LOVE YOUR SU (UNION WINS)
We have been developing the Union since a diagnostics from NUS in 2015. Since then we have changed our structures, culture and delivery of services to provide students with the BEST opportunities. Below is a report based on the changes made against the diagnostics report. We use data from feedback across our:
COURSE REP SYSTEM;
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN; &
THE NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY (NSS)
to shape our work and continually improve!
Since 2016, NSU has gone from being 12% below the sector average to 3% above, rising by a total of 3% in Student Satisfaction.
This achievement doesn't stop here, and for 2018/19, we want to hear from YOU!
If you are a final year student you can complete the NSS this year by logging onto: www.thestudentsurvey.com
COURSE REP SYSTEM;
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN; &
THE NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY (NSS)
to shape our work and continually improve!
Since 2016, NSU has gone from being 12% below the sector average to 3% above, rising by a total of 3% in Student Satisfaction.
This achievement doesn't stop here, and for 2018/19, we want to hear from YOU!
If you are a final year student you can complete the NSS this year by logging onto: www.thestudentsurvey.com
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Newman University Students’ Union Background
Newman University is a small and specialist institution in Birmingham. The Students’ Union has a £148,000 turnover to deliver all activities. It has two full time members of staff and one part time member of staff (General Manager, Membership Services Coordinator, Union Administrator), as well as two full time Sabbatical Officers (President and Vice-President). There are also six part time Officers who are all current students and work on a voluntary basis.
PART ONE: NUS Strategic Support Unit and Diagnostics
Towards the end of 2015, and with the only full-time member of staff (Development Manager) leaving the organisation, the Board of Trustees asked NUS to conduct a diagnostics on NSU’s operations. Key stakeholders including the Board of Trustees, Executive members, Students and Senior University staff were interviewed.
The results from this report suggested weaknesses in the following areas with quotes from some of the key stakeholders:
The results from this report also suggested specific risks in the following areas:
With these areas of weaknesses and risks, NUS suggested that the Students’ Union focus on a number of opportunities for improvement. They were:
Part 2 will start to look at the changes NSU has made against the recommendations from the 2015 Diagnostics, with particular focus on the “opportunities for Improvement”.
PART TWO: Improvements 2016-2018
National Student Survey (NSS)
NSU have now reached the TOP 50 Students’ Unions in the country according to the NSS.
2016 = 56% (Sector average 68%)
2017 = 57% (Sector average 57%)
NSU’s NSS score rose by 1% while the sector average fell by 11%.
2018 = 59% (Sector Average 56%)
NSU’s NSS score rose by 2% while the sector average fell by 1%. NSU were also second highest Students’ Union in Birmingham behind BCUSU.
In 2017 NSU had the same NSS score as:
In 2018 NSU had the same NSS score as:
Quality Students’ Unions (NUS QSU Accreditation)
In December 2016 Newman SU passed PART A of Quality Students’ Unions, at an accreditation of “Working Towards”. The National Union of Students’ (NUS) QSU is designed to develop SU’s across the country, highlighting all areas of the organisation from people, governance, communication and participation.
As NSU did not get the opportunity go through PART B, and due to the changes made over the last two years, NSU resubmitted PART A in July 2018 which passed and are due to submit PART B as part of the March 2019 cohort.
Strategic Planning
In 2018, NSU adopted a new Strategic Plan (2018-2023), which was launched alongside a five year funding plan. Despite the University being unable to commit to the funding plan, which increased by around £50k over five years, there has been a significant increase since 2016.
Within the Strategic Plan are organisational Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) which change at years one, three and five. These are monitored by the Trustee Board through the objectives of the General Manager and the KPI dashboard.
Staff KPI’s are also aligned to the organisations strategy and Annual Performance Reviews are discussed around these contributions to the aims of the organisation.
The Strategic Plan forms part of the development monitoring at Board-level for the Officer team. Their work focuses around the four strands of the Strategic Plan. We begin this journey at election-stage when we ask candidates to write their manifesto against our Strategic Themes. Officers are then required to complete similar reports to staff, which also holds them accountable.
Finance
Between 2016 and 2018, Newman Students’ Union had their Block grant increased by 32% (£87,000 to £114,725). Although NSU didn’t receive the amount requested against the Strategic Plan, this demonstrated a positive commitment from the University who, in 2018, had cuts across the Board. As part of this increase in funding, the NSU Board committed to spend a further £40k of its reserves over a period of four years until 2020.
Alongside the new Strategic Plan, NSU has also developed a Communications Strategy. In this strategy, NSU has explored the communication methods with the membership, as well as incorporating Brand Guidelines for the new brand which was launched in 2016.
In 2017, NSU had an audit from Counter Culture to identify the issues the organisation faced and how they managed their finances. From this, in 2018 NSU changed the delivery of their Management Accounts to the Board and streamlined their processes, moving many online.
In 2018 NSU appointed a new accountant from the local community after the previous accountant retired in December 2017.
Rebranding
Newman Students’ Union recognised from the diagnostics that there needed to be considerable change, and decided that 2016 would be an appropriate time to rebrand. Despite rebranding in 2014, the Board agreed and students were consulted on how this change would happen.
Following a “cash-prize competition” led by the Executive Committee and open to all students, NSU launched its new brand.
The two smaller circles (orange and grey) represent the University Community and the structures of the Union, while the biggest circle in the shape of a speech bubble (in blue) represents the students themselves.
Constitution and Bye-Laws
The Newman Students’ Union Constitution had been last edited in 2011 and wasn’t fit for purpose. Over the course of two years, in 2018, NSU passed an entirely new Constitution through the Board of Trustees, University Council and the membership.
The new Constitution streamlined all processes and procedures, as well as identifying the new Executive Positions that had been changed to ensure that NSU was more representative of its members.
There have been significant changes to the democracy of the Union, including how Student forums are arranged. Forums now have elected members (ex-officio) as part of their role either as a Student Academic Rep (StAR) or as Chair of a Society. This allows a diverse range of trained students to hold the Executive Committee to account without a group of friends turning up, just to meet quorum.
In 2017, NSU held its highest ever attended Annual General Meeting (AGM) with 96 members in attendance. In 2018 NSU met quorum for the second year running.
