University of East London Students’ Union · PDF fileUniversity of East London Students’ Union ... we ensured that there was a fair and activities taken to students rather than

IMPACT REPORT 2015/16University of East London Students’ Union

“Inspiring & Empowering students to overcome the barriers to their aspirations”

We will ensure that every UEL student has an exceptional and diverse University experience that makes them feel valued, supported and empowered to break through any barrier that stands between them and their aspirations.

UELSU Impact Report 2015/16 2

“”

Contents

Presidents’ Welcome

VCG Welcome

3.4.

Officers5.Campaigns11.Democracy & Student Engagement

Advice

14.23.

Moving Forward

Segmentation

25.28.

UELSU Impact Report 2015/163

Message from the Outgoing Students’ Union President

Message from the Incoming Students’ Union President

A lot of work has been done under the leadership of this Executive team to not only build their legacy, but to build a legacy and credibility for our Students’ Union. Continuing on the journey we had set on last year, we re-launched successful campaigns such as ‘International Week’, ‘Know Your Officer, Know Your Tutor’ and ‘Voter Registration’. Tackling mental health, we highlighted the support mechanisms and held elections which saw a 19% turnout giving us the second best turnout we’ve ever had. With a record number of quorate council meetings, dozens of burning issues were dis-cussed and responded to. Never before in its history has the University of East London Students’ Union had such a clear direction of travel, created, shaped and clearly outlined

by more than 1800 students. Following a year of reviewing and reflecting, our Students’ Union in collaboration with Redbrick Research have de-veloped a strategy to work on for the next three years. Our students’ voices, views, concerns and aspirations has helped us to go through a period of honest reflection and ensure that we remain linked and relevant to our mem-bers’ needs and desires. As a democratic and student-led organisation, reviewing our governance documents and structures was something that was enacted this academic year, leaving us with a new constitution and placing our Union in a safer and more credible position than ever before. I am confident that our Union is currently in its most knowledgeable position to respond and enact upon your feed-back and make your vision our mission. It would be fatal for anyone to ignore our democracy, our voice and our plan for our Union. The future of our Union belongs to each and every single member.”

Hi Everyone, My name is Stephen Amanwo and I will be your new President as of July 2016. This has been a tremendous year and I’m glad to say that I played a small part of it i.e. standing in the elections and helping the Union achieve a 19% turnout. But it is important to note that the a lot of the work has been done by the outgoing officers under the leadership of Adrian Patsalos. As the new incoming president, my main priority would be to work on our strategic plan and ensure that we deliver upon our six critical missions; which I have listed below: 1. Life Skills: supporting an active programme of student-led activity2. Representation: involving UEL students in all academic decision-making3. Championing Diversity: supporting the needs of individuals and communities4. Sense of Belonging: providing opportunities to discover and explore passions5. Breaking down Barriers: impacting students’ everyday lives and lifelong prospects6. Long-term Success: equipping students with new skills and experiences which will make them more employable My team and I would not be able to achieve any of our mission critical goals without the support of our student body and thus welcome all students to approach us with any concerns, ideas or aspirations they have, so that we could build on the success of this year.

- Adrian Patsalos

- Stephen Amanwo


Message from the VCG UEL is an extraordinary University that is constantly improving to meet the aspirations of its students. The partnership with UELSU is key to ensuring that the voices of our students are heard in every project that is taken forward at UEL. As Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), I lead on the education strategy for the University along with a number of areas such as employability and student suc-cess. These areas are at the heart of what UEL students tell us and the Students’ Union they want to see shaped to ensure value for education. I have been very impressed with the ambitions of the Students’ Union in getting a strategy and roadmap in place for the coming years. I will be looking to the Students’ Union to represent the authentic voice of UEL students and cham-pioning what they want from their UEL education. I am excited to partner with the Students’ Union to drive the student experience and much more forward at UEL. I know I speak for the Vice Chancellor Group and academic colleagues in saying that the Students’ Union is an essential part of making a UEL education truly transformational.

