Rhea Keehn President

handover

2008-07-25T11:40:00.003+01:00

how does one do it right?

talking at your elect is not the most engaging thing to do,
setting tasks is fine, but time restraints and creativity can hamper that one
and what about all the things i forget. My job has been vast and varied and trying to give enough info so the new Pres will have enough to start with is actually harder than i thought it would be!

i'm sure we'll get there in the end, and Thankfully Jen is pretty competent so I have nothing to worry about!

it's all coming to an end

2008-07-25T11:33:00.002+01:00

Im getting quite emotional everyday now.

This time of year is more reflective than other months, and the constant goodbyes from staff and colleagues at our last meetings is getting quite sad.

Dr. Lady Amos

2008-07-21T12:45:00.001+01:00

or Valerie as she insists to be called.

What a woman! She oozes personality and has an aura that just makes you raise your aspiration and want to change the world!

It was a pleasure to meet her and show her around the Guild, and i am so grateful that she made the time to offically name 'The Amos Room'.

Thanks to all those who showed up for the event- i think it went rather well
x

my sobbing leaving speech at Guild Council

2008-06-18T16:52:00.004+01:00

Once again we had over 10o voting members, and students who were just there for the fun! This was a long one, but only because of the elections and

speeches.

So anyway, here is my leaving speech

It’s been emotional, and so I imagine I will get a little soppy as I speak.

I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most amazing people this year and they have really developed me as a person and have become like family to me.This exec team have been a shoulder to cry on, have been the ears to listen to me, or the voice to tell me it will be ok.

After spending an intense year with the Guild, it is inevitable that there will be disagreements along the way, but one of the things I am most proud of is the way this team has behaved like a team, and the way you Guild Council have behaved with more respect, actually wanting to see results, trusting your exec, and not sensationalising every rumour that you hear.

I have a few thank yous I would like to make, I will keep them short. There is a lot I could say but I’m not sure how long I can hold back my emotions. For those that I don’t mention, I will speak to you later.

To my campaign team who aren't here tonight, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Thankyou.

The Independent Chairs have a tough job, and they do it as volunteers. But that isn’t what makes you special. It is the way you have conducted yourselves. You have been practical and helpful and have made this Guild Council more accessible. You have chaired the meeting as it should be chaired and on a personal note I have found you to be very supportive of the things that I have had to do this year. You have appreciated the difficult situations that I have been put in, offered advice and remained confidential and impartial throughout. It is this behaviour that makes you respectable, and has made this Guild Council much better for it. Thankyou for all of your help and support.

James Ogden, Redbrick editor. Your work shows integrity and have really developed Redbrick this year, which you should be proud of and have been constructive with me.It's important for the Editor and President to work together and we did, so thankyou, it’s been a pleasure and well done.

Jo Thomas, our General Manager. For those of you who watch the West Wing, Jo is like the Chief of Staff. You came into the Guild with fresh ideas and an open and honest approach to things. You have been the only senior manager here this year, which has meant that you have been doing the job of at least 3 people, which isn’t easy. I have heaps of respect for you and have learnt a lot from the way you have dealt with situations and helped and advised me throughout the year. You know what the boundaries are and have empowered me to do the things that have needed to be done. The culture in the Guild is changing and part of that is because you have set an example to the rest of us. There is a lot more I could say, but I’m going to keep this short. Thankyou for all of your support it really hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Tabbs, the PA to the Exec and GM. For those of you Guild Councillors who don’t know, the sabbs work about 10 hours a day (on a good day) and have hundreds of meetings, invites and papers to read. Tabbs is in charge of making sure that we are organised, know where we are meant to be and keep us all in line. Tabbs has certainly kept me in line and controlled my diary with an iron fist. But more than that, you have been a friend and someone who I have been able to share my concerns and problems with. Having someone to talk to in complete confidence has been a great help and I appreciate all of you advice and support not just professionally, but personally as well.

Emma Wedge, Representation and Democracy Manager. You have been excellent at keeping me in check, especially when I have needed advice on how to handle rediculous situations. You are very good at seeing the bigger picture and flipping my view round to make me look at something in a completely different way. Thankyou for all of your help.

The non-sabb team. I always felt guilty for dragging you into exec meetings and similar things, when all you wanted to do was get on a deal with your remit. You all have your skills and talents. Jessica, your energy! You are woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. I’m glad you’re on the team, and it has been a pleasure. Libby Hooper- where you get the time is beyond me. You have been vital in providing a different view to things and always have some wise words to add and you are unbelievably dedicated. Thankyou

For the team that has supported me, challenged me, taught me and made me enjoy my year I thank you. Sabbs, my surrogate family,

Simon you make me laugh so much. You have heaps of talent and creativity and your approach to life is liberating. You’re chilled out and good fun to be around and I have really loved having you on the team. You have been there when I have needed you and have a great way of making the things I’m saying sound less boring! It is because of you that we are more in touch with those students who don’t normally get involved.

