Giving More to our Student Groups

To increase the offer, and communication of the offer, we have for our student groups and ensure they are fully provided for in order to efficiently undertake their activities, within the Students' Union. Funding Search Engine, more use of the website, new society welcome pack.

Update on this objective:

May 2012 - Final Update

re-jigged the society pages on the website to make more exciting and friendly, created an online funding search engine, created an annual deadline for societies to update their SU webpages, worked with Our Sheffield to develop a useful clothing order service that has been super popular, supported a petition for more storage space for societies, increased Zone Online usage dramatically, re-edited the Zone Online and added new guides and info, implemented new society ‘Intro Meetings’ and increased the Cash Office opening hours. By July, I will have also created a ‘Societies A-Z’ on the Zone Online, added new video guides, researched into minibuses for societies and plans for the Zone restructure will have been completed with work space for societies and committees.

April 2012 Update

• Funding Finder has been created and is online. I will now just tweak it a bit ready to be used by student groups to find pots of money.
• The plans for the Activities and Sports Zone re-design include workspace for Societies and Committees – something we desperately need.
• I have been collating information to create an A-Z on the Zone Online with handy tips of what the SU and University can offer student groups

March 2012 Update

• Have sent through details to create the funding finder and will be meeting to start putting it together
• All of the Activities Awards material will be added to the Zone Online, hopefully increasing traffic through the page and raising awareness of how helpful it is

February 2012 Update

• I have met with Andy Gwilliam (Web Developer) to talk through my idea of a funding search engine. He likes the idea, so I’m sending through some ideas now with the hope of it being launched by society and committee training in April.
• The Activities Information Desk has started to look through society webpages and to gently prompt those who don’t use their page to edit it.
• I have been inputting into ideas to the redevelopment of the Activities and Sports Zone space
• There will now be some computers opposite Volunteering which are reserved for society and committee usage.
• We have managed to do a small locker audit and have a few small ones that are empty. These are now being advertised to societies and will be allocated in early February.
• Emily and I have reconstructed the Zone Online so the guides are in better sections and there is more contact information for staff on there as well.
• We have started to brainstorm ideas to make the Zone Online more dynamic
• We’ve created a basic template for a short online training session for new societies to do as soon as they’ve been set up to answer some immediate questions
• Fi and Megan have now started to offer a short welcome meeting for all new societies, involving a cup of tea, a biscuit and a chat about what the Zone can do for them. It’s also a good chance to get to know what the society does.

January 2012 Update

Over the Christmas break I wrote a comprehensive plan of action points, which I will be using to complete this objective over the next few months. This includes creating the online funding finder for student groups and revamping the Zone Online. The hope is, that the revamped online space will be much more dynamic and enjoyable to use for societies and committees. I will provide a more detailed update in February, when I have implemented many of the ideas on my action plan. 

November 2011 Update

• Researched into how many societies use their mini-pages on the SU Website. Added notes to Committee Details forms to remind people to use it, which also point out that the Societies pages are the third most visited on the website.
• Met with Richard Cook and the society pages have dramatically changed and look great! New box on every page that says ‘Want to join?’
• Met with Our Sheffield to discuss how to target societies. They were at Activities Forum and have been popular since then. One quote from a SuTCo member “this is the best and cheapest hoody I’ve got while I’ve been involved in SuTCo, and it has a zip!”
• Have implemented a weekly locker room check with the Zone staff to review how the space is being used, and have input into preliminary plans for the future of the Zone area.
• Massively pushed the Zone Online at Activities Fair, Activities Forum and Societies Surgery. October saw 395 unique visitors to The Zone Online! Need to retrieve figures for last year.
• Started a ‘Minibus Working Group’ with Activities staff, first meeting provoked a good discussion.
• Have planned our first ever New Societies Fair!
 

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Getting more from our Student Groups

To make our societies and committees feel that they are valued by the Students' Union and to build their confidence in the Activities Officer and Students' Union to be responsive and open to their feedback and problems, and to encourage them to give us as much feedback as possible. Society Survey, Increasing Feedback channels, Using Societies Committee more, You said We Did, Showcasing our societies more.

