Disclaimer: this plan will be constantly updated and was created for a Sabb 2021/2022 meeting on the 23rd March 2021

Mental health is prioritised for all students.

  • More awareness of local wellbeing centres and resources.
  • Reduce the stigma of asking for help.
  • Personal academic tutors provide frequent communication and point to support.
  • Work with students to identify the support they need and implement it.
  • Workshops to support handling finance, budgeting, time management and managing stress.
  • Implement monthly virtual coffee meetings for all courses.
  • Provide support for exam anxiety and stress.
  • Resources for students feeling homesick.
  • Creating a buddy scheme for all courses.
  • More awareness for exam adjustments.
  • More awareness of student crisis fund.

Student feedback & buddy schemes.

  • Termly student feedback forms to be completed by students and collated by course representatives who identify the strengths and weaknesses and discuss with module leads and SUSU.
  • Module leads will be expected to improve based on results of the survey.
  • SUSU to provide support for course representatives and can represent a course if improvements have not been made.
  • All first-year students to be allocated a buddy in another year group to provide support and guidance without interfering with academic integrity.

Standardisation for PATs.

  • Personal academic tutors to ask students about how often students would like contact.
  • Allow further training, if needed, for PATs to undertake to feel confident in supporting students.
  • Provide PATs with information on local wellbeing and mental health support centres.
  • Students to organise termly one to one call with their PAT to discuss progression, need for support, and future goals (if applicable).

Prioritising student voice and making voting accessible.

  • Give course representatives more ownership over their role by analysing student feedback data.
  • Allow course representatives to call in module leads at least once per term to discuss student feedback and how to improve the course.
  • Involve SUSU in the university experience.
  • Update the website to make voting easier/ able to handle more traffic.
  • Ensure student communications are engaging and appealing to all students.

Students offered free life and digital skills workshops.

  • Run online and physical workshops, accessible for teaching staff and students, for:
    • Finance and budgeting.
    • Writing a CV.
    • Cooking.
    • Using digital tools.
    • Using Microsoft products.
    • Using Blackboard Collaborate.
    • Writing an email.
  • Ask students what they would like to learn to support them in their future.
  • Create online, accessible guides on life and digital skills for current students and offer-holders.

Hate speech and attacks.

  • ‘National Hate Crime Awareness’ week – share best practice from other universities (e.g., webinars, presentations and resources).
  • Awareness of the reporting tool developed by SUSU which can be used to report sexual misconduct, harassment and hate crime.
  • Work with VPW&C to act on NSS response ensuring students feel safe at the university and push decision-makers to a suitable resolution.
  • Hold the university accountable by developing working groups to ensure that issues are addressed and tackling hate crime is permanent.
  • Lobby the university to commit to long-term resources to fund student and staff safeguarding projects and roles.
  • Work with the University and VPW&C to identify effective and inclusive support from victims/survivors in what they find helpful or less helpful regarding support.
  • Push for reviews of disciplinary processes with student feedback to establish what is working and what is not working.

Consent Awareness and Sexual Harassment.

  • Resources for students on this topic: internal and external methods of support, ramifications for false accusations, and a full definition of consent, sexual harassment, and assault.
  • Invite specialists in to discuss the importance of consent awareness and sexual harassment/assault.
  • A system that thoroughly investigates cases of sexual assault or harassment, as well as a zero-tolerance policy.
  • Create further access to counselling and support with VPW&C.
  • A dedicated spot on SUSU’s website for more information on support, guides and reporting sexual assault or harassment.
  • Sexual health and consent promoted on SUSU to reduce stigma.
  • Societies sign the pledge developed by Soton CASHES.
  • Improve the University’s strategies and guidelines in relation to investigations.

Other.

  • Work with VPA representation to encourage more students to join societies and have committees act as Resource for societies that need better recognition to be available for all students.
  • Push the You Make Change system to encourage students to use their voice and make
  • Make changes on Southampton systems to make it easier for students to amend names/gender changes.
  • Ensuring disadvantaged students are fairly affected by University examinations (especially due to COVID/looking after family).
  • Remove the limit on course representatives, especially where courses have over 100 students.
  • Students do not feel completely supported at the university.
  • Need more support for students with ADD and other difficulties that affect their coursework.
  • Some PATs have not reached out to students since September.

If you have any feedback, or would like to raise a point for me to work on now, or during my term in office, please don’t hesitate to contact me on Discord (#lottie6669), email, Instagram or Twitter.