Activities Officer Blog

The Activities Exec Explanation

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:00:02 Z

Hej everyone! It’s election season and a great time to remind you of the Activities Exec!

The Activities Executive Committee (AEC) is elected every year to support the Activities Officer and help all societies/volunteering groups be the very best they can be. The team meets every month to talk about funding, student feedback, areas for improvement, new events and initiatives and lots more, all with the goal of making your student experience even better. The committee is made up of students from across the University: we’ve got nine roles on our Exec – a chair, two treasurers and six liaisons each representing a different area of our activities!

They’re the people helping societies run smoothly, supporting committees through the year, shaping the direction of the Exec and championing student ideas. If you’ve ever thought “I wish societies had [insert crazy idea here]”, “I wish we had more space to rehearse” or “Wouldn’t it be great if our groups had more funding to do the projects they want”, the Exec is the place to make this happen!

Before becoming your Activities Officer, I really benefited from sitting on the Exec and spent three years on the Exec as Arts Liaison and had the privilege of working on projects like improving the bidding process for shows, helping make better use of The Edge and supporting the day-to-day things that make societies run, from funding to affiliations. I loved having a real and direct impact on student life!

Don’t just take my word for it, Emily, our current (and first) Chair has this to share!

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience as Chair of the Activities Exec! I originally was going to run for a liaison role, but thought I might as well go for it – it was totally worth it. If you’re thinking about going for the AEC you should absolutely do it, it’s amazing seeing what all our incredible student groups are getting up to and supporting the liaisons with their ideas.

To give you an idea of what you’ll be doing, a big part of the role is chairing the committee meetings alongside the Activities Officer (next year’s one is a current Exec member actually hint hint) and overseeing Society of the Month, the Societies Membership Fund, and new society affiliations.

You’ll be the 2nd Chair EVER which is a very cool thing to be and means you get to help shape the direction of the committee moving forward. If you love the student groups at the SU, have new ideas, and are kind of nosy (that might just be me – but you do get all the behind-the-scenes of the Activities area) then nominate yourself!!”

We also have a few Exec roles opening in the upcoming by-elections… so if you’re thinking this is you, this is a great time to get involved! To run in the by-elections, check out our Elections page - nominations open at 12:00 on Monday 23 March and close at 12:00 on Wednesday 25 March!

Got any questions? Get in touch!

Sam x

The SUstainability Solution

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:00:08 Z

Hej allihopa! Leading on sustainability was one of my key commitments to you on my manifesto. This year, we’ve started to see a real transformative year - from groups running one-off events to students pushing for even stronger climate action, our SU is becoming the greenest it has been to date! There’s so much for us to share from Semester One alone…

The Sustainability Badge

After a years’ hiatus, the Sustainability Award has been revamped and we’re pleased to launch the new and improved Sustainability Badge!

This badge celebrates all the sustainable actions student groups take - whether that’s hosting a vegetarian/vegan meal, choosing greener travel, running a recycling initiative, or delivering a sustainability-themed project. There are eight categories to earn points in, covering everything from food to transport to campaigns.

You don’t need to be a sustainability-focused group. If you’ve done even one sustainable activity this year, we’d love to hear and celebrate it!

Top Ten Work

When we created our Top Ten, I pushed to prioritise sustainability as my point. You’ve told the university that you care about Sustainable action: The Sustainability Survey showed us that while 94% of students support sustainability-related action, only 42% believe senior management is delivering on these issues.

This year, we’ve been asking the University to commit to a revised Sustainability Strategy, with stronger net-zero targets, clarity on how they’ll address Scope 3 emissions and a bigger focus on sustainable education.

Employers increasingly expect sustainability literacy, so we’re working closely with the Careers Service to make sure students gain the skills they need. We’re exploring in the future how this can be embedded into programmes like The Bath Award with the aim to give every student a chance to get involved with sustainability.

Our New Sustainable SU Webpages

A large project this year has been transforming our sustainability information online. We’ve moved from a single long page to a full set of Sustainable SU webpages that guide you through:

Our Story So Far - what we’ve already delivered
Upcoming Work - our next steps and ongoing projects
How You Can Get Involved! - committees, groups, campaigns and opportunities

It’s clearer and easier to use and we will continue to add new opportunities to these pages when they come up!

The SUstainable SU Student Forum

Another manifesto point of mine was around a student focused sustainability group. That’s why I’ve launched the SUstainable SU Student Forum! This is a great space for students who are passionate (or curious!) about sustainability to meet, discuss and help influence how we approach sustainability as a Union.

If you’re interested, it’s not too late join – you can sign up to the forum here!

What’s Next?

Right now, I’m working with teams across The SU to design the next stage of our Sustainability Action Plan. We’re taking last year’s commitments and embedding them across many of our departments, from Voice to Marketing to Activities.

It’s a huge project with fantastic student engagement already and I’m excited to share the full plan with you before the end of my term in June!

Get Involved!

Explore our sustainability pages, sign up for Sustainability Badge entries, join the Forum, or get in touch if you’ve got ideas or want to get involved via suactivities@bath.ac.uk.

Sam x

The Succession Switcheroo - Why You Should Run for SU Officer!

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:00:14 Z

September 2021. An 18 year old me first heard of this strange concept called a ‘Students’ Union’. Suddenly five years have flown by. From Academic Rep to being on Activities Exec, from FWEM to SUmmit and Activities Officer. In September, I’m starting a new adventure, one I’m so excited about, but at least I get to stay in the city I love - Bath.

I’ve kept engaged with the SU for one reason: I love this place. It has an energy like no other - passionate student leaders, incredible staff and a shared mission to make student life the best it can be. I will miss it so much, but before I go, I want to tell you why being an SU Officer might just be the best decision you’ll ever make. For me, it’s been lifechanging.

This role really does help boost your career. You learn key skills and get accountability from day one. With leadership, negotiation, project management, public speaking, resilience, strategic thinking… the list goes on. You’ll work with all stakeholders; from students, staff, the VC, the council and sometimes even government. You’ll learn how to influence decisions, manage budgets and make change happen. You’ll get the chance to show you can handle responsibility, deliver results that will have a positive impact on students for years to come, and yes, finally learn what strategy actually means. Honestly, I’ve grown so much and I know these skills will stay with me for life.

What about the Activities Officer role? Well, it’s never boring. One day you’re meeting students to understand what’s working and where we can improve. The next, you’re looking at policy changes in the sector, attending events, or supporting student voice on everything from divestment to housing policies. You sit on many university committees and see all four corners of the SU. You look after Arts, Faith and Cultural, Societies and Volunteering and Fundraising Groups (that’s 160 different communities by the way). You get to lead on sustainability and everything employability. It’s at the heart of student life and you get to shape it.

The best part? Students. Listening to your experiences, understanding your challenges and finding solutions. It’s not always easy, but you’re supported every step of the way and you learn so much about yourself in the process. I’ve loved seeing the passion of our student body and working alongside student leaders who care deeply about making things better.

This really is your chance to make change happen. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m so proud of the students, staff and fellow officers I’ve worked with.

