Finance Officer

Highlights

2008-06-16T11:49:00.002+01:00

Well the new officers start today, which means it's time to hand-over projects and start to say goodbye, and as a result this will be my last blog of the year.

Working as a Union Officer is a fantastic experience and I will leave with many fond memories of this year.

Hosting the Exchange event with David Blunkett was probably my highlight of the year. You can listen to the audio at http://www.shef.ac.uk/union/student-voice/theexchange/pastdates.php.

Other highlights include:
- the new education policy getting voted in alongside the first set of officer elections, as I believe it will help us make a real difference for students in the debate on University funding that will accompany the government's review
- winning silver in this year's Sound Impact Awards (an environmental accrediation scheme for Students' Unions) and almost doubling our score. Major thanks for this have to go to staff in the facilities department.
- going to look at potential designs for our new visual identity at Human Design. The new visual identity, when it is finally rolled-out, should be really helpful in more effectively communicating to our members what we are about as an organisation.

Working with staff day-to-day has been a pleasure. As I have said before, however, the Union is built on the enthusiasm and energy of students. It is student-led, with plenty of opportunities for people to get involved through Students Union Council, committees and officer positions. This Union will keep innovating and making a real difference to the experience of students at the University of Sheffield as long as students keep getting involved.

Cheers,
Pete

Student Politics

2008-05-21T17:14:00.009+01:00

Student politics is an interesting world.

It has a lot of good, with people wanting to represent students and do the best for them.

It also has a lot of bad.

And since my last blog was very positive, I'm now going to concentrate on some of the negatives.

People want to think the best of others and that's a good principle to have. However, this can also lead to a lot of naivety to the true intentions. You have groups who are particularly good at taking the moral high ground on issues when their arguments are essentially all front. For one example, the Student Broad Left last year opposed porposed changes to the structure of Students' Union Council and Union committees, saying the changes were anti-democratic. However, the real reason they opposed the changes was that they had worked out how to manipulate Council as it was then, and they feared a change in the system would reduce their influence.

To be clear, I'm not saying that everyone who opposed those changes did so for this reason, but I'm in no doubt that some people did.

This is just one example. There are plenty more, particularly when it comes to NUS.

A related problem is that politics has almost become a dirty word amongst students. This means that it is almost frowned upon to mention the political motivations behind certain actions. The groups who are well aware of what is really going on are often on the far-left and don't represent the views of the majority of students. They are therefore able to manipulate situations for the benefit of their political grouping.

I don't have a problem with revolutionary socialists organising (whether their model is the Bolshevik Revolution or the Bolivarian Revolution or something else). The issue I have is that a lot of students see politics as the problem. In other words, the view is that if we had a bit less politics, then we would concentrate on the issues students care about.

However, student issues are political and it is not politics that is the problem, it is the wrong kind of politics. Being unengaged does not make politics go away, it just means that people are often naive and easily manipulated.

This obviously comes from my perspective, which is that I don't believe a Union pushing for a socialist revolution serves the interests of students well. When we say we speak for students whilst putting forward views that are grossly divergent from those of the majority of our members, we will be ignored by decision-makers.

I recognise that those on the far-left believe that students problems are all caused, at base, by capitalism and the overthrow of capitalism is the only way to address these issues. I'm not saying that the intentions of the far-left are wrong. Moreover, I commend the honesty of those who are part of a political faction who stand up and say that. However, I do disagree with the direction they think the Union should take.

I think the democratic systems we have as a Union are strong, but there is always room for improvement. I think we need to find a way of making sure the politics is out in the open (or at least the intentions behind actions), without putting those who are not politically engaged off from getting involved.

I don't know exactly how this can be achieved, but then I'm leaving soon, so it will be up to others to solve the problem!

Cheers,
Pete

Sheffield Students' Union - Amazing

2008-05-16T16:03:00.002+01:00

It's been a bit of a marathon week with the last three evenings taken up with the Activities Awards, Sports Awards and the 'University, is it worth it?' debate respectively.

These events have been an excellent reminder of what this Union is about - the energy and enthusiasm of students.

