THANK YOU... We’d like to thank the following students and staff for their contribution to this edition of Fresh Magazine
Holly Barker Janet Miles UoR Student Funding Diana Lava Kate Griffiths
If you would like to write or be a part of the production team for Fresh Magazine 2012-2013 please contact steve.molyneaux@ roehampton.ac.uk
WELCOME
‘Moving in’ day is a distant memory and Freshers Week is quickly escaping our minds too, but hopefully being replaced with a stack load more of amazing memories from the first few weeks at Roey (or back at Roey for you old timers!) This edition of Fresh provides a look back at how the first few weeks have gone and of course, a look ahead to what’s soon to be happening here at Roey. The Fresh Magazine team will be meeting regularly from now, with all those that signed up at Freshers Fair having been asked to come along to an intro session on the future plans for the magazine. This year, we’re putting a permanent team in place to work on each edition whereas previous years have seen people come a go from one issue to the next. This will hopefully set us up nicely to submit for that all important student media award. The same rules still apply though; it’s never too late to get involved, all you have to do is make yourself known to the team, an email or quick call is all it takes. Hopefully there is some useful info inside this edition, whether it’s funding advice or fashion tips you’re after, Fresh Magazine holds the answers.
Steve Steve Molyneaux Chief Editor/Artistic Designer
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CONTENTS ISSUE #3
FRESHERS
WEEK REVIEWED pg 14-19
YOUR STUDENT VOICE FUNDING pg 22-23
pg 20-21
5: SU PRESIDENT 6: SU POSTER 7: VP COMMS//VP WELFARE 8-9: STUDENT LIFE INTERNS 10-11: CP'S & SITE REP 4
FRESH MAGAZINE
13: CHAPEL STREET 27: 14-19: FRESHERS REVIEWED FRESHERS 20-21: YOUR VOICE FASHION 22-23:STUDENT FUNDING 24-25: RSU SKI TRIP
SU P R ES I D EN T Hellooooooo!!! Well the last couple of weeks have been eventful tiring, emotional but overall pretty damn awesome! Hopefully by now most of you know your way around, the services that are available to you and what direction you are taking in terms of work and student life. This years’ Freshers’ week looked incredibly successful and you people surely knew how to make it an epic experience; you all must be eating your Weetabix. Fresher’s Fair had a tremendous turnout with both marquees being completely full in the quest to raid each stool for FREE STUFF!!! I personally took advantage of the Lucozade and benefit stand, now having wide awake days and remarkable skin. I hope you all found it useful, seems that a lot of you are coming to visit us for Hoodies and NUS cards, our receptionist is overrun. Fresher’s week seems now seems like it was ages ago as most of you have made new friends, been given your first assignment or have already seen the dents in your student loan. But rest assured there will be tons of things to do during the year. Keep an eye out for our list of campaigns, volunteering and M.A.D day projects, active societies, Fresh Air radio, college & sports team fundraisers and socials...and various other activities and opportunities. On the Academic side, we’re looking for students who are interested in becoming Programme Reps and Committee members. This is really good opportunity for you to make changes to the way your course and University is run and managed, and will also sparkle on your CV. If you’re interested or want more information give me a shout – wade.tomlinson@roehampton.ac.uk. Don’t forget to check out our website & Facebook to keep up-to-date with what’s going on and if you have some free time, come up and see us in the RSU! Work hard, play harder...but not too hard, you have lectures to attend. Stay awesome. Wade
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VP COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT
Hello Roey! I hope you’re all well and the dark nights and wet weekends aren’t getting you down too much, campus can go a little quiet this time of year as the cold sets in so stick together and keep your spirits high! It’s all systems go up at the RSU just as it is for all you students cracking on with (or worrying about but not doing anything) those fast approaching deadlines. The magazine team is being put in place and will be working on the next edition of Fresh, the TV crew are hard at work with all the footage from Freshers Week, the photography team are catching you all (looking your best) at the events and of course the radio crew are working as hard as always to provide a 24/7 online station for you all! If all the media outlets I’ve listed there come as a bit of a shock then please check out our website for more information on them all; we’re really quite the media experts these days, well at least we try to be! Something I do want to bring up urgently with you all is our new weekly email that we’re sending out to anyone that gives us their email address. The email covers everything the SU are doing and will be