Student Union

What is it and where is it located?

South Downs College has a Student Union which is here to represent you.

Run by the students for the students, the union is affiliated to the National Union of Students which means that all union members are members of the NUS and are entitled to some perks.

The office is located in the Coffee House and is open between 9.30 and 4pm each day.

Who runs the union and how do I get involved?

The union is run by union officers who are full-time students elected by the students at the college every year. Any full-time student can run to be a student union officer, convincing others to vote for you is where the challenge begins. Elections take place in September when we all start college – look out for our stall in the Enrichment Fair in the Sports Hall where you can fill out a nomination form and find out more.

Student Representatives

In addition to the student officers that form the executive committee, we have a college reps system in place. Two students from each curriculum area act as a representatives to feed back information to the Committee on any issues or concerns. Meetings are held half-termly and representatives will be asked to share information received from the committee with staff and students in their curriculum area. You can find application forms for this role on our enrichment stall or call into the student union office.

Student Governor and Academic Board Representative

Two students (usually from the Executive Committee) are also student governors. These students attend the Board of Governors meetings and have a say in the overall running of the college. One student representative sits on the Academic Board meetings. To find out more about these roles contact Liz Langley, Student Liaison Officer in the SU office or e-mail Liz Langley.

Student Voice

SDCSU aims to give students a high profile by actively promoting their opinions and concerns through involvement with various college committees such as Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and Environmental meetings. Contact Liz Langley to find out more.

What does the Student Union do?

NUS EXTRA Cards

The NUS EXTRA card entitles you to a full range of discounts at local and national retail outlets. You can enjoy fantastic discounts from travel to leisure activities and fun days out. The card costs £11 and is available to order during the welcome week, in the student union office or online at www.nus.org.uk where you can also find out more about all the discounts.

All full-time and part-time students attending 6 hours or more of lessons per week are entitled to apply for a card.

Trips and Events

The Student Union arranges a variety of trips and events. In the past this included trips to London for shopping and to the theatre, theme parks such as Thorpe Park and Alton Towers, Glee at the O2 and Silverstone for the Grand Prix. SDCSU organise various charity events and awareness campaigns and hold other fun activities such as the College Quiz, karaokes and pool competitions and balls.

Hoodies and Attack alarms

You can order a South Downs College hoody through the Student Union. These are a variety of different colours and sizes and cost £15. SDCSU also have available attack alarms at a cost of £2 each.

Student officers

President: Samuel Wilkinson

Sam is in his second year of A levels, studying English Literature and Language, Business Studies and Psychology. He has previously been Mature Students officer and prior to coming to South Downs has worked for Lloyds Bank and has lived in Japan.

NUS NEC member : Roshni Joshi

Roshni is currently a part-time student studying English. She is also on the National Executive Committee of the National Union of Students. She has previously been Events Officer and Communications Officer on the Student Union Committee. Roshni is passionate about student voice and making things better for students.

Student Engagement Officer: Brad Murrant

Brad is in the third year of his course studying Mechanics. Brad was previously a student representative for mechanics and managed to get a few improvements in his area. Brad would now like to get further involved in the student union in his role.

Welfare Officer: Meg Henwood

Meg is in her third year at College studying a new course; BTEC Media Level 3, having previously gained A levels in English Literature and History, as well as AS levels in Spanish and Media. Meg was previously Events officer on the student union committee, her main project being to organise the Ebony and Ivory Ball held at Christmas. Meg feels she can empathise well with others suiting her new role of Welfare Officer.

Together with Student Services, Meg has set up a system of Welfare packs for students in need. This has proved to be very valuable and other local colleges are looking at doing a similar thing.

Activities Officer: Helen Strong

Helen is currently in her second year at college studying Biology, Psychology and Art. She is also on the committee of a local art group.

On the local arts committee Helen is the technical officer which involves setting things up for artists who come and talk each month in the Liphook area.

Helen would like to organise a trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, which is a very unusual art museum.