Naush, also known as ‘bossy Naushy’ you are not to be messed with! Having seen you hunt Lizzy down and pummel her to the ground for making a short joke, I quickly learnt what can and can’t be said to you. You have made excellent head way with our relationship with the community and your work with the RAs has been brilliant. I admire your strength, honesty and your attitude to life and wish you all the success in your job in KPMGThankyou for being you.

Sarah, the fiery one! You have developed so much. You have a great deal of passion and fight inside of you and I am amazed at how much you have achieved this year. You have put mental health on the University agenda, and your dedication to the welfare of students knows no bounds. It has been a pleasure debating with you, or teaming up to kick ass at University Council, or working on Governance, which we all know can be a chore. It’s been so much fun to work with you and I wish you all the best for the years to come.

Will Bastin. The amount of ground work that you have put in to bring the issues surrounding sport to the surface is outstanding. To grasp all of the issues and develop a plan to sort them all our takes a special kind of individual, and I, and the Guild have been so lucky to have you here to do it. You are a very talented individual who sees things from a different perspective. And to still be active in Sport whilst holding down a demanding job is something to admire.

Laura- the jammy one who is in the know. You have offered me some good advice throughout the year, and you have so much knowledge in your head and so much potential to go far. You have built some good bridges with the University and you are part of the reason as to why they have been listening to us this year. It has been fantastic to work with you Laura and so much fun. Thankyou for all of your help.

Lizzy- you are simply amazing and incredibly observant. You and I have almost got good cop bad cop down to a T. Your energy and wisdom has been inspiring and you have always been there when I have needed a chat. I would like to thankyou for always making the time for me and being so honest with student groups and bringing the importance of skill development to the University’s attention.

To all of you, You are the team that put your own selves to one side and put the Guild at the forefront of everything that we do. You have been classy and are respected by so many people because of the way that you have handled everything.

I would like to say Thankyou for helping me and supporting me when I have needed it. It has been pretty difficult for me this year and there have been times when I have felt that I didn’t want to come into work. But I always came to work, and that is because I knew that you were all here supporting me and guiding me. It means a lot. I will miss working with you, and I know no job is going to compare to this, especially when I have to work with a different team, who quite frankly are going to suck in comparison to you all!So thankyou very much.

Now Guild Council, you have only seen half of what these people have been doing all year, if that. The amount of work that goes in to prepare for each topic or issue is overwhelming, yet they have still done it. And now students are better of because of them.

We’ve focused the budget on vital resources, the ARC will have more support to provide vital welfare services to our students, our student development department has secure funding, a fresh new direction and full staffing, our communications department now has the right staff in post to focus on talking and listening to our members, so we can tell our members when an officer has won a manifesto pledge, and our officers will have more PA support and believe it or not we are about to fill our senior management team, so we can get the full support that we need.

This executive team has done exactly what it set out to do. We aimed to focus on Communication, Representation, Education and Participation. We went back to basics, laid good solid foundations, spoke to the membership, developed relationships with our associates and we made this Guild sustainable.

Our work this year is only the beginning, and the good work and strong plans in place are the starting point for a bright and successful future for the Guild. And I am so pleased to be handing this all over to Jen and her team.

This Guild is more capable and complete than it has been for years and the reason is because we invested, we spoke to you about your views and we got on with what needed to be done.Now it is up to Jen and the team to take the next step and use this support and foundations to fight the battles that lie ahead. And make no mistake, they are big issues ahead of us and every single one of you needs to be on board.

Your Guild has the power to change things, many things, but only when it acts united.When 4000 students voted in the referendum, local MPs and the University hailed it as a success, with one MP go so far as to state that ‘the future of British democracy lies in the hands of students at the University of Birmingham’. That is quite a quote, but you know what, the future does lie in our hands, but only if we stand up and do something about it.

Next year the Government and Universities want to lift the cap on tuition fees, hall fees will increase and the basic cost of attending University will go up and up. You can do something about it, but only if you bother to.

So when Jen turns around next year and says lets fight for printing credits for all, and the VPHC says lets lower accommodation costs, I expect to see each and everyone of you out doing your bit.Our strength comes in our solidarity and unity, and 28,000 voices are hard to ignore.

I am confident that this new team will lead this Guild to new places, and make this Guild stronger. Good luck to the new team and to all of you who are here for another year.

Guild Council, there are exciting times ahead of you all. I wish you all the best of luck for your results and the future and I would like to thank you for supporting me and the team this year. And remember it’s your Guild, it is what you make it.

Thankyou for listening

Rhea

sweet charidee...