In the new Constitution, two of the Trustees are now also selected differently;
NSU felt that the second change, which was passed at University Council demonstrated a trust in the Students’ Union to operate appropriately and independently.
In 2018, the University Appointed Trustee position became available, and while the Vice-Chancellor chose not to select an individual, NSU still appointed a member of staff from the University onto its Board as a sign of partnership and good governance.
Officer Positions, Elections and FT Officer Pay
The Officer Team used to consist of P/T positions that could be found at a large institutions and wasn’t representative of the needs of students at Newman University. The Diagnostics Report stated that there was an opportunity for re-structure within the leadership, and, after a year of consultation, in 2017, the P/T Officer Positions changed from:
Academic Officer, Activities Officer, Democracy Officer, Societies Officer, Sports Officer and Welfare Officer, to:
Academic Representation Officer, Equality & Campaigns Officer, Events & Activities Officer, RaG and Community Officer, Societies Officer and Sport & Health Officer.
NSU also identified that there was no “remit” or “Terms of Reference” for the President or Vice-President to recognise what they should be doing. NSU also recognised that there was a need for cultural change, and for the organisation to have a stronger focus on voice than the “bar events”. Therefore, terms of reference were written into the new Constitution stating that the President will focus on education and student voice, while the Vice-President will focus on communication and activities.
This led to a welcome change in priority within the leadership at the Students’ Union, with the President (and Chair of the Executive and Board of Trustees) focusing heavily on student voice, rather than the provision for running events. This aided the strength of the development of course reps.
In 2016, NSU also increased the Officer pay in its commitment to being a “Living wage Employer”. The F/T Officers were previously paid around £9,000 with free accommodation in University Halls. Because Newman University are proud of their commitment to recruit students from the local community, NSU recognised that a large proportion of students wouldn’t require accommodation, and would therefore be alienated from the election and leadership process. NSU also recognised that the University had many mature students, who also didn’t engage with the Union and forcing accommodation on them if they were to be successful in an election would create further barriers.
Therefore, within the bid for an increase in funding, and based on the diagnostics report recommendations, the Students’ Union committed to increasing the Officer pay to the Living Wage.
All these changes led NSU to receive its record number of candidates in 2017 with 28 people standing for 8 positions and a voter turnout of 24%. All positions this year were contested.
In 2018, NSU worked in partnership with Aberystwyth Students’ Union to move its elections online, away from its previous paper ballot.
Staffing and Personnel
In 2016, and as part of its increase in funding, Newman Students’ Union recruited a new member of staff; the Representation and Activities Coordinator. This doubled the total number of full-time staff bringing the total to two (alongside the General Manager) with a 0.6 fte Union Administrator.
This staff member has been vital in the delivery of new services and increasing the participation levels in the ones that already exist. They have also been a fundamental part of supporting the Officer Team to achieve their aims and objectives outlined in their manifestos.
The current Representation and Activities Coordinator has also been working with the Officer Team on diversity as a trained British Sign Language (BSL) tutor. In the 2018 Officer training programme, the Executive Committee were taught basic BSL. Due to the Representation & Activities Coordinators role changing to also support Advice and Campaigns, this position changed to Membership Services Coordinator in July 2018.
As of 2016, all staff members at NSU have contracts, which was a genuine concern from the diagnostics.
Staff Annual Performance Reviews now also take place having been previously non-existent. These Annual Performance Reviews are part of the staff Personal Development Review (called Annual Performance Plans at NSU) which is supported by recorded monthly one-to-ones with the General Manager. These one-to-ones focus on development rather than micro-management and the documents designed are to aid staff members in their own personal development while also highlighting where and how they contribute to the wider aims of the organisation and its strategy.
Training and Development
Since 2016, NSU has made a commitment to aid the development of its team. NSU recognises that training and development benefits both the individual in their aspirations, keeping them happy and motivated, but also benefits the organisation.
So far NSU has supported the following:
Based on the perceived weaknesses in the diagnostics regarding Officer Induction, NSU now provides a full annual training programme for its Officer team.
In 2016 and 2017, this was conducted in collaboration with Birmingham City University Students’ Union. In 2018, training was completed entirely in-house by the NSU staff with training also delivered by a number of key stakeholders from the University including: Student Support Services and the University Chaplain.
In 2018/19 Newman SU also worked with PGCE to provide them with certified CPD Courses including First Aid and Safer Recruitment, as well as British Sign Language. This was done in conjunction with Smile Education, one of NSU’s long standing partners.
Newman SU Policies and Procedures
Upon receiving the diagnostics, it became apparent that all staff and organisational policies were out of date, with some needed reviewing since 2011.
In 2018, Newman Students’ Union launched a Staff Handbook, which NSU has never had previously. Most other staff and organisation policies have been re-written and passed by the Board including:
NSU also introduced its first Organisational Risk Register, which is reviewed by the Board annually that includes a “Core Staff Behaviours Framework” which was released in late 2018.
Student Activity
While organisational structures, governance and financial control are important; the diagnostics reported that NSU can sometimes be caught up in operational matters and transactions rather than focusing on the needs of students. Therefore, there has been an increase in focus on student activity and support.
Raise and Give
In 2017, RaG became an official department of the Students’ Union rather than an activity that Societies occasionally engaged with. During this transition, Newman RaG raised over £4,000 for a variety of charities which led to Newman being awarded “Most Improved RaG” at the National Student Fundraising Association (NaSFA) Awards in Southampton.
Societies
Newman Students’ Union changed its Society model from an “activities card” to a “pay-per-society” model. With focus on the diagnostics and the comments about providing opportunities for students rather than putting on events for them, NSU decided that Student Groups should be empowered to create their own memberships and fees, encouraging sustainability.
Societies have now increased between 2016 and 2018 by 300%, with the introduction of Academic Societies.
Family Fun Day
Newman University has many mature students, and those with caring responsibilities. As a way of engaging these students into a community and creating natural support networks, NSU launched the “Family Fun Day”.
This event encouraged mature students to bring their children and/or family to the University to meet other students in a similar position. NSU provided a bouncy castle, food and entertainment from Societies and was “one of the most engaging events”.
