MAGAZINE #13

Every Monday at

Every first Monday of the month in

Every Wednesday at

4 /// Hello from your new co-editor

Introduction from your new co-editor

Carl Turner.

6 /// Coffee House Sessions Part 1

LOUD talks to coffee house sessions star,

Axel Jansson.

8 /// Coffee House Sessions Part 2

LOUD sits down with Natalie Gauci and

Ady Suleiman to talk about their live

sets in The Lounge.

10 /// Accommodation Stories

Students talk about life within the walls

of accommodation.

14 /// Bulls TV Round-Up

Round up of all the results from the

teams across the university.

16 /// Exec’s Review

We review our elected executive officers

and how they are fairing midway through

the year.

20 /// Student Council

Find out when and where you can make

sure you ideas and thoughts are heard.

22 /// STEPs is back

Have a idea you want to pitch? Well step

into the Dragon’s Den.

Could you write for loud?

Whether you’re a journalism student,

interested in writing or just looking for a

way to flex your creative muscles, we’re

always on the look out for contributors.

Got a story?

Stumbled on something you think we

should be covering? Let us know about it

and it could make a future issue!

facebook.com/bedssutwitter.com/bedsloudloud@beds.ac.uk

Issue #13November

2015

Edited by

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Gregg Sullivan

Carl Turner

Artwork by

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Joel Vaughan

Pascual Denis-Johnson

Matthew Bonnar

Student Contributors

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Louis Porcelli

Shane MacDermott

Charlie Corbett

Keanu Rattray

Joel Pattison

Beth Wall

Frank Dutton

Laura Bright

Executive Officers

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Hello, fellow students! It is a genuine honour to be the new editor of LOUD Magazine. I thought it would be rather appropriate to let you all know a little bit about me, before I start editing your magazine.

I’m a second year Broadcast Journalism student here at UoB, I love politics and law and have taken a special interest in them over the course of my degree. I also love to sail, teaching sailing to people back home in Suffolk and I love being out on the water.

I know, I know, you don’t really care about what I like, you’re interested in what I’m going to bring to LOUD I get it, you should be concerned, because LOUD is, always has been, and always will be, YOUR student magazine. That’s not going to change.

Students need to have a voice, they need to be heard! Your opinion matters! So we here at LOUD want to make sure that you are. We want your content, we want your views, and we want your opinions.

Someone needs to hold the uni to account, right? I think that it should be the students, and we are here to provide a platform for you to do that.

If you have a story you think we should be investigating, or you have a piece that you have written yourself, then please do get in touch. You can email it to loud@beds.ac.uk, we do read all emails. Or, if you simply want to say hi, or share your thoughts with me, you can tweet me @carldavidturner.

I look forwards to serving you!

Carl Turner, co-editor of LOUD Magazine.

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DyslexiaArthritis

ADHD

Fibromyalgia

Crohn’sDisease

Disability History MonthDisability History Month is an annual event that was first started in 2010. It aims to create a platform every year that can be used to focus on the struggles of those with disabilities through history, with particular emphasis on highlighting the struggle for equality and human rights.At Beds SU we have a number of elected student officers representing all of the students who study at the University of Bedfordshire. Sean McGeever is the Disability Student Officer for Bedford Campus and Suzie Plumbley is the Disability Student Officer for Luton Campus.

Sean and SuzieWhat does Disability History Month mean to you?Suzie: It means a lot to me because it shows how far we have come over the years. Years ago learning disabilities were not well known and treatments for some disabilities were horrific. Modern medicine and modern technology have come so far and I think that needs to be highlighted.

Have you ever had an awkward moment with someone, in regards to your Disability?Sean: All of the time. When I’m out people speak to my friends about me, asking questions rather than ask me. Personally I think why they do that is due to the fact that the main areas that people interact with others exclude and segregate a vast amount of disabled people. People don’t have the chance to learn about impairments from those with them.