Award ceremonies only work when people care about the awards, and at the activities and sports awards it was abundantly clear that people care about activities and sport here. This manifests itself in people giving up hours of their time for the benefit of others. Student volunteering isn't just about projects with the local community, it's also about the people who type up the minutes of their committees or who put time and effort into putting on the best possible event. This is what makes this Union what it is.

The 'University, is it worth it?' debate highlighted a different side to the Union, the more political and representative side. Nonetheless students were there in good numbers, making points to the various stakeholders on the panel. This is in a context of people saying that students are apathetic and don't care about politics. It is our job as a Union to put the interests of student front and centre when the government reviews funding arrangements for Universities and it was excellent to see last night large numbers of students who buy into that project and who buy into the notion that the interests of students should be heard. This is also what makes the Union what it is.

This organisation is an amazing place to work for a whole variety of reasons, but one of the most foremost reasons is the privillege to work for an organisation which has so many people contributing to its success. We want students to fully appreciate their membership of the Union and we need to work on this, but whether acknowledged or not, the Union is what it is because of its members and that is a glowing tribute to the students of this University.

City Council Elections - Vote!

2008-04-29T09:01:00.005+01:00

Thursday is council elections day all round the country.

The most high-profile election is for London Mayor, but there are many important elections in Sheffield.

Currently no party has overall control of the council, with Labour and Lib Dems holding 39 seats each, and therefore each vote is very important in shaping the political landscape of the city.

Make sure the views of students are represented on Thursday and get out and vote. (and when you do, vote Labour).

If you want more information then check out http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/elections/local-elections-2008.

Demographics

2008-04-15T11:31:00.002+01:00

One of the inadequacies of the current officer structure is that responsibility for mature student representation does not sit in any officer role, but is allocated at the beginning of the year. This year it fell to me.

Generally I haven't pushed the issue as much as it should be pushed but last week there was a forum for mature students to come and share their concerns about the union and the university. It was a mixed success but I did have a good conversation with several people including Nelson, who is the mature students rep on Union Council. The man is an inspiration.

As well as his full-time law degree he also works full-time hours at the post office, is in training to become a driving instructor, is a husband and father and he still has put time into coming to Students Union Council meetings. He told me he had got up at 3am the previous two nights so that he could do his coursework. Now that is dedication.

The demographics of university are changing, with more local students, mature students, postgraduate students and international students. This presents challenges to students' unions in terms of engaging this broader membership and we should look at this carefully to make sure our democratic structures, activities and commercial services all cater for the needs of a diverse group of students and that we are acting in the interests of all student groups when representing the needs of students to the university and to other bodies. Whilst it is a challenge it is also really positive, however, because the different views and life experiences that come as a result really enrich the university community.

Buenos Días

2008-04-15T09:11:00.003+01:00

Hola, buenos días.

That's what I've learnt from the 'Conversational Spanish' book I just got free, along with a Divine chocolate bar, with the Independent. I love it when the newspapers turn up to promote themselves.

Voting starts this morning and it is an exciting opportunity to have your say on who should run the Union next year. I think a lot of the races are going to be fairly tight and there are some really good candidates so make sure you get out and vote.

The Exchange Anthony Giddens speech this evening is now sold out, which suggests that it is not just me who thinks this will be a really interesting event. The podcast should be online soon though for those who haven't got a ticket. Look out for the debate we've got in a month's time on how University should be funded, with a really strong panel of people with real influence in the area.

Finally, a quick plug for the International Cultural Evening this Saturday. This is the main showcase event for the national societies with a lot of them performing on stage. A huge ammount of effort goes into the event and it is a brilliant spectacle and a great celebration of the diverse cultures we have at the university. If you're a home student with no real involvement with international events then this is a perfect opportunity to see a different part of what Sheffield Students' Union's about.

Adiós.

The Exchange

2008-03-07T08:35:00.002Z

One exciting project that I've been working on this year is getting more high-profile speakers in to the Union to address a range of issues. The idea is to try engage a borader range of people in current affairs and put Sheffield Students' Union more on the map in terms of events like this. Oxford Union doesn't struggle to get the big names in because they have an established culture of it. That culture is something I want to see established in Sheffield.

