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Warwick SUAnnual Report

2008-2009

July 2009

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Introduction

The past year will be remembered as one of the most exciting in the Union’s history. Having rebranded, rebuilt and refocused, we are more determined than ever to ensure that Warwick University offers the greatest possible student experience.

Without a main Students’ Union building, the challenge of engaging our members could not have been greater. Yet by all involved with Warwick SU, this challenge was seized upon and even our most optimistic aims were exceeded. Democratic participation reached record levels, our societies and sports clubs excelled and our work within the community also became a prominent part of what we do.

From SPLAT Fest and One World Week to Go Green Week, the Boar to RaW, the work of Warwick students – helped and aided by Warwick SU – is quite out of the ordinary and should be recognised and rewarded. The future of higher education in this country may face many uncertainties, but we are confident and optimistic.

Phase one of our ambitious redevelopment project is now complete. Financially Warwick SU now has a plan for the future and a host of new faces amongst our staff teams have created a fantastic working environment.

Our many successes this year are down to our students, our staff and our officers and long may these successes continue.

Stuart Thomson, President 08/09 & Andrew Bradley, President 09/10

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From arrivals weekend to graduation, this year has been a whirlwind of success stories for Warwick SU. A new Officer team and Chief Executive have brought with them a fresh perspective and new priorities – most importantly a renewed focus on our raison d’être: our membership services.

The most obvious achievement has been our £11 million rebuild project, delivered in two phases over the course of the year. Long awaited and badly needed, this new building will keep Warwick SU on the map as one of the leading students’ unions in the country. Due to be completed during the 09/10 academic year, it is one example of the wide-reaching change that has reshaped Warwick SU this year.

An equally bold rebrand has given our organisational personality new life; a modern and dynamic image that reflects our unique culture.

In the context of a year of such dramatic upheaval, we have made remarkable progress increasing engagement with our members. We have broken records in every area: more students have got involved with Union democracy than ever before, societies and sports clubs are enjoying their highest ever membership numbers and we continue to involve over 500 of our members in the ‘SSLC’ system of course representatives.

We were delighted that in May 2009 Warwick SU was selected as a finalist in

the ‘Participation Award’ category of the prestigious NUS Awards. Separate to this, we have also been fortunate enough to win a Silver Sound Environmental Impact Award. This award recognises students’ unions that have taken extraordinary steps to reduce their environmental impact. To achieve a Silver Award is remarkable considering that this was our first entry, and it is testament to the commitment of both our Officers and staff to our environmental agenda. Among all these statistics, awards and projects it would be easy to lose sight of our Mission Statement, and the ultimate reason for our existence:

This Union is directed by its members and aims to enhance the experience of students whilst at the University of Warwick.

This is why our ambitious three-year strategy firmly places membership engagement and the student experience at the heart of its goals.

We are justifiably proud of the successes this strategy has already helped to deliver. However, as well as celebrating these, this report also looks to the future. At Warwick SU, we never stand still. We are always on the lookout for the next big idea, the next project or initiative that might help us achieve our three-year vision.

What a year! Taking on the role of Chief Exec here at Warwick was never going to be easy but the challenges that officers, staff and volunteers have faced down this year have proven to me that the people at this Union and members of this Union are the most committed, innovative and hard working people anyone could have the good fortune to work with. I am immensely proud of every single person involved.

There is no doubt that Warwick SU is much more than just a service provider; our purpose talks about enhancing the student experience. For

me it’s much more than that, it’s about transforming lives, careers, attitudes and even society. Our focus has been entirely on this during this year and will continue to be so. I’d like to think that whole cohorts of students leave this University looking back over their shoulder with feelings of pride and affection, knowing that the Union added to their lives in some way, no matter how large or small. The Union is after all a collection of people, students themselves largely, trying to do the right thing for students. That is something we should all be proud of.