For 2018/19, NSU has committed to run two of these Family Fun Days; a Winter Wonderland in December and another over Easter.
PART THREE: New Departments, Initiatives and Projects
All of these initiatives and projects are new to NSU and haven’t been done before at the Organisation.
Course Reps and Student Academic Reps
Although Course Reps at NSU existed before 2016, the organisation didn’t manage them, know who they were or trained and rewarded them. In 2017, NSU launched the first phase of its new Course Reps System, recruiting 164 Course Reps, training 100% of them.
In 2018, NSU launched phase two of the Course Rep System which introduced Student Academic Reps (StARs). StARs are not only a higher tier of Course Rep, who work alongside senior members of University Faculty Staff, but also form part of the voting membership for Student Forums to ensure that the Executive are held to account in the provision of Student Voice.
In 2017, NSU produced its first-ever Student Voice Report which enabled the University to act on many actions that had been found through data from:
This has become an annual report, which in 2019 will include the data from the Mature Student Experience Panel.
As of 2018, all 154 Course Reps will complete Suicide Prevention training as part of their compulsory training.
Faculty of Education Issues: Boycott of the Faculty and the NSS
There was a particular issue with a student who was enrolled onto a different course due to a DBS decision made by the institution. Newman University didn’t make the student aware that they had put them onto a different course until they came to enrol which caused further distress. The student in question wanted to find out why this had happened, and wanted a conversation with someone from the faculty to discuss their options. The Faculty constantly made excuses so that they wouldn’t meet the student, and in the end outright stated that they did not want to.
The Executive Committee agreed to hold a UGM to vote on action against the Faculty for the way they treated their students giving this example as a case study, with a resolution to boycott the NSS and remove all Course Reps from the Faculty.
This led to several difficult meetings with the Vice-Chancellor on how to resolve this issue before it went to the AGM. The outcome of this was that the University issued a public apology for the lack of communication and the way in which it handled the situation. They also agreed to arrange a meeting with the Faculty and the Students’ Union to hold a discussion on where the issues are and how to work together in the future. This was a fantastic win for students, and the Students’ Union, and strengthened the relationship with the University.
Undergraduate ITE issues
The new Course Rep System and StAR model was put into action for the first time in October 2018 when a number of students has issues with a particular member of staff and their method of delivery on the Undergraduate ITE course. These issues were brought to the student Academic Rep (StAR) for that cohort who worked alongside the Academic Officer (PT Officer) to relay these concerns to the Faculty’s Assistant Dean. As a result of this meeting, this course is now co-taught by two lecturers with changes being made to the timetabling and delivery of the sessions. All of the students who made complaints were delighted with the outcome of this meeting
Student Advice Clinic
NSU recognised that there was gap in support for students in terms of advice. While the Students’ Union couldn’t afford another member of staff for advice, there needed to be support for Students for academic misconduct, appeals and complaints; all three of which can’t be administered by the University itself.
NSU therefore created a placement opportunity for Students within the organisation as part of their second year module commitments to volunteer as a Student Advisor.
All advisors are trained by both the University and the Students’ Union, and the system in place is accredited by Advice UK. NSU is also working with other Students’ Union Advisors in terms of quality control, in particular establishing a fantastic relationship with UEL and their Advice Manager.
This service is completely free for students, and helps them through the process of academic misconduct, appeals or writing complaints to the University and aims to resolve issues at the first possible opportunity.
The Student Advice Clinic is run on a zero budget.
Sport England Funded Sport Activator
In 2018, NSU were awarded £3,900 to employ a student member of staff to focus on participation and inclusive sport. While this position for participation sport is in the Strategy of the organisation, NSU also needed to look at other ways of engaging a diverse membership that boasts of 27% Islamic Students and 30% Mature Students. As part of this project, NSU will be supporting the Mature Student Experience Panel by offering Mature-only sports sessions with the aim of tackling the poor retention rate of these students, as well as offering FREE Sport Hijabs and women-only sessions in the gym so that Islamic students can take part in physical activity. There is also a strong focus on disability sport as the Sport Activator is trained in Sitting Volleyball as part of the funding.
This funding is being used a pilot to prove to the University that an investment in this area against our strategy is worthwhile.
Varsity
In 2018, Newman University held its very first Varsity against Harper Adams using the University’s new 3G facilities. The event engaged a diverse range of students, focusing on elite and participation sport (including E-Gaming). Newman ended the tournament with the victory, and has agreed to a return fixture at Harper Adams for 2018/19.
#TeamSU Volunteering
In the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan, NSU has made a commitment to delivering high quality volunteering opportunities for students as part of its Strategic Theme to “Prepare you for life after Newman”.
This department is split into four areas:
#TeamSU RaG. This area provides opportunities for students to work with charitable organisations, strengthening our already accomplished RaG.
#TeamSU Events. This area focuses on students assisting the Students’ Union with a diverse range of events. This could be from helping at Family Fun Day to marshal duties on a bar crawl.
#TeamSU Community. This area focuses on the volunteering opportunities with local organisations. The Strategic Plan aims to have one of these opportunities in place by 2018/19, but NSU has already been working with Guide Dogs UK, St Mary’s Hospice, Birmingham, West Midlands Police and Safeside with West Midlands Fire Service.
#TeamSU Green Impact. Sustainability and environmental issues are extremely important to NSU. As previous winners of the NUS Green Impact Gold, NSU believes that we should champion sustainability within the Newman Community, and therefore, the organisation will now be recruiting volunteers to lead on these projects.
ME – Mature Student Experience Select Committee
During an Access and Participation meeting with the University, NSU were shocked to find out that “one in five mature students drop out of Newman University”. Upon seeing this statistic, NSU decided to set up a “Select Committee” of mature students to find out why the University had such a poor retention rate. Throughout 2018/19, the Committee will meet with several departments of the University including the University Leadership Team (ULT).
All findings shall be compiled into a report, which will form part of the 2018/19 Student Voice Report, indicating actions for both the University and the Students’ Union to make student lives better at Newman.