I blogged about it in October but it is now coming together in the form of 'the Exchange'. You can see all the details at www.sheffieldunion.com/theexchange

Tickets are going fast for the events next week though, so if you want to get involved get yourself down to the box office quickly!

Cheers,
Pete

Process and outcome

2007-12-21T09:50:00.000Z

Once again I'm going to offer a less than startling revelation: the way that decisions are made affects the decision taken. In other words, process shapes outcome.

Both process and outcome are important in and of themselves. The way they relate is also important.

To call something democratic is to say that 'the people' had power over the decision. However this concept can translate into practice in so many different ways. The very essence of the concept of democracy is contested. The democratic model employed will therefore affect the decisions taken, but because no one wants to stand up and say they are against democracy, debate about changing process is a democratic organisation, such as a Sutdents' Union, becomes about who can succesfully capture the term democracy. This can be clearly seen from recent proposals to significantly alter the way NUS operates.

Being a Union officer is obviously about making decisions, and therefore there are numerous proceses to put in place to make sure decisions are taken in an appropraite way.

For my post budgeting is a big one. Part of budgeting is proposing budgets for student committees and various processes have been employed to do this in the past. If you're part of a committee and you have feelings on how this can be done to effectively suit you then please be in touch. The process starts from the new year.

Maybe that was a little bit self-indulgent for a blog on the last work day before Christmas, but I'll end by wishing you a Merry Christmas and a good holiday. Hope revision goes well if that's what you'll be doing (that's one thing about studying I don't miss!).

Cheers,
Pete

Commercial Services

2007-12-07T18:09:00.000Z

One of my main responsibilities is overseeing the Union's commercial services and making sure student interests are served by these. Our commercial services have changed and evolved hugely over time and are, in the main, very succesful. The launch of New Leaf and Fusion Bar and Grill (check out their impressive Christmas menu) have been well received this year and people don't seem to miss the sandwich shop much, prefering the light that has been opened up by removing it.

The commerical services serve two purposes for the Union:

- Firstly, they are valuable in and of themselves, as it is good for our members to have great places to go and eat lunch, have a pint, buy a magazine or whatever. Moreover, the fact that the Union is led by students (through officers and SUC) means that we are able to keep in touch with what students want to a greater degree than competitors.

- Secondly the profit made at the outlets is reinvested to pay for other services to members. These include things like the student advice centre and committee budgets.

It is important not to sit back and be content, however, as there are always ways to improve.

It's always great to hear ideas from other people. If you have any ideas about what the Union should be doing, however whacky, send me an email. I certainly can't promise to take them up but we could do and it helps it terms of thinking out of the box and being in touch with what our members want. Alternatively come along to Commercial Services Committee, which discusses these issues. If you email me, I'll let you know when the next meeting is.

Pete.Johnston@shef.ac.uk.

Cheers,
Pete

Insight

2007-11-30T10:22:00.000Z

Thanks for the comment on the last blog pointing out how it wasn't very insightful. Unfortunately I'm not sure I have anything particularly insightful to offer this week either.

I'm looking forward to Christmas. Usually I'm not in the Christmas mood till a lot later but decorations are soon going to be up round the Union and details will be released of some of the exciting things that are happening here to help you celebrate Christmas. It will include the traditional twelve days of Christmas and there should hopefully be a Christmas market organised by CSC on the concourse.

It's going to be great.

Pete

Opportunity Cost

2007-11-23T17:36:00.000Z

My big realisation of the moment is that there's a cost in a foregone opportunity for every action you take or don't take.

To put it another way, resources (whether money, time, energy or whatever) are always limited and therefore you have to decide how you prioritise things. You may have a hundred good ideas but if you only have the resources to implement ten of them then ninety good ideas are going to have to fall by the wayside. This clearly is not a startling discovery, but in some ways it is hard to put into practice because you need to see the big picture and the opportunity costs before you can.