Jacqui Clements, Chief Executive

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1. Involving Students as Members

Student engagement is seen as the central pillar of the Union’s strategy. Across the sector, students’ unions are reporting greater student apathy and decreasing involvement. This is, in many ways, understandable. Students are increasingly attending university to get a degree first and foremost, in order to take the ‘next step’ of improved career opportunities. The stereotypical student of yesteryear – spending all their student loan in the bar, having more free time than they know what to do with and studying little – is an endangered species. At Warwick SU, we have proactively responded to these cultural changes, and we will continue to change and adapt to whatever the future holds.

Democratic engagement

Last year the Union conducted an extensive Governance Review. This resulted in a series of significant changes being made to the way the Union is run. Officer titles were made less confusing, democratic processes were streamlined and committees altered to encourage more open debate.

The results of this review are clear to see. This year, also as a result of improved publicity, participation in the Union’s democratic structures has broken every record in the book.

The first clear example of this increased engagement came with the Union’s Autumn Referendum. The turnout during the election was over 3,200 – up from just over 2000 the previous year. A further reason for this exceptionally high turnout – the highest in the Union’s history – was perhaps the motion calling for a lecture-free induction period. Never before has a single issue united the student body to this extent, with 80% of students voting in favour.

The Union’s main Officer Elections period, held in Term 2, showed us just how far we have come. Almost 5,000 students voted in these elections – an increase of 25% from the previous year. What was particularly pleasing was the increase in voter turnout from groups that the Union is actively trying to increase its engagement with. Turnout by postgraduates and international students was up 86% and 97% respectively.

BoarD of trustees

This year has seen the formation of the Union’s new Board of Trustees. The Board consists of a mix of Sabbatical Officers, student trustees and external ‘lay’ trustees. This ensures that the Union remains student-led, but is also able to benefit from the experience and expertise of external trustees at a strategic level.

We have been lucky enough to recruit an extraordinarily diverse set of trustees from a wealth of different backgrounds. So far, the Board has had two meetings, both of which have been highly successful. The Union is still looking for external ‘lay’ trustees to join the Board. We would be particularly interested in applicants with experience in charity law.

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WeBsite anD reBranD

As part of our drive to improve communication with our members, the Union’s visual image was changed dramatically at the start of this academic year. Much more than just a new logo, our new brand represents a new way of thinking – like the Union itself, it is modern, dynamic and flexible. The decision was taken to implement our rebrand this year as it is also a year of significant physical change, with the long-awaited Union rebuild taking place.

An essential part of this rebrand process was the Union’s website. It has undergone a significant redevelopment, is far easier to navigate and has received much positive feedback from our members. The statistics back this up – our website now gets an average of 5,000 visits per day.

Our members are increasingly interacting with us through this website. Our ‘MSL’ membership system facilitates this interaction, allowing our members to comment on news articles, provide us with feedback through forums and voting in polls. This informal feedback from individual students is just as important to us as feedback gained through more formal channels.

I first became involved with the SU during Freshers Fortnight by attending a presentation about the Union. Having learnt lots about what would be happening on campus during 2008-2009, I was really keen to find out even more.

I attended the Union’s Annual General Meeting at the end of my second week at University, and then before long discovered that I had been voted in as a First Year Union Councillor. I had lots of fun towards the end of the first term taking part in kitchen tours to promote voting on referenda motions, and, more generally, I have also had a fantastic time this entire year participating in various Students’ Union societies and sports clubs. I was delighted to become the President of the Jack Martin Hall Society, and I have also been a first year representative on the Department of History Staff Student Liaison Committee.

Through my involvement with Warwick Students’ Union I have met so many great people and learnt so many new things. I am really enjoying my role of Student Trustee on the Board of Trustees, and so I am really happy that I chose to apply for this position. Getting involved with the Students’ Union this year has definitely given me confidence for future applications, and it has really taught me that so much can be gained from just getting involved.

Cathy Watts, 1st year History student

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2. Providing Development Opportunities

Developing students has become a key role for all Students’ Unions over the last decade. In an increasingly competitive graduate job market, it is important that students leave Warwick with the right skills. Increasingly, employers are looking for graduates who can offer more than simply academic excellence – it is involvement in extra-curricular activities such as sports clubs and societies that help people stand out from the crowd.

