Weeks 1, 2, 3....

Time passes quickly these days :s Just like someone once wrote in a ...business textbook 'time flies like a banana'

Well, while time is flying like a banana, I have managed to make a progress towards my objectives. Here are some highlights:

SU Visibility, Image and Diversity

• Postgraduate Students

Created the foundation for effective relationship with the Graduate School, which would hopefully mean that we can be more inclusive of the Postgraduate Students studying here at Brookes. We had the Postgraduates' 1st Social at The Mez on 2/10/07, the event was hosted by myself and David Evans (Head of Graduate School) and supported by Hazey, Jamie, Paul and other eager beavers. For 1st time PGs had a chance to collectively storm into the Union, see what the Union is like, and most importantly meet new people. I must have been extremely lucky because I accidently met Jamie (Ents crew) who rescued me from needing to again lose my voice - instead he and his friends arranged for a mike to be plugged in so I did a little welcome intro with David Evans!

Look at the pic on the left up and you can see moi, Hayzey and David Evans, surrounded by the lovely PGs. The pic on the right: that's Jamie and me with more posgraduate students!

So what's next for Postgraduate students at the SU?

We have AGM Elections tomorrow, followed by another PG Society Inaugural Social on the 31st Oct. and finally - Monday Acoustic Nights at Harts bar at the SU will have a PG spin, with a happy postgrad hour at 10pm!

Lets see if we can increase PG representation :)

• It's a date! Afternoon Tea with the VC: Prof. Janet Beer

The meeting went well, in a more relaxed and informal manner the VC and myself have covered ways of working better together throughout the year. As a result we agreed the SU President attendance to forthnightly meetings with the VC and heads of schools as well as other members, which will cover highlights of the weeks/ success stories/ reports on progress from across the board at university and the SU. This was a very considerable step forward regarding the relationship with the University, and would hopefully strenghetn the SU image.

Additionally, the VC has agreed for the President and the Sabbatical Officers to attend 2 Executive Board meetings and report on progress there - that was a pretty happy news :)

We also have a Speed Dating Event with the SMT confirmed, now arranging the actual date.

• AGM Guest Speakers
  

We have 2 guest speakers at the AGM: Naomi Green - the Afro- caribbean Society President and Caroline O'Connor: Islamic Society Executive Member, they are all ready to do their inspirational speech. Hopefully that would refresh the atmosphere at these meetings, as they are often quite formal and not 100% enjoyable! But once we get the Constitution aproved, then we can move onto a more pleasant format of AGMs!

The last meeting with the Islamic Society Guest Speaker proved to be very successful, plans about how the SU can better integrate this society were discussed and members expressed that these groups will be happy to get more involved with the SU if a ‘safe space’ was provided.