NUS ATA: Operation Camera, Karaoke and Other Delights

With NUS Action Through Advocacy Training, of course, came fun!

We had lots of evening activity, which included an AMAZING game called operation camera (watch out for it on RA training!) Basically, we had a list of 35 things- from a clocktower, to our team up a tree, to include in just 15 photos! We earned points for every item that we managed to included, and got bonus points for innovation, creativity and cramming as much into one photo as possible!

The picture below is just one of the photos we had to take as part of the game! This is our team wearing red, our team on a bed, our team at a b&b, our team wearing hats and "a team".

Not only was the game AMAZING, my team- "Team Laura" won by at least 40 points. Which was very exciting.




Other than Operation Camera, ATA came complete with the obligatory NUS Karaoke.

The picture on the right of the page is of "team Laura" singing Year 3000 by Busted.

Our karaoke attempts weren't as successful as Operation Camera, but we so much fun all the same!

NUS ATA: Why we need a fairer funding system

Securing a fair Higher Education Funding system is the priority campaign of the NUS this year.

At ATA last week, we listened to a presentation from Aaron Porter, NUS Vice President (Higher Education) on why securing such a system is so vital in ensuring that a university education is available to everybody that has the ability.

The HE funding debate, all began when top up fees were introduced. The biggest threat that we as students will face in the coming year, is the potential lifting of the cap on top up fees, which could see students from 2010 onwards paying even more than they already do for basic tuition.

The political landscape has changed significantly since the last time we had this debate back in 2006 (see picture of the national demo on the right). We now have a new Prime Minister and all political parties are reviewing their stance on HE funding.
Devolution also means that we now have different funding arrangements across the British nations.

In line with these developments, NUS National Conference this year decided to focus it's argument on securing a fair funding arrangement for students, rather than pursuing the battle for free education- which in the current political climate, is neither suitable, nor realistic.

The 2009 review on top up fees will consider how graduates should contribute to the HE sector, and additionally how the HE sector should be funded. It shall also consider International student and postgraduate student fees.

-> The current funding system is regressive in nature
-> The more you earn after graduation, the less you contribute to repaying your student loan
-> England needs a fairer funding system

As Aaron so rightly said, higher education- one of the best drivers of social mobility should not transform into a market where there are winners and losers.

The student movement this year, will therefore focus on keeping the cap on tuition fees, and opposing the marketisation of education.We must also recognise that HE in this country, is significantly underfunded.
The NUS are calling on...

-> The English % contribution of GDP on HE should be in line with the OECD average
N.B- We spend 1.1% of GDP on HE, the average for the OECD is 1.4% and the highest contribution within the OECD is 2.2%
-> There should be a structured business contribution to the HE sector
-> Commercial rates should not exist on student loans
-> Part time students should be entitled to a more proportional amount of student loan

We were shown a graph on the amount of money spent per student, per year from 1948-2008 (and beyond) ------------------------------------>

As you can see, when state contribution was at its highest, in the 1970s, up to £11,000 was spent per student per year.

By 1998, just £5,700 was spent per student per year. The rationale behind tuition fees was to decrease the level of state funding.

Since the introduction of "top up fees", the level of state contribution has been stable.
The key question in this debate is where the money is going to come from in the future?

Keep checking back for more information regarding the national campaign on HE funding on the 5th of November....

NUS ATA: Sexual Health

As part of my NUS Action Through Advocacy training last week, I attended a workshop on sexual health, run by national Vice President (Welfare) Ama Uzowuru.

The workshop began by bringing to light some shocking statistics on sexual health in the UK, which really highlight why we still need to focus on the area of sexual health in our campaigns and activities today.

-> STI diagnoses between 1996 and 2005 increased by 60%
-> Young people in Britain have the worst sexual health in Western Europe
->Sex and Relationship Education is not only hetronormative, but not a complusary part of the national curriculum!
->At least 25,000 people in the UK have contracted HIV and are unaware of their condition
->15% of lesbian women, and 7% of non lesbian women never have a routine smear test.
-> 29% if transgender people are discouraged from accessing healthcare, because of the attitude of healthcare proffesionals.

-> A concern that was highlighted in this workshop is that there is no set ringfenced government money for sexual health activity.
-> There is meant to be a maximum 48 hour waiting time for a GUM clinic appointment- in reality however, these appointments can take weeks.
-> If you are over the age of 21, the GUM clinics do not see you as a priority, so your waiting time may be even longer than the average!