Personal Tutors and Student Charter
NSU are working with the Vice-Chancellor to launch Personal Tutors. NSU believes that personal tutors have a significant part to play in the retention of students and have been negotiating to include this in the new version of the Student Charter which is to be released in 2018/19.
HUMP – The Safer Student Night
Students like to pre-drink; this is a fact that NSU have to come to terms with. The issue however, is the lack of control both the University and the students’ Union has on the safety of its students while they binge in halls.
NSU have created a Student-led night that allows for pre-drinking but in a controlled environment, working with local, safe, trusted and licensed establishments.
A “HUMP Card” acts like a coffee shop loyalty card; every time you buy a drink at the bar, you receive a stamp. When you get five stamps, the students are able to obtain free entry to one of the Students’ Unions partner venues in Birmingham.
Due to the student friendly prices, offer of food, free pool and jukebox, NSU believes that students are more inclined to drink in the first establishment, which is licensed rather than sit in their halls going through all sorts.
Safety provisions have been put in place, including recommended taxis, door policies and complaints procedures.
Freshers’ Week
Freshers’ Week always takes up a lot of staff time. Having a small team, it also often becomes dangerous when staff begin to work through day and night events, going beyond the acceptable working hours for the week.
Freshers’ Week can also be a gamble for smaller organisations; putting around £6,000 up front when the organisations entire turnover is around £150,000 becomes an issue.
In order for the organisation to focus on other areas of support for students, NSU now works in partnership with a local promoter to deliver Freshers’ events. The promoter pays NSU a fee in the region of the profit expected by the organisation, and in return receives the rights of Newman’s Freshers’ Week.
NSU does however meet with the promoter and the new Executive Committee throughout the summer to draw ideas, so students still have an input into the events that they would like.
This initiative lowers financial risk and staff time.
Birmingham City FC Ticket Incentive Scheme
NSU have been working with Birmingham City FC to provide its members with cheap football tickets. The incentive also provides the Students’ Union with a small income; for every four tickets bought, NSU will receive 50% of the revenue (after tax). While this isn’t an enormous amount of money, it’s an income that can support other areas of the Students’ Union such as Student Voice (Course Reps).
Black History Month Festival of Culture
Each year, NSU works to celebrate Black History Month by showcasing films, or asking the University to put on foods from around the world, but there is very little in terms of outcomes against Strategy. In 2018/19, Newman SU Exec wanted to celebrate Black heritage and culture, and decided to host a festival led by some of NSU’s minority groups. For this, the Islamic Society showcased their work and provided guests with henna tattoos. There was also a Steel Pans Band and Caribbean BBQ. While most of these activities are social, it allowed the Executive Committee to start discussions on the Black Attainment Gap in preparation for initial talks with the University.
Student Skills Development Workshops
As part of the shift in culture, NSU started to deliver CPD to students to increase their employability. As of December 2018, NSU have had just over 170 students register on a range of courses so far since they were published in November, with the most popular being Suicide Awareness and Prevention (103), British Sign Language (97), Emergency First Aid Training (80), Dissertation Workshops (24), and Organising Your Time: Balancing Everything! (19).
In 2018/19 NSU began providing British Sign Language lessons to Course Reps and Society Leaders as part of their professional development.
Based on previous feedback, NSU have been aware that PGCE students have not engaged with the Students’ Union due to the nature of the events run. As one of NSU’s key focus groups to raise engagement, they also began the “BarSL” initiative with PGCE Students. ‘BarSL’ is professional development session of British Sign Language specifically held for PGCE students, but in the University bar, therefore also providing a social element to the typical PGCE student, which received good feedback.
First Aid Training
After feedback from PGCE students about what they wanted the SU to provide and support them with, NSU worked with local partners to deliver First Aid training courses for students to help them with their Employability moving forwards into a career in education. This was launched in December 2018.
Full-time Officers Apprenticeships
NSU has set up apprenticeships for the two-full time Officers as part of their role with a local company based in Warwick. Full-time Officers will from 2019/20 onwards be put onto an apprenticeship in Leadership which will provide them with a qualification at the end of their term of office with CMI membership. These apprenticeships are mostly focused on leadership and communication, and both compliment their role and offer more in terms of employability once they finish their time at NSU.
Erasmus Teaching Conference - University as Community: Breaking the circle of certainty
In October 2018, NSU worked with Newman University International Office to deliver a conference made up of Newman Staff and students and academic staff from European institutions to challenge the methods of service delivery in HE.
NSU welcomed colleagues from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Spain and Italy to discuss boundaries within HE; and with this allowed the Students’ Union to challenge the way Newman University delivers all of its services.
50th Anniversary Christmas Carnival
2018 was the year that Newman University celebrated its 50th Anniversary, inviting past students and staff to celebrate with them at a prestigious event. The Executive Committee felt that current students had been forgotten about and following discussions with marketing secured £2,500 to hold an event as part of the celebrations.
University Prospectus Working Group
Following issues raised in 2017/18 by students, The Students’ Union have been working with the University to review its prospectus and marketing for future students. The Executive Committee reviewed the previous prospectus and gave recommendations specifically highlighting costs (and being transparent with additional costs), accessibility for those with disabilities such as dyslexia and general layout of the pack.
The Executive Committee also made the final decision on the tender process for the designers of the Prospectus. This demonstrated how the Executive Committee has been dedicated to representing all students at Newman with the values of being inclusive and transparent.
Motions Passed and Acted
Newman University is a small and specialist institution in Birmingham. The Students’ Union has a £148,000 turnover to deliver all activities. It has two full time members of staff and one part time member of staff (General Manager, Membership Services Coordinator, Union Administrator), as well as two full time Sabbatical Officers (President and Vice-President). There are also six part time Officers who are all current students and work on a voluntary basis.
PART ONE: NUS Strategic Support Unit and Diagnostics
Towards the end of 2015, and with the only full-time member of staff (Development Manager) leaving the organisation, the Board of Trustees asked NUS to conduct a diagnostics on NSU’s operations. Key stakeholders including the Board of Trustees, Executive members, Students and Senior University staff were interviewed.