2008-06-15T15:25:00.002+01:00

It was drizzling wet, 1pm on Thursday, and Lizzy, Sarah and I were dressed as run away brides standing on the Bristol Road looking for a kind stranger to take us closer to Newquay.

We were picked up by a gentleman who had just come from a research meeting at Uni where they were discussing 'BioFuels' and their company 'Green Fuels'.

We also met a lady who's hand stitched quilt is in the final at some show in the NEC and an occupational therapist who set up a care centre for disabled children in Guatamala.

I had a brilliant time, and the best bit is we made money for charity! although we missed out on best dressed hitcher to 3 human sized flip flops (i must admit they did look good)

well done to Carnival for organising the hitch.

Court (the biggest Uni meeting ever)

2008-06-15T15:17:00.001+01:00

Myself, Libby (home students officer) and Jo (the General Manager) took some members of Court round the Guild for a tour and a presentation.

Most of them were alumni and had a lot of fond memories of this place. Apparently the exec used to wear robes during Guild Council and the lincesee of Joes used to live in a flat upstairs.

A lot of good feedback was given about how far the Guild has come, but mostly i think they enjoyed comparing how things have changed.

I really enjoyed myself too. I will definately be returning here in a few years time to see how the Guild is getting on.

one more plug

2008-05-27T17:41:00.000+01:00

don't forget to look into becoming a trustee of the Guild. It's an excellent opportunity, you will get so much out of it. PLus you get to work with people like me- and that's got to be a good thing!

www.guildtrusteeboard.com

p.s if you don't fancy it, why not pass it on to your friends. Just a thought
x

24 weeks for a reason

2008-05-27T17:22:00.003+01:00

Guild Council mandated the exec to lobby the government about the proposed changes to the 24 week limit on abortion.

The VPSAD, VPEA, VPHC and I rocked up in snazzy t-shirts (coutersy of Laura's creative side) and headed to the front barrier to begin our protest.

A few hundred people were there and we were situated right next the the opposition's protest.

Whilst they sang hymns, we chanted and sang protests. Thankfully there wasn't too much tension, although the odd slur of being a 'baby killer' was thrown a few times.

It was quite an emotional protest actually. Especially when the female MPs came out to show their support; it was down to these women to go and vote for our rights. I was proud to see so many women, and men for that matter, turn up to protest and fight for our rights.

If it wasn't for people like these, we would lose so much in society. Whether you are campaigning about liberation for minority groups or making a stand about a war you don't agree with, it is always important to do something to stand up for your rights and what you believe in. If you don't do it, no one else will.

We turned up and fought for our rights and fought what our students believe in, and we won. The amendments fell and women have 24 weeks.

Thank you to all of those students who came as well, it was worth it.

it's been a while...

2008-05-27T17:02:00.002+01:00

but it's not been uploading my blogs so there.

So anyway, we are recruiting our new trustees and are looking for some talented, enthusiastic and skilled individuals to become a part of the Trustee Board.

The Guild is going through an exciting time and there are a lot of opportunities ahead for our students and trustee board to shape the future of the Guild.

If you want to know a little bit more about what being a trustee involves then take a look at www.guildtrusteeboard.com and if you're really keen, fill out an application form... :-)

we need 3 students, 3 alumni and 3 external trustees, all with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

In the meantime, the team and I have been working on all sorts of things. Which I will blog about now...

and here is the constitution

2008-04-11T16:24:00.001+01:00

back of the net whoop whoop!

http://www.guildofstudents.com/DisplayPage.aspx?GroupId=553&id=7583

...

2008-04-10T15:23:00.002+01:00

and the policy file is almost up to date too. With this in order, students will be able to see exactly what policy we have and when it expires. hoorah to that!

The exec and i shall meet to discuss lapsed policy in the near future and Guild Council will then decide whether or not to renew it. If you want to know more, just get in touch.
r.keehn@guild.bham.ac.uk

ooh the smile on my face

2008-04-10T15:16:00.000+01:00

I have just been delivered an up to date (ie: April 2008) copy of the Constitution. It has tabs for each section so i can navigate my way around it and it is completely up to date -so it no longer says 'VP Internal Affairs' everywhere.

The constitution hasn't been up to date for years and finally it is! hoorah!

Ofcourse it is changing in August, but hey ho, i'm just pleased to see an up to date constitution in my life time!
x

just a little bit more about conference then i must go to sleep!...

2008-04-03T20:27:00.002+01:00

this conference was my first annual conference and i am left with mixed emotions.

