the union guide 25-26 Page 1
portsmouth We’re your Elected Officers, and we’re here to make sure your time at university is the best it can be. Starting university is exciting - but it’s totally normal to feel a little nervous too. Don’t worry, The Union is here to support you every step of the way! You’re already a member! Just by being a student here, you’re automatically a member of The Union (also called the SU, UPSU, or just The Union). That means you’ve got access to a whole range of opportunities from day one! What you get as a member • Access to student groups and societies • Come to Freshers’ Fayre and student events all year round • Access free, academic advice and support • Build confidence and take on leadership roles • Develop new skills and gain experience outside the classroom • Access to student only spaces, jobs and opportunities • Find your community and meet your people We’re a charity and everything we do is about putting students first. Because we’re independent from the University, we can be their biggest supporter and their toughest critic - always making sure your voice is heard. Think of The Union as your home at uni. Whether you want to: • Make new friends • Boost your skills for life and work • Try new things and discover talents • Shape your uni experience • Or just have someone to listen... We’ve got you. We can’t wait to welcome you to everything The Union, the University, and Portsmouth have to offer! Page 2 the union guide 25-26
elected officers Every year, the student body (that’s you!) votes in a team of Elected Officers. They work with The Union to ensure that there are opportunities that represent every student studying at the University of Portsmouth. Their goal is to create an inclusive, enriching, life-changing experience. Simbarashe Dube (He/ him) | Inclusion Officer simbarashe.dube@upsu.net Blessing Okafor (She / her) | Education Officer blessing.okafor@upsu.net Verity Knight (She/ her) | Welfare Officer verity.knight@upsu.net Charday Stone (He/ him) | Opportunities Officer charday.stone@upsu.net Scan for more info on your Elected Officers the union guide 25-26 Page 3
elections It might sound obvious, but our Elected Officers are elected - by students, for students. As a democratic membership organisation, we run elections every year to ensure our members (that’s you!) get a say on who should represent them for the following academic year. That’s how our Elected Officers got into position - students voted for them and their ideas, and now they get to run your students’ union and advocate for change. We’ll start talking about Elections soon, and you can start thinking about how you want to get involved. Did you know: You can take a placement year to be an Elected Officer! It’s a great opportunity to boost your CV and gain experience. If you want to find out more, email representation@upsu.net. student council Student Council is a group of students that are passionate about different areas of the student experience and get together to discuss how The Union should best use its resources to campaign on behalf of students. Our council is made up of our 4 Elected Officers, and 15 other students that care about aspects of your experience like your academic interests, groups and societies, sports, and participation from underrepresented groups. This is run by our Chair of Council, an appointed position that looks after our highest student policy generator. If you want to learn more about Council, or if you want to see our vacant positions, scan the QR code. Page 4 the union guide 25-26
Have Your Say (HYS for short) is like change.org but for University of Portsmouth students. You tell us your ideas and if 15 students agree that The Union should take this forward, it gets discussed at Student Council and may become Union policy moving forwards. To learn more and submit your ideas, scan the QR code. Student Reps Have Your Say Student Reps are your go-to people for making sure your thoughts on your course, school, and faculty are heard loud and clear. Reps are trained to listen and make things better by advocating for your academic interests. Find out more or become a rep yourself by scanning the QR code. Star Tool The StAR Tool is designed with you in mind, providing a structured way to communicate what is working well, what may need improvement, and what should be continued. We strongly encourage you to use it, as it offers one of the most effective methods for giving and receiving academic feedback. Student Reps The Union Insights Team routinely gathers feedback from our members, primarily through surveys and focus groups. The main surveys we use are our Hot Topic (a short monthly survey asking a handful of questions on key topics), and our Annual Survey (The Union’s biggest survey of the year). the union guide 25-26 Page 5