sent out once a week to keep the info flowing around the University. From trips away, weekly event themes to volunteering, campaigns and society updates it’s worth a read and will only take 10 minutes of your time away from TV catchup, iPlayer or Twitter. Talking of Twitter, if you’re not following us by now, or even worse, if you’re not on Twitter by now, then all I can say is good luck for the future! OK, so it’s not a life of doom and gloom if you’re not on Twitter or following the SU but you’ll certainly be missing out on all the need to know info as soon as it happens, so for a piece of the action get following @RoehamptonSU. Well that’s all from me for now, I hope you enjoy this edition of Fresh, I’m not looking for the sympathy vote but I did come into work on a Saturday to get this looking OK so at least pretend to enjoy it ;) Steveo xx
VP WELFARE & COMMUNITY Hello! Lectures are now in full swing and now you should have an understanding about the different ways in which you can use your free time when you’re not studying! I’m hoping you’ve all taken the initiative to join a club or society, or sports team! Trust me, they’re not all shouting “I’ve got a team that is hotter than hot” from the roof tops for nothing! The camaraderie you form amongst your team members, flat mates & general peer groups will help shape your experience of Roehampton & serve you with a lifelong supply of tales to share at dinner parties! So if you haven’t as of yet, I urge you all to get a move on & use your free time well! Your CSS’ have been working hard to make sure your college is vibrant and active, so I think it’s worth noting their hard work & I would like to say a massive well done to them! This term hosts a number of events that take a lot of organising and preparation, so I’m sure they’d appreciate any helping hands. Also this term, we have the campaign Fat Talk Free Week. This will be an opportunity for woman & men to discuss the pressures they feel to conform to certain body ideals. Fat Talk Free Week will seek to eradicate negative phrases such as “I’m so Fat” which reinforce the media’s portrayal of the thin ideal. Please do contact our women’s officer (Lucy Hayles) If you’d like to help out with this campaign. For now, revise those 10 top tips mentioned in our video & make sure you’ve ticked them all off! By doing so, you set yourself up for a little less stress and allow yourself more time to enjoy this year. If you need anything or want to seek more information about all the support services available, please do contact me. Much Love Fitzy x
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STUDENT LIFE : CAMPAIGNS The first week of University has come and gone and Freshers is almost a distant memory at this stage. The good news now is that we can begin to look forward to some normality here at Roehampton. Normality for me means hosting events and trying to get students and staff involved in the things that are happening on campus. From the Campaigns side of life we have one very important week coming up from the 15th – 20th October. This week is dedicated to Sexual Health and Guidance which is often referred to as S.H.A.G. WEEK! This is a week where the Students Union will be generating awareness and getting people involved in a number of ways so make sure to look out for advertising around campus and through social media letting you know what exactly is happening. Some of the things we already have planned that you want to look out for are as follows: • • • • • • • • • •
Free STI tests around campus with a chance to win prizes Debate hosted by the philosophy society regarding ‘Sexual Ethics’ which os open to all Anne Summers Night on Tuesday 16th in Monte for LADIES ONLY! Pre-Fez Speed Dating Wednesday 17th in the Union Bar Online video discussions with students openly discussing sex and sexual experiences Games Night with Prizes alongside SLAP IT ON on Thursday 18th Condom Blitz giveaway all week and at the Bop Discussion from lecturers who recently published a paper on domestic violence and sexual abuse SEX do’s and dont’s quiz available with prizes for the winners Plus lots more still to be announced!
If you feel like you have an idea for SHAG week or would like to get involved in any of our campaigns this term or next term then feel free to pop into the RSU and say hi to me or just drop me a line at Jonathan.Carter@roehampton.ac.uk - Alternatively call the Student Life Office on 0208 392 3782 Remember to join the Student Life Facebook page for more information on all that is happening within the wonderful world of Roehampton. Much Love – Jonathan ‘Farmer Jon’ Carter
STUDENT LIFE:VOLUNTEERING
I want to start off with a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has been involved in volunteering so far, especially our Freshers’ Fair helpers and those of you who turned up for the first M.A.D. project of the year – Post a Smile to a Sick Child! It was a great day and I hope you all enjoyed yourself as much as I did even if I am still finding glitter on my clothing!