The results from this report suggested weaknesses in the following areas with quotes from some of the key stakeholders:
- Student Voice – “The collective Student Voice is non-Existent”, “Friends of the Executive Committees are the only ones who attend Forums”, “All feedback seems to be directed at Halls Students” and not being “effective at making real change”;
- Internal Communication – “Advertising of events”, “Team cohesion amongst the Executive Committee” and “Planning amongst the team”;
- Gaps in support for staff and Officers – “Lack of support for Executive Officers”, “Officer induction is concerning” and “No objectives for the Development (General) Manager”;
- Delivery of the Strategic Plan – “The Officer roles”, “an over-reliance on putting on events rather than facilitating students to do this” and “poor organisational outcomes”; and
- Finance – “Poor financial control”.
The results from this report also suggested specific risks in the following areas:
- Student Engagement and the representing the diversity of students at Newman;
- The University’s view on the Students’ Union against funding;
- Financial control and staff/Officer pay;
- Officer effectiveness and challenging the University as a critical friend; and
- HR control with clear policies and procedures.
With these areas of weaknesses and risks, NUS suggested that the Students’ Union focus on a number of opportunities for improvement. They were:
- Adopting a fresh approach and culture change to become a more professional and focused organisation;
- Structural changes to leadership and staffing;
- Restructure financial controls and approach a block grant increase to fund more support staff for Officers and a more senior member of staff;
- The physical size and location of the Students’ Union;
- Updating systems and processes, policies and procedures; and
- Having a set of clear organisational objectives.
Part 2 will start to look at the changes NSU has made against the recommendations from the 2015 Diagnostics, with particular focus on the “opportunities for Improvement”.
PART TWO: Improvements 2016-2018
National Student Survey (NSS)
NSU have now reached the TOP 50 Students’ Unions in the country according to the NSS.
2016 = 56% (Sector average 68%)
2017 = 57% (Sector average 57%)
NSU’s NSS score rose by 1% while the sector average fell by 11%.
2018 = 59% (Sector Average 56%)
NSU’s NSS score rose by 2% while the sector average fell by 1%. NSU were also second highest Students’ Union in Birmingham behind BCUSU.
In 2017 NSU had the same NSS score as:
- University of the Arts London
- University of Birmingham (SU of the Year 2018)
- University for the Creative Arts (SU of the Year 2016)
- University of Gloucestershire
- Kingston University
- University of Northampton
- University of Reading
- University of Salford
- York St John University
In 2018 NSU had the same NSS score as:
- London Metropolitan University
- University of Wales Trinity Saint David
- University of Ulster
- University of Worcester
Quality Students’ Unions (NUS QSU Accreditation)
In December 2016 Newman SU passed PART A of Quality Students’ Unions, at an accreditation of “Working Towards”. The National Union of Students’ (NUS) QSU is designed to develop SU’s across the country, highlighting all areas of the organisation from people, governance, communication and participation.
As NSU did not get the opportunity go through PART B, and due to the changes made over the last two years, NSU resubmitted PART A in July 2018 which passed and are due to submit PART B as part of the March 2019 cohort.
Strategic Planning
In 2018, NSU adopted a new Strategic Plan (2018-2023), which was launched alongside a five year funding plan. Despite the University being unable to commit to the funding plan, which increased by around £50k over five years, there has been a significant increase since 2016.
Within the Strategic Plan are organisational Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) which change at years one, three and five. These are monitored by the Trustee Board through the objectives of the General Manager and the KPI dashboard.
Staff KPI’s are also aligned to the organisations strategy and Annual Performance Reviews are discussed around these contributions to the aims of the organisation.
The Strategic Plan forms part of the development monitoring at Board-level for the Officer team. Their work focuses around the four strands of the Strategic Plan. We begin this journey at election-stage when we ask candidates to write their manifesto against our Strategic Themes. Officers are then required to complete similar reports to staff, which also holds them accountable.
Finance
Between 2016 and 2018, Newman Students’ Union had their Block grant increased by 32% (£87,000 to £114,725). Although NSU didn’t receive the amount requested against the Strategic Plan, this demonstrated a positive commitment from the University who, in 2018, had cuts across the Board. As part of this increase in funding, the NSU Board committed to spend a further £40k of its reserves over a period of four years until 2020.
Alongside the new Strategic Plan, NSU has also developed a Communications Strategy. In this strategy, NSU has explored the communication methods with the membership, as well as incorporating Brand Guidelines for the new brand which was launched in 2016.
In 2017, NSU had an audit from Counter Culture to identify the issues the organisation faced and how they managed their finances. From this, in 2018 NSU changed the delivery of their Management Accounts to the Board and streamlined their processes, moving many online.
In 2018 NSU appointed a new accountant from the local community after the previous accountant retired in December 2017.
Rebranding
Newman Students’ Union recognised from the diagnostics that there needed to be considerable change, and decided that 2016 would be an appropriate time to rebrand. Despite rebranding in 2014, the Board agreed and students were consulted on how this change would happen.
Following a “cash-prize competition” led by the Executive Committee and open to all students, NSU launched its new brand.
The two smaller circles (orange and grey) represent the University Community and the structures of the Union, while the biggest circle in the shape of a speech bubble (in blue) represents the students themselves.
Constitution and Bye-Laws
The Newman Students’ Union Constitution had been last edited in 2011 and wasn’t fit for purpose. Over the course of two years, in 2018, NSU passed an entirely new Constitution through the Board of Trustees, University Council and the membership.
The new Constitution streamlined all processes and procedures, as well as identifying the new Executive Positions that had been changed to ensure that NSU was more representative of its members.
There have been significant changes to the democracy of the Union, including how Student forums are arranged. Forums now have elected members (ex-officio) as part of their role either as a Student Academic Rep (StAR) or as Chair of a Society. This allows a diverse range of trained students to hold the Executive Committee to account without a group of friends turning up, just to meet quorum.
In 2017, NSU held its highest ever attended Annual General Meeting (AGM) with 96 members in attendance. In 2018 NSU met quorum for the second year running.
In the new Constitution, two of the Trustees are now also selected differently;
- The Vice-President (and full-time sabbatical Officer) is now automatically a Trustee appointed as ex-officio; and
- The University can now “opt-out” of appointing a member onto the Trustee Board at NSU if they are satisfied with the general running of the organisation and at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor.
