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Introduction.

We’re pleased to be able to present you with our latest impact report. Our report explains how we make a difference to the lives of students studying at the University of Leeds, and to local communities in which our students live. We’ve done our best to summarise our students’ achievements in the 2009-10 academic year. The report is an opportunity for some of the people we have worked with to tell their story. It’s also our way of letting you know some of what we plan for 2010-11. We hope that it shows the breadth of our work and how passionate we are about what we do by working together with students. We are a platform for students to do great things and love their time at Leeds.

Serving our students, our leadership team

Student Executive Officers

Rachel WenstoneCommunications and Internal Affairs Officer (Chair)

Elliot JebreelEducation Officer

Jack CheyetteWelfare Officer

Paul GoldCommunity Officer

Tim MortimerActivities Officer

Marcus CrawleyEquality and Diversity Officer

Student Trustees:

Paul Dodds (until 30/06/10)

Matthew Fong

Ellie Russell

Cassie Simpson

Patience Muwanguzi (from 01/07/10)

External Trustees:

Ralph Coyle (Vice Chair)

Naomi Cohen

Henry Fenton

Simon Palmer

Senior Leadership Team:

Aidan GrillsChief Executive

Jackie BerryDeputy Chief Executive

Kevin PearsonResources Director

Rebekah SmithDevelopment Director (from January 2011)

Aidan GrillsChief Executive

Rachel WenstoneChair of the Board and Communications and Internal Affairs Officer

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Our achievements in 2009-10.

2009-10 was a year of transition behind the scenes in the Union. It was the final year of the 2006-10 strategic plan and preparations were made for the next four years through a new strategic plan for 2010-14. We appointed a new Chief Executive in Aidan Grills and restructured the Senior Leadership Team. There was a lot of other work behind the scenes to make sure that we entered the new strategy with the right tools, approach and energy.

Our stated aims for 2009-10 were...

To create a new strategic plan and vision to guide our work between 2010-14 with all of our work driven by students.

After the key themes and new vision were endorsed by students at referendum in November, the new plan was launched at a summer staff event in July. The plan is supported by nine clear themes, departmental plans and individual plans/objectives for members of staff with clear targets and milestones spread over the plan period. You can see our new plan at www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/vision2014.

To review our democratic processes.

In the strategic review, students told us that the democratic structures in their union were ‘cliquey’ and ‘irrelevant’. We spent a lot of time this year looking at decision-making structures from around the world. Students voted on a new model in March 2010. This saw Union Council replaced by three Union Forums: Better Union, Better University and Better Leeds offering more opportunities for democratic debate and to help students make decisions about their union.

To begin the first phase of our building master plan.

In the strategic review, students told us that they wanted us to improve the amount of seating, social

space, and room for club and society events in the Union. We refurbished the Terrace Bar, the Foyer and The Lounge area of the Union in July 2010. 93% of students liked the new look building in a survey conducted by Leeds Student newspaper.

To launch a new website.

We successfully launched our new website leedsuniversityunion.org.uk. Our site enables students to find jobs, vote, manage their clubs and society membership, sell tickets and look at events online. This has resulted in the total page visits doubling on last year and the average total visits per term increasing by 26%. Find out more on page 16 of this report.

‘Our students have set us a huge challenge to make sure that they love their time at Leeds. But thanks to the hard work of our staff in 2009 - 10 we’re in a great place to deliver on our new vision.’

Aidan GrillsChief Executive

To agree a financial strategy for 2010 to 2014.

This very much ties in with the new strategic plan. Our financial strategy provides a framework for

budgeting, financial planning and assessment of capital investments to develop our building for students. It also includes a reserves policy to ensure decisions are taken with a longer term sustainable view.

To register as a charity with the Charity Commission and incorporate as a company limited by guarantee.

The Union registered as a charity on the August 1st. We agreed to be a pilot for the NUS prior to our registration with the Charities Commission, which involved extensive legal work and communication across the organisation. Being a registered charity and company limited by guarantee gives us a more appropriate legal structure and platform for us to operate from. It protects the Union for future students.

To review our staff pay and grading.