the union guide 25-26
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sports An a-z guide We pride ourselves on having a diverse range of over 130 student-led groups and societies. We have both free and paid options, and each club and society hosts a range of events and welcome meetings to help you decide how you want to spend your time as a UoP student. academic societies • • • • • • • • • • • • Animation Society Biological Sciences Society Biomedical Sciences Society Commercial Awareness and Professional Skills Debate Society Dental Society Film Production Society Internal Medicine & Primary Care Society IT Society Law Society Maths Society Music Society • • • • • • • • • • • • Nursing Society Palaeontology Society Paramedic Society Pathway to Medicine Society PGR (Postgraduate Research) Society Pharmacy Society Physics Society Politics Society PortsxKings (Medical) Society Psychiatry Society Surgical Society University of Portsmouth Drone Team • • • • Women in Law Society Women in Medicine Society Women in STEM Society XR Society Equestrian Club Fencing Club Football Club - Mens Football Club - Womens Futsal Club Golf Club Gymnastics & Trampolining Handbal Hockey Club Netball Club Polo Club Rowing Club • • • • • • • • • • • Rugby Club - Mens Rugby Club - Womens Sailing Club Ski & Snowboard Club Softball Club Squash Club Swimming Club Table Tennis Taekwondo & Karate Tennis Club Ultimate Frisbee Club uop sports • • • • • • • • • • • • American Football Archery Club Athletics Club Badminton Club Basketball Club Boxing Club Cheerleading Climbing Club Cricket Club (UPCC) Cycling Club Dance Club Dodgeball Club Page 8 • • • • • • • • • • • • the union guide 25-26 Correct at time of printing. Please note societies can be subject to change.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Afro-Fusion Dance Society Airsoft Society (UPAIR) All Sober Socials American Flag Football Anime Society Art & Design Collective Aviation Society Baking Society Basic Self Defence Beer Pong Society Beyblade Society Board Games Society Bodybuilding Society Book Club Calisthenics Society Chess Society Cocktail & Mocktail Society Comedy Society Construction Society Cosplay Society Cuban Salsa Society Darts Society Enactus Portsmouth ESports Society Fashion Nation Society Formula Student Society • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Gaming Society Gospel Choir Society Hawaiian Shirt Society Illustration Society Indie Music Society Kayak Club Kink Society LGBT+ Society Linux User Group (UPLUG) London Campus Students Marxist Students Mature Students Society Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Medics Badminton (Shuttle Docs) Miniature Wargaming Mixed Martial Arts Society Model United Nations Musical Production Society Nerdvana Pole Dancing Club Pool Society Portsmouth Walking Society Powerlifting Society Pure FM • • • • • • • Purple Lantern Society Reenactment Society Rhythm & Flow Society Roblox Society Rock Society Roleplaying & Tabletop Gaming Society Rounders Run Club Scuba Society (UPSAC) Socialist Workers Student Society Spyglass Magazine Street Skating Society Student Action for Refugees (STAR) Student Scout & Guide Organisation Society Surfing Club (Pompey Surf) Swifties Society University of Portsmouth Motorsport Vegan Society • • • • • • • • • • • Jewish Society (JSOC) Kharis on Campus K-Pop Society Malaysian Society Mercylife Campus Ministry Nepalese Society Nigerian Society Pakistani Society PENSA Spanish Society Tamil Society • • • • • • • • • • • CULTURAL & FAITH SOCIETIES • • • • • • • • • • Afro-Caribbean Society Ahlulbayt Society Albanian Group Arab Society Balkan Nation Society Baltic Society Bangla Society Believers Loveworld Catholic Society Chinese Students & Scholars Association • Christian Union • Czech & Slovak Group • • • • • • • • • East African Society FIlipino Society First Love Society Francophone Society Ghanaian Group Greek & Cypriot Society Hindu Society Indian Society International Fellowship of Christian Students Society (IFCS) • International Society • Islamic Society (ISOC) Scan for all Groups Don’t see something that interests you? Adopt an old group, or set up your own! You can find a list of groups up for adoption at upsu.net/inactive-groups. All you need is two other people to take on the core committee roles with you. You can then book a meeting with the Groups Team to set up your group. Correct at time of printing. Please note societies can be subject to change. the union guide 25-26 Page 9
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