We’ve got another M.A.D. project coming up in October where we will be heading down to the river at Hammersmith Bridge and seeing what wonderful amounts of rubbish we can pull out. Last year we pulled a washing machine out of the mud so who knows what we are going to get this time! Also on the cards for October is a talk from several different charities and organisations who will let you know how they need YOU to help them out with volunteer work. No date has been confirmed for the talk yet but I shall keep you updated! I’m on the hunt for actors, singers, dancers – anyone! – who can help with the entertainment for November’s RU Up for a Tea Party? With the elderly and December’s RU Feeing Festive? With local underprivileged families, so if anyone is keen to get involved let me know! We’re also on the lookout for volunteers to help with the events in general as well. Opportunities to work with the Pocklington Trust, Rainbow Trust and the Safe Haven Hundred are also coming up – please join the volunteering Facebook group (search RU? Inspired) to keep up to date on all the info! It’s not too late to join our mailing list either – simply email me at louise.evans@roehampton.ac.uk or volunteering@roehampton.ac.uk and let me know that you want to be kept up to date with all that is going on. That’s all I’ve got for now! Come and visit me at RSU Towers if you want a volunteering chat or to throw some ideas at me! Peace Out, Louise xx
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STUDENT LIFE : NEW MEDIA
I've got to start by stressing how amazing Fresher's week was and if the rest of the remaining weeks are half as good then, Roey guys and girls you are in for a treat! Filming S Club 3 was probably the highlight of mine and Steven's lives- Scorsese even tweeted us to say how jealous he was and to get as many autographs as possible. On a serious note we were able to get loads of amazing content which we are sure will be very exciting to watch, so keep your eyes peeled as it'll be on the RSU website in the near future! Meanwhile you can check the website for our Top Tips for starting the year at university. It's a great watch and some of the tips will really help you settle in. The turnout at this year’s Fresher’s Fair was great and the feedback I've received from most freshers is that it was informative and welcoming, so I would like to thank all of those who helped! We managed to drum up a lot of interest and got a lot names down and now all that remains is to build a strong team for the rest of the year. I haven't been neglecting radio and all I can say is the Fresh Air team has very big plans and an even bigger team to boot this year. We're hoping to bring you bigger and better shows this year, with competions, prizes and a lot more guests. If you are keen on getting involved then feel free to contact myself. We aren't just looking for the next Chris Moyles or Chris Nolan; we are also looking for producers, writers, cameramen and much more! So get involved!
STUDENT LIFE: SOCIETIES
I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the society Presidents and committee members who came down and showed what they can do at Freshers’ Fair on the Friday. I was so pleased to see the effort you made and such a fantastic variety of activities for students, new and existing, to get involved in. All your stalls looked fabulous and lively and you proved what we have always said: Student activities are, and continue to be, as diverse as the students who organize them. At Roehampton we now have over 40 active societies for students to get involved in. Guides and handbooks about setting up and running your own are available on the student union webpage and you can contact me via my email address societies@roehampton.ac.uk. I wish you all the very best for the weeks ahead and for your first committee meetings, events and fund raisers. Keep me up to date with all the fun things you’re up to, it is always a pleasure to hear from you. Look out for the Societies’ video that will be going up online and going viral on the Student Life and RSU Facebook pages. Best wishes, Michael Diss
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COLLEGE BLOGS DIGBY FROEBEL
Rachael Blaney Digby CP Ola! So, here is my first blog as your Digby CP – how exciting!! What an insane few weeks we have had here at Roey to kick start the new term! A massive WELCOME to all new students, I hope you have enjoyed your experience so far! There is so much you guys have to look forward to, it’s very exciting! Big love has to go to all Digby students, past, present and freshers.. Travel Sunday was OFF THE HOOK! I loved seeing all the blue and yellow war paint and hearing every single person chanting. *DIGBY TIL I DIE!!!* Keep the pride boys and girls, it’s going to be a big year. Never ending love, thanks and gratitude goes to the Digby Flat Reps and to Michael Diss for all your help so far - you are all amazing people! Lion Love, Blanes x x x
Paul Dabell Froebel CP After the fantastic Fresher’s week which has hopefully brought you many friends, some nights to remember and probably nights that many of you have completely forgotten, we now get down to the boring stuff; work, lectures, reading and essays. However as the mighty Busted sang “It’s what I go to school for”, and after all, the degree is the shining light at the end of our three years here, the friends and the memories are just a big bonus!! September also had the first college night with the fantastic Tallowah playing to a packed out Union bar. I’m sure it is the start of many fantastic college nights to come which will of course be superbly orchestrated by our very own Social Secretary Mikey James. In October we will have the traditional Froebel Welcome Meal, which is a chance to get dressed up in an eloquent style for a change. October will also see the beginning of the football season for our very own Froebel Zeebras after the acquisition of some finely tuned athletes during Fresher’s week and trials so keep a look out for info on home games and be the loud and proud Black and White army you’re famous for! Over and out. TP x
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COLLEGE BLOGS SOUTHLANDS WHITELANDS
Huw Cook Southlands CP
Eli Williams Whitelands CP
So…That was a crazy week! Hope you all enjoyed and had an amazing week. I’ve noticed a few of you walking around with infamous freshers flu so keep yourselves topped up on the lemsip and the soothers and you’ll be right as rain in no time.