Fortunately, as a Union, this is something we excel at. We help to provide the largest number of sports clubs and societies of any Union in the country, and also facilitate a series of unique ‘events’ such as One World Week. The success of these events owe just as much to the entrepreneurialism and dynamism of Warwick students as they do to the Union itself – in all these activities, the Union takes the role of a facilitator rather than a manager. We are here to support students in realising their goals – the ultimate success of their initiatives is down to them alone.

societies

This year we have seen the total number of societies increase from 220 to over 270. This includes the creation of Hall Societies, and others ranging from ‘European Law’ to ‘Free Hugs’.

Some society highlights include:

Over half of students at Warwick are a member of at least one society.

Warwick societies were incredibly successful at the National Student Drama Festival, with the performances Elephant’s Graveyard and Return to the Silence winning ten awards between them.

The Brass Society was recognised as one of the top performers in the country at their annual National Championship.

In their maiden year, Airsoc hosted the first ever inter-university Airsoft Tournament, coming in second place.

The Islamic Society won Best Society of the Year at the Annual Society Awards, and RaW (Radio Warwick) went home with the title of Most Improved Society.

The Students’ Union places a real focus on student development. From my first days on campus, they provided a host of opportunities for me to get involved in different activities that I wanted to pursue. In my first year, I was part of the Warwick rugby team, Union Council, SSLC and One World Week fashion show. In my second and third year, I was an executive in the Warwick Business School Society and One World Week as well as still being an SSLC rep. These positions allowed me to be involved in creating events such as the Business Ball and One World Week nights such as the fashion show and having Eric Prydz perform.

The skills you learn in a society are identical to ones that you need in a real job; attending meetings and working as part of a team, working independently on specific tasks, communicating with others, marketing and talking to professional companies both locally and nationally.

All recruiters that I have spoken to have always stressed the importance of both good grades and extra curricular activities. The Warwick Advantage Award is a great way to showcase your achievements outside of academic study. I know gaining a Gold Award will help my employability. I would strongly recommend everyone gets involved in something and makes the most of their time at Warwick.

With literally hundreds of societies and sports teams, there is something for everyone at Warwick.

Isaac Acquah, 3rd year Computer and Business Studies

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sports cluBs

This has been a remarkably successful year for sport at Warwick. The groundbreaking University/Union/Warwick Sport partnership is now in its fifth year, and continues to provide excellent facilities for students.

Some sports club highlights include:

Over 10,000 students are now members of Warwick Sport, a significant increase of almost 1,000 from the previous year.

Warwick was victorious against local rivals Coventry in the annual Varsity series, in which 15 clubs took part in over 35 fixtures.

Both the 1st and 2nd Women’s Netball teams made it through to the BUCS Midlands Cup Final, after an incredibly successful season for the club in which they were awarded the prestigious Club of the Year award.

Warwick Snow’s tours continued to go from strength to strength; over 550 students, many of them first time skiers, visited Val d’Isere as part of the Christmas Tour.

The Great Warwick Jump raised over £57,000 for charity, and allowed hundreds of participants to try skydiving for the first time.

stuDent eVents

One area in which Warwick SU excels is large-scale events, which are run by students, for students. The best know event is One World Week. Over two hundred student volunteers are involved in organising this week-long festival, making it the world’s largest student-run international event. This year was one of the most successful in its history

Other events include SPLAT-fest, a week celebrating student art in all its forms, and Go Green Week, championing environmental initiatives on campus and beyond. Almost every week a student event adds to the cosmopolitan community of the University Campus. New events are always being started by students and supported by their Union; this year saw the launch of Warwick Entrepreneurs week in the first term.

the WarWick aDVantage aWarD

This is a brand new initiative for this year, created in close collaboration with the University. The Warwick Advantage Award aims to provide formal recognition for students’ non-academic experience at University – whether as part of a sports club, society, Union Officer – or anything else. The award is formally recognised by both the University and top graduate employers – whom it was developed in conjunction with.

In its maiden year, the Award has proven a massive success. Over 130 students have achieved awards, and out of these, 18 were awarded Warwick Advantage Gold Awards. With continued University backing, the award looks set to go from strength to strength in years to come.

