Annual Report 2010-11

Putting You First

Matt EastSU President 2009-11

Simon RugglesCommunications Officer 2010-11

Liz Dobson-McKittrickAcademic Affairs Officer 2010-11

Kelly SweeneyStudent Experience Officer 2009-11Cambridgeshire

Maiken AndreasenStudent Experience Officer 2009-11Essex

Introduction.This year has been like no other at Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union. This year’s annual report provides a summary of our whirlwind ride through national campaigning, big wins for students across Anglia Ruskin; massive changes within your Students’ Union, sporting and student successes, increased representation and much more.

As your full time executive we have worked tirelessly to ensure your voice is heard by the University, and have lobbied for a student focus in all areas.

Between us, we have spent over 3100 hours in meetings making your voice heard, 500 hours talking to you, 10 hours with Parliamentary leaders lobbying nationally, over 50 hours planning campaigns, 100 hours re-writing the representative structures and constitution, over 100 interviews with the local and national media, and over 500 hours travelling between our 5 campuses. Because of this, we’ve achieved more than ever before both locally and nationally.

Throughout this report, you will see the huge impact we have had in more detail. We hope you find this an interesting read, and can see the impact we have had in all areas of your life at Anglia Ruskin.

From the bottom of all of our hearts, we would like to thank all of you. It has been a pleasure representing you, fighting for you, and working tirelessly to ensure your Anglia Ruskin experience is the best it can be.

The 2010-11 Executive

Simon RugglesVice PresidentCommunications Officer

Matt EastChair of the Trustee BoardSU President

Liz Dobson-McKittrickAcademic Affairs Officer

Maiken AndreasenStudent Experience Officer(Essex)

Kelly SweeneyStudent Experience Officer(Cambridgeshire)

Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union >> Annual Report 2010-11

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Officers increased the number of students having their say in the Opinion Poll 2010 by

124%200 Anglia Ruskin studentsmarched alongside 50,000 others to fight fee increases and budget cuts.

34%of our Student Reps have been trained by SU Student Rep Coordinators.

The SU Executive collectively spent over

3100 hoursin University meetings representing you.

The Advice Service supported a

34%rise in general casework.

1977members voted in this years SU Elections.

We gathered over

2000 comments by Going Out And Talking to students.

An extra

9000students joined the SU Byte email list.

1715individual comments as part of our Election campaign.

Clubs and Socities had

3774members join in 2010/11.

968New advice service cases were dealt with this year.

1184Students and Staff joined the Cambridge Gym.

18,000Wristbands were sold for Revolutions in Cambridge.

700 Students voted in our Pilot referenda

2976Members joined our new interactive website.

239%Rise in website page impressions.

36%Rise in academic appeals supported by the Advice Service.

9%Increase in Student Reps trained by our Rep Coordinators

Representation.Meeting RepresentationSU Officers and reps ensure your voice is heard in over 40 meetings and working groups including:

Academic RegulationsAccess AgreementAnglia Ruskin Student Experience Initiative (ARISE)Attendance MontioringBoard of GovernersCampus developmentCampus fit-outCampus ManagementChaplaincy CouncilCommunity LiasonCustomer Service ExcellenceEmployabilityEquality and DiversityFaculty BoardsFaculty Learning Teaching and Assement CommitteesGoverners Students MattersGrademark (e-submission)Health and SafteyKey Service AreasLearning Teaching & Assement StrategyLearning Teaching and AssesmentMulitmedia & Lecture CaptureMy.AngliaPMI Chelmsford ArtworkQuality Standards CommitteeRetentionSenateSITSSports StrategyStudent CharterStudent EmailStudent Experience CommitteeStudent Satisfaction Imrpovement GroupSustainabilityTimetablingTurnItInUniversity & Students UnionVLE

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In 2010-11 we’ve represented you in more University meetings and forums than ever before.

The executive team spent over 3100 hours in meetings representing your voice, amounting to a total of approximately 330 hours in University meetings and 295 hours in SU meetings per officer!

