FEATURES
Thursday September 29, 2022
FEATURES TEAM
25
VACANT IF INTERESTED PLEASE EMAIL VISION@YUSU.ORG
T IN 2022/23 HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS Bursaries and Hardship Funding: The University can offer financial support to those who need it, both in terms of criteria-based bursaries and emergency funding. A short-term Emergency Loan can be given (depending on other conditions being met) to pay for food, utility bills, or travel to your site of study in the face of unexpected & unforeseen short-term financial hardship. Alternatively, the University offers bursaries to students depending on their personal circumstances. Information on all of this can be found at york.ac.uk/students/finance/. Student Discount Sites: To help with the general cost of living as a student, many shops and sites offer discounts to those studying at university. Many of these will be heavily advertised to you as soon as you go to buy something, but some will only be available by signing up to different student discount sites, so make sure to have a look around! College Support Networks: Your college support team is one of your first points of contact when you are facing an issue at university, such as money difficulties, even if you don’t live on campus. Their teams can signpost you to resources that can specifically help you, as well as providing support if you’re struggling with any aspect of university life. Check your colleges’ page on the university website for contact details.
IMAGE: ALL SHOULD EAT
ws Vice Chancellor CHARLIE ial issue affecting students.
“I think working really hard from our own channels, working with the Students’ Union and with the Student Media to make sure that people know that support is available.” Charlie Jeffery reiterated the accessibility of the University’s schemes, and how students shouldn’t be embarrassed to access support: “There’s no shame. We came through COVID-19, which is a once in a century challenge. We’ve not seen a cost of living crisis quite like this for fifty years so it’s almost an apocalyptic challenge and I don’t think anybody should feel like they’ll be judged for getting support. “There’s different areas, which assuming we get it right, should connect to provide a pretty much seamless package of support.” Finally, the Vice Chancellor promised to fight for students not only on campus, but on a government level: “The issue for the moment is that it is the start of term and bank accounts are as full as they are going to be, so the second half of term is where we will see some of these issues really bite, so we are going to have to keep pushing with the government to get that recognition. I’m going to keep nagging them. I’m going to keep working through the Russell Group and University’s UK. “I’ve written with the YUSU colleagues and Pierrick and Hannah to the Education Secretary and Higher Education Minister making precisely that point and we’ll see what they say. I think if enough people say it and keep saying it we might get them to move.”
Activities Access Grant: If you are struggling to participate in societies or sports clubs due to financial issues, YUSU can help! The Activities Access Grant gives students who face certain barriers funding to take part in sports clubs, societies, media groups, college sports teams or volunteering projects. Students can receive up to £160 to help with memberships and participation costs. Period Products: The University has provisions in place to help with period poverty. Pads and tampons are available across campus through an initiative funded by YUSU, the GSA, and the University. Colleges can also provide period products to their members (whether they are living on or off campus!)
Nightline: If financial issues are affecting your mental health and you need someone to talk to, the University offers several services to help. Nightline is a confidential listening service run by students who will let you talk about what is on your mind. You can phone them on 01904 323735 between 8pm-8am, email 24/7 at listening@york.nightline.ac.uk, or chat to someone between 8pm-8am on their website at yorknightline.org.uk. Part-Time Work: If you ARE able to fit a part-time job into your student life, there are plenty of great opportunities for students! You can apply to be a Student Ambassador to earn money whilst promoting the University to potential students, or get a job working in one of the eight campus venues (this year 92% of venue employees were students). Alternatively there are many places in York that recruit students for parttime retail, hospitality and other jobs, so make sure to look around if you’re able to healthily have a job alongside your other commitments!