This is a formal hello and welcome back to all our returning students. The last few weeks have been incredibly busy with new students arriving and being welcomed to the University and introduced to the Students’ Union.

 

The University have come to us with a particular problem over the last few days and it is one that concerns every student at Anglia Ruskin. The National Student Survey (NSS) results where published last week and unfortunately we sit rather too close to the bottom of the pile.

 

Somewhat amusingly the University have asked for us to help them improve and find out what students want. We are now pointing to years of meetings minutes and a large document called the student written submission (SWS) where we highlight a lot of the problems within Anglia Ruskin. Click here to view the SWS. I say that this is amusing and that is because even though the University is asking us to help with their problems on one hand with the other they have removed one of our only opportunities to talk to all new students in their compulsory induction talks. The question I have to ask is how can we recruit student reps and facilitate what is recognised nationally as a high class student rep system when the University are putting up barrier after barrier – even the Chaplin was not given the opportunity to talk to students!

 

For far too long the Student voice has been ignored and it is about time the University sat up and listened to what we have to say, without us they could not function and without us they cannot improve. It still amazes and irritates me that an external company like John Smith can come in and the University drops to its’ knees and panders to its every need. A company which has no interest in students and would only come onto campus if it had a guaranteed income. Students want their academic scholarship as cash and they want to be free to spend it as they wish, we know because we have asked. It seems to me that the University is again making a big mistake – it does not listen to students and it achieves incredibly poor NSS results. What will happen in the coming year with John Smith – Students and the Union have told the University that they are not wanted in this format and the Union, as long as students want us too, will continue to lobby for choice to allow students who want a cash option on THEIR academic scholarship can have it.

 

The University must start listening to students if it wants to achieve its high aims, the only way it can do that is with the Unions co operation! 

 

Targets for the coming weeks:

•           Fresher’s fairs

•           CUSU meeting

•           Meet with potential student trustees

•           Meeting with Chelmsford theatre

•           Opinion poll promotion

•           Publicising environment comps

•           Arrange meeting with local uni’s to discuss day of action

 

Achievements for the weeks:

•           All Meetings Attended

•           Induction Talks for as many teaching groups as possible

•           Two meetings with potential external trustees

•           Meeting potential student trustee

•           NUS training

•           Interview with Essex chronicle for their graduation supplement

•           VCG meeting plus the start of all university committees

•           Interviewing in Fulbourn for CSA

•           Meeting with Alan Leitch again regarding John Smith

•           Meeting Marian Redding to discuss PDP and more