This year’s team also spent over 500 hours out on campuses talking to students, and used a number of joint SU/University surveys and forums to gather your opinion including:

The Typed Assessment and Feedback SurveyUniversity Communications and Technology SurveyMy.Anglia Usage SurveyPersonal Tutoring System Staff Research SurveyMeet the Dean eventsMeet the Vice ChancellorStudent Charter ForumsStudent AssembliesOfficer Drop In Sessions

SU Staff and officers have used our Quality monitoring process to write a number of well researched and student focused reports which were put forward to the university including:

Annual Quality MonitoringAssessment and FeedbackCommunity on CampusFuture of the ASPIRE SchemeJoint ARU/SU Communications working group proposalNSS 2010Opinion Poll 2010Speech Bubble Report 2010Student Barometer AnalysisSU Employability StrategyUniversity Accommodation

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Student RepsThe Student Rep system at Anglia Ruskin continues to grow from strength-to-strength, with more innovative ideas increasing representation within the University and SU.

560 Student reps were elected to represent cohorts across the university in 2010-11. 501 of these reps represented undergraduate cohorts, with a further 59 representing postgraduates.

176 of our reps have attended training with Student Rep Coordinators, a 9% rise on the total percentage of reps trained in 2009-10.

Our ground breaking rep accreditation scheme (in partnership with the faculty of education) began its pilot in September 2010. 25 Student reps began the training process for extra university credit. As of June 2011, 4 reps were ready to submit final assessments. The scheme will be offered to all reps from September 2011.

Student Rep training materials and online access to reps is now being made available via the VLE.

The Cambridge campus Student Rep Society launched in 2010 which has increased attendance to meetings by 23%.

Rep society committee members Francesca Rust and Emily Short were jointly short-listed by the NUS for the Student Rep of the Year Award, and held our inaugural Student Rep Conference. We also played host to the NUS Regional Rep Conference.

Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union >> Annual Report 2010-11

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176reps attended training with our Student Rep coordinators

we support

560Student Reps

There are huge benefits to being a student rep, mostly a great feeling of pride and satisfaction at being able to help others and make a difference.

“”Student Representatives Annual Questionnaire 2011

Anglia Ruskin Reps were finalists for

NUS Course Rep of The Year

You said. We Did.This year we have achieved more wins for students than ever before.

2,500 students completed our Annual Opinion Poll, choosing to focus on improving employability and reducing the impact of budget and course cuts.

As a result we wrote our employability strategy, and the University implemented its Employability working group.

£40,000 was invested by ALSS and FST into equipment for the SU academy to allow students to experience working in a live music environment as part of their course.

You said: You were concerned about fee rises, budget cuts and the quality of university education.

We: Used our campaigns budget to support the NUS National demo against cuts and fee rises. 200 Anglia Ruskin students joined the 50,000 strong crowd at Demo 2010 to demonstrate against the coalition government.

We worked closely with the National Union of Students (NUS) to lobby MPs nationally to vote against the fee increase. This involved a large number of meetings with members of parliament both in London and local constituencies. We were successful in Cambridge in this task, with Julian Huppert re-signing the NUS Pledge to vote AGAINST the increase in fees on the 10th November.

OpinionPoll2010

Have your say in the

Putting You First

The Student Union Executive 2010-11: Liz, Matt, Maiken, Simon & Kelly (From Left to Right)

Postcard2.indd 1 03/09/2010 16:29:59

You said: you would like better access to specialist software on campus and at home.

We: lobbied the University and worked with Anglia Ruskin Learning and Teaching/ISMS to find solutions.

As of September 2011 you will be able to access your University desktop from anywhere in the world, including access to specialist photo and audio editing software, applications.

You said: Feedback on your assessments was often difficult to read and understand.

We: teamed up with Anglia Ruskin Learning and Teaching to find out how we could improve feedback.

Using your views, we lobbied the University who agreed that 90% of feedback must be typed and follow a consistent format by 2012.

e-submissionis being piloted to be rolled out where applicable in

2012-13.

We lobbied Anglia Ruskin University to invest in Sports.

£40,000has been invested to date, into the University Sports Strategy

You have all made remarkable impacts on the university over the past two years; thank you for that. Your whole team has been the most impressive of all the SU teams I have known in my six years. Well done!

Nigel Cooper, University Chaplain (Cambridge)

“”

£220,000+was invested by Anglia Ruskin University to refurbish and create social spaces after we lobbied for change.

You said: social space on all campuses was poor and there were too few water fountains.

We: Lobbied the Estates and Facilities department and won investment in open access spaces like the Tindal Café (Chelmsford) and the Common Room at Guild House (Peterborough).

More seating and outside furniture has been placed around all campuses and water fountains were installed around all University buildings.