So… why not give it a go? Tell us about what you believe in, what you’re passionate about and why you should lead the union.

Trust me: you won’t regret it and you won’t look back.

Sam x

The Committee Continuum Blueprint

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 15:00:01 +0100

It’s been a few weeks since my last update and it’s been a busy time – we’ve congratulated our new graduates, geared up ahead of the new term and welcomed a new cohort. Thank you to all our outgoing committees who’ve put in so much time and passion, putting on fantastic events and creating strong and inclusive communities.

A big congratulations to all those who’ve got into Bath! We’ve got a really exciting Freshers’ Week coming up and we also can’t wait to welcome back all our returning students. The biggest week of the year is just around the corner and it’s the perfect opportunity, whether you’re new or coming back for another year, to get involved with all things SU. Our new committees are hard at work brainstorming many taster “Give it a Go” sessions where you’re able to go along and try something new. Keep an eye out on our What’s On page throughout the summer and check out our offer – we’ve got over 200 groups from societies to sports. There’s truly something for everyone.

One of the best things about our groups is that if there’s something else you want to see, you’re able to set a new society up! Following your feedback, we’ve got a new affiliation window for new societies opening just after the start of term. This means you won’t have to wait an entire year to see your idea turn into reality! And if you’re a PG student, we’re looking at new ways to get you even more involved with societies, if you’ve got any ideas, please do reach out to either Sanya, your Postgraduate Officer or myself! Check back on our affiliations page in September!

For our new committees, we’ve just launched a brand-new event planner which aims at reducing the amount of paperwork by 30% and admin you need to do so you have more time to do what you do best – running events! A key part of my manifesto has been looking at streamlining our processes. We know we’ve got a long way to go but this is a great start. Please do feedback and share your experience with me. To make our offer even more accessible, we’ve also reviewed our guidelines for our Societies Membership Fund, a pot of money your groups can apply to for additional support for events.

Another manifesto point has been looking at enhancing professional development programmes to help students develop key competences for the future. Part of this links up with the relaunch of the Bath Award coming this September – a fantastic way for you to showcase to future employers your student leadership and volunteering roles and key transferable skills! Check out last years Activities Officer, David, sharing an update on the scheme!

In the next few weeks, I’ll be continuing to work on faith representation on campus, sustainability projects and as an officer team, we’ll be getting ready to share our Top 10 for the next year.

Until next time!

Sam x

The Handover Hypothesis

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 10:00:53 +0100

Hello, hallo, hej and hi.

A whole month has passed in a blink of an eye and I’m excited to say a big hello and hej hej as your new Activities Officer - I’m really looking forward to working with you all during the year ahead! I know what you’re thinking, and, yes, I miss David too. I had a great handover with him which introduced me to all areas of the SU and Activities world. I’m grateful for all the support and guidance David has given me and I hope to be able to continue his great work this year.

My first two weeks were jammed packed with my first Board of Trustees meeting, introductions with both SU and university staff, Open Days, strategy meetings and so much more – I’ve had a fantastic welcome to the SU and a huge thank you as well to the rest of the Officer Team who are all genuinely so passionate, kind and caring – I can’t wait to see to see all the (crazy) projects and ideas this year.

As I did during my election campaign, I’ve set my manifesto up under four key priorities to cover: Helping Student Groups, Leading on Sustainability, Improving Student Opportunities and Supporting Student Wellbeing. I’ll be providing updates on my manifesto points throughout the year!

I’ve been meeting key staff from the university to learn about their priorities and to see different areas where my manifesto can link up. We’ve also started work on our Top 10 plans which is already looking very exciting – more on this to follow! I’ve also been in meetings around the future of the Chaplaincy and how we can ensure faith representation for all members of our community, thank you to all of our Faith and Cultural societies who came along to share their thoughts and views.

On Monday, I also attended the Green Impact SU Awards where the SU were awarded ‘Good’ for our sustainability efforts and projects this year. It was great to hear more about the scheme for next year and I’ll be looking at ways that we can boost our rating. Even though new committees haven’t officially started, I’ve loved seeing the passion of our student body. A big shoutout to People and Planet who are already planning ahead of Freshers’– I’m keen to get more student sustainability representation across campus so if this interests you as well, please get in touch and read the Sustainable SU Action Plan which was created earlier this year.

There’s so many things I would like to achieve this year but most importantly I want to hear from you! Drop me an email, book in a meeting with me or come visit me in either 1E 3.21 or The Edge!

Sam

Hindu Prayer Space !!!!

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 10:49:38 Z

Hello everyone!!!

I am back again with another long-awaited blog, this time about one of my long-standing projects. PRAYER SPACE. This has been in the works for practically my whole SU officer career so it’s great to finally see it opening!

In the Summer of 2023, I was approached by members of the Hindu Society who expressed the need for a dedicated Hindu prayer space to allow for the practice of Hindu faith. In response, I spent the following months gathering the needs and wants of the students, formulating it into a university paper, which included an initial suggestion to use the 6WS building. In January 2024, the paper was put through the University's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, which approved of the proposal but with a different space. Nigel Rawlinson, the University Chaplain and project leader for the interfaith community, was tasked with this project.

The University initially offered empty emergency accommodation that could only host a maximum of 12 people, but this was inadequate for the Hindu Society which has over 200 students, excluding university visitors or staff. There are 1380 students who have declared their faith as being Hindu too! Of course, this would not do… After seeing the unsuitability of the initial space, I gathered feedback from the society and presented it to the University, highlighting the space’s limitations and its incompatibility for Hindu worship.

As a result, Nigel worked with the Islamic Society to reshape some of their space so the Hindu Society could use it. The old Muslim Prayer Room had the Brother’s Ablution (washing) facilities, a toilet and a space that could be divided in two to allow for quiet reflection. Meetings with the Hindu Society, the University and I were held to decide what renovations needed to be done and how the space would be used.

The following was decided:

Replacement of a bathroom with a kitchenette/ food preparation area

Installation of new carpeting

Switching the old locks with a library card reader

Upgrading and buying new furnishings

Painting the room

Changing of the fire alarm to be heat based rather than smoke based

The Male Ablution facilities to be moved to the remaining Muslim Prayer Room.

I am pleased to say these improvements are nearly complete, and the space is expected to open on February 5th 2025!

This is a significant achievement, especially considering the university's current space and resource constraints. Although it has been a long road, we have finally reached the end. There is now a space for Hindu students to gather and practice their faith.

All my best

Love your Activities Officer

David

xxx

VC breakfast 31/10/24 : the first of many

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 10:40:38 Z

Hello everyone! I kickstarted the first VC breakfast of the academic year with our new Vice Chancellor Phil Taylor! Professor Phil heard how much we valued the VC breakfasts so he opted to continue them so we can continue to recognise and reward the students who make our community so great!

For the first Breakfast we decided to put an emphasis of recognising students who played a huge part in Freshers’ Week.

Freshers’ Week Event Manager

Of course, we had to celebrate the Freshers’ Week Event Managers (FWEMS)! Unfortunately, half of the dynamic duo couldn’t make it but Gabby Lightfoot-Paine was representing on that day!

