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General Information
This year, MUSU will be very different from the kind of organisation
we have had in the past. The shift in focus from a commercial
emphasis to one that is Membership Services is of huge magnitude
and will mean the organisation needs to change. Such a change
takes time and requires a lot of discussion, professional
and expert advice, and primarily a full and detailed consultation
with MUSU's stakeholders, starting with the members (students)
and the workers (staff).
This
means we will be running a Consultation Campaign in which
we aim to consult far and wide in order to determine what
kind of organisation we want to have in the future. We want
your ideas about the kind of things MUSU should be doing so
that it is relevant to the twenty-first century and yet still
carries out its core functions of representing students, providing
support, facilitating creativity and taking part in local,
national and international campaigns.
In
a sense, things are very much up for grabs. This is a transitional
year and your involvement this year will have more impact
than probably any year before or after. MUSU has existing
services that it wishes to improve and develop, new areas
that MUSU would like to develop over the next year, including
several potential projects for the near future and this all
requires further consultation. However, MUSU wants to know
if you have brand new ideas that we haven't thought of - so
get thinking!
How
the campaign will work:
At
Freshers' Fayre we will erect a Graffiti Wall on which people
can write words, draw pictures, draw graffiti that sums up
a students' union to them.
There
will be a "Which Way Now" document. This will set
out the four areas of focus for the organisation and will
encourage discussion and exploration.
There
will be an opportunity to have your voice heard through the
magazine and website with information and web questionnaires.
Towards
the end of the academic year we will pull all of the ideas
together and draw up a plan for MUSU. This will also lead
to the writing of a new mission statement.
Coming Soon…
As well as the general consultation campaign, MUSU also wants
your input on some ideas we would like to develop over the
next year.
The
first is the idea of creating an online radio station. This
is a very exciting idea that has profound implications for
the union. A MUSU radio station could become a hub of student
life, with students deciding what programmes they want to
listen to, and could give a real boost to students wanting
to explore their musical, journalistic and other creative
talents. It could be a forum for discussion and debate; a
truly interactive forum. MUSU has looked into this and has
an idea of set-up costs and so on but nothing on the creative
side has been decided yet. Your input could be invaluable
in deciding how this project develops.
The
second idea is the creation of a Job Shop. This would operate
in conjunction with the Careers Advice Centre and would specialise
in part-time work. Currently, students feel the visibility
of the careers service is poor and that many students do not
realise that the Careers Advice Centre deals with part-time
work as well as careers advice. In the climate of difficult
student finances, more and more students are required to work
to compliment their studies. Again, we need your input to
help decide how such a scheme could be set up.
The
third idea is creating a travel bureau, which would possibly
be in conjunction with STA Travel. This service could offer:
•ISIC cards for discounted travel services (international
students)
• Scheduled Air Travel- U.K. and Worldwide
• Young Persons Rail Cards
• Rail Tickets including Virgin Trains Special Fare Deals
• National Express Coach Cards
• National Express Coach Travel Tickets
• Ferry Travel Bookings
• Eurostar Rail Travel Bookings
• International Rail Travel
• Hotel Accommodation
• Travel Insurance Services
• Budget Airline Bookings for B.M.I. Baby, EasyJet, Ryanair
etc
Such a service would be of huge benefit to students, particular
international students with their flights home, as many students
travel several times a year, which can be very expensive.
The
fourth idea is in relation to sports. A few yeas ago, our
sports department was transferred to the University. Since
this time, MUSU has not had an input in how this department
operates. It is MUSU's intention to develop a true partnership
with MUSPORT in order to ensure this area is more inclusive
and representative of the student body. What do you think?
Do you participate in sports? Do you think a partnership between
the Union and the University would be beneficial? Let us know
and we can look into it.
Other
projects we would like to develop include:
Subject Unions;
Outreach work with colleges in the boroughs of Enfield and
Barnet;
Working with the wider community;
NUS Part-time Officers;
International Buddy Scheme;
Fundraising (Rag);
Creating a real student centre.
Whilst the results are collated, the fun shall not end! During
that period an exhibition will travel the campuses outlining
the history of MUSU. You can see all that it did, all that
it occupied and all that it stood for. Then the results document
will be launched which tells it where to go ... in the nicest
possible way of course.
Contact
For more information please contact the Union's President,
Nik Roberts, on 020 8411 6763 or email: n.roberts@mdx.ac.uk
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