The Book of Eli! So I have been at uni for the best part of 3 weeks now, and in all honestly it has been mental. International students moving in and freshers soon after. It has been fun and an experience being president of Whitelands, so far I have worked both sides of the job, Having nights out and having fun, whilst also working and helping out the RSU during freshers. Believe me that was an experience in itself.
Congratulations to the small but successful team that led us to victory in the first college cup event and good luck to our Dodgeballers who I know will be making it a second consecutive win! GO SHARKS! Our officer team is currently working on an array of events that will be coming up over the next few weeks so keep trawling the face book pages for any updates. Finally I hope you all enjoyed the first edition of The Great White and hope you’re all settling in to your lectures and finding some sort of routine within all the madness.
Rach Hinge Mount Clare SR Hey guys! Hope you've all settled in alright and are enjoying Mount Clare! It's been wonderful meeting most of you, and for those that I haven't I hope to see at Buddy Bop, repping the Mount Clare roots you've all begun to establish! :) I'm really excited about this year, you've all be great so far, just try to stop getting locked out so much! If you ever need to find me I'm usually in Flat 5 (Picasso) or find me on Facebook and harrass me as much as you like! Here's to a great year MC xxx
I am looking forward to the rest of the year and have so many ideas and plans lined up. We have the bar open now every Tuesday’s from 6pm to 11pm and hoping to make that excel throughout the year. We will plan a Thorpe park trip for people later on in the year which I’m hoping will emulate my 1st year. There will be events planned like the whitelands all white party and cancer research events hosted by Robyn Worley (Whitelands May Monarch). All in all I want to enjoy this year, I want you guys to enjoy this year and hopefully together with myself, yourself and the RSU we will succeed. End of Chapter 1: Verse 1 Peace x
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STUDENT AND STAFF CHILD CARE SUPPORT
JANET MILES: CHAPEL STREET If you’re a student or staff parent, you’ll know that balancing the demands of study and work, with a young family can be a juggle. If you’re looking for a nursery service to help you with that juggle, we’d love to meet with you and tell you how we can help. We’re the Chapel St Family Hub an Ofsted Registered day nursery in Roehampton, that’s used by a number of student parents and
university staff. Close by to campus, we offer full-time and part-time places and give a 10% discount on nursery fees for students. Our dedicated nursery team have over 20 years experience in nursery care and an excellent understanding of the needs of student parents. Manager Lucy Staveley and her staff all joined Chapel St from previous roles at the university’s former nursery ‘Redford House’. They are totally committed to building on the ethos that was so popular amongst children and parents from the university community. Lucy Staveley our Nursery Manager says: “Our staff are highly committed to
supporting student and staff parents at the University of Roehampton. If you have questions about how to register your child, balance child care sessions with study timetables or financial support on childcare frees, we can help. Just give us a call or book in for a tour.” Anna Pakes, is a Lecturer at the University and staff parent using the nursery “My two boys were very happy at Redford House, and I’m really pleased that a new nursery has opened which shares the same values and some of the same staff. I’d encourage any parent – student or staff – to contact Chapel St and book a tour around this exciting new facility, which promises an excellent standard of care.”
To book your tour: Contact us on 020 8788 0910 / nursery@ chapelst.org / http://www.roehamptonfamilyhub.com
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FRES
WE REVI 14 FRESH MAGAZINE
EEK IEWED
chrisperryphotography.co.uk
SHERS
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FRESHERS WEEK
ON THE OTHER SIDE
Another Fresher Week has ended and another academic year has begun. Only now is all your hard work beginning, but for us RSU members, it has been running throughout summer! Fresher Week is one of the most popular events of the year; with students spending around £40 to get their kicks and mingle with people they will probably be crossing paths with for the next three years. From organising and booking an entire week of events, to guaranteeing that tickets and wristbands are sold, and even providing day-time entertainment for the new arrivals, it’s all systems go behind the scenes at RSU!