In this organisation we have a diverse membership with a variety of different perspectives and priorities which is a large part of what gives the Union its vibrancy and relevancy. These cannot, however, all be incorporated into the priorities the Union takes on and the role of student leaders is partly in taking decisions on what gets prioritised.

It is therefore important to have people in position to do this, which is why I'm glad that we have by-election nominations to cover all the vacant positions on Students' Union Council. The student officers and students' union councillors are the people that take the decisions in the Union and if you don't like what's happening then come and speak to one of the officers or let your councillor know. Nevertheless, part of the art of this job is learning to say no.

Standing

2007-11-16T11:30:00.000Z

Evening,

Another week flown by. We're now through week 7 of term. It's getting to the time as an officer when objectives for the year really have to start being delivered as we're over a third of the way through our tenure as leaders of the organisation.

Once we get to the other side of Christmas the talk will be of who our successors are going to be. If anyone is thinking of standing for an officer position I would thoroughly encourage them to do so. It's a enjoyable job where you can make a lot of difference on a huge range of issues.

Congratulations to Matthew Wilson who correctly identified the song in ther previous post as 'undivided love' by Louise. The lollipop's still on offer if you get back in touch.

Inner workings

2007-11-09T10:12:00.000Z

As a nineties pop song says: 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone/it's easy to forget the beauty in someone'. This can be true of machines as well as people. Our reliance on technology is fairly hefty as was evidenced to me when power went out at the Union last night. I'm currently in the IC as the fire alarms haven't been sorted out yet in the Union building.

However, technology isn't the only thing we sometimes take for granted. For example, when I put paper in the recycling bin in the sabb offices it's easy not to think about the person who has to come and take away what I've discarded.

I spent a morning with the Union porters yesterday and part of the job was collecting things left in recycle bins and then sorting it ready for pick up. I met the two yard assistants that the Union employs to go through all the bottles collected in the bottle banks in Bar One and take out all the plastic they find so the glass will be ready for collection by the recycling company.

The porters showed me a lot of other stuff too, but I'm just highlighting the recycling aspect as it is easy to have all the will towards better recycling facilities without having to consider the logistics of sorting it out. Not that I'm discouraging people having a will towards recycling, I'm just encouraging people to realise there's a lot going on behind the scenes to make it possible.

Till next week, when I'll hopefully be writing this from the office,
Pete

By the way, if anyone knows the artist and title of the song quoted at the beginning then I'll give you a lollipop.

Fees and students' unions

2007-11-01T12:53:00.000Z

I just noticed that my first post has now got 14 comments. On closer inspection most of them seem to be adverts for stuff, which is a shame as I was hoping people were just enjoying my blog! Oh well. If you were reading this in the hope that I'd give some advice on cheap places to buy viagra then your luck is in(!) - just hit a link from a comment on my first entry.

On the subject of buying stuff it can't have escaped any student's notice that education now comes with a direct price tag for students. It was on the subject of student fees that I heard David Willets, the shadow Secretary of State for innovation, Universities and skills, speak at this University last night. He stated ‘I’m not calling for the cap to be lifted and I’m not calling for it to be lowered’, but he did say he thought the review into the impact of fees should start now even if a decision on future funding for higher education won't be taken for a couple of years.

As a Union we are gearing up to ensure the views of students get heard in the debate on fees and the potential marketisation of higher education. Contributing to this debate is part of our team objective on higher education funding. We clearly think we've got an important part to play and so, apparently, does David Willets who said that the hub of many universities is the students' union and that continued independence for students' unions is crucial. That's a point on which myself and Mr Willets are very much in agreement.

If you want to know more about what we're doing regarding higher education funding or have any questions regarding the Union then feel free to drop me a line at any point. The email's pete.johnston@shef.ac.uk, the phone line is 0114 222 8606 or drop into the office above Coffee Revolution.

Cheers,
Pete

Henry Kissinger

2007-10-26T09:11:00.001+01:00

Well we now have a Students' Union Council.