You said: IT at Anglia Ruskin was poor and needed huge investment.

We: Lobbied for an additional £20,000 investment into the VLE and online quiz tools. We have also started to form focus groups to gather your voice, to feed directly to the VLE project.

Investment is being made into My.Anglia to improve communication and make timetables/tasks easier to access after we asked for your opinion.

More open access IT has been made available on all campuses and for much longer including some specialist labs.

improvements were made to the price and quality of University Catering.

You said: The Cambridge library was a difficult environment to study in and improvements needed to be made.

We: Lobbied and won more investment for air conditioning, better lighting and clear signage for silent/group working zones in Cambridge and Chelmsford.

The Library has invested £100,000 in more books and resources. An additional £50,000 was spent on new computers and printers to increase access.

Opening hours for learning labs have increased and we continue to work with Peterborough students to discuss and lobby on opening times.

You said: Uni Accommodation was poor value for money and improvements needed to be made to quality and customer service.

We: Presented your feedback to the University alongside research of comparative universities and other feedback. The University has identified Accommodation as a key area for improvement and we will continue to lobby and support you in this area.

You said: There was a lack of community on campus.

We: took control of Volunteering to offer you more opportunities. We hosted cultural celebrations like Chinese New Year, and started Fair Trade Football for all on campus.

We employed additional permanent staff members at Fulbourn and Peterborough Guild House to support Health and Social Care students.

Our advisers experienced a 36% rise in the number of academic appeals supported by the service. A total of 507 appeals were supported in the 10 months after August 2010.

One way of coping with the increasing demand for advice about appeals has been to hold appeals workshops: these have been run in Chelmsford for some time but were successfully introduced this year in Cambridge too.

Advice Service.Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union >> Annual Report 2010-11

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The Advice Service has had its most successful year yet with demand for advice service appointments continuing to rise beyond all expectations.

In order to meet the growing needs of students we have increased the number of adviser hours in Cambridge and Chelmsford and found a number of new and inventive ways to guide our members through academic appeals.

In the 10 month period August to May 2011, the Advice Service had assisted in 968 new cases, a rise of 24% on the same period last year.

Advisers on the Cambridge campus dealt with 451 advice cases, whilst Chelmsford dealt with 517.

The number of contacts (appointments, emails, telephone calls, letters and administrative functions etc.) made by advisers increased 8% as a result of the higher demand from our membership.

A total of 18,975 individual contacts were recorded in the 10 month period.

The advice service continue to assist students with a number of issues, 877 of cases related to academic matters.

Advisers also assisted with a number of financial problems, health concerns, personal issues, accommodation problems, employment rights and more.

Number of Cases by FacultyHealth and Social Care

431Science and Technology

207Arts, Law & Social Sciences

141Lord Ashcroft Int. Bus. School

139Education

50

You told us in the Big 10 2010 survey that it should be easier to identify and use all of our services.

We have invested in new shop front graphics on the Cambridge campus for the Advice Service and larger signage in Chelmsford.

Our appeals workshop slides and materials are now available online.

I was helped through a situation

which was extremely stressful for me. Without my

Students’ Union Adviser I don’t know

what I would have done

“(Student feedback from the

Advice Service Feedback Sheets)

Going for Gold.Annual Report 2010-11 << Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union

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Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union was awarded a silver standard by the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative at the end of the two year SUEI 1 project in June 2010. We were the first multi-site million+ Union to achieve a silver award, placing us amongst the best unions in the country.

SUEI is a continuous improvement model and in 2010-11, we embarked on SUEI 2, a three year project.

Year 1 concentrates on any areas for improvement raised in the SUEI 1 final report. The Union had four key areas to address:

Long term financial security of the UnionFurther development of the Union’s relationship with the UniversityFinding more ways to connect with non-traditional studentsFurther research into potential services and facilities for students across the University

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Our New ValuesAt the beginning of the year, we revisited the Union’s core objectives. Our Mission, Values and Strategic Priorities were re-defined.

We are:

Representative. We listen, and are responsive, to the wants and needs of all Anglia Ruskin students. Democratic. We are student led through our democratic structures including elections, referenda and councils. Independent. We are a separate organisation from the University, led by elected officers and supported by Union permanent and student staff. Campaigning. We campaign for change on issues that students tell us are important to them.Accessible. We are transparent and honest, easy to get involved with and inclusive of all students at Anglia Ruskin.Innovative. We are national leaders in providing relevant services in new and creative ways.