DIANA LAVA: RSU MEDIA OFFICER Freshers Week is definitely when the campus is buzzing with life (except for maybe deadlines time, but that’s a different type of life!). As an RSU team member, this year, I got to be on the other side. Witnessing the arrival of students and watching them get over their nerves as they headed for their first (cheaply priced) pint at The Union Bar. Working during the week in the RSU’s Welcome tent was a treat. More so than in my first year, I spoke to people whose names I will never remember but faces will never forget. For me it was strange to see just how much I knew about the University, when trying to give directions or point people towards other people. Fascinating how much you can learn in two years. Still, the greatest part of all was seeing the Freshers quickly adapt to student life. Similarly, Freshers Fair was as popular as ever, with the two locations constantly buzzing with new (and even continuing) students. Sports and societies sign ups escalated to numbers over hundreds for some, and students seem keen on experiencing the most they can. A whole day standing in a tent may seem tedious, but I thoroughly enjoyed talking to people about all the options they have throughout the year and all the things they can do. The events at Fresher Week took an intriguing turn this year, with the swap between Freshers Ball and a Back to School Disco, and the removal of our usual Thursday Club Foot for a classy evening at Kempton Races. Kempton Races was an interesting event. Most officers were asked to work in the buses and keep everything neat and tidy. It seemed practically unnecessary, seeing as everyone was prim and proper, just like the required clothing. The girls looked stunning and the boys as handsome as they would in a ball. The event itself had its ups and downs, with some people winning a lot of money and others wanting to leave early, maybe that had something
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to do with the very messy night at Clapham Grand the day before! Back to School was a huge success! Full of cheese, (what an awful expression!) but as always the highlight of the week! S Club 7 (or 3) were the cherry on top of the cake with a half hour set full of all time favourites that everyone was singing to. I for one was singing and dancing like a fanatic, and from the corner of my eye I could see the Sabbaticals and Interns, as well as a lot of bar staff, occasionally interrupt work to pop
in to watch them. Seeing at first hand the hard work the RSU staff, Sabbaticals and Interns put in it seems that our team is full of dedicated people, and without them, Freshers Week would have been doomed! If I was tired by the end of the week, I can only imagine what they felt like. Now the madness has ended it’s time to face another year, and soon enough we will be facing Freshers Week again. Time flies in Roehampton.
FRESHERS FAIR 2012
22 DOESN'T SOUND THAT OLD, DOES IT? HOLLY BARKER: 1ST YEAR MATURE STUDENT I didn’t think I was really old enough to constitute being classed as a ‘mature student’ - I mean, I do still have some youthful energy left in me: I can walk up a flight of stairs without getting too many arthritic pains and I’m still continent and relatively sane to my knowledge, so I can’t really be that old, right? Well, I haven’t felt quite as old as I did last week when, on the first night of Freshers, I was in my room at 8pm. Yes, 8pm. I made excuses to myself – you really need to sort your room out, you’re really tired, you can’t start the first day of uni with a hangover. Yes, our Whitelands Campus welcome was probably not quite as vomit-inducingly wild as the main campus’ welcome, but there really is no excuse for 8pm. So, of course, I woke up the next morning feeling great physically, but geriatric mentally. I thought that I was definitely the oldest person in Roehampton, I thought I would never be able to make any friends now that I had missed out on all the cheap booze and inevitably regrettable sex the first night has to offer, I thought that I was doomed to a life of solitude for the next three years. I then went into the flat kitchen and it became apparent that I was not alone – there were other old people too!! And lots of them.