- Professor Nora Ann ColtonDeputy Vice Chancellor (Academic)


• Adrian Patsalos• Harpreet Hansi• Jitesh Mondal• Amirah Mohamud• Sharif Fattah

Officers


Adrian PatsalosPresident

It’s been a wonderful journey and an opportunity that I very much appreciate was given to me by no one else but our students. With the immense support of my amazing Vice Presidents, Part-time officers and staff members we managed to achieve a lot for our members. Starting our year with welcoming students on both campuses, we ensured that there was a fair and activities taken to students rather than expecting them to come to us. I led on implementing policy set by students directly, respecting their ban on working with the catering pro-vider. Working with Royal Docks and Newham Council, we managed to bring food stall holders from Brick Lane to UEL as well as shift to the Tereza Joanne Boat and Fiction where we enriched our nightlife experi-ence. Our amazing officers team, known as the ‘sea of red t-shirts’ during Freshers’ Week, turned in to a ‘sea of orange and black t-shirts’ during International Week, celebrating the cultural diversity of our membership. Starting term two, we managed to convince Transport For London (TFL) to finally provide our bookshop at Stratford an oyster top up terminal after 10 years of unsuccessful attempts by them. Many thanks to our External Trustee, Marina Yannakoudakis, and our Vice President Welfare, Jitesh Mondal, for playing a crucial role in making this happen. As always, I fought for the students’ voice to be heard in every single committee that has decision making powers which might affect students at our University. For the first time ever there will be student representation on the University’s Board of Governors sub-commit-tees, providing us with a platform to voice our concerns and views on projects of the University but also how they spend the funds they accumulate from our tuition fees. I personally had oversight of the Union’s strategic and governance reviews, which consulted thousands of students to ensure that their voice, opinions and views were the defining force of how we operate in the future and what our focus should be. The power to set and define the direction for the long term journey our Union should go on was given back to our students and that is something I am extremely proud of.

“

”

7910emails received.

860Calendar events

accepted.

Record %of quorate Student Council meetings

in the last decade.Getting on the free shuttle bus we had lobbied the

University for.

Favourite moment of the year?


Harpreet HansiVice-President Societies & Communications (School of ADI & Combined)

Hello lovely people, I am your elected VP for Societies & Communications for the year 2015/16, alongside being a representa-tive for the schools of ADI & Combined. My job is to make sure we all have a good chit-chat, in other words good communications across our student membership. It is my key aim to increase student engagement levels within the Union through exciting events, activities and campaigns lead by the officers and the stu-dent body. I am here to empower students and student-led societies to conduct campaigns, reach out & communicate effectively to their audiences and create a positive impact. WOW what a year it has been!We have seen so many changes within societies: the introduction of the points system, engaging meet-ings, the addition of more training topics and sessions. We’ve had many society-led events and campaigns, ranging from saving lives to concerts, from fundraising for good causes to academic and social interest platforms. From August 1st to April 15th we have had 76 societies register. All of them engaged with the Union at least once. We’ve also introduced the Societies Newsletter, completing 5 Issues. Through our point system, the Union gave out a total of 8,352 points this year and has been able to keep within budget so we could reward societies in our end of year pitch presentations. Don’t even get me started on the pitches, they were truly great! It was amazing to see true passion shine through society members and organisers, and see all the amazing work they have done. I would like to thank you all for your dedication hard work and passion gone in to running these amazing and exciting societies.

“

”


559Calendar events

accepted.

70%of societies received in depth training

sessions.

SU Awards. It was amazing to see everyone come together and celebrate each other’s achievements

- and have a good boogie on the dance floor!



Jitesh MondalVice-President Welfare

(School of Social Sciences & ACE)

From the beginning, my slogan was “Help us to help you get an excellent student experience at University of East London’’. Being your Vice President Welfare, I am delighted to say that I have always tried my best to make sure students are well off in terms of transportation, safety, security, accommodation, finances, mental & sexual health, facilities, library as well as advice services from both the University and the Students’ Union. It’s been a great year and I would like to thank all the people who voted for me and my team. This year,together, we have achieved so many things, such as successful campaigns, the first ever UEL open con-cert with free food, Freshers’ Fair at both campuses, night events at Stratford campus and nightlife events off campus, movie screenings and many more. Not only that, I am extremely proud of managing to obtain an oyster top up point at Stratford campus. I have worked on this project for nearly two years and I would like to thank all 750 people who signed my petition to convince Transport for London, our SU president, Adrian and our External Trustee, Marina Yannakoudakis. Additionally, we have created our own SU Tech Team to help students with IT sup-port for their smartphones, tablets and laptops at both campuses. This created 8 more jobs for students. I would like to thank UEL IT for financing it, Adrian as well as the Tech Team Manager, Alex Volkov. Additionally, we have changed UEL accommodation instalment policy from 6 to 8 instalments to make living on campus more accessible to students who couldn’t afford to pay big chunks off money. We have introduced a new telephone advice service which has been extremely successful. It has proved very convenient for students who have repetitively told us that time and travelling to campus were barriers. We have also secured a budget from the University to rebuild our SU social space. This will open next year. At this point of my job as your Vice-President Welfare, I would like to thank all the students, staff members from both UEL Union and UEL, volunteers, all the UELSU external trustee members, teach-ing staff and everyone involved with all our Union projects. I would also like to thank the UELSU Exec-utive Team for being helpful and supportive throughout the year. It’s been a pleasure working with you all.Good luck to our next UELSU Executive Team. I hope they will keep up the good work and that UELSU will continue to improve the student experience at the University of East London.