NSU felt that the second change, which was passed at University Council demonstrated a trust in the Students’ Union to operate appropriately and independently.
In 2018, the University Appointed Trustee position became available, and while the Vice-Chancellor chose not to select an individual, NSU still appointed a member of staff from the University onto its Board as a sign of partnership and good governance.
Officer Positions, Elections and FT Officer Pay
The Officer Team used to consist of P/T positions that could be found at a large institutions and wasn’t representative of the needs of students at Newman University. The Diagnostics Report stated that there was an opportunity for re-structure within the leadership, and, after a year of consultation, in 2017, the P/T Officer Positions changed from:
Academic Officer, Activities Officer, Democracy Officer, Societies Officer, Sports Officer and Welfare Officer, to:
Academic Representation Officer, Equality & Campaigns Officer, Events & Activities Officer, RaG and Community Officer, Societies Officer and Sport & Health Officer.
NSU also identified that there was no “remit” or “Terms of Reference” for the President or Vice-President to recognise what they should be doing. NSU also recognised that there was a need for cultural change, and for the organisation to have a stronger focus on voice than the “bar events”. Therefore, terms of reference were written into the new Constitution stating that the President will focus on education and student voice, while the Vice-President will focus on communication and activities.
This led to a welcome change in priority within the leadership at the Students’ Union, with the President (and Chair of the Executive and Board of Trustees) focusing heavily on student voice, rather than the provision for running events. This aided the strength of the development of course reps.
In 2016, NSU also increased the Officer pay in its commitment to being a “Living wage Employer”. The F/T Officers were previously paid around £9,000 with free accommodation in University Halls. Because Newman University are proud of their commitment to recruit students from the local community, NSU recognised that a large proportion of students wouldn’t require accommodation, and would therefore be alienated from the election and leadership process. NSU also recognised that the University had many mature students, who also didn’t engage with the Union and forcing accommodation on them if they were to be successful in an election would create further barriers.
Therefore, within the bid for an increase in funding, and based on the diagnostics report recommendations, the Students’ Union committed to increasing the Officer pay to the Living Wage.
All these changes led NSU to receive its record number of candidates in 2017 with 28 people standing for 8 positions and a voter turnout of 24%. All positions this year were contested.
In 2018, NSU worked in partnership with Aberystwyth Students’ Union to move its elections online, away from its previous paper ballot.
Staffing and Personnel
In 2016, and as part of its increase in funding, Newman Students’ Union recruited a new member of staff; the Representation and Activities Coordinator. This doubled the total number of full-time staff bringing the total to two (alongside the General Manager) with a 0.6 fte Union Administrator.
This staff member has been vital in the delivery of new services and increasing the participation levels in the ones that already exist. They have also been a fundamental part of supporting the Officer Team to achieve their aims and objectives outlined in their manifestos.
The current Representation and Activities Coordinator has also been working with the Officer Team on diversity as a trained British Sign Language (BSL) tutor. In the 2018 Officer training programme, the Executive Committee were taught basic BSL. Due to the Representation & Activities Coordinators role changing to also support Advice and Campaigns, this position changed to Membership Services Coordinator in July 2018.
As of 2016, all staff members at NSU have contracts, which was a genuine concern from the diagnostics.
Staff Annual Performance Reviews now also take place having been previously non-existent. These Annual Performance Reviews are part of the staff Personal Development Review (called Annual Performance Plans at NSU) which is supported by recorded monthly one-to-ones with the General Manager. These one-to-ones focus on development rather than micro-management and the documents designed are to aid staff members in their own personal development while also highlighting where and how they contribute to the wider aims of the organisation and its strategy.
Training and Development
Since 2016, NSU has made a commitment to aid the development of its team. NSU recognises that training and development benefits both the individual in their aspirations, keeping them happy and motivated, but also benefits the organisation.
So far NSU has supported the following:
- NSU allows time away from the office for the General Manager to continue their position as deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees AberSU;
- NSU allows time away from the office for the Representation & Activities Coordinator to continue their position as a member of the Student Strategic Advisory Board for the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA);
- NSU allows time away from the office for the Representation & Activities Coordinator to continue their position as a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) panel member for Social Sciences Subject-Level pilot scheme with the Office for Students (OfS);
- NSU has supported all full-time staff members to become mental health first aiders; and
- NSU has supported the General Manager to become a qualified trainer and emergency first aider.
Based on the perceived weaknesses in the diagnostics regarding Officer Induction, NSU now provides a full annual training programme for its Officer team.
In 2016 and 2017, this was conducted in collaboration with Birmingham City University Students’ Union. In 2018, training was completed entirely in-house by the NSU staff with training also delivered by a number of key stakeholders from the University including: Student Support Services and the University Chaplain.
In 2018/19 Newman SU also worked with PGCE to provide them with certified CPD Courses including First Aid and Safer Recruitment, as well as British Sign Language. This was done in conjunction with Smile Education, one of NSU’s long standing partners.
Newman SU Policies and Procedures
Upon receiving the diagnostics, it became apparent that all staff and organisational policies were out of date, with some needed reviewing since 2011.
In 2018, Newman Students’ Union launched a Staff Handbook, which NSU has never had previously. Most other staff and organisation policies have been re-written and passed by the Board including:
- Equality and Diversity Policy;
- Health and Safety Policy; and
- Data Protection Policy in line with the changes to GDPR.
NSU also introduced its first Organisational Risk Register, which is reviewed by the Board annually that includes a “Core Staff Behaviours Framework” which was released in late 2018.
Student Activity
While organisational structures, governance and financial control are important; the diagnostics reported that NSU can sometimes be caught up in operational matters and transactions rather than focusing on the needs of students. Therefore, there has been an increase in focus on student activity and support.
Raise and Give
In 2017, RaG became an official department of the Students’ Union rather than an activity that Societies occasionally engaged with. During this transition, Newman RaG raised over £4,000 for a variety of charities which led to Newman being awarded “Most Improved RaG” at the National Student Fundraising Association (NaSFA) Awards in Southampton.