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So this week I have been doing my oldpersons equivalent of Freshers week - I have attended a different Society taster social every night (yes, I am one of SOCIETY RECRUITMENT @ fRESHERS FAIR those people). PHOTOGRAPHY BY UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON
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I love Roehampton already
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At this time in my life I’m past the clubbing thing. I’m done with the lack of money, body fluid and dignity that comes with drinking my own body weight in apple sourz. I still like a drink, but it tends to be more in the form of a nice pint down the pub with some light-hearted conversation about the world. And so, I didn’t really get involved in many of the Freshers events and instead opted for the cheaper, staying in with flatmates and drinking cheap wine, but this wasn’t really allowing me to meet anybody but the people of D4 and, lovely as they are - I did want to meet a wider variety of people. So this week I have been doing my old-persons equivalent of Freshers week – I have attended a different Society taster social every night (yes, I am one of those people). It was great though for meeting people with my interests and a bonus for me is that around 70% of people that I have now met are in the ‘mature student’ category and I now feel slightly less old. Yes, some of them put me to shame with their jagerbomb consumption, but a lot of them are just like me – sat in their rooms at 10pm on the first night of Freshers with a hot chocolate, thinking how well they have organised their nice new room. I love Roehampton already.
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FRESHERS WEEK THE FAC S OVER 7,000 STUDENTS ATTENDED FRESHERS WEEK EVENTS
OVER 1,800 STUDENTS ATTENDED FRESHERS FAIR
OVER 1,800 FREEBIES
BAGS//DIARIES//WALLCHARTS//PENS
OVER 250 PIZZAS FREE DOMINOS PIZZA!
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YOUR
VOICE
ยงSUC ยงYOU SAID WE DID ยงSABB STOP SHOP ยงSTUDENT SENATE ยงELECTIONS 20 FRESH MAGAZINE
your voice: introduced by your sabbatical team This academic year, we (your Sabbatical team) will be working hard on giving your voice a greater platform than ever before. In short, this means we will be getting out and about around the entire campus, 9am5pm, Monday to Friday to make sure your concerns are always being heard. As some of you will have noticed at Freshers’ Fair, your SU President was gathering feedback for the You Said We Did campaign that will run continuously throughout the academic year. This campaign is the main element of the Your Voice project, but, there are many more as you will see below! You Said We Did provided over 80 ideas of improvements at Roehampton that as a SU we can help deliver. It is our job as a Sabbatical team to listen to what you are telling us, and then present the views of Roehampton students at a senior level to University staff, so that the
changes you want can actually be enforced. It is only through projects like this that the real concerns of real students can be given a platform to be heard; at such a costly time for higher education it is crucial that students, the Students’ Union and of course the University pull together to provide the right experience for all, we hope that the Your Voice project will achieve this. Each element of Your Voice is explained in this article, however, we’re always happy to hear from you through email or phone if you can’t be involved in any of the areas explained below. You can contact us on Wade.Tomlinson@ Roehampton.ac.uk or 0208 392 3221 – just let us know you’re getting in touch regarding the Your Voice project and then give us your thoughts.
your voice: SABB STOP SHOP The Sabb Stop Shop is up and running during Tuesday early-afternoon, so look out for a purple T-shirt with our branding on it and come tell us your ideas...or we’ll just come and hassle you. It gives us a great random selection across all campuses, of improvements that can be made to Roehampton. If anything jumps into your head while reading this, please feel free to email me at wade.tomlinson@roehampton.ac.uk.
your voice: STUDENT UNION COUNCIL This year we are hoping to bring non RSU affiliated students to our Student Union Council meetings. We are opening this up to students to gain a better source of feedback and wider range of opinion from our demographic. This is important issues that affect students are discussed. The outcomes of these meetings are then taken to further, if necessary, to higher committees and in due course end up becoming a change, addition, removal or improvement to Roehampton. Information from our Academic, Communications & Engagement and Welfare & community zone are also provided within the meetings. If you feel that you could be a great asset to SUC or just feel like coming along to observe, please get in contact or simply turn out on the night. The dates are as follows: Nov 6th, Dec 4th, Jan 22nd, Feb 19th, Mar 26th and May 14th. Meetings are held in Monte Hall on Froebel, 5pm-7pm. Hope to see you there!
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ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ON:
STUDENT
The Student Funding Office is in the Informati assist students with the various (and numerou University.
