It’s the start of the 24/2 academic year! And it has been packed with loads of fun and enjoyment!

Block Overview:

To kick start the year we had our Welcome Week, to give all returning and new students a warm and welcoming Week 1. This year's Welcome Week we had the amazing opportunity to work with two of the Full-Time Officers from Coventry – Christopher Eban and Odudu Umo-Odiong. We also held a mixer for all the students who are living in student accommodation. This was an amazing opportunity for those students who have moved away from home to meet new people and connect with them. We also held an event called Throwback Thursday, we had a karaoke machine which was great fun as well as snacks and games. This was an event where you could just come and chill out! This year we also had the opportunity to walk in the Scarborough Pride Parade. This was also a chance where our LGBTQ+ Students could be represented and meet and connect with many people also walking in the parade.

 Weeks 3 & 4 of the block was focused on collecting feedback and dishing it out to the right people. To start my journey of collecting feedback I held a drop in on Friday of Week 3, this was open to all students to ask me any questions they may have or just to have a general chat. Then in Week 4 we had Student Voice Meetings for all our Course Reps to come forward to the SU with the feedback they had collected from their peers. Within both weeks I had been working with Lucy on kick starting our project for Black History Month. I had the idea of creating a recipe book for this project but we wanted it to be student-led, so we created a form where students could upload their favorite recipes and the at the end of the month we will compile all submissions into a book for students to take away with them. I also held a stall at the campus Open Day, this was a great way for me to connect with the staff that was on site and all the students who are looking at joining us in the future.

As Block 1 was coming to an end the Students’ Union held recruitment for student staff. We had two positions available for any student to apply for. The two roles were Campus Experience Rep and Campus Education Rep. We had many applications for both roles. We then held interviews for these roles to decide which two students would be the best fit for this academic year. The interviews also gave students experience in how job interviews typically work, therefore at the end of each interview the Union came together to give feedback to these students for future reference.

Highlights and challenges:

With all the events and activities we’ve had, this block really has made a warm welcome for all students, however, it didn’t come without challenges. I have learnt many different strategies and ways to connect with all students on how to get the word out about the activities we’ve had. My biggest highlight from Block 1 was kick-starting the Student Voice meetings for the year. I got to meet many of the new and continuing Reps that I will be working with this year.

What to expect in block 2:

As we enter Block 2, the joy and excitement continues, for this Block there will be many more events and activities for students to come along to and meet new people they may not have met yet. I will be hosting more drop-in sessions for students to ask any questions or have general chats, there will also be more karaoke nights and even a movie night where the students will vote which movie gets premiered.

Contact me:

If you have any queries, feel free to contact me via Microsoft Teams or on my email ae4750@coventry.ac.uk

Jess (CU Scarborough Campus Officer)