As part of the workshop, we also had a talk from Global Ethics, who produce One Water.
-> From September this year, Global Ethics are going to begin selling condoms, from which the profits will go to funding HIV projects in Africa.
-> 38.6 million people globally are diagnosed with HIV, 70% of which are from Africa.

Look out for the condoms from September- they come in really cool packaging (see the picture top right). Global Ethics will be launching a national competiton to design a packet. Also watch out later in the year, as they will be looking for ambassadors!

NUS ATA: Vulnerable Workers

A workshop I attended on ATA last week was about Vulnerable Workers.
Students on average are working a 17 hour week, however as many as 31.9% of students are working 19 hours or more. These statistics are very worrying, and clearly link into the higher education funding and hidden course cost debates (see other blogs).

By the very nature of our culture, student's typically fall into the vulnerable workers category. This is especially true of students engaged in agency work- the nature of this typical student job means that our work is typified by the following...
-> Low Pay/ Low Skill
-> Bullying and Harrassment
-> Cash in hand economy
-> Temporary and agency work
-> Denial of legal "employee" status
-> Trapped in profession
-> Illness- depression, lack of sleep etc

We study hard for our degrees, and it is not fair that we should have to work twice as hard to pay our way through university. If we are forced to work to get an education, the conditions that we work in shouldn't be substandard, and we should share equal rights with everyone else in the workplace.

Before now, little has been done to resolve the issue of temporary/agency work. In fact in 2006/07 more government money was spent on a campaign to encourage people to use tissues (in order to prevent the spread of the common cold)....
-> However, on Friday 22nd February 2008 over 140 MPs voted in favour of the Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal treatment) Bill, which saw the largest backbench revolt since 1997.
-> Subject to the passing of an EU directive, this bill will mean that agency workers have the same rights, including maternity and holiday pay, after 12 weeks as regular employees (unfortunately sick pay and pensions are not included).

Are you a temporary/ agency worker? Do you plan on doing temporary/ agency work in the future? Want the same rights as permanent employees?
Get involved in the campaign!
Write to your MEP and ask them to vote in favour of this directive!

If you need any help writing your letter please email me at h.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk (Subject Temporary and Agency Workers)

NUS Action Through Advocacy Training

Me, Oggy and Tom went on NUS "Action Through Advocacy" training last week.

Just like when I went on APL, I have returned to Birmingham really excited and with pages and pages of ideas for the year ahead... watch this space!

The training included the process of planning campaigns from the very beginning to the very end- from the inital experience, right through to the action.

Throughout this process we planned each stage of our own campaigns- I planned a campaign to get more lighting in Selly Park, which will be launched later on in the year.

I attended workshops on sexual health, students in the community, vulnerable workers and the OIA (office of the independent adjudicator) (some to follow in later blogs).

We also listened to talks on Student Finance, Introduction to HE Sector, Higher Education Funding and Students in the Community (all to follow in later blogs)

Once again, a great part of the training was that it was a brilliant opportunity to network and meet other sabbatical officers from all over the country as well as some of the NUS National Executive Committee (NEC). Our biggest strength is in unity.

Congratulations

In light of A level results being released yesterday, I just thought that I would write a quick blog.

Congratulations to all of our new students!
Well done for passing your exams!

My time at University has been absolutely fantastic, and I have learnt so much. I hope you are all ready to embrace the experience!
Enjoy the summer and I look forward to seeing you in September for Welcome Week!

Sexual Health Provisions in Selly Oak

When I campaigned to be Vice President Welfare back in the spring, one of my manifesto promises was "to promote the ongoing campaign for a sexual health clinic on campus or in Selly Oak".

In exciting new news, our local Primary Care Trust (PCT) has announced provisional plans to open a GP led health centre in Selly Oak!

This is a brilliant opportunity for the campaign, and the PCT are heavily encouraging your feedback. If there is sufficient demand for sexual health provisions at this walk in centre then the PCT will make it happen!

Your feedback could be crucial to the campaign and would be very much appreciated. The PCT have produced a feedback form. It is really quick and easy to fill out and is available to complete online here

The Nightbus

I am absolutely gutted about what this blog is about to say, but I am a strong believer in honesty and transparency. The Nightbus is your service, and you deserve to know what's going on.
I hope this blog will (and continue to) keep you informed on what is happening with the Guild of Students Nightbus during my year of office.