Why do you think it is important that Disability History Month is acknowledged and celebrated?Suzie: It’s important to acknowledge how far we’ve come and yes, we still have a long way to go but it’s better now than it was 40 or 50 years ago. There’s more help for people with disabilities now and that should be celebrated.Sean: It’s important so we can celebrate the work of user led organisations such as the Direct Action Network, to help break down elements of barriers which affect the full participation of disabled people in society and to engage others in breaking down the barriers that still exist.

What are your plans this year?Suzie: I want to raise awareness in a fun way. I hope to make the lives of students with disabilities a lot better.Sean: I plan to set up a disabled student’s network on the Bedford Campus in which people can come together and discuss issues that affect disabled people on campus and in society.

Beds SU celebrates, represents and engages with students from a wide variety of backgrounds with varying degrees of disability. Disability History Month starts on the 22nd of November and ends on the 22nd of December but we believe it should be thought about all year round.To find out more, visit: www.ukdhm.org

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Interview with Axel JanssonWHERE DID YOUR LOVE FOR ALTERNATIVE FOLK MUSIC COME FROM?I think it started pretty early on, like I was ten years old, I started lis-tening to a lot of my Father’s vinyl collection. He is a big music lover. My passion came out of that, I was listening to singing song-writers of the 60s and 70s. I probably got inspired by that era of music and then I got into more of guitar-playing. I just focused on certain things and got inspired.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING SONGS FOR?I started when I was about 14-15, if you could call those songs, but that’s when I started getting into it. I couldn’t really sing and we needed a singer, but we couldn’t find anyone. So, I just forced myself and in the end of the day it really worked out.

SO, WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF SONG-WRITING LIKE FOR YOU?Usually I write most of my songs on acoustic guitar. And I always start with a combination of a melody and some cord progression. From there I build the song. So, the lyrics are the last thing I do.

I usually make up weird words, it’s mix of Swedish and English, just random words that go along with the melody. I’m trying to build every section of the song. It can happen in half an hour or it may take a long period of time, like four months. I think, people write songs in different ways, but for me the melodic part comes very naturally.

MY DREAM COLLABORATION? I’M A BIG FAN OF BLUES MUSIC, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF BLUES GUITARISTS THAT I

WOULD LIKE TO PLAY WITH. EVERYTHING FROM ERIC CLAPTON TO, FORTUNATELY, BB KING. HE WAS ONE OF MY BIG

TIME FAVOURITES. I’M A BIG JOHN MAYER FAN TOO, IF YOU CONSIDER MORE CONTEMPORARY STUFF.

CERTAIN THINGS - LIKE WHAT?Everything from lyrics to guitar playing. So, I’m very influenced by some of the guitar players and even if I don’t sound like them, I still get the inspiration and do my own thing.

YOU ARE ABOUT TO RELEASE YOUR EP. HOW IS THAT COMING ALONG?On Saturday it’s a release. I’ve been working with the production and management teams for a few years on this one. Basically, we’ve been putting together bits and pieces, we didn’t want to miss out on something.

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Interview with Axel Jansson

DO THE LYRICS COME FROM THINGS LIKE YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES?YEAH, OF COURSE. THEY COME FROM, SAY, OTHER PEOPLE’S STORIES, RELATIONSHIPS AND SO ON...

MY DREAM COLLABORATION? I’M A BIG FAN OF BLUES MUSIC, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF BLUES GUITARISTS THAT I

WOULD LIKE TO PLAY WITH. EVERYTHING FROM ERIC CLAPTON TO, FORTUNATELY, BB KING. HE WAS ONE OF MY BIG

TIME FAVOURITES. I’M A BIG JOHN MAYER FAN TOO, IF YOU CONSIDER MORE CONTEMPORARY STUFF.

DO YOU HAVE A BAND RIGHT NOW?I’ve got my own band, yes. We have 2 set-ups, we have a whole production thing, as it on the CD, and when we do tours like this we have a more acoustic set. We have two bass players as well.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING MUSIC, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?It’s a hard question, because from early on, when I first picked up a guitar, I knew that that’s what I want to be doing, definitely something creative. My other passion is vintage watches actually, so maybe that’s another connection.

