kent union impact report 2009 - 2010

KENTUNION

Impactmaking an

2009/10

Kent Union Impact Report

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Let us show you how we’re making an

impactIt’s been a great year for Kent Union, with some real achievements that directly impact on the experience of students at the University of Kent.

In March 2010, Kent students voted in a referendum to endorse our new constitution, which included amendments from our governance review. This review suggested that Kent Union expand the number of members on the board of trustees to bring more experience from external trustees, and become more representative through the selection of extra student trustees. The review is not yet over and, during the coming year, we will be looking at our democratic structure and ensuring that representation structures are fit for purpose.

Kent Union also won a number of awards through our commitment to decreasing our impact on the environment (Sound Impact Silver), commitment to the welfare and safety of students in our Licensed Trade outlets (Best Bar None Gold Award) and, most notably, being placed 21st in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list which is based on a survey of employees in regards to workplace engagement. Kent Union also recieved a Third Sector Award for ‘Accountability and Transparency’ and we were highly commended in the category of Best Employer.

Helen WoodUnion President 2009 - 2011

We conducted a comprehensive review of Kent Union’s governance

arrangements.

Our Student Satisfaction Survey received 1573 responses and showed that 80.5% of students are satisfied or

very satisfied with the services that Kent Union provides - a rise of 18.1%

from the previous year.

Kent Union was ranked 21st in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to

Work For list 2010.

Kent Union received a Level 1 (Full Assurance) ranking from the

University of Kent internal audit of financial processes.

Rutherford Bar was awarded the Best Bar None Gold Award for

commitment to student welfare and safety.

The Student Advice Centre helped a record 2094 students with various

issues including VISA applications and applications to the Access to

Learning Fund.


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making the world a better place.Campagning for social change is part and parcel of the student experience, allowing students to explore their own values and beliefs and make a real difference to the local and national community.

Kent Union supports and empowers students to have a positive effect on the world around them.

Improved transport

Kent Union Officers lobbied Canterbury City Council and local bus operators to improve transport links to and from campus.

From September 2010, the majority of buses that travel to and from the University will be acessible. These buses will run later into the evening and a new route has been added to Hales Place - a densley populated student area.

accessible campus

Kent Union’s Welfare and Students with Disabilities Officers campaigned to ensure that Woolf College is accessible to all.

Automatic doors have been integrated throughout Woolf College and a newly integrated handrails in the main lecture theatre means the main stage is now fully accessible.

a safer campus

Kent Union Officers worked to develop close relationships with local policing authorities.

£800 was secured from the Home Office to run ‘The Lock’ campaign to raise awareness of sensible security measures across campus.

the local community

Officers worked hard to identify how students and other members of the comunity can work with each other.

A number of students now sit on residents committees across Campus ensuring that students are represented fairly.

Democracy in action

The 2010 General Election put the future of University fees in the spotlight.

Over 1000 students signed the NUS pledge to vote for those candidates who opposed higher fees for University degrees.

1000 students were involved in Kent Union’s General Election campaign


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Sports & Societies

Our 112 societies - all set up and run by students - vary in style from academically focused (law and accounting) to arts based (drama and creative writing) to those with a specific cause (animal rights and Amnesty International). 51 sports clubs range from the more traditional (football, netball, rugby) to the uniquely wonderful (Ultimate Frisbee and Korfball).

In 2010, 6898 students were part of a sports club or society - 35% of University of Kent students and the highest proportion to date.

Our societies and sports clubs are run by a team of over 450 volunteers who oversee the finances, administration and recruitment to the clubs.

Some clubs and societies meet for fun, some take part in national competition; but no matter what, every student involved is given the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills which look great on a CV.

Being part of a club or society also allows students to get together and discuss issues and tackle problems that may not be related to their chosen course, but that allow them to find out more about their own thoughts, beliefs and values and also to have fun!

Student media

The student newspaper, inQuire, and the community FM radio station, CSR, are run by student volunteers and are an invaluable resource to students for developing their skills, making friends and giving something back to their community.

CSR was awarded Highly Commended in the Student Radio Awards in the category of Best Live Event. Student volunteers set up a remote radio studio at local festival Lounge on the Farm 2010, in a reclaimed pigsty and broadcast the entire event across Canterbury for a full 3 days.

active students = happy graduatesMaking friends, social activities and learning new skills are a large part of the university experience. Taking part in extra-curricular activity can make student life more fulf illing whilst developing skills and conf idence needed to gain employment after university.

6,898 students participated in Kent Union’s sports clubs and societies


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Support for students in needThe student advice centre offers professional advice to students on issues such as money management, immigration, academic problems, extra funding, housing and employment and offers advocacy when needed.

