Over the course of the past few months the University has been undergoing a tender evaluation process to determine which company will provide laundry in University Halls of Residence over the course of the next 10 years. SUSU was excited to be involved in this project, both gathering student feedback to help build the contract, and sitting on the interview/tender panel itself.

After extensive work from both SUSU and the University, we are pleased to announce that WASCHO will be the new laundry provider in Halls from September 2023.

Student voice and consideration was invaluable in this process and has … Read the rest

We are excited to announce SUSU has been voted 12th Best Students’ Union in the UK in the StudentCrowd University Awards 2023! We have also been voted 12th in the UK for our clubs and societies!

To determine the award winners StudentCrowd analysed over 24,000 student reviews submitted on their website. Students were able to rate many aspects of university life (including students’ unions, and clubs and societies) out of 5 stars.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed SUSU and our clubs and societies on StudentCrowd – it’s your feedback that has placed us 12th in the UK!… Read the rest

Darcy Coomber was the former President of Monte Netball club and student at the university, studying Politics and International Relations. Unfortunately, during her final year at Southampton, she passed away peacefully on 27th January 2021.  

A year on from her passing, a trophy donated by Darcy’s dad, Chris Coomber, was unveiled in the Students’ Union Building.  Chris was honoured that both Professor Russell Bentley and Vice Chancellor Mark Smith were there on the day. 

This trophy, in memory of Darcy, is presented to the student who achieved the highest mark in their Politics and International Relations dissertation. The award is … Read the rest

Campaign update from Union President, Ben Dolbear

Earlier in the academic year, the Students’ Union launched its first ever Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategic Plan, which details our plans for how we intend to build a sense of equity and belonging for all of our student members and staff, through key areas of work from representation and participation, through to insight and culture. In light of this launch, our VP Sports, Matt Smith, noticed a lack of established mechanisms for supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds to take part in sporting activity.

According to the Sutton Trust, a UK-based educational … Read the rest

Campaign update from Union President, Ben Dolbear

Here at SUSU, we have been working closely alongside colleagues in the University’s Student Engagement team to ensure that next summer’s graduation is an unforgettable experience for all participating graduands. This is because we know that each graduating cohort had their student experience negatively impacted by restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and deserve a special moment in the spotlight to celebrate their personal resilience and academic commitment.  

Graduation will take place at St. Mary’s Stadium between 20 – 22 July 2022, and each ceremony, though planning remains in relatively early stages, promises to be larger in scale than any graduation our University has ever seen. SUSU has secured diverse representation on the core Graduation Project Committee, as well … Read the rest

On Thursday 28 October Ben Dolbear, Union President, and Professor Mark E. Smith, President and Vice Chancellor at the University of Southampton, signed the annual Relationship Agreement between SUSU and the University.

This agreement outlines the relationship between our two organisations and how we will work together throughout the academic year: “At the University of Southampton our students are central to all of our work. The strong relationship between the University and the Union is crucial to ensure we collectively support our student body to the highest level. Together, we are engaged in the important process of educating and transforming … Read the rest

We have been made aware of an incident of targeted racism that occurred during the collaborative workshop with Wessex Scene and Ashamed, held on Zoom last week.

We are appalled to hear this has happened so blatantly. We understand that, although this was extreme, our students of colour continue to experience racism in many forms generally. SUSU absolutely condemns this and all forms of discrimination, outlined in our Expect Respect Policy, and we hold all members of our community to this standard. We do not know if the person who entered this call was a fellow student, but if they … Read the rest

The first ever SUSU-University networking event was held on Tuesday and concluded with the signing of the agreement that defines how SUSU and the University will work together to transform the lives of every student on all campuses.

The agreement states:

“The University has established that there will be a recognised Union of Students in its Statutes. The Union has fulfilled that role since before the University Charter was established. The two parties have always enjoyed positive and respectful relationships. Moving forward we wish to strengthen those relationships at all levels of both organisations and see this agreement as an … Read the rest

We are pleased to announce we were voted a Top 25 Students’ Union at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2019. This annual awards ceremony recognises institutions for excellence in a wide variety of academic and social areas, from ‘Top University’ to ‘Giving Back’.

Our students voted us 16th in the Students’ Union category out of 131 institutions, and we were voted 9th in the Clubs and Societies category! Thank you to everyone who took the time to give a review.

In order to compile the votes, Whatuni.com collects 41,000 student reviews across 160 institutions asking them to rate their own … Read the rest

Pre-sessional students, we hope you’re all settling in well, take a look at some the activities SUSU will be putting on for you, including a trip to the seaside town of Bournemouth.

We’ll be in touch soon with more activities and information so add us on WeChat to keep in touch!

SUSU’s Tour of Southampton: an introduction to the city, including where to eat, drink and shop!
29 June – Wessex Lane Halls at 12:00, meet at Reception.
30 June –  Mayflower Halls at 12:00, meet at Reception.

Lunchtime drop-in: SUSU’s Helpers will be available outside classrooms to chat and … Read the rest