Earlier this month we interviewed committee members Nick (Kit Secretary), Rachel (Vice President) and Amy (Treasurer) of the Southampton University Canoe Club (SUCC). We spoke to them about what the club offers and the recent funding they received from the Union.

SUCC were recently granted extra funding by the Union which was greatly received by all club members. They were given £1,500 which has enabled them to purchase four brand new boats, and has helped fund their white water safety and rescue course which is designed to teach members safety procedures for residential trips. Nick said: ‘we didn’t expect [the … Read the rest

Last week we caught up with the lovely President of the Feminist Society, Emily.

According to Emily, the Feminist movement strives for equality and justice for people of all genders. It explores and questions gender inequality, but, as Emily commented, it’s important to be mindful that people are affected by inequality differently. By this, she means that the level of discrimination someone faces is often influenced by factors beyond their gender too, for example their race, sexuality, class and where in the world they live.

During the interview, Emily touched upon the positive impact that female celebrities such … Read the rest

Nominations are now open for our By-Elections – You can nominate yourself for the following roles:

Postgrad Taught

• Postgraduate (Taught) Students Officer
• RON (Re-Open Nominations)

Postgraduate Committee

• Postgraduate Research (PGR) Academic Officer
• Postgraduate Research (PGR) Training & Development Officer
• Postgraduate Research (PGR) Welfare Officer
• Postgraduate Taught (PGR) Academic Officer

Nominate yourself at www.unionsouthampton.org/postgrad

Faculty Reps

• Health Sciences
• Engineering & Environment

Nominate yourself at unionsouthampton.org/academic

Academic Presidents

• Healthcare Science
• Healthcare, (Management, Policy & Research)
• Optoelectronics Research Centre

Nominate yourself at unionsouthampton.org/academic

Key Dates

• Nominations Open – Monday December 5 at 09:00
• Nominations Close – Tuesday December 13 at 13:00
• Voting Opens

We will be holding an Emergency Union Council meeting on Tuesday 31 May at 19:00 to discuss a motion relating to Thursday’s decision by Democracy Zone Committee as to the date of the referendum on the rebrand.

When the motion is available, you will be able to access it online at www.unionsouthampton.org/meetings/1147.

All students are welcome to attend, although only elected members of Union Council will be able to vote.

The meeting will be held in The Café and will also be streamed online for you to watch.

The meeting was requested under section 4.4 of Rule 2. The … Read the rest

You’ll have seen the announcements on Facebook, and pencilled the date in your diary; there’s no doubt about it, Graduation Ball 2016 is on the way.

Taking place on the 6^th of June 2016, the fantastic event is always a night to remember. In anticipation of the first wave of information being released on Monday (18^th of April), we take a look back at previous year’s graduation balls.

Last year we saw the likes of Katy B, Bass Hunter and Labrinth take over Oceana, with the ‘Music Through The Ages’ themed event. Each room was themed with … Read the rest

Check out the first guest blog from our Community Engagement Officer, Ben Yarnall, who is a member of the Postgraduate Research Committee…

Great news everyone! This weekend marks the first attempt, in my stay at the University of Southampton, of an open postgraduate event.

The presence of a postgraduate society for biological scientists was a great help to me in the first year of my PhD. I did not study here for my undergraduate degree and had no existing friends in the area. Having people to play socialise with from the word go at least distracted me from the daunting … Read the rest

If you filled out our Grad Ball survey, you’re probably wondering what we’re doing with your comments. We want to keep you in the loop every step of the way…so here’s a quick update!

Based on those of you who nominated yourselves, we have now formed a Grad Ball Committee to get you involved in the whole process and ensure that you get the uni send off you want!

The Committee are busy working away collating your survey results into ideas for the ball…so watch this space and keep your eye out for more details on our social media pages.… Read the rest

Your Campus President, Ryan, has been busy working away to improve the WSA student experience. Here is what he has been getting up to:

Shuttle Bus

You asked us to improve the connections between WSA and Highfield, so we made a FREE shuttle bus available for you to travel between campuses during term-time. All you need to do is present your Student ID as you board. You can find the timetable here.

We’ve had some great feedback from students so far, but we have gone one step further and introduced a new process to allow you to book the … Read the rest

For many of you, graduation is on the horizon – and some of you have already celebrated the end of your University careers at the graduation ceremonies in December.

This can mean only one thing: Grad Ball is coming! And as you know, we’ve been asking you how you want to mark the occasion to make sure it’s a night to remember.

Many of you took part in Tap Choose Change last year to decide between a Summer or Grad Ball and, after confirming that Grad Ball was here to stay, you’ve been letting us know how you want to … Read the rest

The position for the Training and Development Officer on the PGR (Postgraduate Research) Committee up for by-election as it wasn’t filled in the first election.

The Training and Development Officer is responsible for communicating with PGRs on the strengths and weaknesses of current training and development opportunities and communicating their ideas and feedback to the Union and the University (sitting on the Doctoral College Training and Development Sub-Committee.)

This role is a great opportunity to gain new skills and help develop opportunities for PGR students.

You can read more about the committee here.

Nominations are open NOW until tomorrow … Read the rest