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This year has been a hugely exciting one for the Union’s profit-making membership areas. Our ambitious rebuild project will bring both new opportunities and new challenges. It is vitally important that these areas continue to flourish, as every single penny that is made through them is reinvested in students.

union reBuilD

It was clear to everyone involved with the Union that our old building was not fit for purpose. It had originally been designed to cater for only 2,000 students in the 1970s. Last year it was serving 20,000 students, day and night, seven days a week. A significant change was badly needed.

This year the building works finally got underway. It has been a hugely challenging year, however, as a Union we have taken a series of bold steps to meet these challenges head-on. In order to provide facilities for students while the rebuild has taken place, the building works have been ‘phased’. This means that the works have been split into two parts, with one left open while the other is being redeveloped.

In order to sustain revenue and food and drink provision, two pub favourites were merged creating the Graduate@Cholo. These were enhanced with Grad Grub, a popular food outlet. A new baguette shop was opened and the old coffee lounge was redecorated and rebranded becoming the Kami Lounge. These were all very well received during the first phase of the building works, and to continue the service to our members in the second phase, we moved “The Bread Oven” into SUHQ – a decision that has proven extremely successful.

Although the works were being phased, there was no one venue with a large enough capacity to host big Union events. The University were in the same position, with the Butterworth Hall also undergoing redevelopment work. Testament to our uniquely close working relationship, a solution was found in a huge Temporary Events Structure built nearby. Perfect for large Union events, Warwick Conference functions, University exhibitions and Winter Graduation, the ‘TES’ proved ideal at a time when space was at a premium for us all.

Phase one is now finished and our new venue The Copper Rooms, complete with its stylish VIP bar area Rouge, has received much positive feedback from students and staff alike. Our new pub, The Dirty Duck, with its carvery, pub menu and balcony terrace marks the beginning of what will be an amazing new SU building.

3. Sustaining and Developing

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Phase two of the build, due to be completed during the 09/10 academic year, includes:

A light and airy atrium space, with a front entrance at ground level.

An all glass piazza café at the front of the building.

A stylish terrace bar with premium views looking out over the piazza.

A priority for the Union this year has been keeping our members updated on the build programme. This has been achieved through a dedicated sub-section of the website, as well as regular email updates to students.

memBership solutions limiteD (msl)

MSL is a hugely exciting venture, and an example of how Warwick SU is leading the way in this sector. Put simply, it is an IT system that allows Unions to better connect with their members through online news, ticketing, forums, blogs, elections and much more.

The system was originally developed in-house by the Union’s IT department. In 2005, it was realised that it could potentially help other Union’s all around the country to connect with their members in the same way it helped Warwick. A decision was made to establish a separate ‘spin-off’ company with its own Board of Directors and staff. Four years later, the business is going from strength to strength. Over 10% of HE students in the UK now have access to an MSL system.

For more information on the MSL product, visit www.ukmsl.com

I’m now in my fourth year at Warwick, and it’s been amazing to see the Union grow and develop during that time. As much as we all loved the old Union building, it was clearly not in a decent state any more. Although it had plenty of character, its flaws were obvious. A tiny dancefloor that could hardly fit 20, let alone 2000 students was perhaps the worst offender.

I was excited to hear about the Union build project when it was first announced a few years ago, and I still remember Union Officers coming into my kitchen when I was a fresher to talk about the plans and get ideas from students.

Three years later, it’s amazing to finally see bits of the finished article actually opening. I’ve already spent far too much time in The Dirty Duck than is healthy - especially during exam time! And The Copper Rooms is a massive improvement from the old Union venue – I can’t wait to see Feeder there at the end of term, the old Union building would never have been able to attract such a big act.

I’m just gutted that I’m not around next year to enjoy the whole building once it’s been finished!

Chris Cooper, 4th year Civil Engineering student

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campaigns

Campaigning rightly remains at the heart of the Students’ Union. This year has seen a variety of campaigns on a multitude of issues. These campaigns range from the very political, to those more focused on student welfare.