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Interviews with natalie gauci and ady suleiman

WE KNOW THAT YOU WON THE AUSTRALIAN IDOL IN 2007. WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER LIKE BEFORE THAT AND HOW DID IT CHANGE IT? (NATALIE GAUCI)I WAS DOING A LOT OF CLOSET SONG-WRIT-ING. SO, I KEPT IT ALL IN, NEVER SHOWED ANYONE. I HAD AN OLD TAPE RECORDER AND I USED TO SING, PLAY THE PIANO AND RECORD IT. SO, ALL MY SONG WERE ADDING UP AND ADD-ING UP. I WAS DOING CO-OP-ERATE GIGS ON THE SIDE TO MAKE MONEY AND ALSO SOME TEACHING, BUT I NEV-ER PLAYED PIANO IN ANY GIGS. AND ONE TIME I JUST THOUGHT THAT I WILL TRY MYSELF IN THIS SHOW BECAUSE IT MAY HELP ME GET A GOOD PLATFORM, AN EXPOSURE TO GET MYSELF OUT THERE. I DIDN’T KNOW THAT IT WAS GO-ING TO BE THAT BIG.

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Interviews with natalie gauci and ady suleiman

HOW DID YOU START DOING MUSIC? (ADY SULEIMAN)I’ve always been interested in music. I wanted to do it as a career when I was about 13-14. I thought I would love to be a musician, an artist playing all over the world. But I didn’t believe in myself. I’m from a very small town Grantham and no one else was really doing music, so it didn’t seem like I was meant to do it.

I didn’t know how to get into it and I was scared to tell my parents that I want to do music, thinking they would say that it’s stupid. It was only until I was 18 when I thought f*ck, you only live once. And my parents were happy, and my school was the same. I’ve been very happy to have great support from people around me. As soon as I found the confidence everyone, else was like, this is a great idea.

YOU ARE NOW AT THE START OF YOUR COFFEE HOUSE TOUR. DO YOU ENJOY IT AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS FORMAT? (NATALIE GAUCI)I LIKE IT VERY MUCH. IT’S VERY, VERY COOL. I CHOSE THIS FORMAT BECAUSE I’M BEING SPONSORED BY A PHONE COMPANY CALLED HONOR AND WE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO LAUNCH BOTH OF US TOGETHER THIS WAY AS A PART OF OUR INITIATION AS A BRAND.

WHAT INFLUENCED ‘THE SCORE’ AND ‘SHE STATE OF MIND’ EPS? (ADY SULEIMAN)The things on those Eps I’ve had since I was like 19, and I’m 23 now. It is difficult to say because over the course of those years my taste for music has changed. What influenced it was probably reggae, R’n’B, generally black culture and black music. Anything that’s blues, jazz, reggae, hip-hip (massive fan of hip-hop), all of those genres I like to put into my music. My music is not strictly reggae or R’n’B, it’s come out of everything like it.

COULD YOU IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT MUSIC. (NATALIE GAUCI)I WOULDN’T BE ALIVE! I’M SERIOUS, MUSIC IS CATHARTIC TO ME. WHENEVER I GET UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING OR DEPRESSED, I JUST PLAY MUSIC AND IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER. AND THEN I MAKE SONGS OUT OF THAT. SOME-TIMES I COLLABORATE WITH PEOPLE, LIKE TAKE THEM TO PRODUCERS SO THEY CREATE MAGIC AROUND IT TOO.

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST PERFORMANCE YOU’VE HAD THIS FAR? (ADY SULEIMAN)It was Glastonbury festival, I got to play there two years ago. It was crazy. In the career things I wanted to tick off, Glastonbury was one of them and I was really privileged to have done it so early in my career. I hope to do it again some day.

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? (ADY SULEIMAN)Oh, I was f*ing nervous! With all those cameras around, it was going out on BBC and there were some swear words in my songs and these guys told me that I cannot swear. I was nervous already and didn’t know how to change the songs to cut them out. So I just went on, and used them anyway. Later they put some messages apologising for the language, and my friends were laughing, taking photos of me. I was very nervous, but you have to put your nervousness in your performance. In life, you want to do stuff that makes you nervous. If you don’t, then what is the point? You want to improve yourself and your skills. So, it’s important to do things that challenge you. It’s good to be nervous.

