Your Officers.

Union President- Jake Kitchiner:

uuspresident@shu.ac.uk

Facebook: Hallam Union-pres (Jake Kitchiner)

0114 225 3458

Hello, I’m Jake and I am your Union President for 11/12. It’s my aim to ensure Hallam Union is a democratic and inclusive place for students and to develop stronger links with international, mature and part-time students. I am here to listen to what you want from your Union so make sure you give me your feedback and ideas either in person or in email.

Presidents update – 09/11/11

Voting – elections (officer full time + part time)

Elections are the most important part of the union (it’s why officers are here at least). So over the last week students have been bouncing around the Union trying to gain votes for the latest election. Look out for the results on the website. IF YOU WANT TO BE A FULL TIME OFFICER NEXT YEAR —- Come into our office, or email me your interest. We can help you through the process and give you more info, as now is the time to start thinking about it!!!

Money – Do you have any, or has the loan/bursary run out?

Funds are always tight around this time, it’s dinner for £1.50 and a night out for a fiver, but it’s the same every year. So I’ve been chatting with the guys at uni – and as a result they are looking at the potential to increase the amount of funding for students – even at this time of cuts, aren’t they good!

Graduations

Graduation fortnight starts next week. It’s great to hear from our old students on how they’re doing, and see some of the old regulars. We will be at alot of the ceremonies, but it’s about the time students should start speaking with tutors about their next steps after university, so get on it!

Weekly updates

I’ll be updating weekly from now on, so keep checking the page for what I’ve been up to one week, what’s going on the next and how you can get involved.

“If you underestimate yourself then you allow others to as well” Jake kitchiner 2011

My latest news

So we’ve had a lot of new students hitting the website, asking questions on facebook and email, so here are some answers:

Accommodation

Most have been around accommodation as the panic sets in but there is no real need to worry. You will most likely receive confirmation this week, but the main reasons for delay are late applications, or those of you who had a conditional offer from Hallam as your insurance choice. So don’t panic, but keep on top of it!

Welcome weeks and night events

It’s fun to socialise and go out when you get to uni. Meeting new friends or for those returning. To set yourself up for the year ahead it’s important to come to all our fairs throughout the 1st 2 weeks, and take advantage of all the opportunities we have. The 1st couple of weeks are renowned for the parties and to be honest in Sheffield they are pretty good. We’ve got the biggest one on Sunday 18th at fresher’s fest (12 hour party, with rides, laser quest casino and more), and a full programme of events on after that.

What our plans are for the year

Winning for students – we’re going to be asking a lot of questions of what our students want to see change. A big issue is around finance and we’re working on how we can put more money in student’s pockets.

We’re also going to be setting some targets for the next few years, and seeing what students believe is the minimum standard the union should offer, so look out on the website for updates, drop us an email, or alternatively come see us in the office.

Looking forward to seeing you all,

Jake

Jake’s original manifesto:

1. WHAT EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS I BRING TO THE ROLE

As the current welfare and community officer at Hallam Union I have a really good understanding of the organisation and how it works. From this I have transferable skills that would allow me make the transition smoothly into the new role. In the role of president you are responsible for co-ordinating the work of the officer team and ensuring their accountability to its student members. I think my experience will allow me to really engage students with the officer team and what they do, and improve the student experience.

2. IN THIS ROLE I WILL ACHIEVE FOR STUDENTS

As president I would have 3 main priorities: 1. Engage with all students This is central to any representative role and something that should be central at the union. I believe as president I would prioritise my time to work with students so that all our members were able to engage with the union and be represented. Not only the traditional students, but also our international students who have a real want to get involved in union activities, as well as part time students, postgraduate students and those who spend large periods of time on placement, such as our nursing and teaching students. As I would want all students to feel the union has something to offer them. 2. Re-vamp the commercial services There was once a time when students held the union’s student nights dear to their hearts, and now we are at a point where attendance is suffering. I would like to see a reinvigoration of our commercial services and for our students to be involved through an entertainments committee and have a real say in the events we run. 3. Ensure in a time of cuts all our member services remain open and improving… Speaks for itself…

3. STUDENTS SHOULD VOTE FOR ME BECAUSE:

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING, YOU WRITE THE FUTURE