On 23 June 2016, Britain held a referendum to ask whether it should leave the European Union, with Leave winning by 51.9% to 48.1%. Since then, more than 1.4 million young people are now eligible to vote.

When the referendum was held, the Union backed remain, citing a negative impact on higher education and graduate opportunities as key reasons for this decision. Our full blog on this decision can be found here: EU Referendum: BritaIN or BrEXIT?

The deadline for the UK to leave the EU is fast approaching. What this will look like no one yet knows, but there … Read the rest

Union Films, our student-run cinema, has been shortlisted in the Cinema for All Film Society of the Year Awards 2018 for Best Student Cinema!

The Film Society of the Year awards have been running since 1969, and are an opportunity to celebrate achievements and innovation in film exhibition. A full list of this year’s award nominations can be found here.

Evie Reilly, VP DCI, says: “I’m thrilled to see Union Films recognised for their amazing work. They’ve achieved so much in this past year, purely through the hard work, dedication and enthusiasm of their volunteers. Max, the Cinema Manager, and … Read the rest

Huge congratulations to SUSUtv, our student-run TV station, who took home four NaSTA’s 2018 Awards on Saturday 14 April!

Their awards were for:

• Win – Best Cinematography – ‘Live Your Life’
• Win – Best Documentary and Factual – ‘Pollution: Southampton’s Dirty Secret’
• Win – Best On Screen Talent – Lydia Pallot
• Highly commended – Station Marketing

The short film ‘Live Your Life’ also won Best Cinematography and the Audience Award at this year’s University of Southampton Student Film Festival.

Harry Gration (BBC Look North news anchor) judged the Best On Screen Talent Award, and was so impressed with … Read the rest

Congratulations to the Union’s media teams who have recently been nominated in national awards ceremonies. Wessex Scene and The Edge have been nominated for five awards in the Student Publication Association Awards 2018, whilst Surge Radio have been nominated for seven I Love Student Radio Awards 2018. SUSUtv have also submitted their show reel entry for Best Freshers’ Content 2017/18 to the National Student Television Association Awards 2018.

Wessex Scene, our official student-run magazine, received SPA Award nominations for:

• Best Interview – Alice Hearing’s interview with Jon Sopel
• Best Feature – Linnea Lagerstead’s powerful piece ‘

Who do you think should lead the Union during 2018/19?

Campaigning in our Spring Elections has now begun for all candidates. The countdown is on to Elections Night Live (Friday 02 March), so candidates will need to win those all important votes (you may have spotted lots of posters around campus!).

It can be tricky to decide who you think is the best person for each role. On Monday SUSUtv  live streamed seven Meet the Candidates interviews, to grill each candidate running for a Full-Time Officer role on their key points and how they would implement these, should they … Read the rest

In last week’s blog we gave you some more information about the VP Engagement and VP Education roles. Today we’re rounding it off with some information about the roles of VP Communities, VP Sports and VP Democracy and Creative Industries (DCI).

VP Communities

Passionate about inclusivity? Interested in different cultures? 

Working with the Student Communities Coordinator, this role consists of raising awareness of multiculturalism in Southampton and celebrating diversity across campuses. You’ll be working closely with relevant Student Leaders and staff members to deliver the Union’s campaigns and projects at all sites. You will ensure that the voices of our students … Read the rest

Did you know rock royalty once took to the stage at the University of Southampton Students’ Union? 45 years ago, Led Zeppelin performed in Garden Court and we are celebrating this anniversary with a brilliant Charity Showcase!

Led Zeppelin performed a one-off gig at the Union in 1973 especially to gain an audible recording and footage of a live performance – Garden Court has some particularly good acoustics! Their main tour date in Southampton was at the Gaumont Theatre (now the Mayflower Theatre).

On Friday 09 February 2018, nine bands from the Union’s Live Music Society will be performing … Read the rest

Earlier this month, we had our first Senate meeting of the academic year.  One of the main purposes of the Senate is to hold the Sabbatical Officers to account. At each of the meeting, our officers give an update on their plan and students can ask questions about progress.

Union Senate also monitors the work of our Zone Committees, Union Officers and Trustee Board, check considerable expenditure by the Students’ Union and takes decisions on major Union issues. These meetings are open to everyone – any student can speak at and take part in Senate meetings, but only the members … Read the rest

Hi, it’s Evie Reilly, VP Democracy and Creative Industries for 2017/18. Earlier this month we held our first Making Change Summit (+AGM) and it was fantastic to see so many of you getting involved and voicing your opinions. Along with getting your quick comments on the Concourse, we also hosted more in-depth debates and discussions throughout the day in Bar 2, and here is a brief overview of some of the issues explored. We were also pleased to launch our first Representation Report a project headed by VP Education, Samuel Dedman, which will explore how we are working … Read the rest

Hello there! My name is Evie Reilly – the Vice-President Democracy & Creative Industries for 2017/18. The end of term may be fast approaching, but we at the Students’ Union have today launched our first All Student Vote of the year.

The University is entering a period of restructure led by the Vice-Chancellor. As part of this, a 7% reduction in staff costs has been announced, with 50 to 75 academic staff posts at risk from across six departments. The University have claimed this restructure will not negatively impact student experience. A shortened version of the report given to Union … Read the rest