IMPACT REPORT 2010-2011
Welcome This year LSE Students’ Union stood stronger than ever. Students from all parts of the LSE community have worked together to stand up for a better LSE, a better country and a better world and we should all be proud of what we’ve achieved.
Student activities at LSESU have yet again exceeded all expectations, showcasing the huge range of talents, interests and skills of LSE students. Supporting students to make friends, gain skills, and have a good time is a huge part of the Union’s mission.
2010-2011 saw LSESU lead on the largest student-led campaign for decades with 3000 students signed-up to our campaign against education cuts and fee rises. Through our Union, LSE students were at the forefront of national and international news - leading the way on issues from Higher Education to Libya.
The Union’s biggest challenge is to be inclusive of all LSE students. We had major successes this year as a student body, and we also learned some valuable lessons. Moving forward, the Union will be working to make the LSE student experience more inclusive, and to support the personal development of every student involved.
With a proud and longstanding democratic tradition, we’ve worked hard to broaden democratic involvement to more students. There were 2 UGM motions this year where over 700 students voted and we’ve got the 2nd highest election turnout of any SU in the UK; students debated and came to consensus positions in open meetings on issues ranging from Libya to the environment to discrimination & liberation to our priority campaign Freeze the Fees. In addition to elections and policy votes, the Union has been listening to students through our Annual Student Survey and we are working hard to ensure we truly represent the interests of our diverse student body.
I hope this Impact Report gives you a flavour of what we have achieved in 2010-11 and demonstrates the Union’s commitment to realising our potential as a student body. Alex Peters-Day LSESU General Secretary 2011-2012
Students’ Union Staff Team Around 50 staff support the services and activities that the Union hosts. Led by the elected officers and the student body, our staff team work in all areas of the Union towards achieving our collective goals. Who contributed to this report 9,000 LSE students More than 3000 of you took part in campaigning, more than 5800 individual students are in a sports, societies and the media group, and 2200 voted in elections.
Campaigning on Education We are the only University in the Russell group not intending to charge the maximum tuition fee of £9,000 to undergrads in 2012. This decision followed one of the most relentless and impressive campaigns in LSE’s history. 3000 students signed up to the Freeze the Fees campaign – described by the National Union of Students as the largest mass mobilisation of students on campus for decades. Campaigns invoked the memory of 1969 with student occupations, banner drops, and a rally on Houghton Street.
We ran a truly student led campaign and we can hold our heads high knowing that we couldn’t have done any more to challenge the government’s regressive proposals for Higher Education funding. Our campaign was made up of: • 11000 texts • 2 Occupations • 2000 phone calls • 850 placards • Countless media appearances
Our media presence contributed significantly to the wider student movement’s efforts. Articles in the Guardian and the Times led to Newsnight reporting live from the occupation of the Vera Anstey Suite. CNN, Al Jazera, Sky and the BBC were frequent visitors to campus. The campaign provoked strong reactions from students – students wrote 11000 words on it in the open text area of our Annual Survey. Overwhelmingly though, students supported the campaign and felt it was well run. “I believe LSESU gave 150% but it was an unfair fight from the beginning... Nonetheless, the constant efforts and the eagerness to make a change drew a lot of attention and the participation of students showed that we need LSESU more than ever.” LSE student, Annual Survey 2011
Was Freeze the Fees an important campaign to run? Annual Survey 2011 IMPORTANT NOT IMPORTANT
806 sticks of wood used for placards 180m2 fabric used for banner making
Students’ Union Officer Hero Austin on BBC NEWSNIGHT
Students having more fun LSESU activities have had a fantastic year of growth with the emergence of many new events along with a significant increase in magnitude of other events.
The inaugural Tri-London Championships saw LSE taking the overall win after a superb day of sport including over 200 students from UCL, Kings and LSE.
The RAG Hitchhike saw 37 students successfully make it all the way to Barcelona in the highlight of a year which raised £28,852.56 for charities.
A new Give-it-a-Go scheme was launched and saw over 100 students attend 20 beginners sessions across a range of activities.
Timeless show saw it’s most impressive ever setting in the Hammersmith Apollo with record levels of students attending as did the Dance show in the Peacock Theatre.
“I thought the variety of activities was excellent a good mix of sports and arts related activities” – Iman Teemul, Give it a Go participant.
There were more Grimshaw Club trips than ever, including to Israel, Switzerland, Caucasus, Turkey, Balkans as well as record numbers of students on Ski and Sports tours.
2481 Individuals beaten by LSE clubs / individuals in sporting contests!
4730 rooms booked for clubs and societies!
