am as a result of pressure from students and looooong queues! Trial - 8th October - 21st December

Academically speaking

• Louise (VP: Welfare) and I have been mindmapping the targeting stress campaign


• The President and I met with Petra Wend (Deputy Vice-Cancellor Academic) to discuss the Students' Union and academic issues this year


• A group of students met with Janet Beer (new Vice-Chancellor) and had a peek in her office at Headington Hill Hall


• We've been planning a whole series of reps information and training sessions so reps look smashing on their CVs!


• At Quality and Standards Committee we discussed marking disparities, academic conduct for dyslexic students and the use of Turnitin (a text-matching system)


• Gave a short presentation at Built Environment School Board about Students' Union activities and student reps


• Attended Arts and Humanities Academic Quality Committee


• Spent some time at Harcourt and Wheatley to discuss reps


• Went to Wheatley with the other sabbatical Officers to talk about the Annual General Meeting (11th Oct 5.30pm Main Hall, Gipsy Lane) and hall committees


• Attended an Implementation sub-group to decide how undergraduate programmes should run


• Prepared for Reps Council on Monday 8th Oct 5.30pm G116, Gipsy Lane

Getting started

• Went out to the Harcourt campus and talked to students


• Discussed the learning space redevelopment in the Fuller building at Gipsy Lane


• Started designing the campaign tools for library opening hours


• Met about reducing the environmental impact of all the paper we print - how can we increase e-learning?


• Put together lots of information for rep noticeboards


• Spent time talking to rep contacts in Schools of Arts and Humanities, Built Environment and Life Sciences


• Discussed how programmes and modules should be run with academic staff of the University


• Met to talk about the Students' Union with Social Sciences and Law


• Met with School reps from Arts and Humanities, Built Environment and Life Sciences to talk about plans for the year


• Attended a reps social event - and talked about cheese

Freshers Week, Wow!

• I've been talking a lot this week! Mostly to new students... English, Business, Psychology, Westminster, Computing, Nutrition, Biology, History of Art, Environmental Sciences, Equine Science, Biomedical Sciences, Sports Science, Politics and International Relations, Geography, Engineering, PGCE Primary and Primary Teacher Education


• There are loads of reps signed up already!


• I've talked some more at hall talks...


• ...And some more at a welcome for International students


• ...And a bit more at freshers fair!

Graduation!

• Filmed the Freshers DVD
• Delivered the brand new reps folders to Schools
• Gave a graduation speech
• Went to an induction to get students in contact with their Union
• Celebrated Harts bar reopening!
• Sorted out the Activities Room for reps and societies
• We're getting ready for freshers week!

New Vice-Chancellor at Brookes!

• Met with the Assistant Dean of the Business School to discuss academic issues and how we can help reps
• Discussed the Students' Union response to the mid-cycle Quality Assurance Agency's audit
• The President and I met the Executive Board of Health and Social Care
• Practiced my graduation speech for next week!
• Had a meeting with a Quality Assurance Officer at Brookes who is interested in supporting reps getting involved with committees and reviews
• Discussed the proposed new Students' Union constitution
• Met with staff from the School of the Built Environment who are involved with reps
• Put all the reps folders together!
• Attended the inauguration of the new Vice-Chancellor Janet Beer, where your own Students' Union President Antoinette gave a beautiful speech
  

Bank Holiday Week

• I talked about academic issues with the Dean of Health and Social Care, June Girvin, and the Dean of Life Sciences, Linda King. There are lots of opportunities to build a good relationship with your School this year
• Some Students' Union staff learnt how to get the most out of meetings so I can use these skills to make reps council productive and start campaigns
• The Students' Union staff got together to discuss the future of the Students' Union - the University is planning a 'campus of the future' and we want to be in the middle of it representing you
• I've been busy planning the library opening hours campaign to make it really successful!

3 is the Magic Number

• Met with Research Assistants from ASKe (Wheatley) who are going to do some research on the reps system


• Met with the Dean of the Built Environment John Raftery to talk about academic issues this year


• Had a tour of the Abercrombie building at Gipsy Lane - there is a new architecture studio, the Reinvention Centre, which is a big social space, and renovated space for Masters Urban Design


• Met the Social Sciences and Law Dean Derek Elsom and Assistant Dean Richard Huggins to discuss academic issues - look out for new politics placements and your feedback, and community projects this year


• Discussed the possibility of a University Facebook policy - it can affect your employability

Sunny Week

• Your Sabbatical Officers have finalised their team objectives, which include a Summer Ball and increasing candidates at Students' Union elections
• We had an update on the Students' Union Evaluation initiative - how can we be better?
• I've been adding School information to reps folders
• Tamsin and I have met with:

-the Dean of Arts and Humanities Linda Fitzsimmons

- the Dean of Technology Denise Morrey

- the Associate Dean of Westminster Institute of Education Simon Catling

We talked about reps, how to support them, and issues this year

• I've updated my pages and some of the reps pages at http://www.thesu.com/