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Early in the year, the Strategic Planning Group, comprised of all Officers and Managers, produced a three year strategic plan based on feedback from members and the four areas for improvement from SUEI 1.

Building on the project management of SUEI 1, at the Staff & Officer Away day in January 2010, we brainstormed the strategic plan and departmental action plans have been drawn up in response to the four key areas. From those, we will be linking to Union-wide action plans for discussion and signing off with our SUEI mentor.

In Year 2 of the project, 2011-12, we will be benchmarking against the standards of the SUEI 2 matrix to ensure that we are continually striving to make a positive impact on the experience of Anglia Ruskin students in keeping with our mission statement.

The representation of its members is central to the thinking and the work of Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union.

(Comment from the SUEI Final Audit Report June 2010)

“

Putting you first to make your Anglia Ruskin experience the best it can be.

The Students’ Union is approachable and understanding of individuals needs, and proactive in changing issues surrounding students.“ Comment from the Big 10 Survey 2011

1977members voted in the SU Elections.

1715election bubble comments were received

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FHSC Officer Chelmsford

FHSC Officer Fulbourn

FHSC Officer Peterborough

S&T Officer Chelmsford

AIBS Officer Chelmsford

ALSS Officer Chelmsford

FOE Officer Chelmsford

S&T Officer Cambridge

AIBS Officer Cambridge

ALSS Officer Cambridge

FOE Officer Cambridge

Vice SEO Cambridge

Vice Communcations Cambridge

Vice Academic CambridgeVice President Cambridge

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Vice Academic Chelmsford

Vice President Chelmsford

Vice SEO FulbournVice Communcations Fulbourn

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Democracy.Annual Report 2010-11 << Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union

Page 11

This year more of you have had your say in how the Union is run than ever before.

Engagement with student democracy continues to diversify away from the traditional democratic structure, towards electronic methods and simpler, open forums.

This year the focus has been on increasing membership engagement by making the SU Executive more approachable. We’ve also developed more polls, surveys and referenda than ever before, both on and offline.

New ConstitutionLast year, you told us via the Annual Student Survey that you wanted more say in what your Students’ Union does.

The SU Executive Team spent over 100 hours researching diverse democratic structures and forms of engagement, to allow involvement from all areas of our student body. Our new SU constitution and supporting structures will allow us to represent all students more effectively, regardless of faculty or campus.

University Governors and The Students’ Union Council has agreed to adopt this new model, which will be implemented from the start of the academic year (beginning September 2011).

The new model will remove barriers to engagement and involvement, scrapping “red

tape” and complicated processes. New interactive forums will focus on key areas of member interest and allow students and student reps to voice their opinion on targeted topics.

Union members can now submit their “idea” directly to the SU Executive which can be discussed and voted on by Academic or Experience Councils.

We will be integrating our democratic processes into the University Structures to allow the University and Union to “close the feedback loop” much quicker than at present and instigate real student focused change at Anglia Ruskin.

We have identified that we need to find new ways to engage with our growing membership, and will be holding online meetings and implementing processes that allow students to have their say from anywhere in the world. Our new website (launching in September 2011) will make us one of the first Students’ Unions in the country to digitise traditional democratic processes, showing we are leading the way yet again!

Thanks to the work of the Executive team and staff, we can now legally register as a charity, governed by the new document. Charitable status will make it easier for members to scrutinise and have their say in the way the Union spends its money, as well as opening new grant funding opportunities to invest in services.

Referenda and PollsWe held our first ever Referenda at Anglia Ruskin as a pilot for the new constitution. During semester 2 we asked our membership to vote on the Unions stance towards University and Colleges Union (UCU) industrial action.

700 Students voted with a 68% majority to support lecturers and academics.

We had over 2500 Students vote for their Priority Campaign in the Opinion Poll, a rise by over 1000 votes from the previous year.

ElectionsWe had another record turn out in the SU elections. This year due to the changes in democratic structures, we only held elections for Full Time Officers. Regardless of this, we still had 1977 members vote in the elections, hitting the SUEI benchmark target of 10% of campus based members voting in the election.

Last year, we launched the Speech Bubble Campaign, which highlighted the real issues students were having on campus. This resulted in significant investment from the University to resolve the majority of the issues highlighted. This year, we ran the same campaign prior to the elections. We had over 1715 comments submitted, an increase of over 25% on the previous year’s result. This report will again be presented to the University to highlight key areas of student dissatisfaction.

