Content warning: mentions of rape. 

After feeling uninformed of the support available to her at university, fourth-year student, Sarah teamed up with SUSU, SCA Society and MedSoc to introduce new consent workshops to the Faculty of Medicine.

“Unfortunately, during my years of university, I have been raped. When this happened, I felt alone and uninformed of the support available at university. I felt that educational systems had failed to educate my colleague on what consent means and how it applies to our lives,” says Sarah.

“I’ve now been able to find support at the Enabling Services which have allowed me

Isabella, VP Welfare and Lucy, SUSU Ethics and Environment Officer, helped plant 10 oak trees at Wide Lane Sports Centre as a result of the Sports & Wellbeing Centre’s pledge to work towards offsetting its carbon footprint.

Isabella and Lucy were invited to plant the trees to commemorate both their roles as Union Sustainability Officers. “I am really happy to see departments at the University making sustainable pledges like this,” says Isabella.

“Thank you Sport and Wellbeing and University Sustainability Manager for inviting SUSU Ethics and Environment officer and I to come along and help plant the trees, … Read the rest

Today is National Stress Awareness Day – an opportunity to take a moment to think about your wellbeing and find advice or support on managing stress. We’re getting the conversation started with this week’s Welfare Wednesday Podcast 👇🎧

This week we’re joined by Kiana, President of the Mind Society to talk all things stress at Uni.

An NUS survey found that 87% of students experienced stress at Uni. Deadlines, assignments, managing your money and being away from family and friends can all trigger stress. If you feel like you need help or would just like someone to talk to, … Read the rest

Boo! It’s almost Halloween! Which means it’s almost that time of year where the student housing nightmare begins. Every year the rumours about all the good houses being gone begin to circulate, the rush of panicked house viewings start and deposits are begrudgingly handed over.

But what if we told you it didn’t have to be this way, that it’s OK to take your time, choose your new housemates wisely and that you don’t have to rush to rent?!

Sounds pretty good huh? Listen to our Welfare Wednesday podcast below to hear some student housing horror stories, sound advice … Read the rest

Our world is constantly changing. Some changes are natural and some are our responsibility. Join us in a series of of activities for Change Our World Week (Monday 23 April – Friday 27 April) to do some amazing things for our planet!

Monday 23 April

Meat Free Monday

Try something new today at The Bridge, The Café  and The Shop!

The Bridge – 10% discount on all vegetarian and vegan meals.

The Café – 10% discount on our vegetarian and vegan range of products (breakfast, burgers and Quorn nuggets only).

The Shop – vegetarian and vegan sandwiches and … Read the rest

During Expect Respect Week (Monday 16 April – Friday 20 April) we will be running events and activities which focus on healthy, respectful relationships – whether these are friendships, romantic and sexual relationships, families, or the relationship you have with yourself! #ExpectRespect

Monday 16 April

Give yourself a positive message today! We will be leaving sprinkles of positivity around the Union, so keep your eyes peeled…

Tuesday 17 April

Resilience Workshop // 13:00 – 14:45 // Meeting Room 2, Floor 1, Building 42

This workshop will teach you practical skills to help you remain calm and handle the stressful situations life … Read the rest

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

Hey everyone, it’s Arun Aggarwal (VP Student Communities) and Sam Higman (VP Welfare) here.

This year we’ve seen a rise in the number of reported issues around harassment come to the Sabbatical team, and be publicly risen. Because of this, we have worked alongside the Stand Up To Racism Society to better the Union’s method of reporting harassment and allow us to gather data.

We have come up with a new service to facilitate how to report those issues and how we can provide support to affected people. This new service will be in the shape of an online form … 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 everyone, Sam Higman here. As part of the Sustainability remit of my role as VP Welfare, I have been liaising with relevant Union staff to make more changes to ensure that we are as sustainable as we can possibly be.

As a result, I can now announce that from Monday 20 November, all outlets at the Students’ Union will be able to offer 10p off every hot drink when the customer uses their own reusable mug*! This is really positive, and it will undoubtedly help the Union to reduce our consumption of takeaway coffee cups.

The United Kingdom uses … Read the rest