Weekly Report: Week 9

In my weekly reports i try to keep you informed about all that i have been up to over the last seven days.

In the week after Welcome Week i was always bound to be tired, and sure enough i have found myself sleepwalking through the last seven days. However there were some incredibly useful developments this week, some of which i will save till next week to blog about when i will be able to have the whole story!

This Week i:

- Approved the allocation of this year's RA (Residents Association) grants. Grants are allocated to us by the University, and in the interests of transparency, here they are. If you have any questions, comments or complaints then get in touch that's what i'm here for!

.

- Attended my very first 'Fitness to Practice' hearing. Sabbatical officers are required to represent students facing appeals or fitness to practice cases, acting as their friend and guidance during what can be a very stressful time. If you ever need sabbatical representation, just get in touch with the ARC by popping in during the week or by emailing thearc@guild.bham.ac.uk

- Began detailed discussions with the community wardens, the university, relevant Guild societies and local forums about the possibility of establishing some sort of IT class for elderly local residents, using student skills to help others in the local community. Hopefully i will be able to blog good news on this next week!

- Sat on the first MLAS Steering Group of this academic year. MLAS stands for Midland Landlord Accreditation Scheme, and is our approved scheme for celebrating the good landlords whilst avoiding the bad. MLAS is going from strength to strength since being established 3 years ago, and it was great to begin planning the ceremony we will hold very shortly to celebrate the 1000th landlord signing on. All houses let through the SHAC will be MLAS accredited, so wherever you look, watch out for the tick logo!

- Held my regular catch-up session with Lesley Stewart (Head of Student Accommodation). There have been some interesting developments over the past couple of weeks. One particular issue that may well grow bigger is the fate of the students living in Chelwood Hall of Residence. Chelwood is a tiny hall located on the Vale next to Aitken Wing, traditionally kept empty and used this year as a temporary overspill. It seems that the current residents of Chelwood (who have been closely involved with Aitken's Freshers activities) have grown to love where they live and many are extremely worried about their future (they were promised accommodation in Chelwood for one term only). The University is committed to ensuring that these residents find a place in their preferred hall of residence, but if you do live in Chelwood and you feel the need to speak out please do get in touch either with me or with the Aitken RA President Mark Harrop (mxh888@bham.ac.uk). This is something i will continue to monitor closely.

Weekly Report: Week 4

In my weekly blogs i try to keep you updated on all that i have done (both big and small) over the last seven days.

This week has been fairly frustrating in that it's been filled up with all sorts of little bits and pieces (often having nothing to do with Housing or Community issues) that meant i could never really sit down and focus on something properly. However it's also been an incredibly useful week, with Welcome Week just around the corner there are a million different things we have to get sorted before the students land.

This week i:

- Introduced the brand new SHAC manager (Jessica) to the Guild, the University and of course, Selly Oak! The SHAC (our brand new Guild based lettings agent) is designed to offer students decent quality houses without all the extra fees, exploitation and panic that is so common at the moment. I'm really keen to make sure that buying a house is an enjoyable experience that students don't regret after they've signed on the dotted line. The SHAC is one way to achieve this. I'm also keen to start giving talks in halls of residence around selling season telling them quite simply not to panic. It's incredible how artificially high rent rates are around November/December, especially given that Selly Oak never runs out of houses!

- Became a model! Those of you that know me won't find this at all suprising (what with my rugged good looks), but i have to say it came as quite a shock when i was (alongside other Guild staff) asked to model the UoB clothing range for the new Guild clothing store... Zest!

Opening in September, Zest is going to have an urban feel, selling clothing and gifts (including University branded items) to students on campus. I'm especially proud of it, as Katie and I were lucky enough to win the bidding competition that resulted in the name Zest! Think sharp, suave and edgy!

- Began the process of job evaluation in the Guild. Without boring you too much, the Guild employs 60 core staff and over 300 student staff. The appraisal and evaluation structure is outdated and in urgent need of reviewing. It's going to be a long drawn out process, but should hopefully make things simpler in the future.

- Have started the drive to recruit volunteers for the Birmingham Half Marathon! Fancy being a race marshall on an internationally covered event? Fancy a free Adidas tracksuit? Fancy the experience? Check out www.birminghamhalfmarathon.com/volunteers!

- Continued extensive Welcome Week preparations. This included planning and writing Freshers Crew training and working out arrangements for moving in to halls. It also involved a ridiculous amount of time trying to research a polar bear costume...

.

- Met with Lesley Stewart (head of Accomodation at the University) to discuss issues that may arise during this term. Items on the agenda included halls fees, moving in weekend and how best to make use of student enthusiasm to help those less fortunate in the surrounding area. Edgbaston in particular, for all its reputation as an affluent area has many social problems that we as students can help to address.

- Held an important meeting with FOCSOC (Freshers Off Campus Society) to discuss their plans for the coming year. FOCSOC is technically an RA, but its remit is much wider, serving anybody studying at Birmingham but not living in Uni accomodation in their first year (ie living either at home or in private houses). As such it's hugely important that FOCSOC hits the ground running during Welcome Week, scooping up as many home students as possible so as to make sure that nobody misses out on the 'university experience' just because they don't live in halls. Look out for their stall during Welcome Week, and if you are a home student just email me and i'll send you a sign up form. Don't miss out!

Until next week...

xEd/.