WHAT IS THE NEXT INSTRUMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN PLAYING? (ADY SULEIMAN)Trumpet, probably. I’d love to be able to sing and play trumpet solo. And also, not a lot of my friends play it, so when it comes to recording the music, I have people to cover the guitar, base, piano and drums, but when I do horns, I don’t know many who can play it.

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Accommodation

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Accommodation Stories

Last year, I wrote in LOUD about the delays that students were facing when registering for their courses at the university. This year, the big talking point for freshers seems to be all about accommodation, and Joel Pattison went to find out why people were getting so up-in-arms.

The accommodation provider endorsed by the University of Bedfordshire, Campus Living Villages, has come under attack from students over their high prices. The money-stricken freshers are paying between £650 and £705 a month to live in Fitzroy Court, at the student village. Benjamin Stark, who lives in Fitzroy, claims that the accommodation is not worth the money and he finds it hard to afford essentials due to the high rent.

He said: “It is very close to the campus which is a positive but it is not worth £650 a month.“The bedrooms are a good size but the beds are so uncomfortable, the en-suite bathrooms are very small and the showers flood the bathrooms.“Paying for the essentials is hard due to the amount I have to pay, there is a lot of equipment I need for one of my classes but I can not afford it.

“On top of the monthly rent you have to pay for the washing ma-chines and dryers provided which adds up to even more money.“I have friends who share a house nearby for £350 a month each and it is a lot nicer than my accommodation.”A University of Bedfordshire spokesperson claims all of theaccommodation provided is of the highest order and is good value for money.He said: “All of our halls, including the premium accommodation offered by Fitzroy Court, are in line with other universities in the sector.“Our student accommodation has rooms to suit all budgets; from studio flats and kitchenettes and en-suites, to non-en-suite bedrooms. “In addition, we provide proximity to London without the prices of the capital.

“We are committed to ensuring a life-enhancing student experience that, equally, places focus on affordability and value for money.”The spokesperson added: “All of our accommodation at Luton and Bedfordshire has 24-hour-on-site laundry facilities, inclusive Wi-Fi and utilities, as well as great social areas.

But that isn’t all, residents are also a little bit miffed after get-ting stuck in a lift after a fire alarm drill. Beth Wall found out what happened, and spoke to some of those involved!

Panic hit Fitzroy Court after nine people were trapped in the lift following a routine fire alarm.Angel Lyons, 18, who originally lives in central London but now is studying at University of Bedfordshire, was one of the nine students who got stuck mid-afternoon.The incident happened after management of Fitzroy Court set off their weekly practice fire alarm.The whole building was evacuated for around 20 minutes and when the students went back into the halls, nine people entered the lift to go back up to their flats, which were all on the 6th floor and above.

The fire service were called once the students had raised the alarm; aided by the maintenance team of Fitzroy, they were freed after the 20 minutes of fear.Miss Lyons who was left terrified after the ordeal, also had a panic attack inside of the lift when she realised it was stuck.She said: “It was very cramped and getting unbearably hot.“I had a panic attack and claustrophobia began to creep in, staying calm was practically impossible.”

The lift in question seems to have many maintenance issues, a lot of the time it has been out of order or tests are being run on it to see what the underlying issue is.Another concern that was raised by Miss Lyons was that the intercom within the lift didn’t seem to be working, which meant that it took longer for the students to be discovered and then communication was limited, as they had to speak through the closed doors of the lift.

The social care student added: “I usually would have to take the lift as I live on the 10th floor of the building but after this I will never step foot in the lift again, only the stairs from now on!”A spokesperson from the university stated how dangerous it was for the students to attempt using the lift after a fire alarm. They said: “Students are advised to never use a lift during a fire alarm, in keeping with health and safety, which is a key priority for the University.

“As such, Campus Living Villages intend to arrange additional briefings regarding fire safety and will be in touch with students in due course.”