Gabby was one of two Freshers’ Week Event Managers. She had to deal with an increased workload as there were three of them last year! She has done an amazing job of putting on a new type of Freshers’ Week that has shifted the focus from back-to-back nights out to more events that are more varied and inclusive. Without her giving up her summer to plan Freshers’ Week it would not have been possible, and we thank her for her amazing service.

Assanatou Sy was the cheese to Gabby’s onion; the fish to her chips and the mustard to her ketchup. She too worked tirelessly with an increased workload despite doing her MASTERS DISSERTATION! Whilst she wasn’t there for the breakfast she was there when it counted. She cared for all of her precious captains over the week and made sure everyone had a great time!

Freshers’ Week Captains

We invited seven freshers’ week captains to the breakfast this year. They were all fantastic and really went above and beyond the call of duty every single day. Without hardworking captains volunteering during Freshers’ Week, it simply would not be possible to host such a brilliant set of events. During the week the captains kept the morale up with jokes and smiles galore!

Adam McGuire

Amir Tarzi

Ffi Snape

Hitanshi Nirmal Kumar Jain

Rayan Amin

Sharon Herath

Sophia Holmes

Backstage

Theo Reberio (chair) led backstage superbly during Freshers’ Week. He did many sleepless nights and restless mornings back-to-back. His dedication to the work put in behind the scenes is under appreciated and this is the least we could do to recognise his efforts. One notable incidence was when Theo was napping at 11am in the middle of our noisy Freshers’ Fair after doing an all nighter the evening before and was up helping to set up rigging just hours before in anticipation of the popular fair.

Grace Aldwinckle (backstage welfare officer)- kept spirits up with her smiles and snacks during the week. (I saw the edge theatre stage literally full of snacks at the start of the week lol). The welfare officer is a role that is most important especially with the hours being put into backstage during freshers’ week. She ensures everyone stays fit and ready for the next task in a most hectic week. I am sure the backstage crew are very grateful for all of her efforts as we are too.

Media

George Cooper is Media Officer for The SU this year and plays a huge role across all three groups within media. He is in charge of all things related to media during this hectic time and he did an exceptional job of running his team despite this being his first couple of weeks back from placement. It is no easy task finding people to join the media team and also trying to run a full media coverage of every single event but George used his media powers to provide the best service!

Arts

Over the Summer we ran a competition for a student to design a paint by numbers mural, which students could come fill in over Freshers’ Week. Tania Rawat had the winning design, which you can see in the Edge foyer! This competition will be the first of many community art projects we plan to do so students can physically see the contribution they make to our community. She is a part of SU history and we cant wait to see what se produces next.

Overall, we had an incredible range of students at the VC breakfast which the VC was delighted to see. I hope everyone had a great time; I look forward to the next one!

See you all soon!

Love your favourite Activities Officer

David

xxx

Parliament Lobby Day: Housing!

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:05:46 +0100

Hello everyone!

Your fave activities officer is so BACK! Sooner than expected too! What a delightful surprise for you all XD. This time I’m going to be updating you on something big that Jiji (SU President) and I are working on.

Can I get a drum roll pleaseeeee… … it’s about STUDENT GUARANTORS and the NUS National Lobby Day.

Jiji and I will be going to Parliament on Wednesday 23 October to lobby our local MP Wera Hobhouse on student housing rights within the new Renters Reform Bill. We will be specifically looking to get rid of the need for guarantors in private housing and strengthening student housing rights.

Down below I’ve got some frequently asked questions on this topic so I’ll be answering them here!

What is the Renters Reform Bill?

The renter's reform bill is a government draft law which is aiming to strengthen the rights which renters have when renting in a property. It was brought up by the previous government, but it wasn’t passed as a general election was called but it is not being brought up again by the new labour government.

The bill currently includes legislation that will:

End no fault evictions which is where a landlord can evict a tenant for no reason.

Make it easier for people with pets and children to rent.

Ensure a certain standard of housing is met like no mould etc

Give local authorities stronger powers to enforce the law.

The removal of fixed term tenancies

Whilst some of these terms will benefit students, it can be improved upon to actually include students in it. Things like making sure purpose-built student accommodations are still allowed to have fixed term contracts so they fit in with the academic year for example. Removing barriers to renting primarily through the need for a guarantor is also needed.

What are guarantors?

A guarantor is a person who agrees to pay for your rent if you don’t pay it. Usually this is a parent, close relative or guardian but it can also be done by a guarantor company.

Why are they used?

Guarantors are there to protect the landlord in case a tenant doesn’t pay their rent, this is on top of having a deposit too.

Why are we asking them to get rid of them?

Guarantor schemes can limit people’s ability to rent a house especially if they are unable to find a UK based guarantor. This can lead to homelessness, which 13% of students have experienced.

Groups commonly impacted by this and the reasoning behind it are:

Students from low-income backgrounds- some families do not make enough to qualify as a guarantor. Charging low-income students more money to rent a house because their family doesn’t earn enough to be a guarantor. Doesn’t really make sense, does it?

Carers – carers regularly provide support who could not manage without their help. This could be a relative, partner or a friend. If the person, they are looking make a guarantor needs a lot of assistance with activities of daily living it is unlikely they earn enough to be qualify as a guarantor.

International students/ students whose families are not based in the UK – they don’t always know someone who is based in the UK who is willing to be a guarantor as it is a large responsibility.

Estranged- they are legally separated from their parents who are often guarantors for students.

Leading them to have to pay companies a fee to act as their guarantor. This adds additional cost on top of their rent and bills. Alternatively, they can pay the full rent up front which is a large sum of money.

There is an argument to say that students could easily damage a property or not pay rent for whatever reason. Whilst this point is a semi valid point, people literally always hand over a deposit which goes to a deposit protection scheme that cannot be freely withdrawn by tenants.

I have even heard the argument that international students can literally just leave their house and not pay rent by leaving the country. I’d say that again there are deposits which are handed in advance which can be taken if this is what happens. ALSO, international students go through visa checks which include proof they have enough money to support themselves and pay for their course!

When is this happening?

Our lobby day is happening on Wednesday 23 October in London in the Houses of Parliament along with several other SUs.

What can I do?

You can email your local MP, which you can discover here, or our Bath local MP Wera Hobhouse. You can tell them about your concerns regarding guarantors and student housing standards in general. Part of the new Renter’s Reform Bill includes a line about creating a housing ombudsman which would mean students and renters could complain to a designated organisation/person and have their complaints seen to fairly quickly without having to go to court. You can also show your support for this too in correspondence with your MP. The idea is to create a huge wave of support all over the country!

Thank you for coming to my TED talk! I hope this was useful and leads to some positive change for students. I look forward to updating you, after my meeting with Wera!

Any questions email me and I will try my best to answer in a reasonable time :)

Love your fave activities officer David xxx

New Year Same Me: a new academic year update

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:47:19 +0100

Hey gang,

It’s been one heckin’ long time since I last wrote one.

As you can tell I am not one for blogs really but I thought it would be good to write my first one of the year before the academic year officially starts!