Update on this objective:

May 2012 - Final Update

I worked with Emily to organise our very own Lip Dub, getting national recognition for our societies and committees, started the laborious process of ringing every society (I only got to about 100, as this was a silly idea…), created a guide for societies to easily engage with elections and referenda, created a brand new format for Activities Forums offering more tailored support for societies and a chance for specific feedback from them, sent out updates to societies following these forums with answers to highlight what was being done to solve their issues, created an Activities You Said, We Did section for the all societies email which will feed into the SU wide YSWD webpage and championed any form of society showcase but working with Outreach and Access to showcase societies to local students. By July, I will have created a society and committee survey and gained a unique insight to pass on to my successor, met with Forge Media to talk about more publicity for societies, created an ‘I’m a Society and I want Change’ video, sent out a university wide e-newsletter about all of the achievements of societies and committees over the year and created a bank of photos from all societies for use over the next year.

April 2012 Update

• I have been writing the questions for the end of year society survey; ready to send out over the next couple of weeks and get information that we need to improve our service.
• An SU wide ‘You Said, We Did’ page is being put together which will incorporate messages from Activities and what we’ve done for students.

March 2012 Update

• Wrote a guide explaining how societies and committee could get really easily involved in Elections and Referenda.
• Currently planning all the Activities Forums, of which there are 6, which will mean societies get more relevant, tailored information.

February 2012 Update

• I have discovered that there used to be a society survey, so I’m going to dig some info up about this
• I am going to create an uMail style activities update from the first semester and have started to brainstorm what to include. Ideas are always welcome!
• I have started to ring round all societies and committees to see how the first semester went. It is taking a long time, and I have only done about 50 out of 300 so far, but it has proved to be very valuable and I am really enjoying hearing all the successes of semester 1.
• I have met with Tom Langrish and will be putting together two new guides for societies – ‘How to engage with Elections and Referenda’ and ‘How to make change as a society’. I am a moose.
• I have ensured that the society photo wall is in the plan for the new branded walls and have also started to write some copy for other walls around the Activities and Sports Zone to make it really fun and exciting!

January 2012 Update

Over the Christmas break I wrote a comprehensive plan of action points, which I will be using to complete this objective over the next few months. This includes creating a fancy semester 1 e-mail update for all students and staff about the amazing achievements of students, creating a toolkit for societies to use for them to promote Students' Union referenda and ringing round every society and committee to catch up about how semester 1 went for them! I will provide a more detailed update in February, when I have implemented many of the ideas on my action plan. 

November 2011 Update

• Been really nice and supportive to all societies. The Zone has now adopted the ‘Innocent Smoothie Approach’
• Seen a real increase in societies using the Plasma Screens around the SU building.
• Booked two day slots in my diary to do an all society ring round. Should be fun and LONG.
• Societies Surgery has been revamped and has been seeing higher number of attendees than last year! Activities Forum received very positive feedback and was attended by 156 societies and committees.
• Seen an increase in Societies Committee dealing with individual society problems and more people approaching them.
• Have answered everything and have dealt with or are dealing with them all. Feedback examples so far – SuTCo and the Drama Studio, DanceSoc and a UK Wide competition in the Octagon, Student Stop AIDS day and World AIDS day planning, Cheerleaders and inclusion trouble, Forge Radio playing more on campus.
• You said, We did runs every month as part of the All Society Email
• Incorporating societies into the ‘Vibrant Building’ project
• Started to use think of themes for the Strategic Plan. Kept mentioning celebrating and valuing all students and our student groups. Will keep harping on about it until I’m blue in’t face. 
 

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Collaborative Working

To see societies and committees working together more with each other and also with the Students' Union and University. 'Working together' in all senses of the phrase can lead to more efficient activity, whilst also building positive partnerships and widening horizons of society members. Societies working with the Students' Union will also be a huge benefit to the organisation. Commercial Services and Activities, Course Reps and Societies, Interfaith, Careers Service, Larger societies working with smaller ones.