A few particularly successful campaigns that the Union has run this year include:

The “Taken For a Ride” campaign. This was in protest at constantly rising bus fares for students. A free ‘party bus’ service was organised, and almost 2,000 students signed a petition. Since the campaign, the Union has begun a constructive dialogue with both local bus companies, who are now reviewing their pricing strategies as a result.

4. Representing Students to Win Change

As with any Union, one of Warwick SU’s main responsibilities is to represent our members. Whether at a local, regional or national level, promoting the interests of our members is at the forefront of what we do.

This representation takes many forms. As well as the ‘traditional’ campaigning activity, which still forms an important part of student representation, we are fortunate enough to enjoy a uniquely close relationship with the University. This relationship has allowed many ground-breaking initiatives to take off, as well as grow and develop. A prime example of this is the Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) system.

the sslc

This system of academic representation is widely recognised as the best in the sector, and an example for other Students’ Unions to follow. Each course at Warwick has its own SSLC, with representatives from all years and course variations.The SSLC system is essentially a forum that brings students and academics together to discuss issues with their courses, and how they could be improved. Throughout its 30-year history, the SSLC has

continually brought about improvements to the academic experience at Warwick.

Highlights have included:

Over 500 SSLC representatives recruited and trained.

The introduction of Faculty Forums, where all the SSLC chairs from a particular faculty meet once per term.

A letter written to senior University staff by chair of the History SSLC, highlighting the poor state of the humanities building. This letter was signed by all Arts SSLCs and several academics, and a meeting has now been set up to discuss this issue.

Being highly commended by the QAA Audit, particularly with reference to how embedded it has become within the University culture, and how much academics respect the student feedback they receive through it.

Departments adopting guidelines for joint degree students. These will ensure better communication between departments, and ultimately a better experience for joint degree students.

A continuous drive to improve the feedback students receive on their work. In particular, the campaign for academics to start giving feedback on exams, which saw hundreds of students placing stickers reading “Please give me feedback, it helps me learn!” on the front of exam scripts.

Welfare campaigns including the groundbreaking “What if?” responsible drinking campaign; the “Feel Good” campaign, which aimed to help students during the stress of the exam period; and the campaign for improved sexual health facilities on campus, which has resulted in regular visits from an NHS Gum Clinic.

The “Support our Sports”, or SOS campaign. Concerned with the impact disproportionately large budget cuts would have on sporting participation at Warwick, the Union organised a campaign to highlight this issue to the University.

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I became involved with student representation during my first degree through the Biological Sciences Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC). On moving to the medical school, I was appointed Medical Faculty Representative with responsibility for representing both undergraduates and postgraduates. Student representation is very strong at Warwick Medical School (WMS). There are representatives for the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Medicine, as well as students sitting on Management Groups. Instead of dividing student opinion, these multiple roles increase the overall weight of the student voice. Students, working together with staff, have achieved a number of successes in recent years. They were involved in restructuring the assessment system to include integrated - rather than modular - examinations. Most recently, a campaign led to the creation of a student carpark at the University Hospital. Before this breakthrough - which required cooperation both from the medical school and NHS Trust - medical students had paid £10 a day for the privilege of attending rotations at this hospital.

A curriculum review group - composed of staff and students, including the Students’ Union Medical Faculty Representative - has now been convened to consider the future of the WMS curriculum. Involvement of students in this important process demonstrates the commitment of WMS and the student body to viable and effective student representation.

David Metcalfe, 2nd year Medical student

stuDent aDVice centre

Rebranded from Advice and Welfare Services, the Student Advice Centre has continued to help thousands of students throughout the year. Cases have ranged from legal advice to academic appeals. The number of these appeals the Advice Centre receives has increased significantly over the last three years. Although we are well placed to deal with such enquiries, and pleased that our students feel they can approach us concerning such matters, this increase is a matter of concern for us. We are currently investigating its causes using the SSLC system.