Since I last saw you here’s a list of things I have done:

Opened a food pantry for undergrads during exam season and postgrads over the Summer.

I have been to Lancaster and back for a cost of living and sustainability conference.

I have been planning a hitch hike to Paris!

Handed over to myself and helped to induct a brand spanking new officer team! Said goodbye to some dear friends ? Hanna, Abbie and Jura we miss you <3

Helped to write an SU strategy document for the next few years.

Welcomed in the New vice Chancellor: Professor Phil Taylor.

Been on holiday to Albufeira and Prague (lovely places btw I highly recommend)

Affiliated a whole bunch of new societies taking our total number to 135!

Watched a bunch of friends graduate which included 2 friends that I have known since year 7 and my best mate. Shoutout to Tom, Lewis and Enerel <3 love you guys. It really feels like the end of an era, but don’t worry we’re still friends even if we’re spread out.

Met my counterparts in other SU’s in Birmingham NUS Lead and Change where I gave a workshop on how to deal with the cost-of-living crisis as an SU and as an institution, which people said they really enjoyed. What can I say? I love social policy.

I have finally got Hindu Prayer space ticked off my agenda! DING DING DING. This was an unexpected project that I led on but and I’m thrilled to get the outcome we were hoping for. The space will hopefully be ready for the new intake of students in September!

Looked to create a faith and cultural forum where students can come and talk about their faith and cultural related issues!

I chaired my first meeting of Finance, Risk and Business Development! I was super nervous cause this was a board meeting, but I prepared well and actually managed end the meeting with 3 minutes to spare (huffs in pride and time management).

Looking back on this it really does seem like I had a productive summer! I can proudly say I’ve managed to get a lot done not just over this summer period but over my first year as an SU officer. All of this I couldn’t have done without the help of my wonderful colleagues in the SU. Even if I didn’t exactly achieve the things I’ve wanted, I have made headway on a load of key issues like bursaries and cost-of-living support. By the time you see this I will be on holiday! Which I am very much so looking forward to, but then I’m back ready for the semester to start!

I hope you found this interesting and it give you a better insight in what I have been up to! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at suactivities@bath.ac.uk .

All my love and best,

David

Your Activities Officer

xxx

Climate Action 2023/24

Tue, 07 May 2024 14:10:04 +0100

Hello all!

It’s me again, back again with another blog, this time talking about sustainability. Alongside this blog I am urging you all to take a look at the University annual climate action report, which includes the SU’s activity too! It is a hefty report in all fairness but I’m here today to give you a quick run through on where we’re up to as The SU.

The 23/24 academic year has seen us as an SU take many significant steps to do more sustainable practices that reduce our impact on the environment. This year we had our new CEO, Ryan Bird, join us, bringing with him a new SU strategy that puts sustainability at the core of it. More to be shared soon when it is finalised for the upcoming year! I can tell it is going to be exciting time be part of the SU next year.

The Plug and Tub has been continuing to reduce emissions by removing ruminant meat (lamb and beef) from the menu, in line with our commitment to the sustainable food policy we adopted. You’ll notice we have continued to use reusable cups in our large events this year like Varsity and The Summer Ball. We’ve also designed some new exclusive collectable reusable cups this year so you can be sustainable whilst looking pretty! The Plug also has cups available if you’re drinking in and some new glasses for the cold Starbucks drinks. All plastic tokens have been changed for wooden tokens and we have changed the packaging for a lot of our food offering.

Our student groups have also been very active this year, involving themselves in many student lead projects and events. We had groups at Taking Action in Bath, and Green Dayz as well as regular weekly activities happening all over Bath. V-team worked hard this year , planting trees, cleaning beaches, running lifestyle change workshops and picking litter off our streets… all this cumulating them winning the Bath Volunteering group of the Year 2023! What an achievement, super proud of the gang for this one. With more sustainability related groups affiliated to The SU than ever before it’s no wonder we have had so many great events happening! We also launched the sustainability award which recognises groups for doing more sustainable activities such as a vegan BBQ and Collaborating with local sustainability charities.

I hope this gives you a flavour of what we have worked toward this year. We are always striving to do more in this area as it is a core part of what we do as an SU, If you are interested in learning more or have any other ideas and question please feel free to email me at suactivities@bath.ac.uk.

Love David

xxx

A tale as old as two months

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:51:51 Z

Hey gang, I’m back it’s been a wild 2 months!

We’ve had shows, elections and of course plenty of work. Here are just some of my highlights.

Student events

Multicultural day has been and gone! It was a great success with many groups coming to show off their traditional clothing, music and food! We were even treated to a previously unseen Salsa performance which came 2nd in a national competition! What a treat! I’ll be sure to make this event happen again next year too!

TedX had their amazing 10th anniversary event! We were treated to a variety of excellent guest speakers ranging from an AI Tech CEO to a double Olympic Champion athlete. It was amazing to me that this whole event was student led and formed such an amazing conference. I even managed to get a photo from Heather Stanning OBE!

Since Thursday 7 October I have been annoying everyone around me by singing “Be our guest” in the same way I heard it when I went to BUSMS’ Beauty and the Beast show. I had a spectacular time! I thought it was criminal that this was called an amateur performance because the standard was so high! We even had senior members of university attend the show to showcase what fine performances our student groups have to offer. No doubt they were all impressed and will be back for more shows and displays of excellence.

Work stuff

As you may have seen I have been working on the Bath Insights Summer Internship program. Applications have been open for the whole month and shortlisting will begin imminently! Best of luck to everyone that has applied! The estimated final cost of the program is around £125,000! Incredible considering the financial climate right now. I recently met with Helen Stringer, the Director of Employability and Student Success, asking for her thoughts on the expansion of the program. The idea of expanding the program by using local city employers and then having university provide accommodation was well received and would be considered for next years round of internships. I look forward to working on this in the future.

Jiji, Amber and I worked to put get members of university Council to do a speed dating exercise with students. We discussed the topics of: academic experience, postgraduate experience, space, housing and community. Members of council were intrigued to hear about the opinions and experiences of students regarding the university and their experience of it. Straight after this we were treated to a performance from the Arts Scholars, displaying art, singing, poetry and costume making. Once again it was an excellent display of the talent we have here at Bath. Well done to everyone involved, I’m so proud of you all!

In other news, Abbie and myself looked at 37 applications to the main Alumni Fund. The panel agreed to fund many of these and even agreed to increase funding to the scholarships by £80,000 a year. There will be 2 new additional arts scholarships and 2 enhanced sports scholarships. There will be 14 placement grants for people who go on low or unpaid placements too. There are some really worthy causes being funded.

The SU Awards are coming soon. As I am writing this the winners are being decided. I am currently off work sick whilst writing this so even I will not know the winners until the night. Not gonna lie I prefer it this way, the surprise is part of the fun. Plus I wont be able to accidentally leak it ??.

I have started planning the finer details of the World Cup! That is all… it is happening Saturday 27 April! Keep your eyes peeled for tickets.