Following feedback from our 2009 staff satisfaction survey, we began a full job evaluation exercise to establish the relative value of different jobs in the Union. This led to the development of a new pay and grading structure. This work continues into 2010-11.

91%91% of students rated our services as excellent or good.

62%62% of new students felt that Leeds University Union had contributed to their decision to study at Leeds.

84%84% of students felt that we contribute positively to their student experience.

Our year in numbers

The nice things people said about us in 2009-10

‘Leeds University Union has once again been the pioneer for a worthwhile and valuable campaign.’

Delegate feedback from the Knowledge Conference. Created and hosted by the Union to share good practice in the area of student safety.

‘I am writing to thank you for all your help in organising my recent visit to Leeds. It was a pleasure to tour the Union building, although a little salutary to see just how much had changed since I had the honour to be its president. What has clearly not changed is students’ passion for politics. It is nearly forty years since I last did a debate in the Riley Smith Hall, but I was happy to find that such a depth of feeling and commitment students feel for politics remains.’

Jack Straw MP(then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice) visits the Union in January 2010.

93%93% of students liked the new look building in a survey conducted by Leeds Student newspaper.

13,764Students did new things and met new people through our 302 activity groups.

2,699,152Visits to our building in 2009-10.

88,461Hours were spent volunteering by 1,671 people.

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Number of Volunteers vs. Students at LeedsVolunteering.

We said that we would make getting involved easier and ensure that all activities improve student life at Leeds in 2009–10.

CASE STUDY: Volunteer for Nightline

‘I volunteered for Nightline, a listening service run by students from the Union, taking calls from students ringing the helpline, listening to them and providing support from 8.00pm to 8.00am.

I also volunteered as an English tutor for Student Action for Refugees (STAR), assisting small groups with their English by helping them work through worksheets and leading group discussion; I really enjoyed volunteering at the STAR “Common Conversation” classes. I found helping people develop their English skills very rewarding, particularly moments where I could help someone learn a new word or concept for the very first time. I feel volunteering at the classes helped develop many skills applicable to the workplace, and talking to people from such different backgrounds broadened my world view.

Volunteering for Nightline greatly improved my listening skills. I found it rewarding to be providing support to other students. I made many friends volunteering with these societies. I always found the committees of the societies I volunteered with to be very helpful and enthusiastic, and this encouraged me to volunteer. I also found the Union itself very encouraging, regularly reminding students about clubs and societies on offer. In particular I think “Give it a Go” is a fantastic scheme.

I put down the volunteering I did at the University on my C.V and always discuss it at interviews. I find it helps me give examples for many of the key competencies employers are now looking for (the “tell me about a time when” questions!). Wider than this, I do feel that volunteering with the Union helped me gain skills and develop confidence in many areas which have been useful after graduation.’

Kathryn MuirSociology Graduate 2010

Making it easier to get involved

Leeds University Union is uniquely positioned to contribute to the lives of people who live in the local area. In 2009-10 we made it easier than ever before for students to volunteer. The new union website allowed students to join clubs and societies online, which allowed society committees to focus on recruiting students rather than processing payments. We provided more volunteering opportunities than ever before through our award-winning community projects such as Green Streets. With students telling us that they want us to be helping them develop new skills, volunteering is set to grow in significance over the next few years.

88,461We estimate a total of 88,461 hours have been volunteered in 2009-10.

119199 students are involved with union projects in the local community, volunteering 2,899 hours in the last academic year.

157We have a total of 157 different groups and organisations that students can volunteer with. 111 of these are external partner organisations and the remaining 46 are societies and projects within the Union.

1,6711,671 of our students are involved in volunteering projects out of the 32,000 students at the University of Leeds.

1 figure (boy or girl)

= 1,000 StudentsNot involved in Volunteering

Involved in Volunteering

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Student Decision Making.

We said that we would review our democratic processes in 2009-10. Here’s what we did and what has been achieved.