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Round-Up

MENS HOCKEY TEAM CRUMBLE AT FIRST HURDLE

before a deadly double on the stroke of half-time from captain Isejom saw the Bulls go in at the break five down.Just after the interval, May and Boldero were both shown yellow cards, with the latter lucky to escape a straight red for a dangerous sliding challenge on the visitors’ right-back.

Mash conjured up a moment of magic for his third, leaving defender Chu doubled his tally by bundling in a flick from Isejom, before the skipper bagged a hat-trick of his own on the hour mark. George MacDonald sealed the rout five minutes from time with a regulation push.

Words by Shane MacDermott

Hat-tricks from Tevin Mash and captain George Isejom saw the

University of Bedfordshire Men’s hockey team dumped out of the BUCS Midlands Conference Cup in the first round.

The De Monfort side were reduced to ten-men early on, when Julien Schenoh was green carded for tackling from the wrong side. The Bulls could not take advantage of the extra man, and were soon behind as Mash scored twice in two minutes after stopper Ryan Marner made a reaction save with his left knee early on.

Debutant Jesse Chu trebled the lead, pushing in from close range,

BEDFORDSHIRE BULLS WOMENS

BASKETBALL TEAM CAME FROM BEHIND

TO WIN

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BEDFORDSHIRE BULLS WOMENS

BASKETBALL TEAM CAME FROM BEHIND

TO WINThe Bedfordshire Bulls Luton second team

fought back to beat the University of Birmingham to move on the next round of the Midlands Conference Cup. Bedfordshire

started the first quarter strong as they held Birmingham to only three points.

Beatriz Cruz made a highlight play as she made a flashy bounce pass in the lane to Mohamed for the easy layup.The second quarter belonged to the away side as they held the Bulls scoreless in that quarter.The home side stayed scoreless for 17 minutes of play until Mohamed broke the Bulls offensive drought in the third quarter.

Play was stopped early in the third after Zoeya Muton went down due to a sprained ankle.Bedfordshire then took over as Cruz’s three-pointer tied the game at 23.

This sparked a 19-4 run and resulted in the Bulls advancing to the next round of the cup.The Bulls coach Tope Alli-Balogun was impressed with the teams second half performance.He said: “It was a bit of a helter-skelter start, but it’s early in the season.“Overall, our second half performance killed the other team off and that’s what we need.

Words by Keanu Rattray

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Bedfordshire Bulls Badminton team started their campaign on a high with a two-game victory over Northampton Stallions. The home sides’ star player, Roshan Rajorla, won all of his matches allowing Bedfordshire to get their season off to the perfect start with a 5-3 victory.Rajorla set the theme early on as he stormed his way through the early encounters winning 21-5 and 21-7 against Northampton’s Mengtao Li.

After a bad start in the singles, Northampton knew they needed to produce something good in the doubles. Northampton’s Mashing Wong and Lorenz Delos Santos beat Bedfordshire’s Christian Shanks and Priyank Gahlot comfortably with scores of 21-10 and 21-8 despite a strong performance late in the game from Gahlot.

In an epic match, Peter Tubbs and Rauzan Iqrarn beat David Todd and Benjamin Schlheck 21-19 and again with a 21-14 win. Vu was also getting into his groove and beat Li 21-4 and 21-13.

Words by Charlie Corbett

BEDFORDSHIRE BULLS BADMINTON TEAM START CAMPAIGN WITH WIN

Bedfordshire Bulls Futsal captain Phil Lant was pleased with the team’s second half performance, which helped secure the win in their first league fixture of the season. Faisal Qadri scored a hat-trick, two goals from Lant, Peter McDonald and Carl Tappin, along with a diving header from Stefan Whyte-Linton.

Lant said: “The performance was good, but sloppy at times [in the first half]. But in the second half, when we played futsal, we can just rip teams apart, and it needs to be more of the same.“We went unbeaten in the [Midlands 2B] league, we also won the [Midlands Conference] cup.