We have proved yet again that the traditional methods of democratic involvement are not always the best, and we can increase student engagement by diversifying what we do and how we do it. This is a continuous growth area that will evolve with Anglia Ruskin and the Students’ Union.

Reaching further.Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union >> Annual Report 2010-11

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This year we have reached more of our members than ever before, with more students joining our website, taking part in Union activities, having their say, or simply using our offices to ask for help, advice or guidance. We continue to follow our three year Communications Strategy to increase membership engagement.

In March 2011 our Communications team merged with Student Representation. The new team is managed by our Representation and Communications manager, acknowledging the close link between effective representation and communication.

WebsiteOur website is now more interactive and functional than ever before.

We recognise that angliastudent.com is a valuable communication tool which is increasingly popular with our members. As the University digital learning provision grows both on and off campus, we continue to research and develop innovative ways of engaging electronically.

In September 2010 we launched a new version of our website including online clubs and society membership and payment, ticket sales and shop, which has been extremely successful with our members.

During the 10 month period

August 2010 - May 2011 a total of 2976 members registered on the site. 1120 (37.6%) of these members used the service to join a club or society. 669 also used the website to purchase a Sports Federation insurance card. Clubs pages were the most popular on the site and have increased participation in Clubs and Societies.

78,260 unique visits were made to the site during the August-May period, amounting to 598,578 page views. This is a 239% rise on the same period in 2009-10, illustrating the popularity and growth of the service.

£28,987 of sales were generated via the website, including Clubs and Societies memberships, shop and event tickets.

SU ByteLike other digital communications within the Union, our regular email newsletter the SU Byte continues to grow in popularity.

The Union continues to deepen its understanding of our membership and used additional data in 2010-11 to target the SU Byte further, providing timely and relevant information.

An additional 9,000+ students joined the SU Byte this year, increasing the subscription to over 22,000 members.

In 2010-11 we edited 36 issues of the SU Byte, creating a staggering 396,381 email deliveries. The Byte was read 33,798 times, an open rate of 8.5%. This is an increase of 10,458 on last year.

VLEWith large numbers of Anglia Ruskin students enrolling on distance and blended learning pathways, our representation and communication team identified the need to approach membership engagement in an

innovative way.

The Students’ Union now has its own space within the VLE which holds a selection of Student Rep training material. Helpful videos and other resources will be made available to download.

In 2011-12 we will be working closely with the VLE Project Board to integrate the Student Rep system within all pathway pages for students studying on and off campus.

NoticeboardsAs Anglia Ruskin continues to invest in capital building and campus projects, the number of touchdown points for student information has also increased. Working with faculties and Estates & Facilities, we have introduced 8 new student focused noticeboards, including targeted boards for Student Representation.

We are committed to working directly with University senior management to increase these spaces into 2011-12.

BrandingYou told us during the Big 10 2010 Survey that you would like to be more aware of the services offered and managed by the Union. We have invested in new branding and signage to make our facilities easier to identify.

GOATingGoing Out And Talking to students

is core to increasing engagement, accessibility and accountability within the Union. This year we gathered over 2,000 comments face-to-face alone, over 1,400

This year we launched Executive Officer twitter accounts to make your represenatives more accountable. The team sent over

3000 tweets and gained 634 followers

...In two years I have been here I feel that the communications between the Union and students has been so much better and I feel the union is always trying to better student life for us...

“Comment from the Big 10 Survey 2011

1500+Comments from Going Out And Talking to our members

78,260unique web visits

Building community.Our Student Activities team successfully captured the demands of our colourful and dynamic community, strengthening links with the International Student Advice Service and increasing participation in clubs, societies and give it a go sessions both on and off campus.

During 2010-11, clubs and societies had 3774 members across Cambridge and Chelmsford campuses. 543 more members joined a club or society this year, a 17% increase on 2009-10,

The Student Activities team supported a total number of 87 clubs and societies, an increase of 8 on the previous year, including our first society at the Faculty of Health and Social care Peterborough campus.

Club and Society Membership 2010-11

CambridgeNo. of Clubs: 25No. of Members: 1494

No. of Societies: 43No. of Members: 1459

ChelmsfordNo. of Clubs: 8No. of Members: 410

No. of Societies: 11No. of Members: 411

Being part of clubs and societies has made me feel so much more involved in University life - getting to know such a variety of people is awesome. The clubs and societies give a great support network which really helps when the pressure is on! I couldn’t be without them!