CASE STUDY: Forum Participant

‘I was intrigued to recently find an e-mail informing me that I had been randomly chosen to be a panel member for the Better Leeds Union Forum. As a mature post-grad student with a full-time job, I don’t have the time to take a full part in student life. As a result, I was totally unaware of the innovative ways that the Union have introduced to give all students direct input into their democratic process. Together, with 15 other students of Leeds University Union, we were asked to act like a jury, to help make a common sense decision for or against a number of ideas being proposed to make student life better. Student representatives were also in attendance to voice the views of the students they represent.

The forum took place at the Leeds University Council Chambers in the Parkinson Building, which initially appeared very formal and just a little intimidating, but we were given a really nice welcome. I felt very comfortable in taking a full part in the discussion and debate. The whole process was extremely well managed and I was really impressed by the way that it had been organised and then run. I would urge any student to take up the chance to become involved should they be chosen in the future’.

Ian White Mature Part-Time Postgraduate MSc Student

Our new democratic process

We reviewed our student decision-making process this year after students, who weren’t participating in decision-making, told us that they saw the democratic structures in their union as inaccessible, cliquey and irrelevant. Students voted in favour of replacing the old fashioned ‘Union Council’ with three new decision-making forums. These have allowed students, including those who might have never had anything to do with their Union before, to make decisions on important issues proposed by other students.

30 ideas were put forward for the first set of forums in October 2010, far more than the number of motions ever submitted to a Union Council or referendum. The ideas were submitted by a wide variety of students on a multiplicity of issues.

Students have used the forums to decide policy below...

The Union is against lifting the cap on tuition fees and is committed to ensuring access for all.

Introducing facilities to recycle Tetra Pack cartons.

Getting the Union to ask that all computer spaces on campus be made more accessible for disabled students.

Campaigning for cheaper buses in Leeds.

Supporting the Royal Park Community Consortium.

Continuing the boycott of all Nestlé products in all Union retail outlets.

100%of students who have submitted ideas to the forums so far have said the forum was participative. 88.2% rated the quality of the discussion as high and simple to access.

79%of student panel members rated the tone of the meeting as friendly. 94% agreed the facilitator was good or excellent at clarifying complex issues.

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Supporting students as they study.

We said that we would improve our student representation at school level in 2009-10 and have spent a lot of time with the University to improve the school rep system in 2009.

CASE STUDIES: Our School Rep Stories

We could write a separate impact report purely about the work of the school reps, so here is a tiny selection of the improvements that students have seen as a result of this work.

Jenny Leigh 2nd Year of Adult NursingHealthcare School RepStudents on various professional courses felt very segregated from one another, so Jenny set up weekly drop ins to help students meet each other.

Rachel Albinson4th Year French and Greek Civilisation &Penelope Clarke4th Year Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies Languages School RepsThe European council has cut teaching assistant places for year abroad students, one of the most valuable learning experiences students have and the main priority of their degree. Rachel helped students rally and protest as well as offering advice to her fellow students. Penelope tackled the lack of oral skills practice on offer in her school by setting up a well attended language café in the Old Bar.

Ruby Kirby2nd Year Theatre and PerformancePerformance and Cultural Industries School RepRuby campaigned after feedback that the University’s Virtual Learning Environment wasn’t very engaging for PCI students. They now have control of several pages to promote student-led activities.

David Bleasdale 3rd Year Chemistry Chemistry School RepStudents had issues with not getting lab manuals in time, David took the issue to a Student Staff Forum it has been fixed.

Polly Goddard2nd Year English Language & Literature English School RepStudents were impressed with how quickly staff extended opening hours for them following intervention by Polly.

Mbongeni Zwangobani, 2nd Year Mathematics with Finance, Mathematics & Physical Sciences RepMbongeni was told by students that their lecturers were enforcing a policy that prevented them from entering lectures if they arrived even a few minutes late. He took this feedback to his department, outlining how problematic the policy was for students, and got it revoked.

The School Rep System

The School Rep system ensures that students have their say within the University. There are over 1,000 student reps involved across the University, speaking up for their peers at every level from tutor groups to University Senate - and this number is growing every year.

We created two new Student Engagement Coordinator roles in our Campaign and Democracy Support team to develop a new approach to this area of work. Lisa Burton and Laura Elson interviewed hundreds of candidates and recruited the cream of the crop to represent students across campus. The reps attend Student Staff Forums, School Learning and Teaching Committees, and Faculty level meetings, as well as attending the Union’s new ‘Better University’ forum. They work closely with Union Course Reps in their school to provide a clear and effective channel of communication between students and staff, ensuring that students have their say in their education.