Some parts lifted me up and i was inspired, excited and ready to go and fight against anything that goes against our student rights. But then other parts left me thinking 'is this the level of integrity of our students?'. If these are the leaders of tomorrow then we are screwed. We spoke about the governance review and the students opposed had no grasp on what a trustee does or the role of the board or the checks and balances in place or the benefits of zone conferences or representing fe unions better or the need to make the NUS mor accessible or how to make a decision or secure the future of the NUS or the impact of their ignorant behaviour or anything. i was so angry at the drivle that was being spouted out. grr. The ratification of the NUS Governance review fell by about 21 votes. It needed a two thirds majority. Well it certainly got a majority. Just not quite two thirds. it was something linke 694 votes for, when two thirds was 711 .

So yes the vast majority wanted chnage, but some got a little confused and decided to go fall for the very well spoken misconceptions given by the opposition.

The funny thing is, later i was having a rant about how inaccessible conference is (being their at 8.30am only to finish debating stuff at 11.30pm ish) and thought 'wouldn't it be better if we discussed the motions at conferences that are specific to their zones. That way we can have more debate and actually get through all of the motions..' Then i remembered- That's what the restructure proposed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankfully, we have a newly elected President (Wes Streeting) to lead the changes that need to be made and i know we will try again to make the necessary changes to the NUS.

Anyhoo enough ranting at that, as i said some parts left me feeling so inspired. These students have worked tirelessly across the nation to defend our rights as students and have won on so many things. If only i could be half as talented as so many of those students who got up and spoke over the past 3 days. If those students, and our Guilds and Unions stopped working and campaigning so hard, millions of students would suffer. Whether it be through financial hardship, mental ill health issues and having no support, or feeling unsafe to be on their campus because the bnp are operating in their area. If it wasn't for the student volunteers and our student campaigners the world would be a worse place.

Thankfully, at this conference we passed some great motions, (which i'll update in my report) and we will not be backing down on lifting the cap. The Government needs to start listening, because despite our restructure being delayed, we are becoming alot stronger and more organised and we will be fighting till the very end so watch out.

NUS annual conference, Bolt it together

2008-04-03T19:57:00.004+01:00

well i'm back and absolutely shattered.

My full report on the conference will be written and presented to Guild Council, but for now i'll just post a few thoughts.

Your Vice-President of Welfare, Sarah Bolt, stood to be the National Vice President of Welfare. Nationally, Sarah is a relatively new kid on the block and doesn't belong to a faction, but she had the guts to stand to be the VPW for the NUS. She campaigned hard and won over the hearts and minds of many other Unions who were desperate to see a breath of fresh air come to the NUS.

In a room filled with over a thousand delegates, we listened to the first 2 candidates make some passionate speeches. Then came Sarah. She delivered her speech superly and it was a proud moment to see our Sarah get up there and make the only speech that was actually about Welfare. It takes a lot of guts to stand on that stage, and if she was nervous she certainly didn't show it. Well done Sarah.

Sadly, Sarah didn't win the election. But i have to say she won so much more. She won the respect of so many other unions who appreciate how hard it is to stand against an incumbant and huge factions. I had many delegates tell me how they were glad to see a 'normal' student stand and tell me how they have so much respect for Sarah for actually doing it and doing it so well!

Sarah got just under 2oo of the 1001 votes, with Hind Hussan getting just over 300 and Ama, the current VPW for the NUS, getting over 400.

It was a good election with very good candidates standing. Well done Sarah for doing so well, and well done Ama, I wish you the best of luck in your second term of office.

and the winner is...

2008-02-29T18:17:00.002Z

actually we will find out on Saturday 8th March. I can't wait!

The chance to elect your new officer team is upon us. Every candidate has some fab ideas so take a read of their plans and promises (which are found at www.guildofstudents.com and follow the link to the exec page).

The Executive Committee are responsible for running everything at the Guild and representing your voice to the University and the wider community. Make sure you choose the people that you want to represent you and your opinions.

If you really don't like any of them then you can always vote to re-open nominations (R.O.N). If R.O.N won the election, then we would search for some more candidates and do it all again.

This is an exciting time, as the new team will be following in our footsteps and having a go at the wonderful world of representation and higher education. It really is a great deal of fun and a good challenge, so have your say on who you want to do it.

Voting starts on Monday 3rd at 9am until Friday at 5pm. You can VOTE ONLINE too!

just follow the simple instructions found on the website. Any problems just drop me an email at r.keehn@guild.bham.ac.uk

Thanks for voting!
x

taken for a ride

2008-02-29T17:37:00.002Z

Getting taken for a ride seems to be what happens everytime i get into a taxi. I sit in the car and straight away i'm sized up as being a student so that means i can get ripped off. It really infuriates me as that is actually theft by deception or fraudulant theft, and so many people are getting away with it.

But wait, now that i know how much i am meant to be charged, I can just query the cost right? well yes, but in return i will be intimidated by an angry driver who just wants me to pay the extra £1/£2 and get out.