Update on this objective:

May 2012 - Final Update

I have championed the development of the ‘…loves societies’ brand with commercial services, had regular 1-2-1’s with commercial services to work together better, launched a Society of the Week scheme, developed a training guide online for societies to lead their own training sessions, championed Population as much as is physically possible, created a standard Academic Rep role with departmental societies, provided new Activities Forums for society networking, developed a new Interfaith Rep role for faith societies, created, with societies and committees, a guide on environmental best practice, worked with the Enterprise Zone to increase their sponsorship and awareness of the Enterprise zone and launched a ‘Most Enterprising Society’ award at Activities Awards. By July, I will have produced a guide on good team building activities, organised a society and committee picture day, looked into bringing back the networking board and created a new guide on how to work well with commercial services.

April 2012 Update

• The new ‘Society of the Week’ scheme that I have been working on with Commercial Services is now ready and has now launched! It gives a different society every week some exposure and offers for their members in SU outlets.
• We have added a draft training session to the Zone Online to encourage society presidents to train their own committees, acting as a team building session.
• I will be organising a picture day for societies and committee in May 
• The Enterprise Zone helped to judge the new ‘Most Enterprising Society’ award for Activities Awards. They were very impressed with the awards nominations and have lots of ideas to build on for next year!

March 2012 Update

• The Society of the Week scheme has had work go into it, and I will be meeting with Graeme Wood, Commercial Operations Manager, to look at the logistics of it
• Networking sessions have taken the form of smaller Activities Forums, which I have already mentioned.
• The Enterprise Zone have sponsored and written the criteria for a new ‘Most Enterprising Society’ award at the Activities Awards 2012.

February 2012 Update

• I have asked for the sample society hoody that is displayed in the ASZ to have the SU Logo on!
• Commercial services have built up a strong link with Societies Festival. Look out for ‘New Leaf hearts Societies’ etc posters up soon! (Huge thanks to Societies Committee for helping to develop this relationship)
• The Activities and Sports Zone is supporting Population as much as possible and Ents has been very nice with their Pop Pass allocation!
• Jon and I have discussed both Academic Reps and Post Graduate Reps for departmental society committees. We are going to do a small audit and look at those who currently have these roles, in order to put together a basic role description, which will hopefully encourage more societies to adopt similar committee positions.
• We have changed Activities Forums for the second semester and will now provide smaller forums for each society category. This will hopefully encourage societies to share and talk more and also they will get more out of a smaller session.
• I have started to work with the Faith Forum to look at how we can make it more structured. We had a discussion and they decided it would be sensible for each faith society to have an ‘Interfaith Rep’ elected at their own AGM. We are going to start discussing the role of this position as the next faith forum, with the hopes of all faith societies having a similar position for next year.
• The Enterprise Zone has worked closely with 8 societies this year (with their target having been 3…). They are going to sponsor an award at Activities Awards (May 10th, hint hint) for ‘Most Enterprising Society’.

January 2012 Update

Over the Christmas break I wrote a comprehensive plan of action points, which I will be using to complete this objective over the next few months. This includes creating a new section of the Zone Online equipping societies with the resource to train their own committees, creating standardised role descriptions for Academic Reps (for departmental societies) and Interfaith Reps (for faith societies) and providing a new system for societies to network and advertise the ways they can work together. I will provide a more detailed update in February, when I have implemented many of the ideas on my action plan. 

November 2011 Update

• Met with Graeme Wood to talk through plans for the year for Commercial Services and activities, nothing concrete yet.
• Been promoting Population through Activities and have enlisted Population’s help promoting us e.g. New Societies Fair
• Chatted through ideas with Jon, and have picked some departmental societies to take part in a pilot scheme.
• Planning to develop Activities Forum in Semester 2 further to involved sessions for different society categories.
• First Faith Forum went very well and so did Interfaith Café. Plans for National Interfaith Week going very well. Lots of great ideas for collaboration over the year from the societies!
• Met with Elena Rodriguez-Falcon and Liz Ree from the Enterprise Zone to talk through ideas. Both are very keen to link up! Sponsorship for societies is now available and talked about society training and skills sessions, Activities Awards. Liz is attending a course about societies and Enterprise in London, so hoping for lots of ideas from that!
• Ran a session with Tim on how societies can be more ethically and environmentally friendly. LOADS of ideas came out of it, which will be used to create a best practice guide :)