“For the upcoming season, we’re looking to do the same again. We want to win everything.”Get Into Sport runs a futsal session from 6-8pm at Bedford campus for anyone who wants to get involved in the sport, which can potentially lead to joining the 1st team.

Words by Louis Porcelli

BEDFORDSHIRE BULLS FUTSAL GRAB FIRST WIN OF THE CAMPAIGN

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VARSITYcoming soon

1515

beds su presidentCharlie hughes vice president

Welfare & equalityFour months into my post as President and I’m not quite sure if circumstances have allowed me to take up that role in its entirety to be honest! During the summer Beds SU’s Chief Executive Officer Michele Flynn left the organisation and since then (with the help of colleagues and interim support) I think I can go as far as saying I’ve stepped into that role in some capacity.

Over the last few months I’ve secured additional funding for the CEO post which has allowed us to use a specialist headhunting agency to attract a very strong pool of candidates. Alongside this appointment (which comes to an end on Monday 30th November) I’ve also been leading on the recruitment of two other senior posts which I see as crucial roles in the development of this SU.

Although this all seems very administrative and boring it’s been so exciting leading on this recruitment project which I know will take us as a Union to the next level (and beyond!).

Other notable projects include PREVENT, working on Consumer Marketing Authority guidance to improve transparen-cy and fairness in the university, employ-ability and of course the National Union of Students #CutTheCosts campaign.

In short, super excited for the future, loving having students back on campus and enjoying every second on the job with the new team!

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beds su president

melissa wilson

vice president

Welfare & equality

W ow, I actually can’t believe it’s only been five months. It feels as though I’ve been

in this role for so much longer. These months in my post have been a whirlwind of the good kind of crazy. I have attended several NUS conferences, met some fantastic people and I have become a member of the Direction and Oversight Board for Quality at the NUS and an NUS Delegate.

I also made a start on my first manifesto point very early on and in a bid to make it easier for those seeking welfare advice I updated all the information on the Beds SU website and created links with organizations in the community. I spent a great deal of time working on Fresher’s Angels training and Fresher’s itself along with the rest of the team, but I had my own project during Fresher’s as I included Beds SU and all of our contacts in the Wellbeing themed days during the first week. Over the last few months I have created the

Exec Team Takeover radio lab show which is lots of fun to do with the team, held events for Black History Month, worked on Around the World at Beds with Steve Owen and helped to encourage student officers on their own projects. I have sat on a panel that were given a sum of money to spend on access issues for people with disability and I have planned several events that are still yet to come! I’m enjoying it, although some days are harder than those before them, working with the team makes it easier and much more enjoyable. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings and oddly – I’m really looking forward to elections!

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vice presidenteducation

vice president

activities & engagement

steve owen tara alade

Not far off halfway through our year in the role, it’s been eventful and a great experience. I didn’t really know what to expect when I first started but I’ve really enjoyed it. During the summer I tried to get as many of my manifesto points rolling which has gone well.

But working here you really don’t know what you might end up doing the next day. Around the world at Beds was the first cultural event that Melissa and myself organised which was a great experience and it went really well!

I’m also trying to help improve the partner-ship with Get Into Sport and sports teams to try and strengthen the sports teams and also increase opportunities for students who maybe missed trials or were not originally

successful. Getting a live sports package in The Lounge is still an on-going, however I was successful in being granted funding. If this is successful I would try and look at having The Lounge sponsor some societies to increase engagement.

I have also been trying to set up a ‘Student Safe Taxi Scheme’, which is quite close to being concluded so keep an eye out for that! Sunil our Head of Commercial Ser-vices and Operations has been a great help trying to get these done so a big thanks to him! But it’s been great so far, and really looking forward to whatever we have to face as an Exec team!

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vice presidenteducation

tara aladeThey call me…Vice President, Vice President Education, The last four months of this job has been an absolute journey, from an extremely quiet summer to a manic Fresher’s, giving speeches at various graduation ceremonies and so much more. The last term has been a both exciting and demanding experience in terms of my responsibilities.