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5. Supporting a Communal Student Experience

The Union’s fifth strategic aim is one that has vastly increased in importance in recent years. As students become more and more diverse, the Union must respond in kind. It is important that our members are not regarded as one homogenous group, but that their differences are recognised and celebrated. Many of the projects below have been initiated as a direct result of the Union’s groundbreaking “Internationalising the Student Experience” report, which, after extensive research, detailed a series of practical steps to help achieve greater integration of home and international communities.

inDuction campaign

A long-standing issue for students at Warwick is the lack of a dedicated, lecture-free induction period for students. Although the launch of the ‘Inro8’ programme has been positively received by both students and their Union, time and time again our members have told us that they feel overwhelmed in this

initial period. It is understandable – in this first fortnight, students have to adapt to the move away from home, start lectures, make new friends, join clubs and societies, participate in University Induction events and in many cases take exams.

Warwick is almost completely unique in not having a lecture-free period at the beginning of the first term. One of the key recommendations from the Union’s International Report was for such a period to be put in place, to allow students time to bond before the academic experience of University begins. Such a period already exists for international students in the form of International Orientation. Although warmly received by those attending, the report flagged up the fact that this period can in itself lead to increased segregation between student communities.

After extensive consultation with all stakeholders of the induction period, the general consensus is clear; such a week would be a positive step for students, the University, and the SU. The question that now remains is the structure and timing of such a week.

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community engagement

This year, the Union has taken an especially proactive approach to engaging with the local community. As Warwick expands its student numbers, increasing numbers of students will be living in off-campus communities. It is of the utmost importance that these students are seen in a positive light. In order to counteract the negative PR that students often unfairly receive, we have proactively highlighted the good work that students do in the community, particularly in terms of volunteer work.

We are also working on a series of practical schemes that aim to solve some of the common problems that occur within the community. These include providing advice and guidance to students on refuse collection, particularly towards the end of term; working closely with the Police and the University to organise events such as the Crime Prevention Day; and organising charity collections directly to student residences.

mentoring scheme

Currently, mentoring provision across the University varies substantially by department. Some are excellent, whereas in some department no provision exists. The SSLC system has consistently called for a universal mentoring, or ‘buddy’ scheme to be implemented.

The Union has taken this idea forward, in close collaboration with the Centre for Students Development and Enterprise (CSDE). A report published by the CSDE earlier this year set out exactly how such a scheme could be implemented, using example of best practice from other institutions as well as extensive student consultation. With this clear vision now established, CSDE and the Students’ Union will be working together to take this project forward.

This year, community engagement has become a key part of the Welfare Officer’s role. It’s an area that probably hasn’t received the attention it deserves in previous years, so it has been great to look back and see that so much progress has been made over the last twelve months. By working closely with the University, we’ve been able to deliver a whole host of projects aimed at improving the relationship between students and local residents. The most successful has probably been our drive to encourage our members to think more carefully about their refuse collection at the end of term, which in previous years has caused hostility between local residents and students. Following on from advice and best practice from other Students’ Unions, we have proactively worked with local charities and councils to offer students a series of convenient options for refuse disposal at the end of term, which in the past has not been available.

In the future, it looks as though these initiatives will go from strength to strength as a result of the foundations that have been laid this year. Amongst other things, a joint University – Students’ Union Community Strategy will be launched very soon, and we are currently looking into the possibility of introducing a ‘Community Rep’ scheme. We’re all very confident that these projects will be a big success and, along with the great work Warwick Volunteers will continue to do, will further enhance the reputation of students in the local area.

Steph Jones, SU Welfare Officer

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6. Widening Participation and Regional Engagement

In recent years, the Union has begun to widen its reach beyond current Warwick students. As part of our continued community engagement initiatives, we have made it a priority to help ‘widen participation’ in higher education wherever possible. This takes a variety of forms – the most ambitious and wide-reaching being the groundbreaking Warwick SU Inspire scheme that has been launched this year.

WarWick su inspire

Warwick SU Inspire is a simple, cost effective scheme which takes Warwick students into schools throughout the West Midlands to showcase their university experience. The Warwick students have been working with year 9, 10 and 11 students at a diverse range of national challenge schools, and encouraging the next generation to realise their dreams and be ‘inspired’ for the future. During the sessions, Warwick students provide a ‘human’ dimension to the opportunities associated with higher education, conducting workshops and offering first hand advice associated with

the key junctures during the pupils’ secondary school life.