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”


570Calendar events

accepted.

students advised by the Advice Team.

>700Getting an Oyster Card top-up at Stratford (as well as

getting XBox and Playstation at both campuses!)



Amirah MohamudVice-President Education (School of HSB & Cass)

Having been an executive officer for two years now, it is remarkable to note the huge changes that have happened within the Union and around it. Much more stable than it was when I first arrived in July 2014, I am so thrilled to see how far we have come to achieve our long term goals in such a short period of time. Such strength in the structure within the Union has allowed us as officers to push the boundaries and make real change across the University. As the Education officer, I’ve listened and watched students train and engage with their peers to rep-resent and lead on transforming their learning experience. From changing lecture hours to modifying their course to include diversity in its glory, students at UEL have been empowered by us to represent and take charge. Students were consulted on the Academic Strategy for the University, and were incredible with pitching into the response on the government’s Green Paper on Higher Education – a highlight was when the students’ voice was greater than the staff! Programme and School Reps attended conferences in and out of the University, allowing us all to better understand and contribute to the wider student move-ment in the UK. More of our students across the schools, especially in the two I represent, have engaged with our officers’ campaigns on personal tutoring, celebrating diversity and the importance of all over health year round. An outcome of all our hard work. I am hopeful the Union will continue to make improvements to students’ lives at UEL. Understanding who our students really are has been a key goal and with the review findings plus our own interactions with our students, I am sure we know them now better than we ever have.

“

”


733Calendar events

accepted.

Record numberof Student-Led Teaching Awards

nominations

There are so many awesome moments to choose from, but I think the single best moment was when the motion on

Boycotting Prevent was passed at the November GM.


PREVENT


Sharif FattahVice-President Community Development

(School of Business, Law & Psychology)

Hello students,As your representative for the School of Business & Law and your Community Development officer, my objective was to enhance the student experience, always working for and in the interest of our stu-dents. This included more student-led activities, greater participation from the student body and an active involvement with the Union. Being the Community Development officer, my focus was to develop opportunities for our students to take part in, such as community development projects, where they wouldn’t just enjoy the fun associated with volunteering, but make positive changes too. And our students really did make the effort. One of our campaigns was Volunteer week, held in January, where we organised and hosted clothes and food do-nations. Everything collected by our wonderful students and volunteers was donated to a charity called East London Francophone Programme. It has been an amazing year working with the Fantastic Five Officers, the Justice League of Part-Time Officers and the wonderful staff members. We managed to organised many campaigns throughout the year and bring in a variety of activities, enabling us to reach all our students and make them feel counted. One of our achievements this year was the launching of UELSU radio, which was created and run by UEL students. It is a fantastic platform for our students to showcase their talents, share their ideas and a perfect opportunity to voice their concerns. Also, for the very first time this year, we managed to organise a mini Brick Lane on our Docklands campus, inviting various food stalls and enjoying different cuisines. Moreover, UEL Enterprise society was created this year, with the Union’s support, aiming to develop entre-preneurship skills among students and create new ideas. It is still in the initial stage but it is a leap forward to develop and bring in new ideas and creations. With all the committee meetings I attended, I always made sure I voiced students’ concerns and views with their best interest at the heart of every decision that was taken.

“

”


412Calendar events

accepted.

Live listening hours on UELSU Radio.

600Our second Executive Night at Fiction in Romford

(and International Week).



