NUSSL Convention -> We Won Most Improved Bar!

I was having a right sulk after not getting a Silver or Gold Sound Impact Award. That is until they began announcing the Best Bar None Awards...

...because we won the Award for Most Improved Student Union Bar in the UK! Woo!

This is an awesome achievement for our Venues department and our entire Guild. It also meant that me, Adam & Philippa got to go on stage and have our photo taken for NUSSL magazine!

It was one good-looking Award and we took many, many photos of it throughout the rest of the night. Here is a picture of me and Achike Ofodile, President of Kent Students' Union who won the Award for Best Overall Bar, looking elated with our Awards (see left)!

So next time you head into Joe's for a coffee or a pint, just remember - you are drinking in an Award-winning bar. Happy days!

NUSSL Convention -> The Sound Impact Awards!

The Sound Impact Awards were announced first and... we got ourselves a Bronze Award!

This is awesome news and reflects the Guild's progression on environmental issues over the past year - last year we only recieved a Working Towards accreditation.

If we continue to reduce our carbon footprint and increase our E&E work then next year we might make it into the top eight Student Unions in the country and receive a Silver or Gold Award. And it's looking likely, what with the Building Redevelopment moving forward and enthusiastic Officers having just been elected! Plus, we were only 16 points off a Silver this time round!

Nevertheless, Bronze is a fantastic achievement for our 100-year old Guild building and I hope to shout a bit about this success next Semester.

As for the Sound Impact Award scheme itself, it has become bigger and better since it was first run last year. In Year One, 51 Unions took part. This year, 67 Unions took part! Moreover, the average Workbook score has increased from 187 points to 233 points! Congratulations to Jamie Agombar and Catherine Dishington on the NUSSL Staff Team who lead the Sound Impact Awards - nice one guys!

Every Student Union appeared to have upped their game this year: Loughborough have purchased an LED lighting rig, Reading have started using rainwater harvesting and Leeds are the first Union to have solar panelled heating for some of their water pipes!

Overall, Loughborough took the first place prize for the second year running and it was well-deserved. We have a lot of work to do to even come close to those planet-savers but the Building Redevelopment will provide a great environmental opportunity so let's hope we are holding the Gold in two years time!

NUSSL Convention -> Annual Dinner

The Annual Dinner occurs on the final night of NUSSL Convention and it is a chance for all Sabbas and Staff to put on their finest gear, help themselves to free alcohol and eat cold chicken.

Most importantly however, the results are announced for the Sound Impact Awards (NUSSL's environmental accreditation scheme) and the Best Bar None Awards (NUSSL's venue acceditation scheme).

Our performance in each award is revealed in the above posts but first - here is a picture of me, Philippa Calver (EEO Elect) and Adam Craig (Venues Manager) looking sharp at the Dinner :)

NUSSL Convention -> Sight-Seeing!

"Time you enjoyed wasting, was not time wasted." - John Lennon

Don't let our tired faces fool you. Life as a Sabbatical is not all stress, hassle and politics. Every month or so we get an afternoon off and what better place to chill out for an hour or two than Liverpool: the birthplace of the mighty Beatles!

Myself, Jonny Cox (Cardiff), Jay Patel (Brunel) and various other Sabbs decided to explore the Mersey, which involved taking lots of photos, getting lost and popping into The Cavern - the famous pub where the Beatles used to headline back in the sixties!

I've discovered that pretty much everything in Liverpool is in some way related to The Beatles, including fancy dress shops, memorial statues and even the odd bit of furniture (look right and check out me & Jay on a musical bench)!

However, our escape from the Adelphi was only brief and we were back within hours for the NUSSL Annual Dinner...

NUSSL Convention -> AGM

NUSSL AGM (Annual General Meeting) took place on the second morning of the Convention. This is where the minutes & accounts are approved, the EGM decision was ratified, motions are discussed and students are elected onto the NUSSL Committees.

There were two motions this year, both of an Ethical & Environmental nature. They are as follows:-

1) "Despite current equal pricing options, less than 1% of Students' Unions purchased recycled A4 paper pads last year." - Stephen Dowson, Chair of the E&E Committee (pictured left). This surprising statistic was the basis for the first motion, which believes that NUSSL should continue its work ensuring that Students' Unions solely use recycled paper. The motion resolves to introduce a strategy which makes recycled paper the preferred choice of Unions by 2010.

2) The second motion came from the Union of East Anglia and was concerned that NUSSL 'Ethical Choice' branding of ethical products was unclear. UEA suggested that NUSSL implement a traffic-light system which rates a product on whether it has been grown organically, how far it has travelled and whether it was produced in a fair-trade environment.

Both motions passed and NUSSL's exceptional environmental progression continues.

The Elections followed the motions and seats for all of the Committees were healthily-contested. Congratulations to Graham (Leicester), Jay (Brunel) Andrew (UEA) and the rest!

My favourite candidate question was for the Business & Enterprise Committee candidates: "Who would win in a fight between Sir Alan Sugar and Donald Trump?"

And my favourite candidate answer came from Andrew (UEA)...

Question: "Do you have any party affiliations?"

Answer: "I'm still quite affiliated to the party last night."

Legend!

NUSSL Convention -> EGM

On the first morning of NUSSL Convention, an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) was called because the NUSSL Board hoped to implement some changes to its Committees. Therefore, all shareholders were required to approve or disapprove these changes by voting at the EGM.

The EGM was Chaired by Aaron Porter (pictured right) and speaking in favour of the changes was Dave Lewis.

The proposed changes were:-

• NUSSL believes that a second external Director should be added to the Board to add outside knowledge from the business world and inform decision-making.
• NUSSL would like to remove the License Trade Committee and the Retail Trade Committee, as both are highly operational and could be carried out by staff who are trained in this field.
• NUSSL would like to add a Purchasing Scrutiny Committee who will meet when lare contracts are to be negotiated eg. Coca-Cola or Divine Chocolate.
• NUSSL would also like to add a Business & Enterprise Committee who will meet to discuss new, creative and innovative ways in which to develop NUSSL and aid Students' Unions

Andy Parsons, General Manager of Loughborough, spoke against the changes.

However, the proposals were approved by an indicative majority and, similar to our Referendum, the shareholders voted to form a better-led and more productive organisation.

Nice Chairing, Mr Porter!

NUSSL Convention 2008!

"Networking is one letter away from not-working." - Dave Lewis, National Treasurer and NUSSL Company Chair.

The Annual NUSSL Convention took place last week in the Adelphi Hotel (pictured right), Liverpool. The VPDR is the Guild's NUSSL liaison so I strapped on my finance hat and caught a train up to the birthplace of the Beatles.

For those of you who don't know, NUSSL (NUS Services Limited) is the commercial side of the NUS. It focuses on finance, business, purchasing and the environment - therefore the politics are left at the door!

Much took place at NUSSL Convention this year, including:

• an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) to propose changes to the structure of NUSSL's primary Committees.
• an AGM (Annual General Meeting) where accounts are approved and motions are discussed.
• the usual plenary sessions, ranging from debates to sharing best practise.
• NUSSL Annual Dinner.
• NUSSL Annual Awards, where Students' Unions around the UK find out the recipients of the Sound Impact Awards and the Best Bar None Awards.
• a vast array of freebies and extra-curricular activities, including cocktailing flaring, Fairtrade chocolate fountains and a charity bar.

A lot happened in three days so I'll break it all down for you in handy blog-sized portions...