“Rep Society President

Sporting SuccessesWe have had a number of successes on and off the sporting fields in 2010-11, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our members, and support and coaching from our staff.

Our number of BUCS entries increased for the 7th year in a row including a growth in entries for individuals. We celebrated individual successes in Judo, Boxing, and Athletics. Cambridge Men’s Football 1st won their division whilst Men’s Badminton, Football 2nd and Volleyball were all 2nd in their leagues. Women’s Volleyball were also runners up. 18 Teams were entered into BUCS in total.

Anglia Ruskin scored a total of 161 BUCS points, finishing 92nd out of 146 Universities. A total of £45,000 was spent to support teams and individuals entered into BUCS.

Cambridge Ultimate Frisbee came third in the winter and spring collegiate league and hosted their

2010-11 was our

most succesful sporting year in the BUCS Championships.

own tournament. Cambridge Cheerleaders finished 4th in their annual BCA competition.

In other leagues the Chelmsford Rugby 7’s team won their Sports Tour tournament, whilst the Chelmsford Cheerleaders finished 5th in their BCA competition.

Society SuccessesSocieties continue to broaden their activities with the support of the Union, which has contributed to a rise in society members.

In Cambridge, the Literary society hosted a guest poetry performance from Sophia Blackwell, whilst Theatre Arts put on various performances including The Producers.

Forensic Science enjoyed a visit to a riot training centre. The Reps society continues to grow and has been recognised by the NUS as best practice in Students’ Unions. LGBT held their own “freshers week”, to welcome new members.

Chelmsford societies have had another successful year, with Archifunk hosting a guest lecture by the director of Dunster Architects (Bill Dunster), and visiting Manchester. The Education society organised sign language workshops for trainee teachers over the course of 4 weeks.

Give It A GoGive It A Go activities were once again well received in 2010/2011, particularly amongst the international student community. We have strengthened our relationship with the International Student Support Office to gain greater understanding of the demographic, widen our offering and increase participation.

CambridgeOver the academic year over 263 students participated in GIAG’s. We held a total of 9 for the campus.

The most popular trip was the traditional tour of London at the start of each semester. Over 130 students took part and experienced the sights and sounds of the city via amphibious Duck vehicle.

The Sushi GIAG session was extremely popular with the event selling out with over 70 students attending the session, which made it the most popular GIAG activity ever.

Our Halloween trip to “Fright Night” at Thorpe Park was also a sell out. Our Cadbury’s World trip also experienced particularly high demand. Extra coaches had to be booked for both events.

In semester 2 the cocktail masterclass sold out in only a couple of days with over 30 students attending. Trips to Colchester Zoo and Brighton were also fully booked.

ChelmsfordWe continue to assess the needs of our Chelmsford students to improve the impact of GIAG events. We recognise that given the complex demographic of our members on the campus, our team must continue to diversify our services in 2011/12.

In semester 1 the Sushi GIAG session was extremely popular with the event selling out, the netball session also proved popular, encouraging students to form a netball committee, which in turn formed a club and increased the numbers that competed in the matches in the SESSA league.

Fright Night at Thorpe Park was also sold out, Colchester Zoo and the cocktail masterclass were also well attended.

In Semester two afternoon tea went very well, and was particularly popular with international arrivals.

The trips to London, Ikea / Lakeside, Greenwich, Cambridge, Windsor Castle and Brighton all sold out very quickly.

Over the year over 234 students participated in GIAGs in Chelmsford.

Cambridge AwardsFresher of The YearBenedicte Danielsen (Dance)Most Organised TeamUltimate FrisbeeTeam of The YearWomens VolleyballSociety of The YearReps SocietyCaptain of The YearLouis Rose (Men’s Football 1st)Community AwardChristian UnionSuper Star AwardFrancesca Rust (Reps Society)Doug Cosnett AwardNicola Hodge (Cheerleading)Luke JC Smith (Dance)

Chelmsford AwardsFresher of The YearAdam Crabb (Men’s Football)Most Organised TeamMen’s RugbyTeam of The YearMen’s Rugby & Men’s FootballSociety of The YearEducationCaptain of The YearPhil Nicholson (Adventure Sports)President of The YearRachel Dunnett (RAG)Community AwardRAGMost SociableMen’s Rugby

497Students attended Give It A Go trips and activities

Building community contined.GymThis year has been the most successful year to date for the Cambridge SU Gym, following its move to refurbished facilities in 2009. In June 2011 we had 1184 Gym members, close to our target of 1200. This is a rise of 176 members on last year.