Societies
Newman Students’ Union changed its Society model from an “activities card” to a “pay-per-society” model. With focus on the diagnostics and the comments about providing opportunities for students rather than putting on events for them, NSU decided that Student Groups should be empowered to create their own memberships and fees, encouraging sustainability.
Societies have now increased between 2016 and 2018 by 300%, with the introduction of Academic Societies.
Family Fun Day
Newman University has many mature students, and those with caring responsibilities. As a way of engaging these students into a community and creating natural support networks, NSU launched the “Family Fun Day”.
This event encouraged mature students to bring their children and/or family to the University to meet other students in a similar position. NSU provided a bouncy castle, food and entertainment from Societies and was “one of the most engaging events”.
For 2018/19, NSU has committed to run two of these Family Fun Days; a Winter Wonderland in December and another over Easter.
PART THREE: New Departments, Initiatives and Projects
All of these initiatives and projects are new to NSU and haven’t been done before at the Organisation.
Course Reps and Student Academic Reps
Although Course Reps at NSU existed before 2016, the organisation didn’t manage them, know who they were or trained and rewarded them. In 2017, NSU launched the first phase of its new Course Reps System, recruiting 164 Course Reps, training 100% of them.
In 2018, NSU launched phase two of the Course Rep System which introduced Student Academic Reps (StARs). StARs are not only a higher tier of Course Rep, who work alongside senior members of University Faculty Staff, but also form part of the voting membership for Student Forums to ensure that the Executive are held to account in the provision of Student Voice.
In 2017, NSU produced its first-ever Student Voice Report which enabled the University to act on many actions that had been found through data from:
- Student Staff Consultative Committee (SSCC);
- Your Ideas Campaign (All I Want For Christmas); and
- The Big Question.
This has become an annual report, which in 2019 will include the data from the Mature Student Experience Panel.
As of 2018, all 154 Course Reps will complete Suicide Prevention training as part of their compulsory training.
Faculty of Education Issues: Boycott of the Faculty and the NSS
There was a particular issue with a student who was enrolled onto a different course due to a DBS decision made by the institution. Newman University didn’t make the student aware that they had put them onto a different course until they came to enrol which caused further distress. The student in question wanted to find out why this had happened, and wanted a conversation with someone from the faculty to discuss their options. The Faculty constantly made excuses so that they wouldn’t meet the student, and in the end outright stated that they did not want to.
The Executive Committee agreed to hold a UGM to vote on action against the Faculty for the way they treated their students giving this example as a case study, with a resolution to boycott the NSS and remove all Course Reps from the Faculty.
This led to several difficult meetings with the Vice-Chancellor on how to resolve this issue before it went to the AGM. The outcome of this was that the University issued a public apology for the lack of communication and the way in which it handled the situation. They also agreed to arrange a meeting with the Faculty and the Students’ Union to hold a discussion on where the issues are and how to work together in the future. This was a fantastic win for students, and the Students’ Union, and strengthened the relationship with the University.
Undergraduate ITE issues
The new Course Rep System and StAR model was put into action for the first time in October 2018 when a number of students has issues with a particular member of staff and their method of delivery on the Undergraduate ITE course. These issues were brought to the student Academic Rep (StAR) for that cohort who worked alongside the Academic Officer (PT Officer) to relay these concerns to the Faculty’s Assistant Dean. As a result of this meeting, this course is now co-taught by two lecturers with changes being made to the timetabling and delivery of the sessions. All of the students who made complaints were delighted with the outcome of this meeting
Student Advice Clinic
NSU recognised that there was gap in support for students in terms of advice. While the Students’ Union couldn’t afford another member of staff for advice, there needed to be support for Students for academic misconduct, appeals and complaints; all three of which can’t be administered by the University itself.
NSU therefore created a placement opportunity for Students within the organisation as part of their second year module commitments to volunteer as a Student Advisor.
All advisors are trained by both the University and the Students’ Union, and the system in place is accredited by Advice UK. NSU is also working with other Students’ Union Advisors in terms of quality control, in particular establishing a fantastic relationship with UEL and their Advice Manager.
This service is completely free for students, and helps them through the process of academic misconduct, appeals or writing complaints to the University and aims to resolve issues at the first possible opportunity.
The Student Advice Clinic is run on a zero budget.
Sport England Funded Sport Activator
In 2018, NSU were awarded £3,900 to employ a student member of staff to focus on participation and inclusive sport. While this position for participation sport is in the Strategy of the organisation, NSU also needed to look at other ways of engaging a diverse membership that boasts of 27% Islamic Students and 30% Mature Students. As part of this project, NSU will be supporting the Mature Student Experience Panel by offering Mature-only sports sessions with the aim of tackling the poor retention rate of these students, as well as offering FREE Sport Hijabs and women-only sessions in the gym so that Islamic students can take part in physical activity. There is also a strong focus on disability sport as the Sport Activator is trained in Sitting Volleyball as part of the funding.
This funding is being used a pilot to prove to the University that an investment in this area against our strategy is worthwhile.
Varsity
In 2018, Newman University held its very first Varsity against Harper Adams using the University’s new 3G facilities. The event engaged a diverse range of students, focusing on elite and participation sport (including E-Gaming). Newman ended the tournament with the victory, and has agreed to a return fixture at Harper Adams for 2018/19.
#TeamSU Volunteering
In the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan, NSU has made a commitment to delivering high quality volunteering opportunities for students as part of its Strategic Theme to “Prepare you for life after Newman”.
This department is split into four areas:
#TeamSU RaG. This area provides opportunities for students to work with charitable organisations, strengthening our already accomplished RaG.
#TeamSU Events. This area focuses on students assisting the Students’ Union with a diverse range of events. This could be from helping at Family Fun Day to marshal duties on a bar crawl.
#TeamSU Community. This area focuses on the volunteering opportunities with local organisations. The Strategic Plan aims to have one of these opportunities in place by 2018/19, but NSU has already been working with Guide Dogs UK, St Mary’s Hospice, Birmingham, West Midlands Police and Safeside with West Midlands Fire Service.
#TeamSU Green Impact. Sustainability and environmental issues are extremely important to NSU. As previous winners of the NUS Green Impact Gold, NSU believes that we should champion sustainability within the Newman Community, and therefore, the organisation will now be recruiting volunteers to lead on these projects.