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Working for students.

The people who work and volunteer at the Union are vital and we’re passionate about developing their talent.

CASE STUDY: Student & Member of Staff

‘Working at the Union Helpdesk and in the Student Advice Centre has enabled me to hone my communication, research and teamwork skills, all of which employers value. The Union provides fantastic opportunities for student staff to develop and explore their interests. In particular, I have been involved in NUS’s Internationalising Students’ Unions project and the Union’s recent job evaluation process. I have also had the chance to gain additional qualifications, such as a nationally recognised certificate in First Aid and an NVQ in Customer Service, allowing me to build up an impressive CV.

My managers are continually supportive and I receive regular feedback meetings so that I can progress within my role at the Union and prepare for graduate employment. Working in the Student Advice Centre has clarified my thoughts about my future, as my experience there has helped me to decide I would like to pursue a career in advice.’

Beccy Veal3rd Year English Student and Member of Staff

Working at Leeds University Union

In addition to 148 salaried staff we have 568 students on our payroll. Below is what they said about coming to work at Leeds University Union in the 2010 Staff Satisfaction survey.

66%of staff believe they regularly get feedback on their performance (this is a big challenge for us to improve next year and our strategic plan includes a theme to create a strong work culture that helps our staff help students).

86% of staff love working here (up from 78% last year).

93% of staff are proud to work here.

83% of staff feel sufficiently informed about what’s going on here.

81% of staff think pay in the Union is fair and 84% are generally satisfied with pay and benefits they receive (up from 77% last year).

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Examples of our work.

We’re always listening to students to make sure that their union is doing what they want it to do. Here are some examples of how we’ve responded to feedback from our members.

‘Have more society opportunities to join just as a hobby for fun. A lot of societies make you pay for the privilege just to then feel like an outsider and often like you’re not good enough to do it…’

It’s important for our members that there are opportunities to try new things and meet new people. This is especially important for students who want to participate in sport. 84% of students said that there are opportunities to get involved for fun and not just competition, an increase of 10% on the previous year. Our Give it a Go (GIAG) programme lets students try out activities without the need to join a club or society. It is especially popular with international students who want to see more of the UK and meet new people. In 2009-10 over 4,100 students enjoyed day trips, skills development sessions and had fun through GIAG.

‘Be more active in informing the students about what the Union is doing on a regular basis.’

The launch of a new website in August 2009 has seen huge success in terms of the number of visitors to the site (page views doubling in a year), positive feedback from students, engagement with the Union through club and society memberships, Give It A Go trips, and communication through our social media channelsThis was achieved with a new

website strategy, created using student and staff feedback and the implementation of a new system (provided by Membership Services Ltd): a bespoke content management system designed for students’ unions. The new system, as well as a new site design, structure and labelling to improve usability, has allowed for more relevant, stream-lined, up to date information that is interesting and constantly changing. We have also introduced more interactive content and features. We have plans to continue to develop our website and social media channels as we start work on our 2010-2014 plan.

‘I’d like more help with careers and work experience support.’

We know that the graduate job market is a huge concern to our members. 68% told us that getting a job when they graduate was a daily concern for them in 2009. The Union’s job shop and employment agency are key services for students; the Joblink pages are some of the most visited on the Union website. In 2009-10 we helped 6,823 students find part-time work. Additionally, the Union’s Joblink employment agency paid students over £300,000 in wages for temporary work all across campus. We also provided three 12 week internships for students to learn marketing, environmental facilities management and IT skills. You can find out more about our future plans

for students’ skills development at www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/vision2014.

‘Help me live safely away from home.’

Our work in the local community through our Knowledge campaign, which we manage in partnership with the local Crime Reduction Partnership, received £74,000 worth of Home Office funding in 2009. We used this money to create four Neighbourhood Watch Student Coordinator roles and a part-time student coordinator for the Knowledge campaign. These two pieces of work helped decrease the number of burglaries committed against students by 20%, with 185 fewer students becoming victims of burglary. The campaign focused on simple ways to secure a property and successfully changed student behaviour, leading to the number of break-ins into unsecured property reducing by 43%.

