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UBSU Open Meeting on Engagement & Participation
Thursday 13 November, 18 00 to 1945, Mayfield Lecture Theatre, Falmer Campus
Phil Gilks (PG), Union President, thanked everyone for coming and introduced the agenda (see PG’s slide)
Campaigns
Officers are currently talking to students who seems to have a fairly low awareness of what UBSU does
There is much poster blindness; better poster board management needed including a campaigns board and maybe digital poster boards or using sub.tv
What about stunts/splash events (ie gorilla with banana during fair trade week?). This could be extended to club night but may just look like another fancy dress night.
UBSU cannot access all student accounts via UoB email system (and has had to get special permission to send four e-messages out during the Union Review)
Banner ads on studentcentral are possible but it can get very crowded and is primarily intended for academic use
Use of facebook and facebook ads (which can be tailored through word search)
UBSU to look at what other unions are doing and identify good practice (Manchester has Student Now! A single page info board)
Need to create a dedicated display space and promote this
What percentage of students are in societies? How many are active members?
There is a difference between ‘change’ and ‘awareness’ campaigns
Are we running campaigns students can engage with?
Decisions are made by those who show up
Set up a committee to organise campaigns: PG explained the purpose of the Student Wellbeing & Campaigns Committee (SWAC)
Previous campaigns have been decided over the summer by the sabbatical officers; SWAC has changed this
Use suggestion/comments boxes across all sites (we have plenty of ballot boxes)
Use course reps as advocates for campaigns (yet their focus is academic)
What about featuring current campaigns on the daily menus in SU cafes?
Course Reps & Volunteering
There is a course reps section on studentcentral
What about organising a meeting of course reps by faculty
How do we hold them to account?
How can they be encouraged to stand?
Tutors often cherry pick course reps
Course reps roles need to be incentivised; in the US Halls reps get free accommodation)
What about accreditation? Clothing? Meetings allowances?
Incentives may result in people doing it for the wrong reason
The profile of course reps needs to be raised
Offices and Trading
We need pigeon holes for all clubs and socs which are accessible to all students
Why does Falmer café close so early? (nb Westlain is also closing at 20 30)
Whynot merge The Retreat and Westlain so as to provide a continuous service?
PG then summarised the history of bar provision as Falmer explaining that the SU had not intended to run a bar during the period between Falmer House being demolished and Ringmer House becoming a dedicated SU premises. We had been persuaded to do so by Falmer Halls residents but had been unable to maintain the service without incurring heavy losses, primarily due to lack of support from successive Halls residents.
There should be better promotion of the FairTrade content of our services
Falmer needs social space provision with ambience
Trading hours should be longer, especially at Cockcroft
Student Advocacy and Research Service
There is currently a lack of awareness of this service having come into recent existence
Is it possible to produce regular stats to show how many students’ academic careers have been saved as a result of UBSU’s professional support?
Publicity
What is our motto?
What about rebranding and running a student competition for the logo and the website?
Whilst the logo needs updating, the colours are very strong and are popular with the sports teams
Need to keep same colour scheme to ensure sports teams’ support rebranding
Why not use design students to come up with a new brand as part of a syllabus project?
Design students had not been responsive when asked to come up with a RAG logo in the past
Harvey Atkinson (HA), Membership Communications Manager: Rebranding can be subtle
Speak to students and ask them what they think of the current brand
PG: a new shape union deserves a new image
Open competition; open vote (with sports team input)
Colours are important to the sports teams
PG proposed an open working group to look at branding but the same applies to campaigns, publicity, web etc
PG: what about part time students and those on placement?
Students visit the website, and some see posters; e-newsletters are possible if signed up via ubsu.net
UBSU’s Membership Communications Manager and the VP Comms need to be sent info to promote SU activities
How can we access students on other sites such as Plumpton?