To end, I just wanted to mention a little-known event called the Officer Elections! A whole week of campaigning for job security and asking people to vote for me paid off! I will be the SU Activities Officer for the 24/25 academic year! I am beyond happy to be returning for a 6th year in Bath! Although it will be one of the most different years at uni, I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else. Much love to everyone who voted for me and well done to everyone else who won.

That’s all from me for now. I can’t wait to write another blog in 2 months’ time. Until then, don’t forget my emails and office are always open, feel free to message me or ask me for advice.

Love David

Your returning SU Activities Officer

xxx

A Proud Moment and Pat on the Back

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 09:27:04 Z

Hey gang!

I was recently in the process of writing my SUmmit Officer Report, which is a regular update on what I have been working on is then delivered to members of SUmmit. Whilst writing it, I realised that I have actually achieved loads over the last 3 months! It’s so good to be able to reflect back on everything you can achieve as an SU Officer, and the impact you can have on students. Here’s a little recap of everything I’ve been working on!

· The Multicultural fair will take place on Thursday February 15 in the Edge Foyer and we already have 25 sign ups and counting! This is a chance to connect with other students, meet different groups and discover other cultures as we take you on a tour around the world. Many non-SU groups have signed up too – this was something on my manifesto last year so I’m buzzing it’s finally happening and will come to fruition.

· Newroz – I have had conversations about doing a Newroz celebration this year. Newroz is the celebration of the arrival of Spring and a new year. It is typically celebrated by those in central Asia – hopefully more to come on this soon!

· Postgraduate societies – As you many of you know, the postgraduate experience has been a massive project university wide. I took a paper to leadership (senior management of the SU) to discuss how we could go about making it easier for PG societies to be started. In the past, PG societies have been rejected in the affiliation process as they exclude undergraduates but we have decided to start a trial. After October Welcome Week, a small affiliation window will open exclusively for PG groups. We are yet to decide on the finer details but this will be discussed in meetings going forward with a goal to start the trial in the new academic year.

· Green Dayz – the SU is replacing Green Week with Green Dayz this year. These are our sustainability awareness days but with a Green Day (yes, like the band) twist. This will take place between the 12 and 14 of March, with events in Dartmouth, Campus and around the city. I’m excited to say I have been leading on this as it sits under my remit.

· Food Parcels- As part of my work in the Top 10 around having financial safety, I have been looking into getting free food for students struggling during this cost-of-living crisis. We were told there was unspent hardship money, so SU President Jiji and I have been looking at the possibility of using some of it to create pre-made food parcels and having a food pantry. This idea is currently in its early stages, but I am hopeful it comes into fruition. We are also looking to partner with FareShare to see if we can get something more permanent going forward.

· Prayer Space – The SU Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Melissa and I have written a paper which will go to EDIC (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity Committee) and hopefully they will approve plans to have a purpose-built prayer space for all religious groups to use. In the short term, we hope to be able to get 6WS, which is a study space that is currently heavily underutilise. I will be meeting with Ryan Bird, our chief Exec, and Dr Ghazwa Alwani-Starr, Chief Operating Officer of the University, to discuss what we can do for this issue. This is all well worth the time and energy, as it leads to a more inclusive and multicultural environment which is something I said I would foster as an officer!

· Sent a letter to parliament – I have written a letter to Parliament discussing issues currently impacting students the most right now. The letter called for better student housing protections, a realistic increase to the maintenance loan and for something to be done

about the cost of living. We are currently waiting to hear back from Wera Hobhouse who expressed support for this letter earlier in the year.

· Vape recycling- by working closely with the Student Community Partnership, we are imminently close to having vape recycling points on campus- we are just waiting on the bins to be delivered! Despite the announcement on the ban on disposable vapes, we are looking at around 18 months before it fully comes into effect. So it is still important we provide a place for people to recycle these devices as they should not be thrown in normal bins or battery bins.

· Bath Insights – working with Helen Stringer, Director of Employability and Student Success, we have created a Summer Internship Program, which is paid and includes accommodation on campus! It is called Bath Insights, focusing on teaching practical skills that can be used in future workplaces. It is meant to be an alternative to placements as people who do not go on placement often do not get the chance to learn these important skills. Currently, the program is waiting for the various University departments to figure out job descriptions. By 1 March applications will be open with offers being made by May. Work would then commence on 10 June. Stay tuned for more information if you’re interested! Again, something I wanted to do in my officer manifesto last year which I am over the moon to see become a thing. The free accommodation is massive for students too!

· VC breakfast for cultural groups- on the 14 December I took a group of students each representing different cultural groups. They showcased the diversity of our student body, emphasising the importance of community within the university. I campaigned heavily on cultural representation last year and being able to show our vibrant student body to the man who runs the university is the pinnacle of this!

Phew! It’s been a busy few months but I am so proud of everything we are managing to achieve as an Officer Team and personally within my own role! And in the official month of love, it was so nice to get a little mystery card in my office saying, ‘if no one has told you recently – you’re doing a good job’. To whoever put it there – thank you!

We still have a semester to go which will be very busy with Officer elections, committee elections and other massive events too! I’m excited, I hope you are too. Come say hey if you spot me around campus, or feel free to drop me an email at suactivities@bath.ac.uk or pop into my office in the 1 east corridor or my desk in the Edge 2nd Floor. I love hearing and exploring how to make things possible or just having a chit chat!

That’s all from me anyway. See you around!

Love David Lam

Activities Officer

'Tis the season to be achieving manifesto points

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 13:36:51 Z

Hey gang,

It’s been pretty busy since I last spoke to you! Along with the other officers, I have recorded a Top 10 video explaining more about my issue regarding financial security for students. The officer team also met with Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, in which we discussed a range of issues impacting students. Furthermore, I am in the middle of drafting a letter to Parliament with the help of the other officers so we can lobby Parliament to do more for students on the housing and cost of living crisis. The letter still needs work, as I want to make sure it is the best it can possibly be and that it really highlights the struggles students are going through. We are really pleased to have the support of Wera, as well as Ian White our Vice Chancellor.

I have also been working with Helen Stringer, the Director of Employability and Student Success, to create new short term paid internships within the university. These would act as an alternative to the six month or year long placements students typically undertake. The final details are being ironed out n, so I can’t tell you too many details just yet but this is just a little tease of what’s to come! Stay tuned next week for more! I'm super proud of this one, as it's something that was on my manifesto and will provide real life opportunities for students that build on transferrable skills.

I am also in meetings to discuss how we could reward and recognise the efforts of our student leaders, volunteers and executive committee members. It’s so important to recognise students, as these roles are unpaid but require a great deal of hard work and commitment! Ideas of how to reward students have ranged from having celebrations at the end of semesters, all the way to putting the roles students have had on to their university degree transcript. These ideas are in preliminary stages so may still change, but is exciting nevertheless!

I have also attended a few Gold Scholars events recently too. They make up a large cohort of our volunteering groups and it was great to see all the work they do. It was equally fun to network with so many cool people and to see what graduates of the Gold Scholar Programme have gone on to do! There was definitely some good LinkedIn connections made there.

