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DSS have had conversations with Sport and Active Health about getting as much participation as possible, especially from those not already involved in sport and fitness, e.g. sitting volleyball, sensory hour at the gym.

Events will be mostly on campus, the lounge and sports centre, with more information to come.

Muhammad Ishtiyaq 'Ish' Ullah (He/Him) - Disabled Student's Officer - 23/04/24 - 17:00

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Following up on campus signs due to Alice's departure. Will speak with estates and DSS to ensure that they're in the loop as it will most likely take some time.

Muhammad Ishtiyaq 'Ish' Ullah (He/Him) - Disabled Student's Officer - 23/04/24 - 16:55

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Work alongside SU and DSS to raise awareness of our accessable venues (Canterbury Varsity Rugby and the Christ Church Sports Centre) during varsity, as well as the accessable designated paths to the venues themselves so that students can decide for themselves whether they can or can't make it to show their support (Trenley Park).

Look into contacting Toni (Max's Kent Union equivalent) and Kent's Accessibility Network Team for away game accessibility options for varsity.

Muhammad Ishtiyaq 'Ish' Ullah (He/Him) - Disabled Student's Officer - 12/03/24 - 16:58

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I spoke with the disability team after the previous meeting and we agreed that they should still remain the first point of contact, with an LSP feedback form being more appropriate - e.g. a short form after assessments with yes/no questions regarding adjustments and a notes section for more details if needed. (I'd recommend giving any feedback anyone has about LSP's to the disability team directly, you don't have to wait for the form to be finalised).

Muhammad Ishtiyaq 'Ish' Ullah (He/Him) - Disabled Student's Officer - 12/03/24 - 16:40

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LSP Registry Contact Information Addition

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LSP Registry Contact Information Addition

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Look into adding any appropriate registry contact information, e.g. email and/or phone number - although registry are aware of and take LSP's into account for necessary assessment adjustments, there can be issues with this- so that a point of contact is established for students if required.

Muhammad Ishtiyaq 'Ish' Ullah (He/Him) - Disabled Student's Officer - 6/02/24 - 15:52

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NUS International Student Working Hours Campaign

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NUS International Student Working Hours Campaign

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I would like to propose that we support and promote a current NUS campaign to abolish the Government's restriction on weekly working hours for International Students (Currently 20 hours a week).

A more comprehensive description can be found above.

James Thomas, 12/01/2024.

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In a recent survey conducted by the National Union of Students, over 70% of students said that the 20-hour working cap was a key barrier in accessing equal opportunities. According to the Natwest Student Living Index 2022, average monthly living cost for students in the UK is £950. Many international students therefore often cannot meet the costs of surviving when they cannot legally work more than 20 hours a week. This restriction also has the effect of limiting the kinds of work many international students are able to get to often exploitative, zero-hour, minimum-wage roles.

Importantly, these restrictions do not apply to home students. This has the effect of creating a two-tier labour market where some student workers can be more easily exploited by employers, which undermines working conditions for all students. Additionally, in light of the UK's labour shortage, increasing working hours for international students is not only just but economically prudent.

Everyone should have the same rights in the workplace. We call on the Government to lift the working hours restrictions on international students.

Sign up here to get updates on this campaign and to get a link to sign the petition to the UK government!

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Beyond Borders: Equality at Work for International Students

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In a recent survey conducted by the National Union of Students, over 70% of students said that the 20-hour working cap was a key barrier in accessing equal opportunities. According to the Natwest Student Living Index 2022, average monthly living cost for students in the UK is £950.

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Take a look into possibly adding how far away certain facilities are from campus onto existing signs, e.g. 0.8 Kilometres/0.5 Miles to CCCU Sports Centre (from the CCCU Canterbury campus).

Muhammad Ishtiyaq 'Ish' Ullah (He/Him) - Disabled Student's Officer - 5/12/23 - 16:25

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Establishing a fund to help Trans and Non-Binary students to help with transitioning

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Establishing a fund to help Trans and Non-Binary students to help with transitioning

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Due to the continuing issues with the NHS, waiting times to see a gender specialist are upwards of 5+ years. This can be extremely distressing for students who require that help.

While it would be unreasonable to ask for funding to help students access private healthcare to transition medically, I do want to establish a fund to help socially transition.

We can look to the example in the link I have provided, where UCL are providing help for students to buy cosmetic items such as clothing, binders, packers and beauty products.

Also, UCL provide links to services that can help students with their medical transition and changing their name legally. if we were also able to provide this information too, it would help those who might feel overwhelmed and lost.

Many Thanks,

Octavia (She/Her) - Trans and Non-Binary Officer

5/12/23 - 14:55

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Many people experience feelings of stress and anxiety at the disconnect they feel between their gender identity and appearance. We have created the Gender Expression Fund to provide financial assistance for students to purchase items that will make them more comfortable with their gender presentation and, we hope, improve their wellbeing.

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The University is redesigning the Academic Framework for taught provision so that it is more attractive to new students, delivers a consistently outstanding educational experience, and is sustainably delivered.

They are also reviewing the portfolio to ensure that it is competitive, meets the needs of students and partnerships, and is financially sustainable.

I am attending a meeting about this and would like your views to get the students' opinions on the issues.

In this, there will be an exploration of the different elements of the Academic Framework design:

Topic 1: What will they become? (who is the CCCU Graduate, and what attributes will they have?)

Topic 2: Inter-disciplinarity (how do we develop the breadth of skills our graduates need?)

