It has been a while!!

I know I know I haven’t done this in a very ling time and I apologise for that. I think the last was in August 2010 my bad!

So there’s a fair bit to cover like the whole of last year and the start of this year, but I’m going to narrow it down and just bring you all up to date with the world of activities and the Guild as a whole.

First of all can I say thanks again to all those that re elected me, and hopefully you have faith in me to carry out my role. But being a second year sabb has proven to help me a lot, now that I should know what I’m doing, creating change and analysing where we are falling short is something I can address and make lasting change to better the deal for students. First of all I’m going to highlight something that myself and Jon Antionazzi brought back last year and which we are now seeing its teeth is The Courier, our re launch and revamp of the student newspaper is going from strength to strength due to the hard work of the new committee, I can only see it growing and getting better and better every issue, and I am so glad to see student media growing and making a bold statement across campus, if you do have an interest get here and get involved it’s a fantastic way to spend your spare time.

Perhaps one of the most pressing issues that I am trying to deal with currently is the societies grant, at this moment in time the pot is not big enough, and in turn we have managed to douple it this year from the original £2000 to £4000, which in my opinion is still not enough and I will be approaching the university with a proposal that is already written, very soon to have the support for our clubs and societies increased dramatically. The £4000 has now been allocated to all of those societies that applied, to fund some fantastic projects.

We are also in the process along with the university in finding a secure storage facility for clubs and societies. So that all equipment is not stored in student houses and clogging up bedrooms, once an area has been identified we will be clearing it out and getting your stuff in there and working on a process to make sure that it is safe and secure. So we can free up those hallways and kitchens from the training gear, amps and hoodies.

Further more this year we have changed the way in which the Athletic Union is structured and I just want to thank you all who have helped and been patient in the process. The grant application process has changed to give even more lasting change to the clubs and try to promote even more development. The grant funding has been allocated and we look forward to seeing some development going on.

This year we have also secured some alumni funding for some portable floodlights which will be an invaluable tool for all our clubs, to aid in training during the winter. We are currently waiting on the funds to be raised and we will hopefully see them purchased in the New Year.  Within activities we are also trying to produce a strategic plan for sports clubs and societies to take to the university, in highlighting how important they are to the student experience! Something that we will be asking for your feedback, through surveys which will be sent out in due course, to make sure you’re involved in the process.

There are many other things on the cards, not to mention all the events coming up in the second semester. From Varsity, Superteams and societies quiz. There are plenty of ideas coming around so please if you have anything bring it in and I will do my best to help you out.

Just on a final note it was great to see so many people coming to the first general meeting, it was fantastic to see some true student politics coming through. And please make sure you head to the next one where some pretty hefty policies are coming through.

And thanks to all that completed the survey, we really appreciate you taking the time to fill it in, and all information and trends that you have gathered we will be trying to deliver by the end of this academic year. Thanks Again!

Keep popping in people, trust me I will help you with anything (within reason) to my utmost ability, and I promise to make you all more aware of the wins we have on the activities front.

I promise to do more of these even though it pains me to say this I’ve quite enjoyed writing this even as an anti social media kind of guy!

Cheers

Min

Note:  Please find attached breakdowns for grants to clubs and societies below!!

Attachments:

Breakdown of Grants to Sports Clubs	[ ]	152 Kb
Breakdown of Grants to Societies	[ ]	61 Kb