Hello everyone, and welcome to my first AGM report as your Activities and Community Officer. Since our last Union general Meeting and Emergency General meeting, I have been working on my individual campaigns, creating events for students to get involved in, and attending actions around the local area and at Keele to show our support.
Manifesto Updates:
Supporting Societies:
#SocietiesofKeele will be launching before the winter break, aiming to promote societies within the student body to increase membership and engagement with our 140 + societies in the new year. The campaign will include promotion of individuals societies as well as society-oriented events.
I’m currently working with Lucy our AU and Sports Officer, Keele Students’ Union and Harper Adams Students’ Union to help our join vet societies with creating a more cost effective and efficient approach to joint socials, events, and transportation.
Sustainability:
We have revived the SU Green Team and have already led multiple successful litter picks around Keele campus.
I’m working with the Students’ Union to install a water bottle refill station/ water fountain on the ground floor that is more accessible to students and encourage students to use reusable water bottles instead of single use plastics.
At the moment I’m also working on my sustainability campaign which will raise awareness about sustainability and will be giving students actions to do such as signing petitions or joining in on protests. The campaign will also involve acting within the students’ union from bringing in sustainable policy, facilitating events around sustainability, and creating resources staff and students can take advantage of. This campaign will mainly be over 2nd semester but aspects of it have already started such as climate justice discussion events, grow your own garden seed stalls, taking part in local actions and a future infographic post about COP26 (do watch out for more of these events and posts if you want to get more involved with sustainability at Keele on our website and on my Facebook and Instagram @Tom KeeleSU).
Recently our new environment and sustainability officer has just been elected so I have been working with them on their projects and ideas, they want to introduce in the SU and the university.
Team Strategic Aims:
Education:
I have nothing to report as far as the privatization of education goes.
Student Voice:
Student voice wise we are still collecting responses from our survey for students to input their ideas for our antiracism campaign Be Better Do Better. You can fill in the survey here https://forms.office.com/r/WTJNMPd9hy.
With the Society Executives and the Activities department we are currently updating the website to introduce to our society executives but also create a feedback section for society committees and members to use if they have any queries, comments, or problems.
Climate Emergency:
Everything in my sustainability manifesto aim report above details what I have done personally about our climate emergency pledge.
Mental Health:
I attended the Save Newcastle Green Sites protest at the Newcastle-under-Lyme council building where I was able to talk about the importance of green spaces to students and the impact it has on mental health.
Racial Equality:
I, as well as the other sabbatical officers began getting ideas for our Be Better Do Better campaign launching next month. Currently we have created a survey for students to give us their ideas and will be holding table discussions so we can facilitate more student led action in the campaign. Posters with the survey have been put around campus and we have also shared it around social media. We will also be having a Be Better Do Better Live on our social media on Tuesday the 14th of December which aims to inform students more about the campaign and what as officers we’re doing towards the campaign. We will also be accepting questions from students during the live.
Outstanding UGM Motions:
Policy: Water fountains
I’m currently working with central services in the Students Union to see if we can install a more accessible water bottle refill station/ water fountain and will be contacting the university about getting water fountains in each building for students and staff to use.
Policy: Dietary Restrictions
I will be contacting our commercial managers at the Students Union about a meeting to discuss kosher and halal options as well as looking into informing students about our allergens. I will also look into why we may have some supply issues with alternatives and review our offers campus wide.
Policy: Post room
We have received a motion about the post room being closed on Saturdays and how it should be open for those students who don’t have time to access the post room over the week. I have contacted the post room and will be meeting with them about this issue this week.