Well hello there!

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:42:00 +0100

It’s been a little while since my last blog so I have lots to fill you in on!

I absolutely love my role as Welfare Vice President at the students’ Union – this last month has been challenging, hilarious, eventful, ridiculous but overall truly incredible and I cannot believe that I get to represent YOU the students every day!

Firstly I would just like to say thank you to all the students who took part in our fresher’s week it was an awesome week! I hope you enjoyed some of the activates/ freebees and company we provided.

Here is an update on what I have been doing in the last month since then:

Graduation Speeches and lecture shouts

WELL… I have gone from someone who is petrified to talk in front of people to a person who actually enjoys it – I have to admit to Ken (president) you were right and although it was slightly if not incredibly uncomfortable for me at first I am glad I have done over 5 graduation speeches (including my own graduation!!) and a bilzilion lecture shouts. I hope you all got a lecture shout and you learned more about the students’ union and the upcoming elections.

Sexual health

Positive sexual health messages and campaigns are a big part of my manifesto and I am determined to make both Walsall and City campuses more open to talking about everything and anything around safe sex.

During fresher’s week I brought the primary care trust into both the city campus and the Walsall campus to provide students with the opportunity to get tested for chlamydia, receive free condoms but also to receive advice and support and signposting to further sexual health services in the local area.

I am currently liaising with the Primary care trust to offer services like these on a regular basis and by November we should have recruited students to help me run a monthly sexual health outreach service at the Walsall campus.

Smoking

Following the introduction of a smoking ban on the Walsall campus I have brought a stop smoking service to support the changes. The service operates once a week providing people with 12 weeks of support, including behavioural therapy and nicotine replacement therapy.

Safety

I have been meeting with the local police and neighbourhood managers to establish student safety issues. Me and Gurjit your City campus officer have plans for a day out round the halls of residence dressed as robbers – catching all of you who leave your windows open when you are not in –don’t worry we won’t rob you …just merely raising awareness of how easy it is for robberies to take place!!

We also have an ALL OUT day planned in the Whitmore Reans area to target students in private accommodations to ensure they know all of the local authorities to contact if they need any support of further information during their stay in the area. They can also find out about the students’ union and how we can be of assistance with regards to student accommodation but also with ANYTHING!

Green

We are promoting a switch of camping in the halls of residence – the block which saves the most energy gets to win a prize!
Furthermore I have been trying to push forward a recycling pilot for the kitchens in halls of residence.

Mental health

Me and the phycology society are holding a mental health campaign on the 31st of October at city campus in the quad (opposite the MD building) we want to talk about mental health and help break down stigmas which students may have surrounding mental health problems. 1 in 4 people suffer in their lifetime so essentially it’s a part of being human. Come down and let’s talk!

Anthony Nolan

Anthony Nolan is coming into the student union on the 25th October to recruit people onto the bone marrow register.

People who have cancer of the blood need bone marrow to survive – being a part of helping another can be extremely rewarding and filling.

To register you just need to provide a saliva sample, so pop down to the SU on Tuesday 25th October between 11-3pm chat to the Anthony Nolan staff and see if you can save a life!

If you would like any more information or have some ideas for potential activities you would like to see your representatives holding please feel free to contact me VPWelfare@wlv.ac.uk

Welcome from Gemma

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:14:00 +0100

Hey I’m Gem - I’m your welfare Vice President. This role is diverse and extremely varied. I will offer a caring position in which I will be covering many issues that affect student’s well being. These include areas such as student health, safety, diversity and the environment. I want to hold campaigns on issues which students feel are important to them, raise awareness on topical welfare issues and offer support to individual student’s liberation groups and Reps.

Why I stood for the position

University has been an amazing experience for me and it gave me knowledge and skills and some great experiences. I will never forget my time at the university of Wolverhampton and for this reason I want to be a part of making others experiences just as good, but also to represent such a great institution. I was actively involved with the students’ union, working on the activities centre desk, being a part of voluntary opportunities and also I ran and organized a 5 week Chlamydia screening programme, furthermore I have always been interested and see my future career within helping to facilitate good health and wellbeing of others. This caring role which looks out for student wellbeing is the perfect position for me.

My main objectives for the year

Here are just a few of the exciting things I am to achieve this academic year. The most important thing to remember is my responsibility is to represent students, so my objectives are open to expansion and flexibility and im sure there are many other issues which you will want me to help with.

• To establish regular sexual health programmes promoting safe sex and offering a friendly relaxed atmosphere to enable students to feel comfortable to talk about any issues or concerns they have. Furthermore the programmes will offer advice support and STI testing.
• Promote security and safety in halls of residence and private accommodation residences.
• To improve the university’s green policy by introducing recycling into halls of residence and in and around the university consistently
• Lobby the university to ensure there is more support for students regarding the imminent rise in fees
• Finally and perhaps most importantly I wish to offer a friendly and approachable environment where students feel they can come and raise key issues and requests to enable the effective improvement of any aspect of their welfare.

Come and talk to me!

I intend to do my very best to talk to as many students so I can be of assistance with dealing with student welfare but please feel free to come over to the student union and talk to me about any issues which are effecting you and your experience at the university of Wolverhampton, or any great ideas you have for campaigns and events.

Contact Gemma at: welfarevp@wolvesunion.org or follow her on Twitter: @UWSUWelfare
Tel: 01902 322117

• Read my manifesto

• Job description

Welfare Vice-President