Student advice centre

Kent Union’s Student Advice Centre advises students on problems they may have whilst they study. The majority of students visit the advice centre to seek advice on immigration, housing, finance and academic appeals.

The Student Advice Centre opened 1050 new cases and dealt with an undisclosed number of repeat cases across 2009/10. 1044 quick advocacy cases were opened for advice through drop-in enquiries, emails and telephone calls.

£283,315 was granted to students from the Access to Learning Fund (ALF). 242 applications of a possible 363 were successful in receiving money from the fund, which is for students who are struggling to make ends meet and gives them extra financial help to cover accommodation, travel and course costs.

83% of students were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the Student Advice Centre and many students commented on the quality of service and information given by the advisers.

case Study #1

My parents did not agree with my choice of attending University and by the time I had arrived in September 2009, they had cut off all contact with me, leaving me financially and emotionally unstable. I was unable to receive a means tested loan as I was estranged from both parents and this meant I was extremely short on accommodation fees.

A student adviser from Kent Union helped me to find financial stability and agree a payment plan with the Universityof Kent and then began to prove my case for a full loan to Student Finance England. She kept in contact with me regularly as my case progressed and due to her great perseverance and determination, I am now able to repay all my debt to the University.

Without the commitment of the student adviser to help me, I would not still be studying now. My case was one of a kind and had not been tackled before, but it was resolved and I am now slowly getting back on my feet and learning to support myself whilst I study.

amy LancasterComparative Literature 2nd year

£283,315 was distributed to students in hardship following support from Kent Union student advisers


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a well governedand democratic UnionStudents need to feel satisfied that decisions being made are representative of the majority. Solid Governance and democractic structures are key to ensuring a successful union that has the support of its members.

Governance

We reviewed our governance structures to ensure that they are suitable for a modern charity and to be representative of the majority of members. We took advice from current officers and board members, the University and NUS when undertaking the governance review to ensure a well rounded unbiased opinion.

Over 3,500 students voted in favour of amending the governance arrangements of Kent Union in a referendum.

An additional 2 selected student trustees were added to the Board meaning Kent Union can make sure the make-up of the board is representative of all students.

An additional 2 external trustees were added to the Board to bring experience from outside the organisation in areas such as marketing, finance, business development and strategy.

Elections

Effective representation of students can only be achieved by making sure we engage with a large proportion of our members through our democratic processes.

The bye-elections held in October saw a record turnout with over 2000 students casting their votes for a number of part time officer positions, plus their course reps.

50 students stood as candidates in the March elections and 21 students were elected, by 3700 students into full and part time positions. This is one of the highest voter turnouts of any students’ union election in the UK.

3,700 students voted in Kent Union’s main march elections

2 student trustees will be selected

to ensure a representative

board


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case Study # 3Sarah Grantham won a National Higher Education Student Volunteering Award for her commitment to volunteering. Sarah worked with children in a number of different settings including being a Guide Leader for Girlguiding UK, taking a placement as an activity leader for Over the Wall, a summer camp for children with serious and terminal illnesses and for her work as President of Kent Union’s Stage Spiders volunteering group; a student-led volunteering group which offers drama sessions for young children in nurseries, primary schools and youth groups.

Sarah feels that the experience she has gained through this varied volunteer work has cemented her intentions of becoming a teacher and the sklls that she has developed through various placements will allow her to stand out from other candidates when she begins to apply for teaching roles.

“ I plan to use theatre company knowledge I have gained from volunteering through Kent Union to apply a new dimension to teaching as well as running drama clubs within the school where I work”

Developing skills & employabilityWhilst a degree can give students a head start in their career, applicants that have developed further skills are more likely to get the job they want.

Volunteering

Kent Union offers various volunteering placements on campus and across kent. Across the past year, students have volunteered in schools, prisons, hospices, charity shops, animal shelters and one-off projects such as campus clean up and helping new students settle in during welcome week.

Our students undertook 36,000 hours of voluntary activity in the community in 2009/10 which equates to £177,126 of work carried out by students in their spare time (costed at the national minumum wage).

Over 300 students received a Kent Student Certificate in Volunteering (KSCV). 99 of these certificates were for students who carried out over 100 hours of volunteering.

Five students completed the KSCV platinum module which counts towards their degree and involves undertaking five different volunteering activities. The students are required to demonstrate what they have gained from each placement.

One student received a National HIgher Education Student Volunteering Award for outstanding commitment to volunteering.