ME – Mature Student Experience Select Committee
During an Access and Participation meeting with the University, NSU were shocked to find out that “one in five mature students drop out of Newman University”. Upon seeing this statistic, NSU decided to set up a “Select Committee” of mature students to find out why the University had such a poor retention rate. Throughout 2018/19, the Committee will meet with several departments of the University including the University Leadership Team (ULT).
All findings shall be compiled into a report, which will form part of the 2018/19 Student Voice Report, indicating actions for both the University and the Students’ Union to make student lives better at Newman.
Personal Tutors and Student Charter
NSU are working with the Vice-Chancellor to launch Personal Tutors. NSU believes that personal tutors have a significant part to play in the retention of students and have been negotiating to include this in the new version of the Student Charter which is to be released in 2018/19.
HUMP – The Safer Student Night
Students like to pre-drink; this is a fact that NSU have to come to terms with. The issue however, is the lack of control both the University and the students’ Union has on the safety of its students while they binge in halls.
NSU have created a Student-led night that allows for pre-drinking but in a controlled environment, working with local, safe, trusted and licensed establishments.
A “HUMP Card” acts like a coffee shop loyalty card; every time you buy a drink at the bar, you receive a stamp. When you get five stamps, the students are able to obtain free entry to one of the Students’ Unions partner venues in Birmingham.
Due to the student friendly prices, offer of food, free pool and jukebox, NSU believes that students are more inclined to drink in the first establishment, which is licensed rather than sit in their halls going through all sorts.
Safety provisions have been put in place, including recommended taxis, door policies and complaints procedures.
Freshers’ Week
Freshers’ Week always takes up a lot of staff time. Having a small team, it also often becomes dangerous when staff begin to work through day and night events, going beyond the acceptable working hours for the week.
Freshers’ Week can also be a gamble for smaller organisations; putting around £6,000 up front when the organisations entire turnover is around £150,000 becomes an issue.
In order for the organisation to focus on other areas of support for students, NSU now works in partnership with a local promoter to deliver Freshers’ events. The promoter pays NSU a fee in the region of the profit expected by the organisation, and in return receives the rights of Newman’s Freshers’ Week.
NSU does however meet with the promoter and the new Executive Committee throughout the summer to draw ideas, so students still have an input into the events that they would like.
This initiative lowers financial risk and staff time.
Birmingham City FC Ticket Incentive Scheme
NSU have been working with Birmingham City FC to provide its members with cheap football tickets. The incentive also provides the Students’ Union with a small income; for every four tickets bought, NSU will receive 50% of the revenue (after tax). While this isn’t an enormous amount of money, it’s an income that can support other areas of the Students’ Union such as Student Voice (Course Reps).
Black History Month Festival of Culture
Each year, NSU works to celebrate Black History Month by showcasing films, or asking the University to put on foods from around the world, but there is very little in terms of outcomes against Strategy. In 2018/19, Newman SU Exec wanted to celebrate Black heritage and culture, and decided to host a festival led by some of NSU’s minority groups. For this, the Islamic Society showcased their work and provided guests with henna tattoos. There was also a Steel Pans Band and Caribbean BBQ. While most of these activities are social, it allowed the Executive Committee to start discussions on the Black Attainment Gap in preparation for initial talks with the University.
Student Skills Development Workshops
As part of the shift in culture, NSU started to deliver CPD to students to increase their employability. As of December 2018, NSU have had just over 170 students register on a range of courses so far since they were published in November, with the most popular being Suicide Awareness and Prevention (103), British Sign Language (97), Emergency First Aid Training (80), Dissertation Workshops (24), and Organising Your Time: Balancing Everything! (19).
In 2018/19 NSU began providing British Sign Language lessons to Course Reps and Society Leaders as part of their professional development.
Based on previous feedback, NSU have been aware that PGCE students have not engaged with the Students’ Union due to the nature of the events run. As one of NSU’s key focus groups to raise engagement, they also began the “BarSL” initiative with PGCE Students. ‘BarSL’ is professional development session of British Sign Language specifically held for PGCE students, but in the University bar, therefore also providing a social element to the typical PGCE student, which received good feedback.
First Aid Training
After feedback from PGCE students about what they wanted the SU to provide and support them with, NSU worked with local partners to deliver First Aid training courses for students to help them with their Employability moving forwards into a career in education. This was launched in December 2018.
Full-time Officers Apprenticeships
NSU has set up apprenticeships for the two-full time Officers as part of their role with a local company based in Warwick. Full-time Officers will from 2019/20 onwards be put onto an apprenticeship in Leadership which will provide them with a qualification at the end of their term of office with CMI membership. These apprenticeships are mostly focused on leadership and communication, and both compliment their role and offer more in terms of employability once they finish their time at NSU.
Erasmus Teaching Conference - University as Community: Breaking the circle of certainty
In October 2018, NSU worked with Newman University International Office to deliver a conference made up of Newman Staff and students and academic staff from European institutions to challenge the methods of service delivery in HE.
NSU welcomed colleagues from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Spain and Italy to discuss boundaries within HE; and with this allowed the Students’ Union to challenge the way Newman University delivers all of its services.
50th Anniversary Christmas Carnival
2018 was the year that Newman University celebrated its 50th Anniversary, inviting past students and staff to celebrate with them at a prestigious event. The Executive Committee felt that current students had been forgotten about and following discussions with marketing secured £2,500 to hold an event as part of the celebrations.
University Prospectus Working Group
Following issues raised in 2017/18 by students, The Students’ Union have been working with the University to review its prospectus and marketing for future students. The Executive Committee reviewed the previous prospectus and gave recommendations specifically highlighting costs (and being transparent with additional costs), accessibility for those with disabilities such as dyslexia and general layout of the pack.
The Executive Committee also made the final decision on the tender process for the designers of the Prospectus. This demonstrated how the Executive Committee has been dedicated to representing all students at Newman with the values of being inclusive and transparent.
Motions Passed and Acted
- High Chairs in the Sanctuary Café – We have supported our Mature Students by engaging them within our democratic processes having never done that before to push the University for High Chairs in the University canteen; an easy but important win for our students.