The start of University or indeed the start of a new term can be an anxious time in itself without the added pressure of money worries. Reading this article may help put some of your fears to rest and answer some of your questions moneydoctor@roehampton.ac.uk
by University of ROEHAMPTON STUDENT FUNDING TEAM Where’s my money? Probably THE question for students commencing their studies or returning to University for another year. Unfortunately, this year has seen a massive increase in queries relating to this question due to an issue at the student loans company. It is worth remembering that although Student Finance England assess you for your funding, the payment is issued and controlled by the Student Loans Company. Roehampton must then confirm your attendance in order for your money to be released. If your money hasn’t arrived into your account, and you don’t know why, please take a moment to think about the following: When did you apply? Students who applied late (from approximately 1st August onwards) may still be in the assessment process. SFE may also be waiting for documents from you in order to complete your assessment. Do not assume that SFE will call you or write to you regarding any missing information they need. At best a letter may be sent but this will take time to be issued, sent and received by you. If in doubt, check your online correspondence or call SFE on 0141 243 3600 Have you sent back your declaration? The declaration is sent to you along with your notification of entitlement. You cannot receive your loan if you have not signed and returned this. The declaration is the contract between you and the Student Loans Company that you are aware you have been issued a loan, and that is must be paid back. Once the declaration has been received by the SLC, it is scanned onto their system and at this point the University will confirm your attendance. Are you Registered? If you have not completed your online registration, or if you have not completed the enrolment process (new students only) then you will not be a registered student and we cannot confirm your attendance Has your National Insurance Number been verified? All new students must have their National Insurance Number
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FUNDING
ion Centre on the Digby Stuart campus. Our aim is to us!) funding issues that can occur whilst studying at
(NINO) verified by the Student Loans Company before any funding can be released. This is usually the last thing to happen, after your declaration has been returned and received. Your NINO is sent to the Department for Work and Pensions to be verified. Unfortunately this is a slow process and can take anything from a week to ten days. “I’ve called Student Finance England and they insist none of the above apply to me.” In which case, you will need to pay us a visit! Sometimes, things do not always go according to plan, but we will work to resolve any issue or answer any query you have as quickly as possible. (And finally.......) Have you checked your account? OK, seems obvious, but we have seen many students who checked their account yesterday only to be told (after some investigation) that they were actually paid today. Please do check your account before you come to see us, at the very least we then know that we are working with the most up to date information! Bursaries and Scholarships Due to the new funding system which started this academic year, the bursaries and scholarships systems are different for new home undergraduate students and continuing home undergraduate students . New Home Undergraduate Students: Roehampton will not offer bursaries to those students commencing their studies this academic year. However there are two scholarships available, the Vice Chancellors Scholarship and the National Scholarship programme. The Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship (VC) is based on academic merit only and any awards made will be applied as a tuition fee reduction. Students need to have achieved UCAS tariff points of at least 340 to be eligible. The National Scholarship Programme (NSP) is based on academic merit and the level of household income. In order to be eligible for a NSP award you must be in receipt of the maximum maintenance grant; your academic achievement will also be taken into consideration. The
National Scholarship award is paid in two parts as a small cash award with the remainder being applied as a tuition fee reduction. Home undergraduate students do not need to apply for scholarships and will be notified of their eligibility for VC and NSP awards in November 2012. The Student Funding Office will write to eligible and will also advise Student Finance England of the Fee Waiver where applicable. If a student believes they are eligible to receive a scholarship and have not heard by end of November they should contact the Student Funding Office.
be able to help you quicker if you pop in to see us. studentfunding@ roehampton.ac.uk 020 8392 3090
Continuing Home Undergraduate Students: Continuing students will only receive their bursary if they receive the maximum maintenance grant and are paying the £3465 tuition fee for this year. The amount you will receive will be the same as last year. If you believe you are eligible for this bursary and have not heard by the end of November please contact us. Scholarships will continue to be paid to those students who received them last year provided you have made satisfactory academic progression on your course. The Student Funding team will be e-mailing all eligible students later in the year asking you to confirm your bank details so that payments can be made in February 2013. The Student Funding Office is open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. Please be advised that although we do have an e-mail address and telephone number, at this busy time of year we will probably
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JON FOLEY : ENTERTAINMENTS COORDINATOR
SKI VT