5800 LSE students signed up to a Sports Club, a Society, or the Media Group!
396 students on trips
Skills development and recognition Student Activities have been fully supported by our extensive training scheme, STARS. Skills sessions have been delivered across a wide range of disciplines from equality & diversity through to sponsorship procurement, including 2 sessions delivered by Procter & Gamble and Morgan Stanley. These have seen significant increases in related aspects of clubs and society activities. Over £250,000 sponsorship income has been secured across clubs and societies! Supported by the SU, there have been numerous individual and joint society events which have benefitted students campus-wide. Societies have hosted speaker events and debates on topics ranging from ‘Islamic Culture’ to ‘How to be Entrepreneurial’ and have coordinated conferences including the Model United Nations and the Alternative Investment Conference (which had a turnover of over £100,000). Sporting success this year has included Men’s Basketball gaining LSE’s first ever Premier League status as well as a number of regional and ULU league and cup victories from Women’s Tennis, Men’s badminton and Cricket. Meanwhile our Men’s Rugby Club won a community volunteer award from Middlesex Rugby in the “More than a game” category for the student club that has made the most significant effort in getting teams out or participating in the overall rugby set-up.
In addition to giving students the opportunities to develop and practice their skills, the SU rewards both individuals and groups for their outstanding efforts and achievements throughout the year. “I found the STARS session today particularly informative and helpful, so you should definitely do it again next year!” Melissa Boey, Law Society Treasurer and 2nd yr Law Student.
Making life easier for students Many students have the time of their lives at LSE, but University can also be tough. The SU Advice & Support Service is here to help students when they need it. This year we have enabled 116 students to continue studying at LSE with a total of £68,000 in essential hardship funds. We supported 577 students through issues relating to academic life, finance, housing, immigration, and the law. Our work doesn’t end there – we think it’s just as important to prevent problems from happening as it is to solve them when they do. Through two high profile campaigns (Students Not Suspects and Campaign for Global Education), we were successful in pressuring the government to retract the most regressive of their immigration proposals. We gave away 1500 free condoms, and helped 40 students take a Chlamydia test. Through work in School Committees, we were successful in increasing the amount of support students are entitled to when they go through Progression Panels. After running another successful feedback campaign – Your Hall Your Call - Halls Committees worked with us on a Halls Strategy to put students’ needs at the top of the agenda.
Through a wide-reaching campaign (‘Do Not Ignore This’) students were more aware of the Mitigating Circumstances process and were able to alert the School of issues in their life effecting their grades. Over 120 students attended workshops on how to gain their Post Study Work Visa and so far these applications have been successful. LSE students have told us: “I think the services provided by the SU is excellent, I was so astonished at how much care and effort went into supporting me during a difficult period in my life.” Undergraduate International Student “Your support was greatly appreciated and helped me to continue my education, providing me with additional financial support to deal with my disability.” Postgraduate International Student
Influencing policy Over 1000 students contributed towards the Student Written Submission, which said that academic representation needs to improve & the School needs to address the ‘lottery’ effect of studying at LSE. This led to the Quality Assurance Agency’s External Audit saying the School needs a new approach to departmental autonomy. When Saif Gaddafi received his PhD in 2008, and then pledged to donate £1.5m 12 months later, very few expected him to make a ‘rivers of blood’ speech in 2011 with Libya on the brink of civil war. We demanded the School return the £300k it had already received to the people of Libya in the form of scholarships, and that LSE took no more money from Gaddafi. Students agreed 2:1 with the Union’s stance on the issue and LSE has committed to involving the Union in how the money is returned to Libya.
Students think that it is unfair that resitting an exam means they have to wait another twelve months until the next examinations period. This puts students at a serious disadvantage – and it is not fair. We have worked with the Pro Director Teaching & Learning this year on courses where there is a disproportionately high failure rate.
Gaddafi and the LSE: BBC NEWSNIGHT
Green Union We won ÂŁ1,000 from the Annual Fund to support the development of a student led garden on the roof of the East Building. The first crop of radishes was harvested only a few weeks later. 100 students helped with essential bike maintenance by Dr Bike. Student run food-coop succeeds with sales over ÂŁ1500 this year. Students were able to recycle their unwanted clothes, jewellery and accessories at the Re:Love Sale.
A healthy Union - listening to students LSE Students’ Union needs to continue to improve if we are to meet the needs and wants of students. As a student led organisation it is crucial that students are at the helm of Union developments.
Checks and Balances To keep the Union strong, we have a Trustee Board who oversee the financial, legal and strategic health of the organisation.
Voter turnout at LSE was higher than the national average this year – over 2200 students voted which is around 22% of the student body.
2010-2011 Trustees of the Union Charlotte Gerada Ashok Kumar Hero Austin Charlie Glyn Daniel Kroop Nike Adjia Sam Tempest-Keeping Mohammed Najmul Morley Gabi Kobrin Gaurav Srivastava Khaled Shahin
13 candidates battled it out to become the first ever Post Graduate Sabbatical Officer! The Union General Meeting took place on a regular basis this year. Fewer motions were passed at UGM this year, but of the motions that were passed on average 700 students voted. This year 1291 students completed our Annual Survey, leaving a total of 40,000 words in open comments. Just under 70% of students who completed the Annual Survey said that the Union had had a positive impact on their student experience.
The Trustee Board oversaw the recruitment of a new Director. Pari Dhillon joined us in February with a background in leading not for profit organisations, with a specialism in equality & diversity.
Award Winning In addition to the awards we’ve already won, this year we achieved: Sound Impact (Silver) LSE University Green Impact (Silver) Best Bar None (Bronze)
Contact the Union: su.info@lse.ac.uk 020 7955 7158
@lsesu