During our training in July, it became clear that there was no money at all for the nightbus to run from Welcome Week. The bus also had many logistical problems (for example lack of sign posting, which prevented many people from using it), and issues with student safety. Such issues effected the success of the bus, when during its busiest times never exceeded 40% capacity.

These are issues that the whole team feel require extensive time and attention.
The whole Sabbatical Officer Group were left with the decision of the bus's future.

We were left with the choice of whether we wanted to make the focus and concentration of the whole organisation raising the £36,000 it costs for the bus to run, and responding to these issues before Welcome Week in September.

As much as I am prepared to put my whole heart into doing this, I fully believe that the Nightbus should not run at the cost, or to the detriment of the rest of the organisation. As a Guild, a student union, our focus must be, and always will be representation and nothing can ever take priority over our core purpose.

We therefore decided that due to the lack of funding, and the logistical and safety issues with the Nightbus, it will be temporarily withdrawn in the academic year 2008/09.

I will spend time this year looking to address the logistical and safety issues with the Nightbus. Once these issues are resolved, I will be working on the development of a 3 year strategic plan. I will research other Nightbuses around the country, run by both student unions and local authorities and research alternative avenues of funding. I will also be working to ensure that the bus reaches a higher capacity. The strategic plan will ensure the financial stability of the bus, and mean that my successor is left with a Nightbus that is sustainable and therefore will effectively run itself.

I will update you as soon as I know more.
If anybody has any ideas on how we can further develop the nightbus, and make it sustainable in the future please email me at h.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk (subject Nightbus)
Thank you for reading

1st of August

The 1st of August was a very exciting day for many reasons!

*The Guild officially became a company limited by guarantee (CLG)
*We are now well on our way to becoming an actual charity!
*The Guild got a brand new sparkly Guild Officer Group
*I became your Vice President (Welfare)
*The Sabbatical Officer Group all got our own offices!

I think I speak to all of us in saying that we are very excited about the year ahead, and can't wait to work with you! See you in September and remember if you need anything email me on h.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk

Sabb and Surprise

On the 31st of July, our last official day of training the sabbs were treated to a suprise day out!

Only Mark Smith (Vice President Sport) knew where we were going as he had to drive.. but we arrived nice and early at Alton Towers.

We had a brilliant day and as you can see from the photo we won lots of toys! The boys spent about £20 each (and Rich still didn't win anything)! I spent a pound and came home with the lovely Spongebob!

Below is a picture of me, Hannah Lazell (Vice President Democracy and Resources) and Rich Walker (Vice President Student Activities and Development).

We were the only officers brave enough to take on
Ripsaw and Rich Walker got very very wet. It was very very funny. For me and Hannah anyway. Ha!

It was great to have a day out together and it was
really good for team building.
Best of all it was nice to chill out before officially becoming Guild Officers the next day!
If we can take on Alton Towers, I think we can take on anything!

NUS APL: Why HE is so Unfair

Myself, Tom (VPEA), Oggy (VPHC) and Sparky (VPS) attended NUS Active Political leadership (APL) training this week.

Throughout the course we watched many presentations, but the one that touched me the most was "Why Higher Education is so unfair" delivered by a member of NUS staff. The figures that I am about to mention are just a few examples and really highlight how far we have to go to achieve true equality with regard to the accessibility of our institutions.

Students under the top up fee system if the cap is lifted, will be facing roughly £9k a year debt, which will add up to £27k by the time they graduate.

Graduates with a degree in arts will earn, on average £34,104 p/a. This on initial reflection appears to be substantial. However, graduates with arts degrees will only earn an extra £8k in a life time, once their student debt is paid off, than students with 2 A Level qualifications.

This is what we refer to as graduate premium. The graduate premium for a degree in arts therefore is low. Statistics suggest, however that graduate premium is significantly higher in courses with the lowest growth levels.

50% of students from independent schools continue their education in Russell Group universities, where as only 10% of students from FE colleges do the same.

Ethnic Minority Students are massively underrepresented in the Russell Group, with Black Carribean students only constituting 7% of the student bodies. In fact, there are more Black students at London Metropolitan University than in all of the Russell Group Universities combined.

One of the biggest problems for students are additional costs. Accomodation is a key barrier to education, with high costs meaning that many students are forced to study at home, or are put off from entering higher education all together.

The above are just some of arguments presented to us.
The presentation really rang true how far we have to go to ensure that higher education is available and accessible to anybody who has the ability.