This trip is being headed up by Roehampton Students’ Union in association with Ski Alpine, and welcomes everyone and anyone connected to the University to take part. If you have had the delight of experiencing such a trip before, then you will know that snow sports trips are unbelievable fun, and with the more of us in attendance the merrier. If, on the other hand you haven’t been before, it really is something you should try and we can pretty much guarantee you’ll be hooked! Alongside the skiing/snowboarding there will be a variety of social activities arranged for each night, though these are by no means compulsory to take part in. This year the RSU Ski Trip will descend upon Val Thorens, which is an awesome resort, slap bang in the middle of the French Alps. Val Thorens is a compact,
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purpose built resort and, at 2300m, the highest ski resort in Europe. Situated at the top of the Three Valleys its high altitude makes it snow sure and easy access to the rest of the region means that you have a huge terrain on your doorstep! The Three Valleys consists of Méribel, Courchevel and Val Thorens, as well as lots of little villages and hamlets. The highest après ski in Europe is also one of the liveliest! Live bands, DJs and karaoke nights are all popular and there are plenty of places to grab a beer and something to refuel the system after a day on the slopes. Val Thorens has a plethora of bars & nightclubs to choose from, Malaysia Nightclub, Le Saloon Bar and the Frog & Roastbeef being a few of the most lively venues, but the list is endless. As for La Folie Douce Bar, we cannot explain its excellence, it just has to be experienced!! If you have any further questions, please contact Jon Foley @ RSU – j.foley@roehampton.ac.uk, if not please secure your place now by visiting the Ski Alpine website. Once you reach the Ski Alpine website you must enter our unique online reference code which is: RSUSKIVT
Once you are logged into the system you will be asked to create an account, which once activated will be your central hub to look after your booking. You have the option of paying for the trip in upto 4 stages, the first of which will be the minimum deposit to guarantee your place on the trip. In this hub you will also be able to select lessons, ski equipment hire, upgrade ski passes and extra evening activities. Please note, all of these extras can be added at any point before you pay the final outstanding balance on the trip. Every RSU Ski Trip is one that will stick in your memory and is always amazing, however we hope to make this trip the best Roehampton has ever had, so please get involved and lets rule the resort!! PRICING FOR DECEMBER 2012 The standard cost of the trip is £355 which includes the following: - Executive return coach travel from Roehampton University to resort accommodation - 6 day local ski pass - Self-catered accommodation - Trip lanyard with info sheets
- Discount trip wristband - Trip booklet - Fully trained Ski-Alpine Reps, plus RSU Reps The trip can be paid for in multiple instalments, however a minimum deposit of £90 must be paid to secure your place on the trip, which is all done online at the Ski-Alipne website www.ski-alpine.co.uk. In addition to the standard package there are other costs for extras you may or may not need: - Ski / Snowboard Hire – From £69 for the duration of the trip - Ski / Snowboard Lessons - From £65 for 2 days of lessons. All packages available online - Ski Pass Extension (3 Valleys) - £49 As stated, all these options can be viewed on the website and can be added at any point in the booking process, so long as it is paid by the booking/payment deadline. This deadline will be
Friday 9th November 2012
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26 FRESH MAGAZINE
freshers fashion
by kate griffiths
When I think back to when I was a Fresher (a very long time ago now!) I remember stressing myself out, not about my work load, but about what I was going to wear! I think I must have packed my whole wardrobe into my Dad’s car and, inevitably, I didn’t end up wearing half of it. Plus with a massive cash injection at the start of the year thanks to the nice people at the student loans company, I wasted no time in adding to the collection. Now I’m not suggesting you go out and do the same, but I will give you my top tips for the things that will see you through the year and won’t cost you the earth.
3
asos £30
1
primark £20
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Invest in a watch. Not only is it a stylish item that will last forever, but it will make sure you get to those all important lectures on time!
A coat is a must, we are in England after all and let’s be honest, it’s definitely cold enough already to be rocking one. This doesn’t have to cost the earth, Primark have really stepped up their game and you can pick up a everyday number for less than £30, which, if you’re working it out as cost per wear in this weather, probably works out as 1p per day!
Sensible footwear. I found out the hard way that high heels are not going to cut it when you’re in a rush and you’ve got to drag yourself (probably hungover) to Digby from Whitelands in 5 minutes. Not. Going. To. Happen. I’m sorry ladies, I know they make your legs look longer and slimmer and God knows that this is what I need, but in order for you to get to where you’re going on time, you need a good pair of flats. P.S it would also help if they are waterproof....do I need to point out the shocking weather again?!
topshop £75
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A good sized bag. In order for you to save your arms from the weight of folders – and have your hands free for that much needed Starbucks – a large, sturdy bag is essential. It’s got to be big enough to fit all your paraphernalia in, plus anything that you may pick up on your travels. Failing that, you could always pop up to the RSU for one of our stylish canvas bags!
So now you have all the essential tips for a stylish semester. I always find that once the outfit is sorted for the day that’s half the battle won already, so your studies should be a doddle after that! Enjoy! xXx
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