Ben Jackson, 3rd Year Biology, Biology School RepBen helped students on the Genetics course by keeping them informed and they were invited to meet regularly with the Dean of Learning and Teaching for updates and support.

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The final year of our 2006-10 plan.

‘By 2010 the vibrancy of Leeds University Union, the strength of our services and our ability to engage with, motivate and empower all of our members will mean that we are the most effective students’ union in the country.’

Our mission 2006 to 2010

2009 to 2010 was the final year of our last strategic plan. Our 2006 to 2010 strategy was led by our mission ‘by 2010 the vibrancy of Leeds University Union, the strength of our services and our ability to engage with, motivate and empower all of our members will mean that we are the most effective students’ union in the country’. We achieved this when we became the first union to be awarded Gold status under the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative in 2008. We also picked up NUS Students’ Union of the Year in 2009. We performed well against our key performance indicators over the five years. Here are some of the key things that changed over the last five years.

Listening to and informing our members

Unique weekly visits to the Union website increased from 7,499 in 2005-06 to 15,636 in 2010.

Facebook fans 2005 = 0, 2010 = 6,000 and growing.

Participation in strategic review rise from 1,600 in 2005 to 4,500 students in 2010.

Supporting the leisure time of our members

Students had access to 130 student clubs and societies in 2004, this number swelled to 302 by 2010.

Our clubs and societies had 9,800 memberships in 2005 and 13,794 in 2010.

Making University life easier for our members

Safety was students’ third biggest daily concern in 2005. The Knowledge campaign, which we run with the Leeds Crime Reduction Partnership, successfully reduced the number of students becoming a victim of burglary. Safety dropped from being students’ third biggest daily concern in 2005 to their seventh in 2010, behind academic achievement and career prospects.

Being sustainable and legitimate

900 students voted at the AGM in 2004, 3,000 students voted under the new referendum model in 2005-06 and 4600 in 2009-10.

The 2006-07 Governance Review created a board of trustees, led by students, to give the Union its strategic direction.

Get in touch with us

If you are a student who we’ve lost touch with we’d love to hear from you, get in touch with us at www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/contactus.

If you are interested in working with us, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us:

Leeds University Union,University Square,Leeds, LS2 9JTTel: 0113 380 1400

2005 2010

7,49915,636Visits to the Union website in 2010, increasing from 7,499 in 2005 to 2006.

06,000Fans of the Leeds University Union page on Facebook compared with 0 in 2005.

1,6004,500Students participated in the Strategic Review in 2010. This is an increase from 1,600 in 2005.

9,80013,794Students were signed up to a club or society, compared to 9,800 in 2005.

3,0004,6003,000 students voted under the new referendum model in 2005-06 and 4,600 in 2009-10.

The nice things people say about us in 2009-10

‘I think the Union has developed very effective partnership work relationships and this is a model which could be made effective in other students’ unions.’

Sarah BestCare & Repair Leeds

‘As an international student, the adjustment is quite daunting but I was welcomed to Leeds Uni right from the start. The efforts of the Union and everyone associated with the Freshers’ Week events certainly helped me adjust and helped me feel more at home here in Leeds.’

A new international student gives us feedback on Freshers’ Week.

Looking forward to 2010-11.

‘Together, we’ll make sure you love your time at Leeds.’

Our vision for 2010 to 2014

2010-11 marks the start of a new era for the Union. We begin work under a new strategic plan and inspiring vision for students. Here is what we are committed to doing in the first year of our new plan, and what you can expect to see in our next impact report.

Building works

We’re spending over £1 million from our reserves on the Union in 2010-11.This is in response to student feedback in the 2009 Strategic Review.

Cupid

We couldn’t be one of the UK’s best students’ unions without our staff. Cupid is our way of developing talent so that we can make absolutely sure that students love their time at Leeds.

Raising profile of the Student Executive Team

The Student Executive Team are the leaders of the Union and represent the 32,000 students at the University of Leeds. We want to make sure that students know who they are, what they are working on and how to get in touch with them.