I have been on a number of NUS con-ferences across the UK, learning and engaging in the national picture on a wider scale which has been a very in-sightful experience. The ability to gain a number of different understandings by sitting on various university

committees from; Academic Board, Quality Enhancement Committee and even chairing my own committee, Education Committee has been such an amazing opportunity.

I held and organised the Annual UOB/SU conference highlighting the impor-tance of showcasing and shouting about “Good Practice; the good & great” at the University of Bedfordshire.

This conference then brought life to the new campaign called #CelebrateUoB. I really cannot stress that despite the bad days, the back to back meetings and the millions of emails that come through on a daily basis, The most important and

rewarding part of this Job has been my ability to mix with the student body and be a factor of influence for the wider student population here at the university of Bedfordshire.

Thank you to all the students who smiled at me, said ‘hello’ and even gave me a hug this term, You have made coming to work every day 100 times more re-markable. BRING ON TERM TWO BABY!!!

1919

Shape Your Student Union

The Executive Committee (Executive Officers and Student Officers) invite students to regular Student Councils to discuss the way Beds SU is run and to collectively vote on policy proposals that have

been submitted by students. It exists to make sure that students have a say over how Beds SU is run. Everything can be discussed there, from political debate down to your university life experience.

Any student is welcome to be part of the meetings and all students are encouraged to submit new ideas and policy proposals. If those proposals are passed, then they will be immediately incorporated

as Beds SU policy and will mandate the union to be run in a certain way.

At the October Student Council meeting it was suggested by a student that the SU should host less formal ‘coffee forums’ across all campuses in addition to the Student Councils to help spark discus-sion, debate and interest in the councils. The more formal Student Council would then be hosted to create and approve policies that really matter to students. These ‘coffee forums’ will begin in term 2.

This is a prime example of how one student influenced the work of the SU, so get involved!

By, Laura Bright

Students StudentsOfficers(x9 Luton

x9 Bedford)

ExecutiveOfficers

StudentsCouncilChair

Tue 1 Dec, 16:00-18:00 Luton (G320) Bedford (P0.51)

Thu 7 Jan, 16:00-18:00 Luton (G320) Bedford (P0.51)

Thu 11 Feb, 16:00-18:00 Luton (G320) Bedford (P0.51)

Tue 15 Mar, 16:00-18:00 Luton (G320) Bedford (P0.51)

Thu 14 Apr, 16:00-18:00 Luton (G320) Bedford (P0.51)

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Decembeard is a national campaign to raise money to tackle Bowel Cancer. This December men from around the country are growing their facial hair in an attempt to raise money, raise awareness and look rather dashing in the process.

One university student studying on the Bedford Campus has begun spreading the word about this campaign. You may remem-ber Frank Dutton from his feature “What Does It Mean To Be Lucky?” in LOUD #7.

I caught up with him to find out more…“My father died from Bowel Cancer when I was just 2 and there has always been the feeling that something was missing from my

life. Having a good step-dad helped the usual growing up problems, but there was always the nagging doubt in my head ‘how would my dad have helped here’ ‘I wonder how he would have reacted to this?’”

“All through my pro-sports career I often took a quick moment before a game to whisper ‘Hi Dad, hope you’re watching’ “

Nobody should have to go through this and what better way for men to get involved in raising much needed money and awareness then by ditching the razors for a Month and showing support for the campaign.You can grow a beard or (even buy a fake

one ladies) or just donate to either of the following Just-giving pages. You can even donate by text. Just enter DUTT47£(the amount) to 70070. So a £1 donation would be sent as DUTT47£1, £2 would be DUTT47£2 etc

www.justgiving.com/Frank-Dutton1/ or www.justgiving.com/teams/TheBedford-Beards

“Every little bit helps, so go on, pledge, grow or donate. Your help will be much appre-ciated. Any more information needed just contact me or stop me on campus.”

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The 'Student Experience Projects' provide the opportunity for students to make changes to and enhance their experience at the University of Bedfordshire.Students provide the ideas, knowledge and leadership while the University provides the financial backing and guidance to turn ideas into reality. The ideas submitted can relate to any aspect of student life at the University and all ideas are welcome. The initia-tive is backed by the Vice Chancellor's Student Experience Fund. Project ideas are selected through a process of long-listing and shortlisting which culminates in an opportunity to pitch an idea to the Vice Chancellor and to other students.

