News

Further to the release in February on UCA’s plans to restructure the Academic Management Structure for September 2012, last week UCA internally announced further proposals for the reshaping of Professional Support Services.

These services include Faculty Offices, Finance, Academic Services (SDS, Library & IT), Widening Participation and Learning & Development and Learning & Teaching. Although UCASU Executive understand that there is a need for change here at the University for the Creative Arts to make all services provided for students ‘fit for purpose’, the Executive feel that not enough has been done to consult and discuss these changes with students.…

UCA announced on Monday that it will be restructuring the management of its academic provision over the coming months.

UCA Students’ Union met with the Deputy Vice Chancellor to discuss the plans last week, and have been fully informed of the coming changes. We were also informed that our ideas are welcome as part of the consultative process taking part this spring, which is something that we welcome.

Do you have opinions on how you would like to see new school structures develop your academic environment? Do you have ideas for where you would like to see new investment?

As…

UCA Students’ Union is working to ensure the voice of UCA students is heard and we have invited Vice Chancellor Simon Ofield-Kerr to hold an all-student meeting on Friday 25th November 2011.

The defiance shown yesterday could be the spark that lights a new platform for student action across the country. Students at UCA must take up the baton (no put intended) and resist the policies that will wreck so much havoc on UCA, on arts institutions nationally, and on the creative sector.

Students Guide to UCU strike action on 24th March 2011
The University and College Union (UCU) is a trade union whose members are made up of university and college academic staff in Further and Higher Education institutions across the country. UCU is the largest trade union in the country for FE and HE academics. UCU held a ballot and its members voted in support of strike action. As a result of this ballot UCU will hold strike action across the country with a UK wide strike to be held on Thursday 24th March 2011.

UCU members are striking over issues…

UCA Students’ Union has learnt of the discussions between UCA and MidKent College over potential plans to cohabit the Maidstone campus.
This has possible implications for students at all five campuses, and we are committed to representing and supporting every UCA student.
The Union learnt of these proposals less than 24 hours before the public announcement, despite having a good working relationship with UCA. We are disappointed that we have no additional information at this time.
The Executive Committee have explicitly demanded direct answers from the University about the specific consequences any decisions will have on your circumstances. We will…

On Thursday 9th December, the controversial plans on tuition fees will be put to a vote in the House of Commons, with Liberal Democrat MPs under pressure over their pre-election pledges not to vote for a fee rise.

We have seen the biggest wave of student activism in years, with 400 UCA students having joined the 52,000 strong National Demonstration last month. Protests have continued to take place all this week and UCA Students’ Union will be going to Parliament tomorrow and we want as many of you to join us for what is a crucial day for the future…

From the Officer Trustees of UCA Students’ Union

On Wednesday 10th November, we took over 350 students to London, with over 400 UCA students in total joining the thousands of others for the Fund our Future National Demonstration. The National Union of Students predicted a 24,000 strong protest. This in fact turned out to be 52,000 – the biggest student protest for a generation. This was students, lecturers, parents and pensioners standing up for our future.

We are immensely proud of this achievement and we are especially proud of our students. To see UCA represented and the arts celebrated and…

Sent from the Officer Trustees of UCA Students’ Union

On Wednesday 10th November, over 400 UCA students from across the five sites will be joining the national demonstration for higher education, marching in protest with tens of thousands of others from all over the UK. Meeting in central London, this looks to be the largest demonstration for student rights in a generation.

The Students’ Union has arranged free transport from every campus, meeting up with fellow art and design students from University of the Arts London, Edinborough College of Art, Plymouth College of Art, Royal College of Art, Central School…

Just to let you all know, last night the University sent emails to all students that owe the university money.

Check your UCA emails as it is very important that they make a payment or contact Finance if you are in receipt of one of their emails.
Students that receive an email will be charged a late payment fine of £30 as per UCA fee regulations. If you do not take action within 14 days you will be sent another letter, if you still do not pay then if the amount due is over £1000 you will be suspended at…

24th-29th October saw the second ever NUS Zone Conferences take place at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool.

All of your Officers Trustees went along to one of the Zone Conference:

Alex: Union Development
Pat: Union Development
Lee: Higher Education
Benjo: Welfare

And after a very exciting election at 9.30 this morning, Alex was voted by the delegates from many Unions across the country to be a member of the Union Development Zone Committee.

If you are interested in what he was running for, you can download his manifesto below!

This is just one step to putting UCA Students’ Union firmly…

Freshers plans will be announced within the next 48 hours for all campuses. Announcements have been a little later than planned due to factors such as the re-branding of the union, finalising budgets and ensuring we have the best events. The union has recently employed a new entertainments team so expect lots of changes this year! Stand by for an awesome line up for freshers month…

FROM NUS:

Dear all,

An exciting opportunity has emerged to get some solid campaigning career experience working at NUS with the Women’s campaign for two weeks this summer.

We are looking for someone with knowledge of the women’s sector, and an interest in the NUS Women’s Campaign, to help us build content for a pioneering new website to help support the victims of violence and sexual assault in universities and colleges. This work follows on from the Hidden Marks report which we launched a couple of months ago.