Recently, we as an SU have voted to stay in the NUS and to also support any future UCU industrial action! I can't wait to see what NUS have to offer us and how we can get our concerns voiced right across the country. We also look forward to working constructively with UCU, in case of any future industrial action – not that there is any planned as of now! The voting period for these issues was challenging for us as the officer team, as we headed out into the cold everyday to try to get as many people to vote as possible! But we managed to reach quoracy which meant the vote was legitimate and the motion could be passed!

On 1 December, Jiji, Hanna and I decorated the Christmas tree in the SU! It is officially the holiday season gang, and we love that! I can't wait to get a well-earned rest and see my family back home, it has been a hot second since I last saw them.

Bath Model United Nations hosted their conference here in Bath last weekend and it was truly a spectacular event! I have been in talks with the committee since around April last year on how to best plan the event and it was a joy to see how well it came out. They even gave me a bunch a flowers to say thank you (brb crying rn), which was so lovely! I look forward to the next conference!! Congrats guys!

In terms of things we have coming up, Officer Elections are now open! Make sure you check out the SU website and put yourself forward to be a candidate. I’ve been filming a day in the life so you can see exactly what would be involved with being an Activities Officer. Let me know if you have any questions on the role, I am more than happy to answer them!

Anyways that’s all from me folks. I hope everyone enjoys a well-earned break and recharges for January. Wherever you are, remember to stay hydrated, stay warm and eat good! Happy holidays :)

Love your Activities Officer

David xxx

Play "Work" by Rihanna

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 11:25:34 Z

Hello everyone!!! I’m back, I hope you haven’t missed me in my 2-month blogging absence. I’ve had so much going on I haven’t found the time to blog about it and tell you what I’ve been up to.

Since I’ve last spoken to you, we have had Freshers’ Week and we’ve come out the other end more tired and possibly slightly ill compared to before. I can’t lie it was tiring, but it was so unbelievably rewarding and I did get to meet Vikkstar123 which literally had teenage me dying inside like the little fanboy I am. I am pleased to be back to a more normal sleep pattern now!

Syed and I meeting Vikkstar after interviewing him

A little shoutout to the Freshers’ Week Event Managers for keeping me and other officers company during the Summer and for putting it all together, couldn’t have happened without you guys! The Freshers’ Week Captains were also outstanding too! Without them volunteering their time all the events wouldn’t have been half as welcoming.

August was the month of admin trying to get ahead for the start of the year. I sent hundreds of emails with all the society budgets. I wrote my first trustee report as part of my role as trustee of the Students’ Union, which was just paperwork to make sure I was doing my job, this was definitely a big learning curve for me but something I am proud of. Then I sat in my first trustee board meeting which was long, but we discussed some really exciting things.

I have been preparing for the upcoming year too with my Activities Exec who are doing a great job so far! The Exec has been busy working on approvals for new societies and they look over societies membership fund applications with me. They have been acting as the first port of call for their respective groups and helping them to grow and develop. We have just done a fantastic General Committee Workshop where 1 member of each committee came to voice their concerns and learn about some of the things going on in the SU. I look forward to the next one (and not just for the free pizza ??). The Exec again were on hand to help out during this huge event!

I can’t help but gas myself up but, I have been planning loads of events for the upcoming year which I can’t wait for you all to see. We have already had a cereal dating event where people platonically met loads of people over unlimited amounts of cereal which was a great success, raising £148 for RAG’s Big 4 Charities. I’ve also been in talks with Sikh Soc on how to make the SU seem less drinks and going out based so we become a more inclusive community. We’ve got the Zombie Apocalypse escape room and scavenger hunt, a bigger and better SU World Cup in April AND plans for Diwali celebrations are well underway for November. Look out for all these events cause I’m cooking hard this year.

Its not all been work though! I have had time to go on a short trip to Hong Kong where I got to see my HK family again and also see my mom for the first time since I graduated which was really lovely. It was however too short of a holiday for my liking, but I did have to come back for my Freshers’ Week people.

Jiji and I at the Volleyball Social before Score

Syed and I during UV night

Me in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong

One of the biggest things I am involved with this year is the Top 10. This is basically a wishlist we get to give to the university and they will do their best to help us achieve it or make progress on it. My particular item on the list is related to bursaries! Specifically, “Ensure all students have access to a financial safety net when needed, through a range of accessible scholarships, bursaries, hardship funds and other support”. Something I wrote in my election campaign was to ensure people could still live and part of that is still being able to participate in social activities. Hopefully by working on this everyone will have access to financial safety and will not be left having to choose between surviving and living!

Sorry it’s a bit of a long blog today but thank you for reading. I want you to know your support means the absolute world and it gives me the motivation to continue doing this job every day. I am currently low key stressed as I’m being pulled in so many directions and have so many things that demand my attention but hearing people tell me that I’m doing a good job is actually so nice. Remember to be nice to people and to stay positive everyone!

Love David your Activities Officer xxx

Busier and Busier

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:26:47 +0100

Well, hello again everyone, it's time for another blogggg!! It's slightly late (please don't hurt me Sarah from Marketing) but nonetheless it's here. This past couple of weeks I've been busy doing a variety of things, preparing for the year to come!

I chaired my first meeting which happened to be the first meeting for the Activities Executive committee. We discussed what our plans looked like for the future and how we would like to run the meetings. Affiliations are now officially being considered by the committee and relevant staff so keep a look out to see if your society has been affiliated!

As an officer team we have been finalising our top 10, ready to go into our final meeting to officially finish it. For those of you who don't know the Top 10 is list of priorities for the year, so it is super important we get it right! Let us cook, big things are coming! We also all went to Roehampton for Lead and Change to partake in workshops and to network with other SU officers, which led to some new besties being made, shout out to Juan Carlos from Aston University. It was also great to hear about how other student unions run too. For all you coffee lovers out there, Hanna and I went coffee tasting for the next supplier of coffee for the entire campus for the foreseeable future. It was really cool to see how much is considered when picking something as simple as coffee. However, I did have 3 cups of coffee in about an hour, so I was shaking from the caffeine by the end of it. Hanna and I were mocked for our low caffeine tolerance whilst the other staff members were fine. We also welcomed potential future students of Bath by manning the Pathway to Bath stall. This is an initiative to help people in widening participation areas get a feel for university and what it would be look like. We got called the best stall by multiple people so I’m taking that a win.

In the meantime, I’ve been hearing rumours about a virus being leaked in and around the underdeck but I’m not sure how true it is… others have said they’ve heard groans and moans from zombie like creatures too, maybe there’s something going on … or maybe its just rumours? Stay tuned for updates!

Princes, Politicians and People from Out Of This World

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 15:27:50 +0100

Hello everyone!

What a crazy first six weeks we’ve had! It’s included my first board of trustees meeting, two weeks of handover, open days, featuring in a TikTok, axe throwing, photoshoots, BBQs, conferences, graduations and a couple of rainy days.

This past week alone has involved meeting shadow ministers, princes and a freaking astronaut! A bit random I know, but definitely one of the cooler perks of the job.