• Personal Tutoring• International Week• Mind, Body & Soul• Volunteer Week• EU Referendum• Enriched Nightlife

Campaigns


Campaigns

International Week

In 2015-16, UELSU Officers worked on 6 campaigns. All of them aimed to promote student engagement, which has been on the increase over the past two years. The Union is re-writing its story, demolishing the barriers the past had created. This was only made possible by promoting it through campaigns and building its credibility.Atik Sindha, one of UELSU Volunteer Representatives, was awarded Campaigner of the Year for his work.

Personal TutoringKnow You Officer, Know Your Tutor focused on emphasising the impor-tance of getting to know your personal tutor nice and early, whilst outlin-ing what other services were available to students and who their elected officers were. Indirectly, this led the University to review its personal tutor policy. Each schools then had to demonstrate how they would implement it.

International WeekCarrying in on from the previous year, UELSU held International Week, a week long event which aimed to be a celebration of UEL’s cultural diversity. It ran from 2nd to 7th of November 2015.

different nationalities represented at UEL. continents represented over 5

days.

increase in students’ satisfaction for social life, events and sense of

community. (Source: International Student Barometer)

120 5 17%

International Week

Mind, Body & SoulMind Body & Soul aimed to promote the support services both internally and externally keeping in mind the increasing numbers of referrals to the health and well-being team within UEL and a high pro-portion of those being students with mental health issues.


Volunteer Week

EU Referendum

Enriched Nightlife

In January, we organised our Volunteer Week, encouraging students to donate food and clothes for those in need. We also encouraged them to join national and international projects which aimed to help others. As a result of this, our Greek Society raised money and went to Greece to donate food to the refugees. During that trip they also visited AKMI Metropolitan College who were delighted to see them. The Greek Society discussed how UEL Students’ Union could further support them. UELSU President, Adrian Patsalos, has since sent AKMI Metropolitan College a proposal over on how they could establish academic societies.Over 50 students registered their interest through UELSU to volunteer with charities.

Amongst the charities present during the week were:

UELSU President, Adrian Patsalos, led the EU Referendum campaign. Using Social Media and face-to-face interaction, this campaign aimed to get as many students as possible to register to vote.

We also listened to our students and offered a va-riety of social events during the academic year, including an enriched nightlife menu which fo-cused on the Tereza Joanne Boat as a venue as well as the Executive Nights that took part at Fic-tion Nightclub; a 3000+ capacity venue.

students registered in one day

200 when

came to campus and gave ice-cream to every student who registered.

Delete Blood Cancer Shelter Anthony Nolan (represented by UEL Marrow)

Food StallsUELSU President, Adrian Patsalos, led on im-plementing a policy set by students directly, re-

specting their ban on working with the ca-tering provider. Work-ing with Royal Docks and Newham Council we managed to bring food stall holders from Brick Lane to UEL several time over the year.


• Academic Representation

• Democracy• Elections

• Societies• Events• Volunteering• Admin

Democracy & Student Engagement


Academic Representation

In 2015-16:

Not only that,

Student RepresentativesOne of the fundamental functions of a Students’ Union is the representation of students. An effective Student Rep-resentatives System can be one of the most successful ways of achieving this.Student Representatives include School Reps and Programmes Reps (Undergraduate as well as Posgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research). Student Representatives (Reps) are one of the main vehicles by which students can have a measure of control over their own learning experience. Student Representation gives students a voice to influence University policy and provide an accountable sys-tem for channelling student views. It is important because it ensures that students’ views are lodged firmly in the University’s decision-making processes (i.e. where policy is decided & resources are distributed).

Programme Reps were recruited. This includes our Undergraduate Reps (450) and Postgraduate Taught Reps (72).

Postgraduate Research Programme Reps were recruited. This is the first time as we’ve never had PGR Programmes Reps before.

522 28

In all,

were trained in skills (such as time management, teamwork and leadership, meeting skills and communi-cation skills) and Quality Assurance and Enhancement processes at programme level. This represents a 7% increase in those trained from the 2014-15 Academic Year.

250

During our Students’ Union Awards in May 2016, 42 Student Reps (both Programme Reps and School Reps) were awarded certificates to recognise their contribution.

Being involved with the delivery of the programme has empowered me to pursue Higher Education as a career.