One of the most infuriting things is when i'm on a night out and i get into a taxi that I've pre-booked and when i get home they say 'how much do you usually pay?' Argh! just tell me how much it actually is! don't try and find out if i've been ripped off before so you can do it again!

Sooooo many times i have asked drivers to write down the mileage (so i can work it out exactly) and they have written twice the amount of mileage than it clearly says on their counter! I know i sound petty, but it really is ridiculous.

I won't walk home on my own at night in certain areas, and my only means home are a taxi. I shouldn't then have to pay £7 for a journey that should cost £4. It's unfair and it's illegal, and i should definately not have to put up with threats or aggression should i demand to pay the real price.

That's why i'm so glad the NightBus is here to save the day. The council won't put on a normal night service, so we have done one instead-especially for Guild students! plus it's free so it won't cost me £7 to get home.

I quite like being taken for a ride by the night bus as i get to meet loads of other students, some of whom i haven't seen for ages.

If you like the NightBus service and want to help us in our application to recieve funding for it, then please let me know why the NightBus is so important to you, or share any experiences about getting home without it. There is also a short survey on our www.guildofstudents.com homepage, so if you have some time, then please fill it out.

Long Live the NightBus!

x

playing catch up

2008-02-28T15:46:00.003Z

Time has really flown by despite yesterday feeling like a week ago.

It's so easy to get off track as there are so many day to day distractions and activities that i attend to. I do enjoy the vast majority of it, but it can be frustrating when I'm trying to fulfill my manifesto pledges. Whilst i was away at conference i had some time to jot down some of my thoughts on improving communication with our membership and look at how to go about implementing it all. It was great to have the chance to catch up with myself and remember all the things i still intend to do. The speakers at conference left me with a renewed focus and i look forward to getting a lot more done this term.

The funny thing is as i entered the building on Wednesday afternoon after the conference, I had been nabbed by 3 people all with different queries and requests in the space of 10 minutes! It was quite funny, but i'll try not to get distracted by all of these things in the future.

Baroness? Baron-mess

2008-02-28T15:14:00.003Z

I went away to a 2 day conference this week entitled 'The Legitimacy of Student Unions'.

There were some thought provoking talks by David Robinson, the vice-chair to the PM's council on Social Action and Les Watson, educational advisor and they have given me much to think about.

But I would like to share with you my utter disappointment at Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, Minister for Students. I was hoping to hear a speech about the future plans and development of skills for students and the plans on how the Government intend to support us better. But no. Instead I listened to an ill prepared, recycled speech that told me nothing. It did not touch on the topic of 'How the Government is responding to the diverse needs of students'. It was so awful i can only remember one part and that was when the Baroness decided to tell us all that she disagreed with us on the 'no platform' policy. She kept refering back to this throughout, and then when questioned on it at the end she stated that she didn't know.

Basically, the Baroness was not prepared and didn't know what she was talking about. Her firm grasp on the issues facing students and higher education today was not evident. Shame.

The rest of the conference was useful and I had the opportunity to debate issues facing international students and share some ideas on best practice.

I also missed the Earthquake.

The R word

2008-02-06T16:45:00.000Z

RRRRRRRRRRR.....REFERENDUM!

it's happening right now!

The Guild needs to update its constitution to responde better to your needs. Currently the constitution is out of date, incoherant and contradicts itself in some places, plus we need to comply with the new charity laws that are in place.

The proposed changes will make the Guild structures a lot clearer and accessible and far more easier to understand than they are now.

Plus, we propose that we recruit some people with relevant experience and expertise to join our trustee board to help us make better decisions.

We really need every student to vote though- as to make this referendum count we need about 3,000 students to vote.

If we don't get that number, we will have to do it all again, so you might as well vote ! whoop whoop!

You can find all the info that you could possibly want at www.guildofstudents.com
Check out the video if you have forgotten how great the Guild is... (at www.guildofstudents.com)

You can VOTE ONLINE at www.guildofstudents.com so there is no excuse.

The Guild really needs every vote so please go do it!

Thanks

Rhea
x

igniting my hope again

2008-01-09T19:34:00.000Z

I know i shouldn't post twice in 5 minutes but i'm in a writing mood...

Someone lent me a book called Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit. I began reading it last night and it actually made me feel quite alive and inspired again. I'd lost alot of my inspiration over the past few months for various reasons, but this book talks about activism and hope and it reminded me of all the things that I am passionate about. It reminded me of all of those people who have inspired me and those who I have admired.

I guess in some way it woke me up again. I was quite mentally tired by the time it got to Christmas and having a break with my family allowed me to rest, but i always knew I had alot of big things to go back to at work. Actually what I needed wasn't a mental rest but something to ignite lightbulb in my brain again.

