August 2021

Hi all,


We hope you’ve had a lovely summer and are looking forward to term beginning! Below are some important updates from us, so make sure to have a read through and let us know if you have any questions!


By-Election

As mentioned earlier on in the summer, we will be holding a by-election for all unfilled committee positions. Attached is a list of all the unfilled committee positions according to our databases – so make sure to have a look through and let us know if anything needs amending.

Dates to be aware of:

  • Nominations Open: 20 September to 7 October
  • Voting Open: 11 October to 13 October
  • Results announced: 15 October

Make sure to promote these positions at Freshers’ Fair to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get involved in your group. Remember, all candidates will need to have purchased your group membership before being able to run for a position.


Student Group Training

We will be holding Student Group Training Part Two from 28 September to 1 October on Zoom. There will be a series of sessions that will help better your understanding of being a committee member, they’re aimed at specific committee members but all are still welcome. Check out the session descriptions and sign up using the link below.

  • Treasurer Training – essential to all treasurers who were unable to attend Treasurer training in Part One. This session will cover everything you need to know to manage your group finances, how you can spend money using expense claims, invoices etc and how money can be paid into your account. (28 September 18:00-19:00)
  • Captains Training – essential to sports clubs that take part in BUCS or LUSL and will provide all the information needed to feel prepare for fixtures and competition. This will include how to use BUCSPlay, what you need to do each week for your fixtures, how to enter individual competitions and more! (29 September 18:00-19:00)
  • Wellbeing Role Training – aimed at providing any wellbeing-focused roles with the tools they need to support their members and how to make sure members welfare is always at the centre of group activities. (30 September 18:00-19:00)
  • Q&A Drop In – We’ll be holding an open Q&A Drop In, giving you the opportunity to ask us any questions you have on the upcoming academic year. (1 October 13:30-14:30)

Make sure to watch the recordings of the sessions delivered at Part One if you weren’t able to attend.

Sign up to Part Two


Freshers’ Fair

Thank you to everyone who signed up to have a stall at Freshers’ Fair! Freshers’ Fair will be an amazing opportunity to meet loads of new students and prospective members. You can give people the chance to ask you plenty of questions, find out about your taster sessions, any opportunities to be on your committee and how they can get involved in your activity. So what do you need to know?

  • Dates – 20 September – 21 September
  • Location – Sports Centre
  • Roller banners – If you haven’t got one already, make sure to purchase your roller banner in time for the fair. All you need to do is get the artwork approved by a member of the Student Opportunities team, and either submit a purchase request or make the payment yourself and submit an expense claim.
    • What is a roller banner? – Roller banners are how people can easily find out what your group is, making them more likely to approach you with any questions so having one is really important!
    • Make sure to only purchase a standard size one (80x200cm) as there will be limited space around you.
  • Other materials – this year, we’re aiming for a Freshers’ Fair that is paperless as possible to support our aim to be as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible. Therefore, try and only use flyers / posters if you have stock that needs using up, and avoid purchasing any more. Think about having a QR code on your stall that people can scan to find out more information.
    • Sign Up lists – there will be a register interest button on your group webpage that will allow people to sign up to a mailing list without having to purchase a membership. Use this rather than a paper sign-up sheet – it’s better for the environment and avoids any GDPR disasters! Have a couple of QR codes on the desk
    • Space – make sure to keep in mind that there is limited space, you will have an exam desk that you can put things on and space for a roller banner.

More information will be sent round to all groups that have signed up a week prior to the Fair taking place, including what time you’ll need to arrive, how you can get in and out of the sports centre, how to find out where your stall is and more!


Anything Else?

Check out the Freshdesk Forum posts below for more useful information to get you ready for term one!

  • Student Opportunities Team – we’ve had some staff changes this summer so check out this post to see who is supporting you this year and how you can get in contact with them
  • Events & Activity update – there have been some important process changes over the summer that you’ll need to be aware of, as well as some Covid measures that will be in place for the upcoming academic year
  • Room Bookings – we’ve received our allocation of academic rooms for the year, so this Freshdesk article shows what rooms we have access to, when the room booking system will go live and how you can book the rooms


As always, any questions let us know!


Best wishes,

Student Opportunities



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