“

”- Zena Hussein

(Education Studies student)May 2015


DemocracyStudent Council

Student Council is the body that represents the voice of UEL Students and sets the Policy of the Students’ Union. It is made up of the five Sabbatical Officers and a number of Part-Time Officers and Representatives, who have each been elected by Students.Meetings of Student Council are open to all Students to attend as observers. Observers have no voting rights or speaking rights.Part-Time Officers fully supported and co-led the main campaigns. The Personal Tutoring campaign and Interna-tional Week wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for them

quorate Student Council meetings were held, including an Extraordinary

meeting.

motions were passed, including one for more

accommodation install-ments. (from 6 to 8)

councillors were awarded for their excellent contribution, with

Mooka Siyomunji-Barker receiving Best Councillor of the Year.

64 9

General MeetingThe Students’ Union’s General Meeting is the place for students to have their voice heard.These meetings allow all students to have a voice, submit a motion and vote on motions, and set the politi-cal direction of their Union to give them the best possible student experience.Any student can write a motion which directs the Union’s activity, policy and states what the students of UEL be-lieve and what they, as members of the Students’ Union, will do about it.Motions can be about anything from changes happening in their programme to where we stand on environmen-tal issues.

General Meetings were held in the 2015-16 Academic Year.

motions were passed,

including our Boycotting Prevent policy.

45

PREVENT


Annual General MeetingDuring last year’s UELSU’s AGM:

affiliations were made.

3Those were; Advice UK, Citizens UK and NUS.

Citizens UK organises communities to act together for power, social justice and the common good. We are the home of community organising in the UK, with diverse civil society alliances in London, Mil-ton Keynes, Nottingham, Birmingham, Wales and Leeds. We develop the leadership capacity of our members so they can hold politicians and other decision-mak-ers to account on the issues that matter to them.

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”

The National Union of Students (NUS) is a voluntary membership organisation which makes a real difference to the lives of students and its member students’ unions.We are a confederation of 600 students’ unions, amounting to more than 95 percent of all higher and further education unions in the UK. Through our member students’ unions, we represent the interests of more than seven million students.NUS champions students to shape the future of education – and create a better world. We promote, defend and extend student rights.We fight discrimination, isolation and injustice. Through practical information and national action, we make sure students can thrive.We support and strengthen students and their unions. We are informed – developing research that influences national policy.We are active – taking on all the issues that affect students’ lives now and in future.

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”

AdviceUK is the UK’s largest support network for independent advice services. It was formed in 1979 as the Federation of Independent Advice Centres (FIAC). As a national body we represent your interests to stakeholders and the government and provide a voice to funders and supporters. We offer many services and products tailored to the advice sector, and as a member you can benefit from dis-counts on all of them – helping you run better, more efficient services, and giving you the freedom to concentrate your efforts and resources on the people you help every day.

“

”

- Citizen UK

- NUS

- Advice UK


ElectionsFebruary 2016 Elections

Each year, UELSU holds elections to fill the postions of Full-Time Officers, Part-Time Officers, Volunteer Repre-sentative and more.

of students voted in UEL Students’ Union elections in February 2016 (yellow),

which is an increase of 12% from last year’s elections (red).

positions were open.

students nominated themselves for those positions.

19% 29

53

were Full-Time positions.5

were Part-Time positions.13

were Conference Delegates positions.11positions received

nominations.25

This is over 76% increase from last year.

All Full-Time positions were contested, with 22 students nominating themselves.

We also held 6 elections workshop across all 3 UEL sites before the nomination deadline - in-forming students on how to write a manifesto, how to campaign and publicise themselves - as well as 2 Hustings sessions well attended at both Docklands and Stratford campuses.

This is a 120% increase from last year.


SocietiesUEL Student Societies are groups of students with a common interest, who plan their own events and activ-ities on or around University of East London campuses. The Students’ Union affiliates and supports its student societies by providing student organisers with training, resources, advice, venues, and other assistance. Student Societies are not-for-profit, and like the Students’ Union itself, are run by students, for students.

societies were registered during the 2015-16 Academic Year. Through those societies, an estimated 1,405 students have engaged with the Students’ Union.

Societies won Bronze Awards at the SU Awards 2015.

76

9

Societies won Silver Awards at the SU Awards 2015.6

Societies won Gold Awards at the SU Awards 2015.4

Of those 76 societies

collected Societies Points

received Societies training.