Students carried out 36,000 hours of volunteering through Kent Union

Jobshop

jobshop@kent helps students f ind part time or temporary employment whilst they study on campus and in Canterbury, Medway and the surrounding areas.

Over 2,800 students found part time employment through jobshop@kent in areas such as catering, administration, promotion, retail and healthcare.

Over 150 students were employed as temporary workers, filling various roles within the University and across Canterbury.

The translation service offered by jobshop@kent proved popular with local companies who can make use of the diverse background of students at the University of Kent.

Kent Union employed over 400 students across 2009/10 all of whom found vacancies through jobshop.

case Study #2David Rodrigues - Postgraduate Student in Social Policy - found a part-time job through Jobshop as an administrative assistant within the School of Social Policy at the University of Kent. His main roles were as a receptionist within the school reception desk but during his time within the role he was asked to carry out a number of tasks including database administration. David says ‘I learnt a lot in a short space of time whilst making lots of friends and improving my CV. I would recommend the jobshop to all students who wish to earn some extra money and get the experience needed to colour their CV’

2,800 students found part time employment through Jobshop


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the Venue

The Venue plays an important part in the social lives of University of Kent students, providing a safe environment in which to relax and unwind from the pressures of studying, meet new friends and catch up with old ones.

The Venue provided students with the chance to see a number of top acts on their doorstep such as Chase and Status, Good Shoes, Zane Lowe, Sub Focus, and Nick Grimshaw. The Venue also regularly offers students weird and wonderful experiences such as the silent disco, oxygen bar, surf machine, C02 blasts and UV parties.

Students made 104,648 visits to The Venue across the year - over 10,000 of these visits were made during Welcome Week when students often make the friends they keep for life.

Kent Union secured £700,000 in funding from the University of Kent to refurbish The Venue during Summer 2010. Students at Kent are crying out for a live music venue so, over Summer 2010, Kent Union transformed The Venue into 2 outlets - a traditional nightclub and a live music venue with a purpose built stage and top of the range sound and lighting equipment.

SummerBall 2010

This year’s SummerBall sold out over a week before and top acts, Florence & the Machine, Feeder and Tinie Tempah plus local and residents DJs and bands played to 5000 well dressed and excited students. Alongside the acts were fairground rides and stalls, a range of food carts, professional photographers, video booths and a giant scaletrix!

5000 students enjoyed what is undoubtedly the biggest event on the Kent calendar and also one of the 5 biggest student events in the UK.

Feedback from those who came said they thoroughly enjoyed the event and those who weren’t able to get a ticket said they would be most definitely buying one early next year so they could say goodbye to their friends in style.

EnjoymentKent Union licensed trade outlets not only generate funds from which membership services are provided, but play an important part in ensuring that our members have a fantastic student experience at Kent.

Woodys &Rutherford Bar

Woodys, situated in Parkwood, is the ‘home from home’ for University of Kent sports teams and fans who regularly visit the bar to watch a game of their favourite sports and enjoy a traditional pub lunch at great prices. Woodys is also home to local live music and performances from bands, DJs and comedians.

Rutherford Bar has begun to find its place in the daily life of students as a fantastic space for lunch and study - not to mention excellent evening entertainment such as Rock & Roll Bingo and the increasingly popular ‘RUSH’ electro dance night.

Rutherford Bar was awarded the Best Bar None Gold Award for its commitment to the safety and welfare of students demonstrated by its operating procedures.

Woodys &Rutherford Bar

Kent Union’s bars employ over 75 students who have the opportunity to become supervisors and licensees.

Our bars listen to feedback from students and make changes to entertainments, menus, prices and atmosphere to ensure that our members have places where they can enjoy a relaxing time, whilst making friends.


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a Sustainable organisationKFinancial stability is key to ensuring Kent Union’s long-term success. A number of our outlets offer important and convenient service for students, but also generate much needed income streams which allow us to continue to provide a full range of services to our members.

Retail

Kent Union retail outlets provide students with everything from breakfast baguettes to late night snacks, from stationery to clothing and everything in between.

Essentials, Extras, Parkwood Essentials and Unique listen to requests from students as to what they would like to see stocked and product ranges are changed accordingly.

This past year saw the introduction of a Meal Deal after requests from members for a cheaper lunchtime option. The range of fruit and veg in Essentials has been expanded to reflect the requirements of customers and more local, fairtrade and organic produce is now available.

the Oaks Day Nursery

The Oaks Day Nursery cared for approximately 95 children from babies to school age.