Liberation Officer: Shannon Turner

Shannon, who during her first year was a student representative for music, is now in her second year of college studying a BTEC in Drama and Music and A level Health and Social Care. Shannon is very passionate about making students aware of different issues and has been involved withs Park Media Group which has produced several DVDs for this purpose.

This year Shannon organised an appeal for Havant Women’s Aid for Christmas with which the Student Union received a massive response. Members of the charity were overwhelmed with the number of donations received.

So far this year...

Thorpe Park Fright Night – October

The first event of the year was to the Fright Night at Thorpe Park. Around 40 students went along and enjoyed a great day with all the thrills of Fright Night. Most probably to be repeated next year.

Inter Faith Week – 21st-25th November

The SU tried to get students thinking by getting students to use message boards in college. Here are some of the responses to “What happens when we die?”

Turn into ghosts
We turn into compost
We start again
Be reincarnated
You watch over the ones you love and you have left behind until the join you once again
Go to Heaven if you’re good and Hell if you’re bad

And, “What does a god symbolise?”

Faith
Hope
Eternal Live
Love Spirit
Lies Trust
Someone who looks over us
Someone to talk to and tell my problems

Children in Need – Friday 18th November 2011

The SU raised almost £200 with various activities such as Speed Pool, cake stalls and general collections. The Speed Pool was won by Jason Dearlove who potted 7 balls in 1 minute and Charmaine Welch won a poster competition held for FFL students.

London trip

Some students did battle with the shoppers and enjoyed the Christmas lights of Oxford Street at the beginning of December whilst others did a bit of sightseeing. A great day to get you in the festive spirit!

Blue Monday

On Monday 16th January officially the most depressing day of the year, the SU aimed to cheer everyone up! Cakes were offered around the Coffee House and our two morph suited mystery Casanovas handed out blue roses around the college which brought a few smiles so obviously did the trick!

Chinese New Year

The Student Union welcome the Waterside Lion Dancers once again to celebrate Chinese New Year on Tuesday 24th January. Their traditional dance brought a carnival atmosphere to the packed out Courtyard café.

Go Green Week Monday 6th-Friday 10th February

Information on energy saving, recycling and cycling were on display and various activities took place during the week.

For Meat free Monday Level 1 Catering students had produced some very tasty ethnic snacks as well as food tastings of quorn bolognaise and vegetable balti in the Courtyard.

For Travel Lite Tuesday, Sivyers Cycles came to college to run a cycle clinic.

For Waste Not Wednesday there was a second hand book and clothes stall. Donations went to the Rowans Hospice and British Heart Foundation. You could also bring in your old mobiles and spectacles. Mobiles were sent off to raise money for the Hampshire Air Ambulance. A group of students under the supervision of Libby Wain and Helen Strong built a car from recycled materials which was displayed in the reception area for a week. Articles made by Art students were also on display including a cheeseboard made out of glass bottles and sheets of hand made paper.

The Pledge Tree enabled students to write their thoughts including “Recycle, Reuse, Remember”, “If you make a mistake with your work, use the paper as scrap, reuse and then recycle”.

Representatives from Queen Elizabeth County Park visited and students could find out about sustainability, and becoming a ranger. However, the event most noticed by students seemed to be our “endangered species” that were spotted around college!

LGBT History Month – Feb 2012

The student union put up graffiti boards by the LRC and in the Coffee House. Students were asked if they thought the term “You’re so gay” is offensive. Several commented “Gay means happy” and “it’s just a phrase not an insult”. No comments were received to say the term was found to be offensive.

Disability Awareness Week Monday 27th Feb – Friday 2nd March

Student officers volunteered to use various equipment for a day to find out what it was like to be disabled. Sam Wilkinson wore blackened glasses and found it really hard. He said “You have to put a lot of trust in others to help you and be your eyes. It took a lot longer to do things. We had to get people to speak as they entered the office and classroom so that I knew who it was. You also cannot tell the time which was frustrating!”