Following a round of short-listing, the strongest proposals are presented to a Dragons’ Den panel. This is a great opportunity for you to pitch your idea and win the support of your fellow students, as well as securing the funding to make your idea a reality.

You will be supported at every stage of the process by members of the Student Experience Team who can advise on writing a strong proposal and delivering a confident pitch.Steps in numbers…Steps has allocated support to over 30 project ideas and more than £500,000 since it began in 2013. 80 proposals were received during the last academic year. Of these 57 were student led and 23 were staff led. 11 of our 19 Academic departments have participated.There were 3 Dragon’s Den events where 11 pitches were presented. The events brought in more than 250 attendees. 9 Projects were approved of which 5 were student led, 3 staff/student led and 1 staff led project.Funding for the 2015/16 academic year has now been confirmed as £150,000 for new projects.

Important Dates:Round 1 - Proposal deadline 6th November 2015Dragons Den - 7th December 2015 (BEDFORD CAMPUS)Round 2 - Proposal deadline – 29th January 2016Dragons Den – 1st March 2016 (LUTON CAMPUS)

Luton’s community radio station, Radio LaB 97.1FM, which broadcasts from the University of Bedfordshire’s Luton campus, has launched a series of outside broadcasts, following a successful funding bid.The outside broadcasts have been made possible thanks to new equipment purchased following the Radio LaB team winning a successful Student Experience fund (STEPS) bid last year, which provides funding for innovative ideas to im-prove the student experience.

Six outside broadcasts have been scheduled so far, which covered the general election, Luton Carnival and also the University’s Open Day in April, among other events. Putting its new outside

STEPSIS BACK!

broadcast equipment to good use, the station has already successfully broadcast live from the University of Bedfordshire Students’ Union (Beds SU) question time and election results, as well as Varsity, the biggest sporting event of the year between the University of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire’s sports teams. In addition to the outside broadcasts, Radio LaB revamped its brand, sporting a new look, feel and logo, which was voted for by staff and students. The station is also offering its listeners a more friendly schedule with specialist daytime and evening programming.

Commenting on the recent outside broadcasts and branding launch, Terry Lee, Radio LaB Coordinator said: “This is a very exciting time for Radio LaB. With the ability to broadcast live from different locations for the first time, coupled with our branding re-launch, the station has never been better equipped to deliver its mission to showcase local talent and culture than now.“As well as a diverse selection of music, many of our shows include features with interesting discussions, games and much more. Radio LaB is working closely with Beds SU to ensure it is representing student views.“We are also increasing our presence at the University’s Luton and Bedford campuses. All this has been made possible with our new equipment.”

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AROUND THE World at beds On Tuesday 10th and Tuesday 17th November the “Around the World at Beds” events took place in Luton and Bedford. These events were held with the intent to acknowledge and celebrate the wide range of diverse cultures that the University of Bedfordshire currently has.Much time and effort was put in by myself, and Steve Owen (Vice President for Activities and Engagement), along with other members of Beds SU staff in order to make the event a success.

Students and staff were entertained by external and internal organisations such as “The Swingsters”, an energetic dance duo that performed and taught students dances such as the ‘Lindy Hop’, Luton Campus Treehouse brought games from around the world for students to try their hands at and “The Roti Shack” offered free Caribbean cuisine which was greeted with enthusiasm by all.

Students and staff were also treated to beautiful Henna artwork, displays by the African Caribbean Society and Nigerian culture, vibrant Calligraphy in Bedford and sumptuous food from the Beds SU team. There was also plenty of networking for everyone to get involved with.Beds SU are always proud of the cultural diversity we have at the Universi-ty of Bedfordshire and love to take every opportunity to make the most of students and staff experiences in this unique way. We would like to thank all how got involved and helped to make this such a wonderful experience for all.

By Melissa Wilson, VP of Welfare & Equality

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