Our intern will develop experience in gathering and collating support information for…

Hi guys,

Freshers Planning is well under way, with only 8 weeks to go (eek!). However, here in the SU, we want to know… what would you like to see this year?

If you are a second or third year, what did you like at your Freshers, or what did you think was missing?

If you are about to start here at UCA, what would you like to be getting up to in your first few weeks at uni?

Email your Campus Officer with your ideas:
Epsom - aronaldson.su@ucreative.ac.uk
Farnham - btaylor.su@ucreative.ac.uk
Maidstone/Rochester - lgavin.su@ucreative.ac.uk
Canterbury - pplested.su@ucreative.ac.uk

Alex x

From www.findmadeline.com

Reaching out to all students……………………Can you help?

We are launching a new initiative for students to help us in our search for Madeleine. To increase our chances of finding Madeleine, it is vital that we maintain awareness of her in as many places as possible worldwide. 1 in 6 children are found and returned to their families, simply because a member of the general public has recognised them after seeing their face on a poster!

We know that many students travel over the summer, often to places off the beaten path. Others may decide to take a ‘gap-year’…

Hello,
This year the National Union of Students are running the poster competition again in which NUS are working with HEFCE and Ipsos-MORI in asking students to create a new poster for the National Student Survey Campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity for students in your institution to get involved in a national campaign and have their design be seen by thousands of students as well as displayed in HE and FE institutions across the country.
The winning entrants’ poster and strap-line will be included in the National Student Survey marketing campaign and may be incorporated into the design of…

Do you want to go to New Designers?
FREE tickets available from UCA Careers

20 FREE tickets for 1st July 2010
30 FREE tickets for 8th July 2010

Reply by email to get a ticket and the opportunity to create a review (max 250 words) for UCA Careers website.
Reply with details of date you wish to attend, full name, tel/mobile number and course attended or graduated from to syoung4@ucreative.ac.uk

New Designers can open students’ eyes to a wide range of design courses available across the UK from architecture to animation, furniture to fashion, graphics to glass.

You are invited…

Are you turning 21 in 2010? Want to win an amazing party holiday for you and 3 friends? If so, get in touch with Four Parties:

Email fourparties@ITV.com or call 0207 157 3750

Also, take a look at the attached poster….

CALL FOR ENTRIES - UK Young Artists is a showcase for the best of the UK’s young and innovative creative talent.  Apply for the first national event taking place in 2010 with the chance to be selected to represent the UK at the Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean in Morocco in 2011. Final selection will be made up by an international panel of artists and critics. For more details and online entry visit: www.ukyoungartists.co.uk

UCASU’s officers have chosen to support the plight of Dr. Miguel Angel Beltran.

Dr. Miguel Angel Beltran, a Colombian academic and teacher, has been imprisoned since 23rd May 2009, without trial. He faces charges of “rebellion”.
Dr. Beltran’s academic research has been on the Colombian conflict and he has been an open critic of the Colombian Government’s ‘democratic security’ policies.  He has been accused of being a member of the international front of the FARC guerrillas, but at the time Dr. Beltran was a professor of sociology studying a post-graduate at the National University of Mexico. He is a widely known and respected academic among colleagues and students both in Mexico and at home in Colombia, many of whom are campaigning for his release, including the Colombian University Professors’ Trade Union ASPU and the Colombian University Students’ union ACEU.

Much of the evidence against him has been discredited by INTERPOL, and specifically, supposed evidence of alleged terrorist documents have still not been provided by the authorities and his defense has been denied access. His trial is due to take place on 24th May 2010.

Message courtesy of UCA staff member, Hollie Edwards.  She writes:
As you may or may not have heard my boyfriend Tom sadly died on Friday 2nd April. He had been out in Farnham for the evening on 27th March and on his way back to the Train station he was hit by a car, Tom suffered a severe brain injury along with many other mulitiple injuries.

He was initially taken to Frimley hospital, then transferred to St Georges in London where he spent 6 days in intensive care – the damage was too severe that Tom did not pull through.…

If you’ve been anywhere near a TV or newspaper of late then you will have noticed that election fever has hit the nation!  And here at the SU we’re feeling it too….

The SU have recently funded an affiliation for UCA students with nightline and we now offer a phone/skype counselling service open from 6pm – 8am every night of the term. This is confidential listening and practical information that you can call on 02076310101 or free calls on skype via www.nightline.org.uk. Visit the website for further information on nightline.

For the first time ever, we are now offering special edition Graduation Hoodies for the class of 2010. We have negotiated special permission with the University to use their logo on a black hoodie, which will be available in all sizes for just £26. Come down to the SU offices to pre-order yours.

There are also still UCA hoodies available in a variety of colours for £20 if you still haven’t got one of this years range yet.

Last week saw the most important change in the Students’ Union since beginning my post. Myself and the other officers have been busy pulling apart the current structure of the SU and working hard to see how best we can fairly represent students from each site at UCA. After much thought, discussion, feedback, drafts and re-drafts, we arrived at the beginning of January with a proposal for a brand new constitution to present to all you students to pass by calling a referendum last week.