44 40 2(UEL Marrow and Coll!de) were on TV for their achievements.


EventsFreshers 2015

Remainder of the year

Freshers is our big welcome to new and returning students every year.Officially kicking off on the Saturday of moving-in weekend, most of our events - as well as our Freshers’ Fair - take place during induction week.In September 2015, our nightlife events were held in different venues such as Tereza Joanne Boat, Fiction @Rom-ford and Central London whilst our Freshers’ Fair was held for the first time in both Docklands and Stratford.

During the rest of the year, the Students’ Union organises events on a regular basis.Those are often society-led or officers-led. We also worked quite closely with Tereza Joanne Boat to help organise different nights.After Freshers’ Week, UELSU’s biggest event of the year is the Students’ Union Awards. They comprise Volunteers Awards, Reception Staff Award, Tech Team Award, Student Representatives Awards, Societies Awards, Democracy Award and the Student Led Teaching Awards.

nightlife events were held in just as many days.

events held per week on average, including events at Tereza Joanne boat, the SU Lounge and other venues.

Each event was organised either by an SU society or by a Sports Club.

They all made at least £300, created student jobs and provided valuable

experience.

of nightlife events were sold out, with another 29% reaching over 80% capacity.

students and staff attended UELSU Awards in May 2016.

7 57%

>170

>2 £


VolunteersCivic Engagement & UELSU Radio

UELSU recruited a Civic Engagement & Radio Coordinator, as well as a Radio Intern, over the summer 2015. They worked on creating a Radio Station, recruiting students to get involved through different positions, as well as recuiting students for other volunteering projects. UELSU Radio launched in November 2015.

Student staff employedTech Team

Tech Team student staff were recruited in 2015.

days a week at both campuses, they have a stall at the Univer-

sity Hub, offering help with tablets and other IT enquiries.

students per week have been given help since the Tech Team

started in 2015.

8 2 >100

students were involved in Civic Engagement & Radio activities,

volunteering a total of 924 hours.

120listeners to UELSU Radio live or

on-demand content.

1601live listening hours.

600

Figures for Financial year ending 31st July 2015.


Receptionists

UELSU’s income from all resources this year totalled £914,520. As a consequence of close control of expenditure of £880,489 the membership sevices we provide as well as a modest fundraising and other revenue-gathering ac-tivities we undertake, we ended the year with a surplus of £34,031. This improved UELSU’s reserves from £120,437 to £154,468.The Students’ Union has continued to benefit from the recognition and support of the University and this year the annual block grant was £626,000 plus £16,000 was received for an intern. Our reserves are close to the minimum requirement of 40 days.

students were recruited as Receptionist on a part-time basis.

of enquiries were regarding academic advice.

NUS Extra Cards were sold at reception. Including online, we sold a total of 1113 NUS Extra

Cards.

8 80% 100

Finance

Societies £9,749Officers £108,517Freshers £36,104Events £8,182Staffing Costs £305,760Student Staff £38,686NUS Affiliation £30,626Pensions Deficit £44,238Internship £16,000

Breakdown

Figures for Financial year ending 31st July 2015.


Advice Service


Housing and Academic AdviceThe UELSU Advice Service provides free and confidential advice on a range of issues that may affect students during their time at UEL.

We offer advice in regards to Academic Appeals, Academic Misconduct, Complaints, and Disciplinary Proce-dures & Extenuating Circumstances as well as private sector housing advice.

UELSU Advice Team comprises of an Advice Service Manager (0.6 FTE), one Senior Academic Caseworker (FTE) and two Academic Caseworkers (one FTE and one term-time only position (0.7 FTE).

UELSU Advice Service is ex-pecting to see a high number of students over the summer period for Academic appeals, extenuation and other mat-ters.

In 2015-16:generating

students were assisted. distinct cases.

817 867and

4100interactions.

Please note all figures are correct as of the 8th of June 2016.

This year, UELSU Advice Service introduced telephone appointments in response to feed-back from students. They’ve also improved their section of the website and the information resources for students. Finally, they’ve worked closely with UEL departments to help im-prove the studente experience.

“The people were very kind and sensitive to my issue. This service is a credit to UEL.”

“The adviser was extremely informative and understanding.”

“The service is an immensely helpful and easy to use/access service.”


Our Strategy

Moving Forward

Life SkillsSupporting an active programme

of student-led activity.