Reducing our carbon emissions by 5%

When we consulted students on the new strategic plan the environmental societies asked us for a bigger commitment on reducing our carbon footprint. We were more than happy to take the challenge to reduce our emissions by 5% each year to 2014.

Creating a community for all of our students

We’re going to make sure that our services and representation is as relevant to part-time, mature, postgraduate and international students as they are for everyone else. This will involve a new approach to planning Freshers’ Week and reviewing how we provide our services to see how we can improve for these students.

Our targets for 2010-11

6,000Students voting in the student executive elections in March 2011.

3,021,990Visits to the Union building by 31st July 2011.

17,000Memberships of clubs and societies by July 2011.

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Our members’ money.

The financial year was another challenging one for the Union. Hard work across the organisation, scrutiny on departmental budgets and tough decisions all led to the organisation’s success in 2009-10 and to a more sustainable union.

Constant financial vigilance was vital in 2009-10. Building works on campus reduced the number of visits to the Union, leading to a 11% drop in the funds raised by our commercial outlets. However, we saw the early warning signs and our staff worked hard to reduce spending and wage costs to bring us back on budget. The Senior Leadership Team also operated with one member of staff missing for the year while the Chief Executive reviewed management roles and costs.

Our shops and bars

The Union’s commercial teams returned a surplus of £476, 000 (before overhead allocation). This was £121, 000 down on 2008-09 and £300, 000 down on the original budget, reflecting the drop in footfall and turbulent economic climate. This was also after charging exceptional items to provide for redundancies (£43, 000) and potential old stock write off following the decision in July 2010 to close Union Books (£86, 000). We took the difficult decision in July 2010 to close Union Books at the end of the first term in 2010-11. In recent years, the book market has been in decline with on line retailers and national chains taking market share away from traditional book shops. Despite support from University departments and hard work by the Union Books team, the

shop has experienced the same books sales trends as the high street and will cease to trade in December 2010. We are consulting with students about the impact that this could have on access to reading lists or specialist texts, with the ambition to maintain the availability of those services in the Union.

Support from the University

The Union benefits from high recognition and support from the University of Leeds. This year our block grant rose by £79, 000 to £1, 997, 000. It is invaluable to have this support for our work for students, especially in turbulent times for Higher Education funding.

‘Our Balance Sheet remains strong with total net assets at the same level as 2008-09. £4.4m and a cash balance of £1.2m.’

Investing for students

In early 2010 we allocated £780k from our cash resources to start on the first three projects in the Building Master Plan – The terrace Bar, the Foyer and The Lounge. This was a significant step forward in response to feedback from students through the Strategic Review.

We act as custodian for funds raised by the many student clubs and societies and these funds are held in separate bank accounts. Our finance team handled £2.9m during the year. We also act as custodian of the annual RAG proceeds from charity fund raising events. RAG raised over £203,000 for charities in 2009-10.

The future

Our balance sheet remains strong with total net assets at the same level as 2008-09: £4.4m and a cash balance of £1.2m. A Reserve Policy was agreed by the Board of Trustees to maintain the free reserves at a level of six months of non-block grant income. The Financial Strategy provides the framework to maintain the appropriate level of free reserves in-line with the new policy. We will use the free reserves to invest in improved facilities for students in the building.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported students and Leeds University Union in 2009-10.

For the full version of our Management Accounts for the Year ended 31st July 2010 see www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/aboutluu/publications.

Alison Waterworth, 4th Year Civil and Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering School RepLarge numbers of international students with minor difficulties are using Alison to find out about the Union’s Student Advice Centre and to find their correct tutor.

Leeds University Union.

To receive this publication in a different format, including Braille please contact Emily Marsden on e.marsden@leeds.ac.uk or 0113 380 1379.

This report is also available at www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/ourimpact.

Together, we’ll make sure you love your time at Leeds.

Follow us @LeedsUniUnion

Portraits by Kerry Harrison:www.kerryharrisonphotography.com

Leeds University Union is a registered

charity no. 1136742 and a company limited

by guarantee registered in England and

Wales no. 7284768.