The nursery was successful in achieving its own Investors in People accreditation for its commitment to professional and personal development of its staff. The Nursery also continued to develop on its ‘good’ status from Ofsted.

the Library cafe

The Library Cafe provides students with hot drinks, lunch and snacks throughout the day, into the evening and, where possible, until the early hours whilst students study hard for exams.

The Library cafe improved the range of locally sourced sandwiches, giving students and staff more choice. We also introduced a range of syrups for hot drinks to add more variety to our range.

Essentials introduced a £2.99 lunchtime meal deal after requests from customers for a cheaper lunchtime option


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at medwayThe Universities at Medway Students’ Association represents and provides services for students from Canterbury Christ Church University, Greenwich University and University of Kent.

Universities at medway Students’ association

The Universities at Medway Students’ Association (UMSA) was created in 2005 to represent and provide services for students studying at Medway from all three Universities - Greenwich, Christ Church and Kent.

UMSA is managed by Kent Union with guidance from Christ Church and Greenwich students’ unions.

Across 2009/10, UMSA was extremely successful in improving and developing activities for students. Over 885 students took part in 26 societies, and 262 students subscribed to 17 sports clubs. The newly created student magazine - UMM - published 4 editions across the year and RAG raised £1800 for local charities.

Mens Rugby and Womens Netball won the league and Mens Rugby also went on to play in the semi-final at the BUCS cup. UMSA also once again hosted the annual boat race which included all three institutions for the first time in 4 years and also saw the first three-way ladies race.

SatisfactionKent Union conducts a twice yearly satisfaction survey in November and May which aims to discover how our members feel about services offered and any changes they feel we should be making.

40

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May-10Nov-09May-09Nov-08May-08Nov-07May-07Nov-06May-06Nov-05

OverallSatisfaction

80.5% of students were satisfied or very satisfied with Kent Union in

2009/10

1,503 students completed the May 2010 survey, the highest response ever received by Kent Union.

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Our staffKent Union believes that happy employees means a more productive workforce and greater benefits for members. With this is mind, we offer staff the flexibility to work in a way they feel most beneficial and offer the opportunity for constant professional and personal development

Human Resources

Kent Union employs over 500 staff made up from 120 career staff and over 350 student staff. We believe that a fun, flexible, friendly and professional environment increases productivity through more satisfied employees.

Kent Union invested over £130,000 in training and development costs during 2009/10 to equip staff with the skills and knowledge they need to achieve the Union’s Vision and deliver its Mission. This included ensuring that all student supervisors carried out a Level 3 qualification in Management.

Kent Union carried out 2 satisfaction surveys across the year which were completed by nearly 200 staff.

Human Resources

98% of staff agreed that Kent Union is a successful oranisation. 88.9% of staff agreed that Kent Union look after its staff well.

Kent Union received Investor in People Bronze status and is working towards Gold status across the coming year.

Kent Union achieved ‘Two Star Status’ from the Best Companies accrediation scheme. This acreditation is given to organisations that demonstrate high levels of employee engagement.

Kent Union was place 21st in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list. This is a significant rise from last year’s ranking of 80 and demonstrats Kent Union’s complete commitment to workplace engagement.

Kent Union was placed 21st in the Sunday times 100 Best companies to Work For list 2010

We invested £130,000 in training and development of our staff


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Financial impactKent Union had a creditable financial performance in very challenging circumstances generating a £25,000 surplus and achieving a level 1 assurance from the University external audit

£800,000 into students pockets by working for Kent Union.

Kent Union made a surplus of £25,000 in 2009/10

Financial perfomance

The Union made a surplus of £25,000 for the period ending 31st July 2010. Total revenues for the period were £8,921,000, compared with total revenues of £8,414,000 in 2008/2009, an increase of £507,000 (6.0%). Commercial services revenues increased by £419,000 (6.1%) to £7,223,000. This demonstrates a continuing strong performance in a challenging environment and against a backdrop of declining commercial revenues in many students’ unions.

Financial perfomance

During the financial year 2009/10, Kent Union spent the following amounts on charitable activities:

£656,000 on representation of • its members to ensure the best experience possible.

Over £505,000 on sports clubs • and societies to allow students to develop skills and enjoy their time at University.

£388,000 on advice and welfare • services to support students and keep them safe throughout their studies.

£148,000 on increasing the • employability of students through volunteering and community services.

The financial impact on our members:

£713,000 was paid to almost 400 • students working in Kent Union outlets.

A further £86,000 was paid to • students working as temps for jobshop@kent.

We supported the local economy • by purchasing goods and services totalling approximately £3/4million from Kent based suppliers in the last financial year.

Kent Union, Mandela Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NW

kent union impact report 2009 - 2010

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