A large number of our members are international students.

This year the gym teamed up with Student Support Services to run the GOALS Gym Group pilot scheme that was aimed at students who have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety.

Research suggests that exercise is a good form of therapy to increase the chemicals in the brain that encourage happiness. The 8 week scheme includes 8 students and at the time of publishing was an ongoing success. We will gather feedback at the end of the period to determine how we continue to grow this service.

The students have an individual gym program given to them and a qualified member of staff supervising their progress throughout the 8 sessions so that they are on hand to offer any help or advice that is needed.

The Gym has continued to offer additional services due to demand from students and staff. We continue to offer additional personal training and fitness testing, alongside our standard personal gym development programme.

StudioIn September we launched our new Cambridge Dance Studio which has experienced a very high demand from a wide variety of students, clubs/societies, university departments and external organisations.

Throughout the academic year the studio was fully booked from 5pm – 9pm every day during the week (Monday – Friday). Our members have been eager to utilise the space on campus due to its central location.

A large number of clubs and societies use the space, including: Cheerleading, Dance, Rugby, Netball, Kickboxing, Judo and Wing Chun. Students studying in the Drama department have also used the space regularly for performance rehearsals.

Students on the MSc Physiotherapy course are able to use the space to learn exercises that can be used as part of patients’ rehabilitation from illness or injury.

We have also had some non student run classes in the studio and this includes Pole Fitness, Boxercise, Tai Chi, Self Defence and Zumba, which have been successful with both students and university staff.

Apple Regional Training CentreOur Apple Regional Training Centre (RTC) focuses on improving students’ creativity and computer skills by using Apple technology. We are the first Students’ Union in the country to collaborate with the computing giant.

The RTC provides students with a welcoming environment where they can enhance their learning using top of the range technology and help them to progress further in their studies.

During 2010/11 we held 5 training sessions to help encourage students in becoming more advanced in video making and podcasting, as well as Apples’ equivalent to excel, word and power point. The sessions have benefited all students who have attended the sessions. The computers will be available to use during the day and will be based in our Student Activities Centres on both core campuses.

VolunteeringIn March we took over management of The Anglia Ruskin Volunteering Service. The move has provided the opportunity to review what the service offers and reshape it in new innovative ways.

The main focus of activity so far has been to ensure that the basic structure of the service is up and running; to establish collaborative relationships within the University; and to build a database of volunteering opportunities within the community that meets the needs of our students. Since March, 75 students have registered with the service, and this number is expected to increase greatly in the next academic year.

Formation of an accreditation process for all volunteers and the searching out and targeting of volunteering opportunities to specific pathways are both projects currently under development for next year.

38.2% of Gym users are international students “

EntertainmentsThis year has been a difficult year for Bars and Entertainments due to the continued cost of running both venues.

Fresher’s events were sold out in Cambridge and Chelmsford which saw an increase in the uptake of events.

The strong sense of community between clubs and societies contributed to Wednesday night being our only profitable evening in both Cambridge and Chelmsford. 18000 wristbands were sold for Wednesday at Revolutions and links were made with Chicago’s in Chelmsford including a free shuttle bus service.

Halloween and Christmas were sell outs on both primary campuses, and faculty events throughout the year were well attended, however did not balance out losses incurred by our Friday night Flirt event.

The 2011 summer balls were great successes with Cambridge moving to Abington Hall with an outside festival feel. Chelmsford was held on campus and was the most succesful yet, selling over 450 tickets.

Live music in Cambridge was well attended with bands like Everything Everything playing.

Both bars had success with the Best Bar None scheme, Cambridge achieved a gold award and Chelmsford received a silver recognising our commitment to the safety of our members.

SUpermaket BusThe SUpermarket bus has provided an invaluable service for students again this year. Asda funded the scheme in Cambridge, whilst the Chelmsford service took students to Tesco (although this did not receive any corporate funding).

The service ran on a Tuesday and a Thursday on both campuses collecting alternately from Halls of residence around the cities.