As an officer team, we met Shadow Minister for Higher Education Matt Western and spoke to him about pressing student issues such as housing, the cost-of-living crisis and maintenance loans. I even managed to get him in my BeReal for the day, which he said he would forever remember!

Whilst doing graduations for the university I had the chance to meet actual royalty (SPOILER ALERT)- it was PRINCE EDWARD. Unfortunately, I don’t think he would have wanted to be in my BeReal.

On the same day I also met Colonel Anne McClain! She’s a super cool astronaut who was our guest speaker for the day. I even managed to get a picture with her- I fanboyed so hard in front of her she must’ve thought I was such a weirdo (be right back, crying right now because of how cringey I was).

Amber and I attended the EUAC Sustainability Conference, where we learnt about all the things universities could be doing to help save the planet. A highlight for me was meeting Robin Landman, OBE of the Black Leadership Group, who gave a talk on justice and sustainability. I then spoke with him and now we are LinkedIn besties. On top of this I networked with the delegates from De Montfort University and found a new friendship with Mark Hopkins, the sustainability coordinator there. Overall a really productive and enjoyable event, even if it did mean I missed out SU Summer Fun Day with the rest of the gang ?.

In terms of more normal sort of work, I’ve been doing loads of behind the scenes work with the SU, preparing for all the new committees coming in August 1^st and making sure everything is ready for them. There are also plans for new events- watch out for those because they’re going to be great!

I’ll catch up with you again in a few weeks, but feel free to reach out via email at suactivities@bath.ac.uk if there’s anything you’d like to chat about!

Speak soon,

David

End of Year Activities Officer

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 09:46:54 +0100

Hello all,

What a year it's been! I remember the day I got elected as your Activities Officer and being so so excited to see what would happen and what we could do together. The year has been like nothing and everything I'd expected in the best possible way.

I just want to take the time to thank every single one of you for everything you've done. This year has been unlike any other as we faced so many challenges coming out of covid-19. During covid-19, societies & volunteering groups resilience was put to the test. Coming out of it, you stepped up to take on committee roles and bring back the student experience to campus! Bringing back the student life to campus after years of online activity was no easy feat especially since a lot of knowledge had been lost but you took the challenge and smashed it.

Together we have created a legacy for years to come and created many new events, built up a fountain of knowledge, and created new ways of support and more!

Here are a few of my highlights

Artsity - Together we created the first arts and creativity festival at the University. This was on my manifesto when I ran for Officer and I'm really proud to have been able to do it. Storm Eunice put a sudden start to the event but I'm really of what was achieved. We were able to put on workshops from different societies throughout the day which ended in an amazing Open Mic night.
Bringing back societies & volunteering groups after covid-19. This was a massive part of my work throughout the year and one which was year long. Groups had essentially lost a years worth of knowledge and I supported groups in that journey of re-learning. I helped make sure that all the right resources were available and that we were being as clear as we could when communicating about it.
Adopting Ecosia as the default search engine browser on all library computers. This had been an active campaign since 2017. In a joint effort with People & Planet we managed to successfully write a paper to CSSU to convince the University this was the right decision. It was adopted as the default search engine browser just before the start of Semester 2. A massive thank you to People & Planet as collaborating made the process so much more fun!
Together we developed the arts inclusivity guidance. Through conversations with students, it felt evident to both of us that there was a need for a guidance which would help guide not only art societies but all societies in how they can make their shows as inclusive as possible. After a few months at work and getting feedback from stakeholders, I'm really proud that this will be available to all societies and guide societies in how they can be more inclusive.
Launched the Sustainability Award. We launched a pilot of the sustainability award for the first time this year. The award is designed to encourage and recognize groups who are being
Volunteering moved under the Activities Officer remit for the first time. I spent the better half of the year understanding what that meant and listening to volunteering groups to see what support they wanted. We held volunteering chairs meetings, volunteering committee meetings and quite a few funtastic volunteering socials with the Activities Executive!
Relaunched the Arts Forum! We relaunched Arts Forum which is a place for the art societies to discuss on art societies specific issues and share ideas! Back after popular demand, we discussed the edge, arts, artsity and more! Whilst for now these have been limited on a pilot to art societies, this should hopefully lead to the creation of other society specific forums!
Created the South Asian Society Agreement. This is an agreement that will enable each society to collaborate with each other without stepping on each other's toes and working together even more! This was an exciting development and can't wait to see what happens!
Lobbied the University on their updated investment policy around sustainability and divestment. This year one of our top 10 focused around sustainability and the investment policy which was a really important matter, especially given that the policy was being renewed for the first time in 5 years. The updated policy is due to be finalized hopefully over the summer. Our demands also included that the investment policy included a plan as to how this was going to help their commitments to the Climate Action Framework.

I have had the time of my life this year and I am leaving full of joy and happy memories. A massive thank you goes to the Activities Executive Committee who throughout the year brought to me so much joy and lifted my spirits up when it needed to be. The Activities Executive committee has been one of my highlights of this year and I am so proud of all that you have achieved! I hope you've all had as much as I have because it's been a pretty fabby ride!

A massive thank you goes to Elizabeth, Meg, Jacob, Sid, and Annie, the 2021/22 Officer Team. One of us recently said, "Why does it looks like we spend all our time together. Oh wait, we do.". Couldn't have imagined doing this with any other team and I can't wait to see you all smash it in what you do next!

Finally, a massive thank you to everyone students and staff! Whether it was just a quick passing-by conversation or us having an in-depth conversation about possible uses of the Edge, I have loved every minute of it. I have learned so much from everyone and I am so grateful for it.

I now leave you in the most capable hands of Viktor, your Activities Officer for 2022/23! I know he will absolutely smash the role and I'm so so excited to see what he does!

Activities Officer update!

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 14:14:47 Z

Societies & Volunteering Groups

Artsity
I'm so so happy to be able to bring Artsity to life after nearly a year in the work! With over 13 groups involved and over 90 students involved in the planning, this event is going to be incredible and I couldn't be more excited!
The full program of events can be found here - Artsity- Your New Culture and Creativity Festival! (thesubath.com)

There will be a performance in the theatre by several student groups so do make sure you get your ticket before they sell out - Artsity: Final Performance (thesubath.com)
Arts Forum
We are bringing back Arts Forum! I sent out a poll a couple weeks ago about how/if societies wanted to meet up! By popular demand and following feedback, we're bringing back Arts Forum for art societies!
Handover + Training
With committee elections coming up, it's super important to start handover and to make sure that the future committees are getting the training they need! We're working currently on the training that will be available and how we deliver that.
Supporting volunteering groups
I held a number of chats with committees of volunteering groups and following that we've decided that I'll be having monthly catch-ups with each volunteering group committee to make sure they get the support they need!
Bath Marrow win!
Bath Marrow will now have a table every Wednesday in the STV to recruit stem cell donors! This is very exciting and really exciting as it makes volunteering super easily!