Thanks to everyone who stood and everyone who voted. We're pleased with how it all went but know there is room for improvement next year. However, now's the exciting bit where we get to start having debates on the issues and making decisions.

One thing I've been working on recently is getting more big name politicians and people engaged in current affairs to come and address students here. We do have some brilliant events organised by societies but I'm aware from being on the debating committee that it's hard work trying to get people in. Getting the Union working on it provides more resources and hopefully there will be the opportunity to collaborate with the University on the idea. I've been meeting with the politics society and the debating committee who are both enthusiastic about how we can work together.

We've thrown a few ideas of who we could get in. Henry Kissinger is slightly out of our price bracket given that he apparently charges £50k per speech(!) but David Blunkett's already agreed to come. If you have any other ideas for who you'd like to see addressing an audience and potentially taking a few quesions then please let me know.

Hopefully we'll have an exciting programme of engaging speeches/lectures coming together very soon.

Any ideas let me know.

Cheers,
Pete

Student Media

2007-10-19T12:41:00.001+01:00

When you log into this thing it advertises a lot of other blogs that people are doing. Many people clearly like writing their thoughts on the web. Reminds me of an NUS document I read a while ago that suggested engagement with student politics could be increased by officers writing a column in student media entitled 'my two pence' where we went off on one with our opinions about the big issues of the day. I guess this blog would count as my 'my two pence' article but it is worthy of note that the relations between student media and officers are, on the whole, very good, even whilst a healthy journalistic distance and scepticism is maintained. We're now having fortnightly media briefings whereby members of student media and any members of the Union can come and here about the big things going on with the officers and ask questions.

The next media briefing is on Tuesday the 30th from 5 until 5.30 in the media hub on level 4 of the Union building.

Our desire is to be open with students as to what's going on. If you can't make the briefings but have questions then feel free to drop any of the officers an email. We're here to represent students, which is easier to do if students let us know what's on their minds!

If media is your thing make sure you come to the student media day tomorrow. I realise this is late notice but hopefully you'll have seen advertising elsewhere. It coincides with the official opening of our media hub which was built over the summer by virtue of Union funds and as well as significant support from the alumni fund, convocation and other generous donors. The hub seeks to bring together the creativity of students working on various print, radio, internet, tv and other projects and make our media even stronger.

If you want to get involved in student media but can't make tomorrow (or have read this after the event) then pop into the hub and speak to our member of staff Rob Ellerington who works to empower students to bring their ideas into being.

Till next week,
Pete

Students' Union Council

2007-10-11T17:18:00.000+01:00

Afternoon.

As the deadline for Students' Union Council nominations gets closer the anticipation in the sabb office grows. These elections genuinely are a big deal and Council will be the body that makes the big Union decisions (oversees student officer work, debates Union policy [e.g. the boycott of Nestle] and a big say on a budget of £2.8m).

If that sounds interesting to you, and it should, then you need to get onto nominating yourself quickly. The deadline is Monday 12pm and it's very strict.

Thanks to the person who left a snickers in my office. I'll be pretty happy if this trend of coming back to an office where anonymous gifts of chocolate have been left continues. If you want to get in on the action then my office is above Coffee Revolution!

A week in the life...

2007-10-04T12:04:00.000+01:00

Afternoon,

I haven't received any suggestions for my blog this week so I'll take you through a snapshot of what I've been up to.

Monday - went to a meeting about the new building project that will create an amazing new Union building beginning from the tail end of next year. Haven't got too far along in the process yet but the initial ideas are exciting.

Tuesday - had a meeting on the Sound Impact Awards which I've mentioned previously. We've now been through all the criteria and are in the process of seeing what measures we can put in place to improve our environmental performance.

Wednesday - went to see the Edge the central reception/restaurant/cafe/bar in the Endcliffe site. I hadn't seen it before and it was impressive. The development continues to get all the accomodation on the site up and running.

Today - catching up with a couple of Union managers and have a meeting later about what the Union could do in terms of online retail. It may well take a while for anything to come online, but it's good to be looking into the possibilities.

Friday - meeting with the Union auditors for them to clear last year's accounts.

