Friday 10-06-2022 - 13:03

Somehow it’s the end of another academic year and the summer break is just around this corner! 

Against a backdrop of constant change and fresh challenges, we’ve been fighting for you and making sure your voice has been heard where it matters. We’re super excited by what we’ve achieved this year and the changes we’ve made for Bristol students.  

SEPTEMBER 

We brought you our biggest Welcome ever with more sold-out events than ever before and a massive two-day Welcome Fair.  

Over 1000 plants were potted, we held two massive club nights in our own Anson Rooms venue and more than 16000 of you attended the Welcome Fair.  

We also opened our highly anticipated new bar, the Beckford, serving up an array of alcoholic, hot and soft drinks for your delectation in Senate House. The bar was named after the iconic Carmen Beckford, one of the founders of St Paul's Carnival and Bristol’s first Race Relations Officer.  

 

OCTOBER 

Following an increase in reports of drink spiking incidents nationally, the SU Officer team worked hard to make Bristol nights out safer for everyone. This work included supporting the ‘Girls Night In Bristol’ boycott of local clubs, meeting with key local stakeholders and ensuring that staff at university bars were trained in and making use of the Ask Angela scheme. 

October also saw the launch of the SU’s No Means No research report, which summarised data gathered from an online survey on the topic of consent culture and sexual harassment at the University of Bristol. The survey was completed by 885 students and a series of recommendations were outlined in the report for Bristol SU and the University of Bristol to work towards. 

Research continues into the topics of consent education and the role of student societies and sports clubs in preventing sexual misconduct. 

 

NOVEMBER 

At the beginning of November, COP26 dominated the headlines and crept into the collective consciousness.  

We sent a delegation of over 30 students up to Glasgow for the conference, thanks to funds from Bristol Alumni and Friends. For students staying in Bristol, we hosted a series of events, including our third People’s Assembly and supported local climate strikes.  

We also opened our Zero Waste Shop! Which opened in the Richmond Building and provides students with an eco-friendly buying experience at affordable prices. The shop will remain open for a trial period, with the hopes of becoming a permanent fixture. 

A major win took shape in the form of the University’s decision to change the delayed graduation ceremony location from Ashton Gate Stadium back to the Wills Memorial Building, a decision which our officer team campaigned hard for. 

The month ended with the opening of the brand-new SU Living Room Extension, located on the 4th floor of Senate House.  

 

DECEMBER 

Industrial action took place at the beginning of December, which the SU supported, and we worked at speed to provide information and support for students.

This included a dedicated webpage, meetings with key stakeholders and working to resolve the ongoing disputes to  minimise the impact of strike action on your educational experience.  

 

JANUARY 

We entered the new year by launching Refreshers and encouraging students to try something new in 2022!

It was fantastic to see you all back on campus for the Commercial Refreshers Fair, our Give it a Go takeover day and a whole host of fun events. There was something for everyone, with plant potting, karaoke, game nights, guided tours of the city and more! 

 

FEBRUARY 

In February we celebrated and commemorated LGBT+ History Month.

We teamed up with our LGBTQ+ Society and Trans Student’s Network to bring you a series of events, including arts and crafts, information stalls, quiz nights and sports sessions. Alongside this ran the Rainbow Laces campaign, which aimed to highlight LGBT+ individuals and allyship in sporting communities.

We also continued to support ongoing UCU Industrial Action, our officer team released a statement on anti-marketisation and attended the NUS ‘Walk Out /Teach In’ student strike protests in London.
 

MARCH 

In March, we held our second ever digital-only elections! After three days, over 38,000 votes and 3,995 voters, your new 2022/23 officer team were elected. The full list of winners, including your new officer team, can be found here.

We also ran our ‘Dare to Care’ campaign, which aimed to break down the stigma and difficulties surrounding conversations on suicide in the University community. To make this happen we teamed up with the Zero Suicide Alliance to provide students and staff with access to free, 20-minute, suicide prevention training.
 

APRIL 

For the second time ever, we declared a Climate Emergency Day of Action at the end of April.

Students and staff attended a day packed full of events, workshops, activities and speakers. Highlights included a mass ‘plogging’ event and attendance by special guests BBC journalist Tom Heap and Carla Denyer, Co-leader of the Green Party. 

 

MAY 

In May we held a Sanctuary Scholars Emergency Fundraiser. 

Sanctuary Scholars are students from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds who have scholarships to study at the University of Bristol. After the Home Office issued a devastating Study Ban on a final year Scholar, the Sanctuary Scholars Legal Aid Fund was able to support them with the huge legal costs associated and the Study Ban was lifted.

If you would like to support the Scholar with the ongoing legal costs associated with their case, you can make a donation via the Sanctuary Scholars Legal Fund webpage. 

 

JUNE

Bristol SU Awards Season finally returned, in person, for all 3 ceremonies!

The Bristol SU Sports Awards, Society Awards and Student Voice Awards ceremonies took place on Wednesday 8, Thursday 9 and Friday 10 June.
After three nights of fun and festivities, we announced the full list of winners on our website.

 

SUMMER 

Bristol is a super fun place to be in the summer!   

With life returning to the ‘new normal’, after the restrictions of the past two years, we thought we’d give you a rundown of everything Bristol has to offer by creating an (officer approved!) essential guide to summer in Bristol. 

To find out more, visit our Summer Guide to Bristol webpage.

 

It’s been a challenging academic year and we want to thank our officers, reps, and everyone who supported our student campaigns and events.  

We hope you enjoyed our round-up of the year, wish you a fun filled summer and look forward to seeing you in September 2022!