Sustainability

Ecosia
After years of lobbying the University, we finally did it !! Ecosia is now the default search engine browser on all library computers on Microsoft Edge! This is a massive accomplishment and one which couldn't have happened without People & Planet!
Water Fountains
Earlier in the semesters, students raised through Ideas to Action that they wanted more water fountains. We're currently working together to get plans for more water fountains on campus. I've currently in talks with AHS to find the best locations for those.
Green Week
I have contacted societies and volunteering groups to invite them to take part in our Green Week at end of March/April! I'm hoping that this will be an amazing opportunity for us to showcase the sustainability work that societies do.
Responsible Futures
The SU and the University have signed up to SOS's Responsible Futures which is a framework where together we work to embed sustainability within the curriculum. This is work I am undertaking closely with Jacob the Education Officer.
Sustainability Award
The sustainability award similarly to the Inclusivity award will look at recognizing and encouraging groups to engage with sustainability. We're currently working on what this will look like in practice but hopeful that groups can start applying to it very soon!

That is it from me for now! If you've got any questions, concerns, or just fancy a chat about anything SU-related please do reach out to me by emailing me at suactivities@bath.ac.uk!

Speak soon !

November Update on Sustainability

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 16:54:12 Z

Hello hello,

With COP26 currently happening a lot of organizations have been asked what they're doing for the climate and more generally around sustainability. I thought I'd give you a quick overview of some of things we do to actively make your SU and the University more sustainable.

Green Impact Group

This is a new sustainability student-led group composed of 10 representatives from different societies that have a focus around sustainability. I've been working with them to see how we can make our campus more sustainable and generally speaking how we can raise awareness.

We've been working on some exciting projects which you should all hear about soon!

Green Impact Award

The Green Impact Award is an award sponsored by the NUS (National Union of Students) where Student Unions across the country receive a rating depending on how sustainable their campus is. We are hoping to submit our nomination this year and have been working towards the award meaning lots of change is happening and more to come!

Top 10 around divestment

Every year your officer team submits a list of top 10 issues that we want to work with the University. These aren't the only issues that we work on with the University, the top 10 just gives us the means to highlight the really impact issues that matter to students.

The top 10 around sustainability this year is "Create a transparent sustainable practice policy and plan; including demonstrating positive steps to divest from companies with poor sustainability practices".

I'll be working closely with senior management of the University throughout the year to make sure that this is being done and that we are working towards the goal set out by the University through the Climate Action Framework.

Citizens Assembly

We are launching this year's first citizen assembly around sustainability on the 22nd of October. We'll be looking to gather your ideas and opinions on how you can make campus and more generally speaking the University more green. This is a great opportunity for students to take concrete action and act now.

Ecosia Ecosia Ecosia

This has been a topic of conversation for a few years and it still hasn't happened. I'm currently to find out what steps need to be taken and what has stopped the process of Ecosia being adopted previously. I've been working with People & Planet on this one to make Ecosia more present on campus.

Sustainability Survey

The University has been working on a sustainability survey to gather students opinions. As an SU we've been working closely with the Climate Action Framework teams in designing the survey and the data collected will feed into future plans for both the SU and the University. Worth noting that if you complete the survey there is a chance of winning £250 worth of Airbnb vouches and more!

Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

A few other projects that I'm looking at include how to integrate sustainability more within societies and volunteering groups. Jacob the SU Education Officer and I are working together to make the curriculum more sustainable. Look out for the student trainers who held an amazing upcycling workshop earlier this semester and will be holding more sustainability orientated workshops in the year!

Anyways that is it from me, if you'd like to get involved in sustainability or if you have any questions please do get in contact with me!

Artsity, Mix and Mingle, Sustainability, and More!

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 15:51:30 +0100

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while and to be honest I'm not entirely sure where to start this blog as so much has happened!

First of all a massive CONGRATS to all groups for absolutely smashing it during Freshers Week ! There was massive uptake in all of your events and the feedback we got was absolutely fantastic!!

The Groups fair was also massively successful and so many new members registered which is another proof of how amazing you've done!

Artsity

I promised when I got elected that I would try and start up the SU's first cultural and arts festival and we've made great progress on this! We've emailed every society + media to see if they would like to take part in this fantastic opportunity! The event will take place during semester 2 and will take place during the day and evening!

We've sent an email with the sign up form for the event so make sure you fill it out!

Show In A Week

The annual show in a week fun will take place on the 30th of October with the launch event on the 22nd of October! Show In A Week is a week where every society has one week to create a show from start to bottom including dress rehearsals, tech rehearsals ...

This event was massively requested by many students and we're so happy to be able to provide a fun platform for our students to do this! Tickets for the event will be on sale soon so make you keep your eyes out peeled for this!

Mix & Mingle

I'm so so happy to announce that we will be holding our first Mix & Mingle session on Wednesday the 20th of October! This replaces the previous General Meetings (GMs) which weren't very fun and much more informal. These session fit into one of my manifesto points of when I got elected as we are setting up a inter-committee community. These sessions will allow for committees to meet and talk to each other in a fun and relaxed way.

Whilst the first one is being held online, future ones should be held in person ! :) We wanted to make sure that everyone could attend the first one hence the online nature!

Society Area Membership Shenanigans

We've also been dealing with queries around the society area membership. The society area membership is staying at £3 for all societies. If you'd like to add additional fees because of the nature of your activity which is very possible and we've had societies do just that email me and we can chat some more!

This is the link to buy your society area membership --> Join a Society (thesubath.com)

Training now Available on Moodle !!!

Training is now available on Moodle ! This is so so important as you will find the answer to a lot of your questions in the training! We have chair, treasurer, events & socials and alumni training all on Moodle !

Volunteering
Volunteering falls under the Activities Officer's remit for the first time which is why I spent the last couple of weeks figuring out what that means. I've also been working on how we can interlink them more with other areas of the SU.

Special shout out goes to RAG and Boob Team ! RAG held an amazing second hand sale during freshers which they should be so so proud of and they raised lots of money for their Big 4!

Boob Team have managed to collaborate with lots and lots of sports team and encourage them to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness month !!

Sustainability

We have had our first ever Green Impact Group ! This group is composed from committee of various societies and volunteering groups and will help us make direct sustainable changes across campus. We started this group because of the lack of sustainable representation across the SU. All members of this group are absolute superstars and our first meeting was a brilliant success! If you'd like to get involved and you're in a sustainability orientated society please make sure to contact your committee !!

We have finalized our top 10! The top 10 is a list of priorities that as an Officer Team we decided to work on with the University specifically. It doesn't mean that we don't work on any issues but rather it means that we have a set of clearly defined priorities.

This year's sustainability top 10 is calling for the University to create a transparent sustainable practice policy plan and to show positive steps in divesting from companies with poor sustainability practices.

As an Office Team we got to meet Nicola Dandrige the Chief Executive for the Office for Students. To find out more check out this news article -> What happened when the SU Officer Team met the Chief Exec for the Office for Students (thesubath.com)

I've also got my drop in hours every Thursday from 2 to 4 so if you've got any questions, make sure top pop in a quick slot ! Link can be found on my SU Office Profile on the SU Website ! :D

As always if you've got any questions please don't hesitate to contact me through email at suactivities@bath.ac.uk or on my SU Bath Facebook account!!

Speak soon!

Zoe