thegumqueen's diary

Okay, I'm not talking fraud or anything like that.  I'm talking about that little part of it that we like to call 'getting involved'!

Last year I decided to explore what else the SU has to offer me other than a place to drink Snakebite, and boy was I surprised!  We have around 100 clubs and societies here, which I think a lot of people are aware of (if you've seen a freshers fayre).  But there's so much more going on than that.  Just go into the Sabbaticals office (next to the Union, behind Via Lattea) and you'll see a hive of activity with people chatting about campaigning, volunteering, free training courses (which those less fortunate non-students have to pay a lot of money for), fun activities to raise money for charity (yes, we're talking RAG here guys), academic course issues, journalism and general student banter (to name just a few!!!!).

I was overwhelmed by it all, especially to realise that all of these things came about because it's the students that make these things happen.  I was inspired, to say the least.  So what did I do?  I got in on anything and everything that took my fancy to enhance my 'student experience'.  That's why I'm here, isn't it?  It's not just about getting a bit of paper that says 'yes, Sarah can write five thousand words on the subject of native English badgers' (which I might be able to do, except that I'm on a business degree).

A few months down the line and I'm at it again, trying to get students to realise what their Union has to offer.  And lo, what is this?  An offer to meet students from other Universities and find out how I'm going to get more people excited about the Union?  Hell yeah!  So they sent me off in my little car with Ben Norman to Worthing for the NUS' Activists Academy (which sounded a little scary by the title - I don't want to be an activist, I just want students to enjoy themselves and have as much fun as me).  It was an eye opener.  I'm not entirely sure what I expected, but 2 days later, I have come back from meeting a load of great students and Sabbs from across the south of England, who are just like me - they want to show others what University is REALLY all about.

I've rambled on for a while already, so I won't go on about everything I learnt except this... you people reading this are obviously already taking an interest in your Union on some scale (or else why have you clicked on my blog), so get out and talk to your friends and your course mates, and find out what they like and dislike about their University and their Union.  Get them to understand that if there's something they don't like, they CAN do something about it: if the issue is widely felt by others then why don't we CHANGE it?!