I was talking to our LGBTQ officer today and he too made me see some of that passion I had been wanting to get back. He does all sorts of volunteering in many different circles to me, but believes in all that he is doing so strongly.

Now i'm not saying I don't believe in what I am doing or lost my passion as such, it is more that I lacked the Hope that I once held. It was the Hope that I could actually change things and make things better for a lot of people, or even just sorting out the internal workings of the Guild so that the future exec can get on with everything else.

This book seems to have revivied that dream and I am more focused to get certain things done before my year is out. If any of you reading this feel a little lost or disallusioned then have a read of this book it might just be the pick up you need.

All the best
x

rules shmools

2008-01-09T19:21:00.000Z

so I've been looking at the bye-laws today and the structures and committtees that we have. How Confusing.

Whilst I appreciate the sentiment of a lot of the rules and regs that we have, they seem to spend most of their time restricting productivity and progress instead of enhancing them. I know many rules are there because people can often misuse their powers, but if there was a little more trust in the future students of this Guild then maybe we would get more done?

I think half of the issue is that we aren't quite open enough yet. We will be eventually, but at the moment we haven't quite nailed the processes of showing everyone what we do yet. There are some really good things going on and so many issues recieve alot of debate and attention before a decision is made, but we don't often show everyone that. Of course it would be ridiculous to publish every discussion ever had around a topic, but i'm just having a long think about what rules and regs we have and how we open up the Guild more.

I could wander off into a lot of discussion and detail but I won't, I won't do that to you!

Just thought I'd let you know that there is work in progress and I know that at the end of it all we will have something that doesn't give you a headache if you read it.

Welcome Back!

2008-01-04T15:54:00.001Z

It's a brand new year and there is so much to do. The referendum is just round the corner and before we know it, it will be the exec elections!

I have made a few new year resolutions of course- the first few about eating healthy and exercising bla bla bla but also to get out of the office more and attend more events held by our beloved students.

Has anyone else made any resolutions?

RA training

2007-12-18T23:11:00.000Z

New and talented committees messing around in the woodland and climbing ropes. What fun! By the Sunday night Simon had them chanting Referendum (a proud moment). These guys and girls are awesome and I can't wait to see what they get up to in the year ahead.

Best of luck everyone
x

Carol service in the Great Hall

2007-12-11T15:06:00.000Z

The Choir entered by slow procession by candle light down the aisle and singing Once in Royal David's city. What a great start to the event.

I read from the gospel of Luke, the birth of Jesus. I really enjoyed myself and sang my heart out to 'O Come All Ye Faithful'.

Libby Hooper (Home Students Officer) and I went for dinner afterwards with the Chaplaincy. We shared our table with the Revd Julian Green who was very good company over dinner.

I would like to thank the Revd Nicholas lo Polito for inviting me to the evening and well done to the choir and brass band for the music throughout the service.

Does anyone know of any similar services in the local area?

2007-12-09T22:03:00.001Z

( I also had a cheeky ride on the helter skelter and carousel)

<-my cousin and sister

My mum->

The German Market

2007-12-09T21:31:00.000Z

The German Market rocks, especially the mulled wine.

Some of my family came to visit the market today. It felt great to show them around Birmingham city centre-there was loads to show off.

Even though i've been here for 3 and 1/2 years, there is still plenty to see so if you ever want to take a break from your uni work, I suggest taking a wander around Birmingham.

we have a trustee board hurrah!

2007-12-07T10:01:00.000Z

So last year no-one liked it for several reasons. The fab exec team were left with a situation of listening to its membership or trying to move on. Hasten to say we listened to the membership, gave them more information and time to ask questions and dispelled a few myths that our block grant would have been taken away if we didn't comply.

We ended up with a bit more detail on the board, and stated that 3 of the seats were for alumni-which is a nice link between past students and the Guild.

Everyone was happy with this and last night we actually agreed on a composition of the trustee board! This means we can now move on, and (assuming the wider student body agrees too) can implement a new clear and easy to use constitution (memorandum and articles of association).

Better still, the meeting of Guild Council finished at 9pm which is fantastic, considering the last time Guild Council voted on the trustee board, the meeting finished about 1am!

It was well chaired and I thouroughly enjoyed it.

Afterwards a few of us celebrated in the Gunnies and went for a curry. Good times.

The Great Gatsby

2007-12-05T17:50:00.000Z

I've just finished The Great Gatsby and i was slightly disappointed. I can't tell if it was because i couldn't concentrate throughout reading it or because it was actually disappointing. humph.

Has anyone else read and thought the same or is it just me?

If anyone has any decent books that you think i'll enjoy, please pay me a visit!