Shannon Turner was mute for the day which again was very hard. She had to communicate by writing everything down, which made it difficult to hold a conversation.

Brad Murrant was in a wheelchair for a day. He said ” It was incredible the amount of energy used just to move from one place to another getting through doors and up slopes and having to go longer routes around college.” Meg Henwood and Helen Strong were hearing impaired for a day. They found this very isolating and a horrible feeling as your own voice echoed in your head.

Students had a go at Sensory pool using their partner as a guide to try to hit the balls accurately without full sight.

Michael Powell, Disability Officer organised a great event involving Hampshire Cricket in the Sports Hall where students could have a go at feeling what it is like to play cricket when you have a disability.

Fair Trade Fortnight – Monday 27th February – Friday 9th March

Student Union provided Fair Trade lunches and snacks every day so that students and staff could try different fair trade foods. Chocolate was very popular!

Women’s Day – Thursday 8th March

The Student Union promoted famous women in history and inspirational quotes by them with a display outside the LRC and in the Coffee House. Vickie Hayward, Student Union Women’s officer said her favourite quote was “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water” – Eleanor Roosevelt. The Student Union also collected donations of sanitary items and toiletries for Oxfam. Thank you to all you donated.

World Music Week – 12th-16th March

During this week some great performances went on around college by our very own SDC musicians. The week started on Monday with DJ Sam Fraser who put on a great performance of “music that made you feel like you were on holiday” said by one student, in the Courtyard Café. Sam is a 2nd year BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Music Technology student and is off to Brazil to work in a recording studio when he finishes the course.

Following on from that on Tuesday were the HND1s featuring Stacey Blades, Ciaron Brophy, Rich Buckie, Oliver Evans ,Will Higgs, James Miles,Colin Hooper,Adam Leaf, Louella Poulter, Luca Signorelli, Harrison Stone, Elliot Tongue who played a selection of English and American music in the Coffee House.

Ben Baxter’s BTEC level 2s, (Scott James, Isabelle Mills, Jack Kelly, Louie Dunlop, Mike Cook, Kieran Hedger, Harry Alexander, Carlo Anderson, Jon Harris) followed on with more great performances. “The Coffee House Gig was a great experience for the level 2 students” said Ben.

On Wednesday the whole college was awoken by the rhythmic sounds of Tom Hazell and his Samba band which seems to have doubled in size since last year. The band toured the college apart from the Studio Café where you could enjoy some great Blues being played by Zak Fielder and Brent Hutchinson on guitars.

The Courtyard Café was the place to be on Thursday to enjoy the performance by BTEC Subsidiary Dip and BTEC Extended Diploma. The students have been working really hard perfecting vocal harmonies and this showed with the excellent entertainment, but too many names to mention. All Extended Diploma students are preparing for a tour of the Isle of Wight in May so World Music Week provided an ideal opportunity for some of the students to try their tour material out. Before hitting the Island, they will be touring a few local schools and we hope to have them back in the Courtyard once again before they go.

Finally to end the week, on Friday the HND2s were in action in the Coffee House with yet another great performance, which featured Toby Brookes, Matt Cobb, James Collins, Alex Fawcett, Jeff Hadnett, Matt Hiscock, Rory Kane, Dan Magee, Tom Oldham, Sam Penington, Ollie Powney, Mike Sparks, Jess Stuart, Alex Flynn and Peter Georgeson.

Sports Relief – Friday 23rd March

The college gym opened at 7.15am for students and staff to do their mile for Sports Relief on Friday 23rd March. Each participant paid 50p towards Sports Relief which then entered them into a competition of the Fastest Mile. Danny Sharratt was fastest on the treadmill in a time of 5 minutes 32 seconds and James Parry was fastest on the bike in two minutes 18 seconds.

For those who felt they really could not do a mile, there was the option of partaking in the sweepstake. Unfortunately nobody guessed the correct answer which was Dermot. Other students opted to play pool of which all the 50ps went to the charity. In total £112 was raised for the charity.

Student Union Events 2011-2012

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

June 2012