Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely break over the festive period, well done on completing your exams and all the best in the new term.

In December, to better engage with students from our satellite campuses, I worked from City Campus and Glenside on various days. I used this opportunity to communicate with students at the other campuses and along with the Presidents Team conducted surveys to gather data to improve the student experience.

December celebrated Disability Awareness Month, and in honour of this, I would like to share this quote with everyone hoping it helps someone out there.

“There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life, no matter what its location, age, gender or disability.” – Sharon Angle

Here are my December highlights:

A visit to We The Curious

I was invited to visit the wonderful space at We The Curious, to discuss my journey into Cybersecurity and life as a President. We also discussed the ways that UWE Bristol students can get involved with We The Curious, their activities and the benefits of that. This meeting led to an invite to be a speaker at their upcoming event ‘A Career in Curiosity’ on Tuesday 4 February.

Undergraduate prospectus interview

I had an interview with the University’s Strategy, Communications and Marketing Team, to discuss what I do in my role as President, how The Students’ Union supports students. I also spoke of my highlights in the role so far.

Manifesto Update

Cheaper food: I had a meeting with The Students’ Union, Commercial Service Director, Paul Dingley, to gather feedback on our commercial services and discuss our pricing policy, as well as opportunities for cheaper food options in the shops.

Sleeping Room: I have been working on creating more relaxation spaces for students on campus and have been working with VP Education, Jane, to conduct surveys for potential nap pods on campus.

Cyber Security Awareness: I had a meeting with Head of Information security at UWE Bristol, Edward Travaskis, to discuss the need for increased student engagement on cyber security awareness at UWE Bristol. Following this, I attended Cyber Security and Computer Technology (CSCT) Christmas social.

Meeting and events 

I attended the Westminster Higher Education Forum event, which discussed priorities for tackling racial harassment and improving the BAME experience in higher education.

Alongside the University Board of Governors, I attended the Staff Excellence Awards. The awards celebrated UWE Bristol’s amazing staff network and the wonderful work they do. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners.

Below is a shortlist of some meetings I attended in December:

Partnership Board, Student Council, Board of Trustees, Exec Meeting, Attendance Recording and Learner Analytics (ARLA) Meeting, Academic Board, Group Work Task and Finish Group, BAME Attainment Gap Students’ Union and Staff Forum, Mental Wealth Student Feedback Form – Planning, Inclusion Working Group.

It is already half of my term as President! Can you believe it?  I would like to use this opportunity to thank every staff member, student and directorate at The Students’ Union and UWE Bristol, who have supported the Presidents Team over the past six months.

I look forward to working with you in the second half of the academic year. I am excited about the new year and as The Students' Union President, I am committed to improving the student experience here at UWE Bristol. I want to meet as many students as possible so feel free to drop by at the office, contact me via social media, email and/or send an invitation to meetups and society events!

Remember, I am here to represent the UWE Bristol student community. Please feel free to pop into The Students' Union on Frenchay Campus to see me, or catch me at our satellite campuses during one of my pop-ups.

You can contact me via supresident@uwe.ac.uk and @TheSUPresident on Facebook and Twitter.