Topic 3: Future Economies (how will we embed industry, enterprise & research?)

Topic 4: Flexible Learning (how flexible is our learning, from digital learning environments to micro-credentials?)

Topic 5: Shaping Compassionate & Sustainable Futures (how will we ensure every student thrives through a compassionate journey and innovative sustainable curriculum to build a strong sense of belonging?)

Topic 6: Designing an Inclusive and Internationalised Curriculum for Global Citizens (how will we provide all students with global perspectives and a set of values and skills to operate in diverse cultural environments?)

Please have a think about these questions and we can discuss it during the meeting.

Alice (she/her) - Union President - 5 December - 12:08

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Bookless Library Spaces on Canterbury Campus

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Bookless Library Spaces on Canterbury Campus

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Jodie Calleja, Assistant Director for User Experience, Service Design and Delivery of Library and Learning Resources (LLR), has submitted a proposal for Bookless Library Study Spaces at North Holmes Road (NHR).

The proposal recommends co-opting spaces in buildings to create dedicated areas for collaborative and independent study, similar to the zones at Augustine House (AH).

Each zone would imitate the library environment with supporting materials, such as infographics on accessing e-resources or service support. The objective is to expand the LLR commitment to creating inclusive study spaces for all students, offering easy-to-access locations in NHR for those who cannot (for any reason) travel to AH before/after lectures or seminars.

The proposal relies on requests for appropriate furniture to accommodate student study needs and additional Library and Information Advisors to roam and maintain the spaces, which may be challenging in the current Higher Education financial climate.

We would love comments and feedback so that they can be included in the proposal.

Alice Lundy (she/her) - Union President - 04/12/2023 11:20

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That CCSU support a motion to propose that CCCU subsidise Medway student annual membership of Medway Park as there are no facilities offered on or adjacent to the Medway campus.

Canterbury students may avail of subsidised membership of the sports centre and students currently paying for University halls accommodation have free access to the same facilities. Medway Park offers the same opportunities but at over twice the price of CCCU Sports Centre. The Medway Park student price is still more expensive and is only available to students under 26 years old.

James Thomas, 18:28, 22/11/2023.

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Hi all,

Please can I ask that when popping a point here for the Union Council agenda that you sign off with: your name, the date and time.

This is to ensure that I can note on the agenda who will be discussing each point and that we can have a well managed session in regards to time.

After the first meeting on Tuesday 21st November, agenda points will need to be uploaded to the Padlet a week before the meeting is due to take place, e.g. Tuesday 6th December by 17:00 (Meeting will be on Tuesday 12th December, 16:30-18:30).

A complete agenda will then be emailed out to you all on the Thursday before the meeting by 17:00.

If you have a pressing issue that comes up after the deadline for the agenda, this can be raised in 'Matters Arising' to be discussed under 'Any Other Business'.

For this upcoming meeting, please post agenda points on here by 12:00 tomorrow (Friday 17th November).

Thanks,

Holly (she/her) - Student Voice Coordinator

16/11/23 - 09:47

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Union website currently missing drop-down menu necessary to claim finances back. Finance team contacted but issue not resolved, only way for money to be claimed back is by contacting the finance team directly.

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On behalf of students, the NUS are looking to form a manifesto that they would like the next UK government to commit to.

As a member of NUS, we would like to gather our students' voices to see what we want from the next government (particularly Higher Education Policy and Students). This is important for students currently in HE and future students.

Please think and bring ideas surrounding the following areas to begin the conversation.

What would being a student be like in the ideal world?

How happy are you as a student? Why is this?

What could/should learning look like?

How does your unique identity inform your experience as a student? E.g. as a disabled female etc.

How do you find commuting to university? Is there enough support? What more would you like/ need?

Think big = this is our ideal world scenarios.

Alice (she/her) - Union President

15/11/23 - 12:04

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The National Union of Students are the national version of CCSU. They often lobby the government to try and make changes on behalf of the student. There is a challenge which has been identified in how the structures work.

The paper written by NUS themselves highlights what they are proposing to change things to. From a four entity to a six entity structure - essentially splitting “NUS” into NUS for each nation, a central area and liberation area.

I would love to discuss this at Union Council. The aim is to conclude what the Christ Church Students’ Union would like the NUS to do - on each of the four proposals.

Separate UK from England

Flexible membership structures

Simple and Modern Governance

Create the Liberation Collective

Please read the paper attached so we can have an informed discussion.

Alice (she/her) - Union President

15/11/23 - 12:00

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Improving communication and support for students through the profile raising of Academic Admin support available.

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Improving communication and support for students through the profile raising of Academic Admin support available.

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As a student and member of staff at cccu, I have seen the issues of communication between academics, admin and students. This has led to students being sent all over the place or given wrong advice for a simple issue. I feel students should be made more aware of the role of admin and how they can support students and to arrange fave to face events to improve visibility with su support.

Many thanks

Sam

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I am concerned by how few students know what the council is. It needs to be publicised more.

The council and the way democracy works in the SU needs to feature much more prominently on the SU website.

SU socials and emails should be used to promote when the council meetings are and what decisions are due to be made. So students can email or attend meeting to voice their opinions about issues the council will be deciding upon.

Democracy within the SU should not just be promoted at election times but throughout the year.

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Please share your thoughts or ideas as a Union Council Officer/ Student. The ideas you share here will be discussed at Union Council meetings which can decide the Stance the Students' Union takes on student related issues.