Placement students need to be in the loop too
Can Pebble be produced online? HA: This is possible
What about branding our receipts for shop/café purchases? We do not issue receipts unless requested by purchaser
What about digital display ads at Cockcroft?
Using Argus ads? Being part of the big UoB ads in railway station? Radio Falmer?
Making more use of the computer pool room
Plasma screens on all campuses not just GP
Sports & Societies
At Freshers’ Fair some clubs had smaller tables than non UBSU sporting promoters (local hockey, rugby clubs etc) who were also in the Sports Zone
Carolyn Lewis (CL), Union GM: All exhibitors are told to report to Reception between 8 00am and 9 00am as the gates are locked at 9 30am; this also applies to clubs and societies. Sports clubs are allocated space in the Sports Zone on a first come first served basis and if tables are still free at 9 30 local sports promoters are invited to join our clubs in the Sports Zone.
Societies can be lost in the main hall as it is very noisy with some 4000 people shouting
CL asked if Societies would like to have a dedicated zone just as the sports clubs have had in the past two years? Chris Kong (Soc Fed) stated that they would
Soc Fed needs promoting to raise the profile of how it can help students
Many of the societies are also unaware of what the additional benefits are (access to training; skills development etc)
Can there be a separate clubs and societies fair? Difficult to attract students from all campuses to another day at another venue
Need separate rooms for societies and sports clubs
Why the Racecourse? Why not the Brighton Centre? CL: Racecourse is very accessible to exhibitors and students; difficult loading 200+ exhibitors into the Brighton Centre at 08 00 on a weekday
PG advised that Brighton’s Freshers’ Fair was probably the biggest in the country and we are always well praised by exhibitors for ease of access, parking etc
Maps of the room layout would be good; could be included in Freshers’ Week info and/or on FF poster
Bluetoothing info is possible
HA: Income from UBSU marketing is over £100k a year
Ents
Of the three ents nights weekly, Mondays are not working and Thursdays are not going well
What about a summer ball/festival as well as the grad ball
What about non sports activities on Wednesdays? Like boardgames
Why is UBSU opposed to Carnage? Joel Andrews (JA), VP Communications & Finance, advised that, whereas UBSU’s pub crawls were organised responsibly and with a duty of care to students (paid, non drinking Thirst Aiders; designated safe spot with paramedics; transport details etc), commercial promoters often did not. UBSU are planning two more pub crawls this academic year
What about campus run events (fun, non moneymaking)?
UBSU is planning a Battle of the Bands with local music venues
What about more organised events with t-shirts etc?
Use the course reps to promote events
Elections
PG advised that the recent by-election run through e-voting had been a trial prior to the spring election 09
Low response rate could have been as the result of poor promotion but also with all posts having been uncontested there was very little active campaigning from candidates
Spring elections will involve the web, posters, roadshows and e-booths
The security of anonymity was questioned; PG responded that the system was encrypted and had been tested by many other SUs across UK
The election after party needs better promotion and should include acceptance speeches from winning candidates
Candidates speeches could be filmed
More candidates, more votes?
UBSU runs a RON campaign; what about at ‘get out and vote’ campaign?
Candidates should knock doors at every hall
No-one gives a toss about the Union; entertain students, make them interested in UBSU = votes
Officers need to take on the role of running campaigns
More posters and display space for candidates needed
More candidates, more promotion, more votes
Publicise the posts; profile the officers and their roles
Committees
Make it more obvious that all students can attend; promote the committee/democratic decisionmaking to Freshers
Provide refreshments at meetings to attract more students
Run officer blogs on studentcentral community
What would make the Union more relevant to you?
More active engagement
More fun
Better publicity
Community involvement
RAG
Need to identify what the Union is
A town centre venue
Profiling societies; taster sessions
More open, more public UBSU
Open meetings during the day
Cash incentives to complete the survey
PG: 2 x Holly Ball tickets + travel will be the prize for the first survey (due online on 17 November)
Run an SU Question Time
27 November 2008/JR
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