The moment of my week was when I returned to my office to find a bar of chocolate wrapped up with an encouraging bible verse. Thanks to the thoughtful person/people who gave it to me. It was much appreciated.

One final thing: hopefully you'll have noticed promotion for Students' Union Council. I say get involved. It means you'll get to spend every other Thursday evening in my company!
If you need a more substantive reason to stand then you'll get to debate Union policy, scrutinise the officers work and whole load of other exciting stuff. The Union really is shaped by students and this is your chance to play a significant part in that. If you've any questions be in touch with any officers, myself included (pete.johnston@shef.ac.uk).

New Leaf

2007-09-28T11:59:00.000+01:00

Afternoon,

The new year is upon us and so I'm turning over a new leaf and going to make sure I update my blog regularly. I'll try for every week.

Thanks for the two people who left comments on my last blog. They asked for more jokes and my moment of the month. Being the responsive (although not hilarious) person that I am I'm going to try and respond to that.

So Pete's moment of the month. There are a few competitors:

- the practical joking of your activities officer ranks highly (the moustache on our President's fine face in the poster looking out on the concourse and changing the International Student Officer's business cards from her actual surname to read Marika Paprika). Hopefully the antics will get ever more outrageous as the year goes on.

- going to an awards ceremony presented by Patrick Kielty (and with Peter Stringfellow in attendance) was an interesting occasion. Bar One was up for an award. Unfortunately we didn't win but I'm confident of success next year.

- However, the winner will have to be freshers week in general. It's brilliant to have the Union as a hive of activity again and to see our new venues and ventures up and running. To reference the title, New Leaf our new deli-salad bar has been received very positively as has the new bar and grill in the Fusion.

Any suggestions for the next blog? Hopefully this demonstrates that I will listen. And on that theme of responding to feedback: it's been good to get the commercial services committee going for this year. To effectively represent students views on our bars, venues, shops, catering outlets, etc they need your suggestions and comments. Email csc@shef.ac.uk with any thoughts you have.

If you're interested in getting involved in the committee then please come along to our intro meeting on Tuesday 9th October complete with a tour of the Union and all the information you could need on our commercial services, without any committment to stay involved if it's not for you.

I think that's enough of a plug! Hope freshers week has been good for you, that those going to Freshers Mania tonight enjoy Tim Westwood(!) and check back next week to see if I'm keeping up with my aim to do my blog each week.

Cheers,
Pete

sound impact awards

2007-08-10T09:28:00.000+01:00

Hello readers,

Today is a fairly quiet day in terms of meetings but I'm going to read through some stuff about the union's environmental policies. This is in light of the nationally run 'Sound Impact Awards' which accredit unions for environmental best practice. Last year we achieved a bronze accreditation, which certainly is not to be sniffed at, but this year we want to gain at least a silver accreditation. Of course, we want to improve our environmental practice regardless of whether we receive awards for it, however the Sound Impact Awards are a good benchmark of whether our performance has improved from last year.

I've written objectives for the year and am currently seeking some feedback on them so I can refine them. I'll put them up soon.

Part of our induction as officers has involved learning a bit about the history of our organisation. It has helped instill a sense of pride to work for this students' union. One interesting fact is that in 1967 RAG painted a zebra crossing onto a new extension of the M1! There's a book out if you want to learn more of our history (not that I'm trying to plug it!).

If you've got any suggestions of topics for my blog then please be in contact.

Cheers,
Pete
pete.johnston@shef.ac.uk

Hello

2007-07-12T12:00:00.000+01:00

Good afternoon.

As the website will no doubt have told you my name is Pete and I'm the new finance officer. Been in the role for almost two weeks now with a couple of weeks of handover beforehand.

It's the first time I've been in Sheffield over the summer and it's very quiet at the union, but it's a good opportunity to get into the swing of things so that before the next academic year rolls around. However, graduation week next week will give a good taster of what it's like to work here when the place is really busy.

If you've got any comments of questions or just want to feed in your opinions on the union then please feel free to email me: pete.johnston@shef.ac.uk.

Cheers,
Pete