The aims of the project are:

To provide school pupils with a face-to-face opportunity to meet University students at an early age.

To offer advice and support to school pupils.

To build links with national challenge schools who have no previous links with universities.

To develop the skills and experiences of Warwick students.

To highlight the need for simple, effective WP schemes.

For the Students’ Union to play an active part in encouraging access to higher education.

With modest publicity, our initial pilot received phenomenal demand from students. Unfortunately we could only offer places to a third of applicants. As a result nearly 40 students have visited our nine partner schools. Across the three Wednesday sessions, they conducted workshops with over 300 school children. Unlike many access schemes this ensures that large volumes of pupils get a chance to meet the Warwick students on an informal face-to-face group basis. This scheme will continue and grow in the coming years giving school children hope and aspiration and clearing up misconceptions about university life.

WarWick Volunteers

Warwick Volunteers is another partnership between the Students’ Union and University that provides opportunities for staff and students to volunteer and help disadvantaged groups in the local community. With thousands of members and over 50 active projects, Warwick Volunteers is well known locally for making a real difference in everything from schools to the environment.

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Some highlights of the year include:

More clubs and societies have teamed up with Warwick Volunteers than ever before. For example, the Women’s Netball club have been coaching children in five schools, and even ran a tournament for them on campus.

The national ‘Big Challenge’ event saw Warwick Volunteers and Coventry’s Horizon Volunteers collaborating to

help paint local schools, and to improve the grounds of the historic Coombe Abbey Country Park.

‘Make a Difference Day’ at the end of October, the UK’s biggest single day of volunteering. This year, among other projects, healthy living scripts were translated into Chinese and other languages, and a mural was painted at Bath Place Community Centre in Leamington Spa.

I was still a “new arrival” at University when the Warwick Inspire scheme was launched and, like most freshers, I was keen to grab every opportunity I could. Moreover, the scheme involved interacting with young pupils, an activity I am passionate about after having worked with school children on various projects back in India.

On the day itself I will never forget a young boy’s amazed face upon finding out I sleep till 2pm on Mondays, as I have no lectures! As the day progressed, we interacted with sixth formers, answered their questions on life at university, the advantages of a degree and each one of them told us how relieved they were to get first hand advice from university students themselves. As we talked to them about various career options that could develop out of their interests, many students were convinced of the additional opportunities a university degree brought along. I have never enjoyed answering questions that much, even though I was being questioned on every aspect of my life including if it was difficult to manage a relationship alongside university! Not only did I enjoy my day immensely, but after each session I realised the massive impact that such an initiative had on students in their formative years.

Nidhi Badaya, 1st year Management student

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Financial Sustainability

The current year has been an extremely challenging one from a financial perspective. As well as steadily increasing deficits on previous years, business interruption costs associated with the rebuild placed a further strain on our finances. At the beginning of the year we had budgeted for a £750,000 deficit as a direct result of these increased costs.

Despite this sobering budget, there is much to celebrate this year. Our commercial services have performed better than expected, and it is testament to the creativity of our staff that outlets such as ‘The Kami Lounge’ and ‘Grad Grub’, created from what remained of the Union building, performed so well. It has been a chance for us to look at all our operations from the bottom up, improving efficiencies at every stage. Our strong commercial performance owes as much to effective control of costs as it does to higher than expected turnover.

This year, however, we had to contend with a number of costs that we did not foresee. The first of three notable cost increases was a wage settlement vastly above that which was budgeted for, due to a nationally negotiated pay deal that linked pay inflation to the rate of retail inflation in September 2008.

Clearly with ongoing budgeted deficits, there is an obvious impact on reserves and cashflow. Strategies for managing these have been in place throughout the build programme and monitored on a daily basis internally and with the University.

Our relationship with the University, the trust that lies between us in respect of operational and governance matters has enabled us to navigate our way through any resultant difficulties.

We have worked closely throughout the last three years with the University on a package of support where costs and income budgets have all been challenged rigorously. We are confident that we will emerge from this process with a robust 5 year plan and a building back of reserves over time. We are however, very clear that this will not be an easy ride and there remain difficult challenges ahead.