A total of 2348 students took the bus on the Cambridge campus, a decrease of 8.5% on last year following the opening of the Tesco Express convenience store opposite the campus. 710 students used the Chelmsford service.

International ActivitiesWe continue to support our large international community and work closely with International Student Support to offer additional services and events to increase participation and encourage multiculturalism on campus.

In 2010/11 we offered a wide range of support to help new students integrate into the university community.

During semester one our staff and officers ran a Salsa night, welcome quiz and tours of Cambridge and Chelmsford in addition to the Give It A Go Programme. We also put on a special SUpermarket Bus service for students who could not travel with groceries. We also provided an international student shuttle from campus to university and private accommodation. A similar programme was provided for the semester two intake.

Throughout the year we worked with International Support Services to mark religious festivals. During Chinese New Year, we held Lion Dances, local Chinese shops visited campus and Chinese food was served in the refectory.

We also put on events to celebrate Diwalli in Cambridge and Chelmsford including Indian food, music and dance. Both were extremely well attended.

The SU helped us as International Students smoothly transition into a new place and culture. The first few weeks are the most important!

“Comment from the Big 10 Survey 2011

18,000wristbands were sold for Revolutions in 2010/11

Finance.Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union >> Annual Report 2010-11

Page 18

It was another challenging year for the Union, resulting in a loss of £65k after depreciation of £127k and exceptional items of £70k. We made a loss on our trading areas, after depreciation, of £60k.

In summer 2009, the decision was taken to close the main Cambridge bar and replace it with a bigger and better Gym and Activities Centre and to reduce the catering and bar provision in Chelmsford and establish a separate Advice Service and Activities Centre. It was another difficult trading year for our venues and retail outlets and the Union is reviewing the 2010-11 figures to inform future planning. Without doubt, strategic decisions will have to be made to ensure that the Union is viable and able to deliver core services going forward.

Expenditure for the year to 31 July 2010 is shown in the pie chart diagram.

We operate over four campuses at Chelmsford, Cambridge, Fulbourn and Peterborough. Our Officers and Managers are ‘cross campus’ employees and a considerable amount of time and money is spent travelling between campuses to meet students’ needs, attend meetings, support staff and carry out day to day activities. This is reflected in the cost of travel and vehicles.

We spent just under half of the Union’s budget on providing advice and representation, student activities and clubs and societies.

At time of writing, the audited accounts to 31 July 2010 are nearing completion and the information on this page therefore comprises final draft data, which is subject to VAT review.

We spent just under half of the Union’s budget on providing advice and representation, student activities and clubs and societies.“ (Gill Thompson, General

Manager, Anglia Ruskin SU)

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Awards.Annual Report 2010-11 << Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union

Page 19

Building the future.

Once again our venues were awarded Best Bar None standard as part of the National scheme to provide safe licenced venues. Cambridge won a Gold award, whilst Chelmsford gained Silver.

We continue to commit to lowering our carbon footprint and operate according to the principles of Green Impact. This year we were awarded Green Impact Silver for our efforts across all four core campuses.

Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union contiues to operate under the principles of our current chartermarks including; SUEI Silver, Community Legal Service, Investors in People, and the Fitness Industry Association.

Over the last six years, our trading areas, with the exception of our Cambridge shop, have operated at a loss. Now approaching the end of the 2010/11 trading year, this trend has unfortunately continued. As a result of this decline, we have made radical changes to our commercial structure to ensure that the Union is financially secure so that we are able to meet our strategic objectives and deliver our mission:

Putting you first to make your Anglia Ruskin experience the best it can be

These changes will allow the Union to deliver its core function of representation and engagement whilst retaining an events programme.

In Chelmsford, the campus has a number of retail and catering outlets and it has been impossible for the Union shop to compete in this market. The shop will therefore cease trading and we plan to use the space to launch our volunteering initiative, bringing new opportunities to students and enhancing employability. The Union bar will cease daytime trade and the space will be available to students as a social meeting place and for group study. The bar will be open for a full freshers programme and on Wednesday nights throughout teaching weeks.

In Cambridge, the Academy will no longer host the Flirt Friday nights as it has become impossible to run these without making a substantial loss. We will offer a full freshers programme and we will be building on the success of the Wednesday nights at Vodka Revolutions by working with other venues in town offering a greater variety of events. The very popular Summer Balls will continue to be organised on both the Cambridge and Chelmsford campuses and we look forward to welcoming students to all our events.

http://www.angliastudent.com