RepresentationInvolving UEL students in all academic decision-making.

Championing Diversity

Supporting the needs of individuals and communities.

Sense of Belonging

Providing opportunities to discover and explore passions.

Breaking Down Barriers

Impacting students’ everyday lives and lifelong prospects.

Long-term Success

Equipping students with new skills and experiences.


Our MissionWe will deliver on our stated Purpose through a long-term focus in 6 main areas:

VisibilityImproving our communication

with members and helping more students find a real sense of

belonging at UEL.

OpportunitiesOur consultation work and survey of over 1,800 UEL students has helped us identify long-term opportunities for dramatic improvement in 4 main areas:

Engagement Opportunities

Providing creative ways for busy students to get real value out of

participating in SU activities.

CultureCelebrating and rewarding

achievements, and focussing on students priorities, around employability and life skills.

Value and Credibility

Growing our influence across the University and sharing news of our achievements on behalf of

students.

The number of student drop-outs will be

significantly reduced.

Students and staff will believe that the Union is an attractive and rewarding

place to be a part of.

75%

Students leaving UEL will have actively engaged in Union events or activity

during their studies.

75%Students who seek

our help will be empowered to overcome the barrier

they face.

70%Students are able

to identify one way of engaging with the SU that

would enhance their future life prospects.

70%

Students will be able to name a Union

achievement on their behalf.

Students will be able to name their course representatives and

elected officers.

80%75%


Priorities for 2019To deliver on our long-term aims, we need to establish our credentials as a strong, vibrant and powerful students’ union and lay the foundation for suture success. We commit to these ambitious goals by 2019:

50%

Our ValuesEverything we do from our campaigns to our day-to-day decision making is informed by our values.

Championing Diversity

Empowering & Supportive

Transparent & Respectul

Democratic, Student-Led & Accountable

Togetherness & Fun


Who are our students?

Segmentation


Who are they?

25% of our students are Headstrong Helpers. They are devoted to helping others and creating positive change. While confident in themselves and around other people, they are not interested in being the centre of attention and are happy to sit back and let somebody else take the lead. They enjoy a relaxed social life, spending quiet nights in with their fam-ilies. They are hard workers and their studies are a big part of their lives. They have a positive, engaged attitude to University and do not see it as a means to an end. They will stand up for themselves and for other people, engaging with charity work, mentoring and campaigning.

Are you satisfied with the SU?

satisfied

63%

37%

dissatisfied

Headstrong Helpers

Relationship with the SU

Headstrong Helpers have above average satisfaction with the SU and average engagement. They are more likely to share ideas.

In order to be relevant to Headstrong Helpers, the SU needs to be PRINCIPLED and HELPFUL, looking out for the student publi-cation and playing an active role in the LOCAL COMMUNITY. We must be REPRESENTATIVE, ensuring that every student has a voice. We mus provide opportunities for students to connect with and look out for one another.

How to engage with them

Campaigning

Buddying/Mentoring

Charity work/Fundraising

Community projects

“You can make a difference.”

“UEL needs people like you!”

“Let’s do something worthwhile.”

“Relax and enjoy yourself.”

“Let’s create a change.”


Who are they?

23% of our students are Default Students. They have arrived at Uni by default but do not have a plan for life after graduation and often just want to get through their studies. A lack of self-belief results in a lack of motivation, and these students do not want to be challenged by their Uni-versity experience. They are reserved and uncomfortable in the spotlight and around new people. They are keen that their University experience enables them to grow, mature and increase in confidence but are wary of stepping out-side their comfort zone so they may feel unable to embrace the opportunities that are available to them.


24%

Default Students


Default Students have below average satisfaction with the SU (high neutrality), 70% not at all involved with the SU.

In order to be relevant to Default Students, the SU needs to be PROACTIVE, VISIBLE and engaged in OUTREACH activity. These students will not come to us so we have to go to them and show them how we can help. We must be EYE-OPENING, IN-SPIRING and MOTIVATIONAL, helping students to find a sense of purpose at UEL and to get more from University.


Social space

Money-saving app/ deal finder

One-off events/activities

“Pssst - did you know...?”“Let us help you get more out of

University.”“Give it a go (no commitment required!)”

“Not sure what you want out of life? That’s ok!”

satisfied

54% 46%

dissatisfied


Who are they?