At the time of the settlement, this rate was 5%. Heat, light water and power costs have risen faster than anyone anticipated when budgeting over a year before. The Temporary Events Structure (TES), which was built as a joint project between the University, Union and Warwick Conferences also incurred more costs than expected, largely due to issues around managing noise effectively for our neighbours and dealing with the especially inclement weather.

In addition, our focus on trying to provide temporary services for our members during the year of disruption has meant investment in developing Tempo, a temporary nightclub, and the Graduate@Cholo, among others.

www.warwicksu.com

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the future

Having a brand new building means Warwick SU has an exciting future ahead. The opportunities this will afford both our membership and commercial services are immense. However, even with this new building, our financial challenges will not disappear overnight.

In the 09/10 year many of our services will not be operating at full capacity. For example, it will take time to build the Warwick SU brand in the local area before we can achieve our ultimate goal of appealing to the general public for events, and marketing the Union as a ‘destination centre’ for students and non-students alike. In order to achieve this, we will be trading for 50 weeks rather than the standard 30 weeks per year as before. Next year is seen as a ‘business building’ year, in which new services can be tested, fresh concepts trialled and strong brands built. The potential to do this is huge and the whole organisation is committed to this strategy.

In future years, building back strong cash reserves will not be easy. Particularly in light of the current economic climate, we are realistic about the challenge ahead, and many tough decisions will have to be made going forwards.

We have put together a realistic and achievable plan for the next five years, with every year showing a budgeted surplus.

The performance of our spin-off company, Membership Solutions Limited is meeting our expectations and we expect strong contributions in the future. And perhaps most important, we are lucky enough to employ a truly excellent staff team. Although no one doubts that there will be challenges ahead, we have every confidence that the creativity, dedication and excellence of our staff, officers and volunteers will prove to be our most valuable asset in delivering our financial plan and making Warwick SU one of the finest students’ unions and business centres in the country.

financial highlights 2008 2007

£000’s £000’s

income

University Grant 1,393 1,333

Commercial & Other 4,207 3,962

Interest Receivable 53 47

5,653 5,342

expenditure

Student Focussed 689 652

Commercial & Other 3,339 2,855

Operating & Facilities Costs 1,924 1,933

5,952 5,440

Deficit for the year (299) (98)

Budgetted outturn for the year (340) (100)

net current assets at year end (166) 150

unrestricted reserves at year end 79 378

Annual Report: July 2009

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Environmental Sustainability

The Students’ Union has always had a strong commitment to environmental issues. For many years we have helped to run the UK’s largest student run environment week; Go Green Week. Our three-year strategy places the environment at the top of its agenda and sets us some challenging targets, particularly in terms of waste reduction.

This year we have made significant progress in this area. We were extremely proud to win a Silver Sound Environmental Impact award earlier this year from the National Union of Students. This award recognises and celebrates Students’ Unions that have made real and lasting commitments towards environmental sustainability. This is a remarkable achievement, particularly as this was the first year we have entered. Some of the initiatives that were highly commended by the assessors included:

Raising awareness of projects and achievements through our dedicated ‘Green Space’ website section.

Composting in our staff rooms, environmentally friendly packaging in our outlets and paper recycling in our offices.

Termly ‘room clearances’, organised by Warwick Volunteers in which staff and officers lend a hand. The items collected are donated to local and national charities. Of course, these initiatives are part of a wider commitment to reducing our environmental impact. It begins with staff induction and training, and also comprises continued awareness projects throughout the year. We are committed to obtaining a Gold Sound Impact Award in the 2010/2011 academic year.

www.warwicksu.com

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It’s been over 30 years since the Union has had so much to look forward to. A new building, improved facilities, and increasing student engagement are just some of the positive changes to come. The future for Warwick SU, albeit challenging, is bright.

Huge thanks to everyone who has supported the Union over the last 12 months.

As the next step of our journey begins we will continue to strive towards shaping and enhancing the lives of the students of the University of Warwick.

Warwick su

university of Warwick

gibbet hill rd,

coventry,

cV4 7al

02476 572777

www.warwicksu.com