NUS Extraordinary Conference

2007-12-04T20:24:00.000Z

What a brilliant day! I always look forward to going to events where other unions are attending as it's good to catch up-but this event had a certain buzz around it, a sort of eager anticipation of what was going to happen throughout the day and I was loving it. I couldn't help but get excited at the fact that we were potentially about to make an historic change to our NUS.

We all arrived in the morning and headed for the registration queue. We were given plenty of literiture and stickers from both sides of the arguements, but our delegation and I knew which way to vote as our Guild Council had told us only a few weeks ago.

There were plenty of amendments that essentially went against the white paper, and were rejected in due course. Now considering it was about 4pm when we were two 3rds of the way through the amendments, I was beginning to wonder how long we were going to be here for.

But then came the procedural motion...

'to put it to the vote'

so, that procedural motion was agreed by a huge amount of people and we headed straight to the main motion.

Despite being in a hot stuffy room all day, listening to speech after speech, i was still engaged with the whole thing and still as enthusiastic and excited as i was in the morning- but anyway, back to the motion...

So we had the speech against, which was fairly well said, although largely inaccurate in my opinion and the speaker got plenty of whoops and cheers and a few standing ovations from delegates.

But then we had Wes Streeting's speech in summation of the motion and my goodness was he good! We were applauding at every sentence, and even when the opposition were shouting over him, he said defiantly that they can not slience him. We cheered some more and he hammered it on home that we, the delegates, the officers, the students, have the power in our hands to reform the NUS and make a real change to our NUS and for our students. (he said it a heck of a lot better than that but anyway...)

There was a huge standing ovation and loud cheering and applauding and then we went to the vote. Silence. We needed an absolute majority to win.

'All those in favour, raise your voting card'

woosh! up went hundreds of cards! I couldn't believe it, the amount of support for the motion was immense, despite all of the propaganda and speeches against and the booing that had gone on throughout the day.

then the vote against. definately not so many voting cards. This was brilliant!

The motion was passed and today I am proud to say that we the guild of students voted for positive changes to our NUS and today we got them. It needs to be ratified at Annual Conference next semester, but i think today was a great day in the history of our National Union of Students. Well done!

As always if you would like to get in touch and listen to me re-tell the excitment of the conference you can via email at r.keehn@guild.bham.ac.uk

Thanks for reading

Rhea
Your President

working on a Sunday

2007-11-25T18:59:00.000Z

So it's Sunday and the old Joe is chiming at 7 o'clock. A part of me thinks what am I doing here at 7pm on a Sunday!?

well there is lots of work to be done and the great thing about coming in at the weekend is it is usually a bit more quiet so i can get some work done, plus i don't have any meetings to attend so can actually spend some time going through my to-do list.

Today I have read through my reading for the annual Carol Service in the Great Hall and have been going through the papers for our Resources meeting on Tuesday. I recieved some literature about the QAA today which i'll have a read of a bit later. Mainly i've been catching up on some small errands, that should only take a minute to do, but when you have a lot they soon add up to a whole chunk of time.

On Friday (23rd November) I went to Bristol for the monthly Aldwych meeting. I really enjoy this meeting as this group has some great potential to have a positive influence on the Russell Group. We discussed our plans for commissioning research into the affects of fees on students and have also been looking at the relationship between home students and international students; learning and integration and the student experience.

For me I find this meeting particularly useful because not only are we discussing issues that affect students who attend Russell Group institutions, but I have the opportunity to set our work at the Guild of Students in context. Discussing the issues that other student unions face allows me to see exactly what kind of standard we should be aiming at and also gives me the opportunity to see some possible solutions to our issues. Aldwych really have a great opportunity to highlight the concerns of students to the Russell Group, I just hope the Russell Group take on board what we say!

We were fortunate to meet John Denham that day as well and we presented some of our prelimanary findings to him (ie: issues about bursary underspend and contact hours). Mr.Denham then spoke broadly about developing the skills and aptitude of the nation in order to compete internationally. He spoke of the Minister for Students and the processes the government has in place for listening to students, and on the whole it sounds quite promising. It is only by talking to the actual students about their experience that you can get a real insight to the issues that are affecting students.

We raised the issue about contact hours and expressed the views of many students who believe that they do not recieve enough contact hours. Now obviously contact hours need to be appropriate to your course, but still students from a range of courses express their concern over contact time. It seemed to me that John Denham was suprised by us raising this and asked us if this was the view of our students and is it a common complaint-To which we all replied yes whilst nodding furiously.

Our discussions with him seemed to highlight how important it is to actually talk to students directly as the Institutions themselves may not quite understand or appreciate the concerns of students.

Unfortunately he could only spare a short amount of time, but I feel it was useful and after our Aldwych meeting had concluded many of us went to listen to him talk and answer questions at the Bristol University Labour students meeting.