19% of our students are Spotlight Seekers. They want to stand out and be noticed. They are confident in themselves and their abil-ities and enjoy a challenge. They are confortable in the spotlight, happy to take on a leadership role and enjoy being the centre of attention. They have a set plan for life after University, with ambitions to chage the world and be fa-mous in their filed. While they take their education seriously, they are keen to embrace the University experience in full and enjoy themselves, having active lives around their studies. Passions include creative pursuits such as art and performance, music and sport.

33%

Spotlight Seekers


Spotlight Seekers have average satisfaction with the SU and above average engagement. They are the most likely segment to have been programme/school reps.

In order to be relevant to Spotlight Seekers, the SU needs to be VIBRANT, LIVELY and ECLECTIC, offering a broad range of SOCIAL opportunities and keeping students ENTERTAINED. We need to provide a platform for students to develop and showcase their talents, as well as opportunities for students to come together and enjoy SHARED EXPERIENCES.


Competitions

Themed club nights

Student-led events & activitiesCollaborative projects

“Your chance to shine.”

“Stand up and stand out.”

“Do you want to change the world?”

“Be extraordinary.”

“Are you ready for a new challenge?”


24%

satisfied

58%42%

dissatisfied


Who are they?

17% of our students are Assured Academics. They are focused on their studies, though there is more to their lives than University. They have busy lives off-campus and compartmentise their Uni experience, showing little interest in making new friends or engaging with extra-curricular activities. They are self-assured and live for themselves. They have a relaxed approach to their studies, enjoying the learning experience and exploration of their subject area without putting pressure on themselves to pursue a set plan or cater to their CVs. This group is not interested in attention, but they do want to make a positive impact in the world.

21%

Assured Academics


Assured Academics have below average satisfaction with the SU (high neutrality) and are the least involved with the SU. They are less likely to join societies or share ideas.

In order to be relevant to Assured Academics, the SU needs to be ACADEMICALLY-RELEVANT, QUALITY-DRIVEN and ASSERTIVE in its dealings with the University. We need to be CURIOUS and INVOLVED in the world around us, facilitating opportunities to learn something new, to question what we “know” and to open up new ways of thinking. We must enhance the learning experience.


Study groups

Academic skills class

Academic talks/webinars

Field trips

“Discover something new.”

“Pursue your interests.”

“Explore your subject further.”

“Fulfill your ambitions.”

“Make your learning experience the best it can be.”

33%


24%

satisfied

52% 48%

dissatisfied


Who are they?

15% of our students are Uncertain Strivers. They are keen to impress and are driven to live up to the expectations of others. They lack confidence in themselves but are keen to earn the respect of their peers and connect with the people around them, and will not shy away from lead-ing the group or being centre of attention. Easily infulenced, they were likely pushed to attend University by their familly but they take their studies seri-ously and are committed to proving themselves. They measure their achieve-ments against others and feel under pressure to keep up. They have a diverse range of interests and are engage with University life.

50%

Uncertain Strivers


Uncertain Strivers have above average satisfaction with the SU and are the most heavily engaged of all the segments. They are the most likely segment to join / lead societies etc.

In order to be relevant to Externally-Motivated Engagers, the SU needs to be EMPOWERING and ENCOURAGING, giving stu-dents opportunities to grow, develop skills and gain in confidence. We must be SUPPORTIVE helping students to discover what they want for themselves and to manage their pressure. We must recog-nise and celebrate students’ achievements.


Skills workshops

“Badges” to mark achievements

Support Services

Niche interest groups

“Be who YOU want to be.”

“Find out what you can achieve.”

“Do you want to prove yourself?”

“Do something you can be proud of.”

“Feeling the pressure? We can help.”

33%


24%

satisfied

70%

30%

dissatisfied

Disclaimer: All information was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time this report was put together (July 2016).

Designed by Marion Legrand.

StratfordThe Dome, University House, Stratford Campus, Water Lane, London, E15 4LZ.Telephone: 0208 223 4209

DocklandsGround Floor, North Building, Docklands Campus, 4-6 University Way, London, E16 2RD.Telephone: 0208 223 7025

University of East London Students’ Union

www.uelunion.org

Documents

University of East London Students’ Union · PDF fileUniversity of East London Students’ Union ... we ensured that there was a fair and activities taken to students rather than