I am aware that I have gone on for a while and have only really covered the Aldwych meeting. I shall leave it there for now, but will endevour to express my views on the many things that cross my path each day as President.

If you would like to get in touch then you can contact me at r.keehn@guild.bham.ac.uk

Remember I'm your President so get in touch if you want a chat or would like to make some suggestions on the activities that you would like me to do.

Rhea

Understanding my role- The Constitution

2007-11-04T14:07:00.000Z

Hi I'm Rhea and I'm your President for the academic year 07/08.

The Constitution is our Guild's governing document and it sets out all of the rules that we have to abide to and also the values and principles that make our Guild what it is today. The Constitution also explains who does what and when, so here is an extract from our Constitution that explains what I'm here to do as President...

Philosophy of the Post:
The President is the senior Sabbatical Executive Officer of the Guild, yet this is very much in a first amongst equals capacity.

2.4.1.2 General Duties

2.4.1.2.1 The President shall have overall responsibility for Guild activities.

2.4.1.2.2 The President shall be the Chair of the Board of Trustees and therefore Managing Director of Guild Services Limited

2.4.1.2.3 The President shall have primary responsibility for University and external liaison.

2.4.1.2.4 The President shall be responsible for liaising and advising the General Manager on matters relating to staff management.

2.4.1.2.5 Have sole responsibility for media relations and manage the Public Relations of the Guild.

2.4.1.2.6 The President shall undertake to monitor the progress and development of the Guild in conjunction with the Constitution, Mission Statement, and Strategic Plan and periodically to review those as appropriate.

2.4.1.2.7 The President Shall ensure the Guild of Students complies with the provision of the by-laws

2.4.1.3 Specific Tasks

The President shall:

2.4.1.3.1 Be responsible for general membership matters and sign all cards for Associate, External and Life Members.

2.4.1.3.2 Have a casting vote at Guild Council.

2.4.1.3.3 Have sole power to call Guild Council.

2.4.1.3.4 On request petition Court.

2.4.1.3.5 Sit ex officio on:

2.4.1.3.5.1 Court.
2.4.1.3.5.2 Committee of the Court.
2.4.1.3.5.3 Council.
2.4.1.3.5.4 Estates and Infrastructure Sub Committee.
2.4.1.3.5.5 Senate
2.4.1.3.5.6 Campus Life Committee
2.4.1.3.5.7 Accommodation Management Group
2.4.1.3.5.8 University Carnival Fund Committee.
2.4.1.3.5.9 Strategy, Planning and Resources Committee
2.4.1.3.5.10 Heads of Budget Centre

2.4.1.3.6 Be a member of ex officio of all Guild Committees and Chair:

2.4.1.3.6.1 Executive Committee,
2.4.1.3.6.2 Constitution Committee.
2.4.1.3.6.3 Press Council.
2.4.1.3.6.4 Nominations Committee
2.4.1.3.6.5 Resources Committee

2.4.1.3.7 Attend and Represent the Guild and its members to:
2.4.1.3.7.1 Aldwych Group

2.4.1.3.8 Be responsible with the VP Student Activities and Development for ensuring that elected officers receive full training for office.

2.4.1.3.9 Call General Meetings, Ordinary, Extraordinary and Emergency meetings of Guild Council, Constituency Meetings and Elections Committee when appropriate.

2.4.1.3.10 Manage communications with the N.U.S. and Area N.U.S.

2.4.1.3.11 Maintain a list of Guild Council resolutions

2.4.1.3.12 Report on motions progress to Guild Council

2.4.1.3.13 Agenda of Guild Council

2.4.1.3.14 Responsible for the Review of Guild Council Annually

2.4.1.3.15 Role of Editor-in-Chief of official Guild publications

2.4.1.3.16 Convene the panel to engage the General Manager.

2.4.1.3.17 Sign the Audited Accounts.

2.4.1.3.18 Be responsible for compiling the annual report.

2.4.1.3.19 Be responsible for overseeing the implementation of Guild policy.

2.4.1.3.20 Ensure that Guild Committees comply with Committee by-laws, with the exception of finance

2.4.1.3.21 Bring any business relating to a Guild Committee to its Secretary and Chair.

2.4.1.3.22 Oversee the strategic management of the Policy and Campaigns department with the Vice President (Education and Access)

2.4.1.3.23 For the sake of tradition be the Honorary President of Debating Society, to show that we led the student movement inbeing the first to unify of debating and representation unions.

2.4.1.3.24 Delegation Leader to the NUS National Conference and NUS Drafting Commission.

OK so that's quite a lot to read! If you have any questions or want to clarify some bits then get in touch at r.keehn@guild.bham.ac.uk . If you happen to be in the Guild Building, then why not come and pay me a visit. My office is situated on the second floor in the 'Exec corridor' (there are maps on the walls for directions.)

Rhea