A FREE one day practical event for those interested in starting up a business offering; support, business training and inspiration.

 

 

Where: Eden Project, Cornwall

When: 10:00a.m – 5.00p.m on Friday 22^nd February
2008

The Rally is completely free and includes:

• A variety of business workshops to get you the help and advice you need
• A chance to talk to successful entrepreneurs about their experiences
• A business fair where you will find out about the local and national support
  on offer to you
• Time to network with students and graduates with the same ambitions as
  yourself
• A FREE look around the Eden Project.

The rally is open to all University students and graduates including:
1. Those that have already started a business and want some further help
and contacts; 2. Those with an idea but do not know what to do
next; 3. Those with no idea but would like to find out more about being
an entrepreneur.

Free travel is available to the Eden Project. There are a limited
number of places at this event allocated on a first come first served
basis

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New site

For all the latest news and events visit our new website www.upsu.com

Plymouth Students can share in Prize Package worth over £40,000 !

Students in any year or Faculty are eligible to submit their
Business Ideas and Concepts to the acclaimed University Business Ideas
Challenge, which is open to entries RIGHT NOW.

 

In its first year, in 2005/06, no less than 86 entries were
received from Plymouth and Partner
Colleges across the South West. Six
major prize winners went on to write Business Plans with professional advice
and each received cash awards of up to £1,500 and individual business advice on
setting up and financing their companies from the Challenge sponsors. These
included major regional firms of solicitors, accountants and patent agents.

 

The winners included postgrad Christianne Pollock, who won a
first prize of £2,500 for Aut2BSafe (innovative products for the autistic
market), Steve Burton for LogoWork, Chris Tew for tVadio, and Chris
Saunders/Jamie Taylor for “Stanley”

 

For details of this
years competition, which runs through to May 2007, go to : www.plymouth.ac.uk/bpchallenge

 

And to give you a better chance to submit your ideas, the deadline has
been extended to Friday 2^nd February – all it takes is a simple 2
page application by email.

 

For further details, call Joe Ellison
at University of Plymouth  Research and Innovation

 

Tel : 01752 233526    Email : joe.ellison@plymouth.ac.uk

 

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UPSU Elections – coming soon. You could be a part of it!

You may be wondering what this is all about  – who is being elected to what for whom. That’s fair enough because politics can be a bit confusing to anyone outside the system and that is historically the vast majority. Although part funded by money from the University we are a separate entity with charitable status that exists to help support you time as a student. 

UPSU has a board of trustees who are responsible from our vision, mission and long term direction. A ‘trustee’ is entrusted to look after the organisation on your behalf as its members. The elections are therefore to decide who will be the trustees from July 2007 and, as such, who will champion the rights of students and have input into the direction of a charity with a turnover of £3m. 

Why stand? Well we hope that what you’ve read so has whetted your appetite but here are a few more reasons why you should get involved. 

Student Life The objective of UPSU is to help improve the lives and experiences at The University of Plymouth. They represent nearly 30,000 students and provide the student viewpoint in all the universities decisions. The have access to the highest levels in the university, meeting, persuading, lobbying and campaigning student issues. The future of UPSU Leading a students’ union is about ensuring the students’ union delivers its vision. It is about keeping track on the future developments within education and ensuring UPSU meet or are ready for the challenges of the future. Experience Trustees consider the past, present and future of a organisation that employs around 50 full-time staff and 200 part-time staff; has a turnover of £3m; directly supports about 5,000 students involved with clubs, societies and volunteering; operates one of the biggest nightclubs in Plymouth; shops; bars; advice centre; and a regional network of campuses and partner colleges across the South West. This may sound daunting but Trustees have the support and guidance of experienced staff who will help you acquire thee skills to deal with all these areas. No other employment can give you so much responsibility with (potentially) so little experience and, at a time when competition between graduate recruitment is so intense, this experience will be invaluable to future employers. Fun Although the focus is always on responsibility, being involved with students’ unions is great fun. The environment is relaxed but focused. The staff are dedicated to the welfare of students and the experiences are endless. After all we are about helping to deliver the non-academic side of university of life, fun and enjoyment is also fundamental to the student experience.  

The positions Being a trustee is a serious responsibility and should never be entered into lightly but if you are interested there are a number of different roles available which should suit everyone. 

Officer Positions Available: 

President
Deputy President
VP Sports
VP Education and Welfare
VP Activities and Communication
VP Exeter / Exmouth 

Click on each of the job titles for a brief explanation of their roles. 

Term of office: initially 1 year but you can re-stand for a maximum of two years Remuneration: Full time Officer - APT&C Scale 3 point 11, £ 15,291 plus benefits per annum.

A fantastic opportunity within a busy students’ union exists for a group of individuals to work as a team representing nearly 30,000 University of Plymouth students. We are looking for current University of Plymouth Higher Education students, holders of an NUS card and people who want to enhance their future career by taking a one year sabbatical position. In return we offer you the opportunity to lead your students’ union, develop excellent leadership and management skills, discover and deliver the needs and wants of all students, campaign (both locally and nationally) on issues that affect students, enhance your C.V., have a great time doing a job that you will really enjoy. Full training & support given.

Preferred Qualities:

The list of qualities that make a good trustee are endless but above all you need to have an empathy and desire to represent every single student at the University of Plymouth. Some or all of the qualities will help you become a good Officer.

Commitment
Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
Strategic vision
Good, independent judgement
Creativity
Willingness to speak their mind
Understanding and acceptance of legal duties
Responsibility and liabilities of a trustee
Leadership
Team player
Honesty
Integrity
Objectivity
Accountability
Openess

So you have read all this and are still interested?

If you want to stand:

1.       Find five nominators – these are UoP students who support your candidacy

2.       Complete the nomination form – available from the students’ union reception (Plymouth), Site Managers Office (
Exeter / Exmouth) or via post / email (info@upsu.com) from the 22^nd January 2007

3.       Fill out the form a return the form before 12 noon – 29^th January 2007

4.       Wait for confirmation that your nomination has been accepted

5.       Attend candidates training – dates, times and location to be announced

6.       Submit your campaigning materials

7.       Campaign to WIN from 5th of February midday to 16th of February midday

FAQ’s

UPSU election schedule
22nd January at Midday Nominations open
29th January at Midday Nominations close
29th of January to 2nd February Election campaigning
1st and 2nd of February Candidates training
5th of February Manifesto to be submitted at 10am to go online at noon
5th of February midday to 16th of February Election voting Midday
16th of February Results at night

Want to try a part-time position and dip your toe in the water of student politics?
UPSU also run elections for part-time officers who want to continue their study but have a commitment to represent students. This will be called the Parliament and will give you an insight into the organisation.

Members of (Student) Parliament

For the Exmouth site, the site exec will still exist

Positions to be elected for Member of Parliament

LGBT campaigns chair
Women campaigns chair
Racial and ethnic campaigns chair
Mature student campaigns chair (to be confirmed)
Postgraduate campaigns chair
International campaigns chair
Ethics and environment campaigns chair
Disability campaigns chair
Chair of parliament

What / who is the Returning officer?

The returning officer is an independent person and is usually from NUS.If anybody has a complaint during the election, this will be dealt and investigated by the Returning officer and not by UPSU.When is Nominations and voting?
The nominations form will not be online. They are on paper and will be available from the UPSU when nominations open.No nominations will be accepted after the 29th of January at Midday. Voting will be online.

What are the rules to the Election?
The election rules are currently being updated but in addition to these we provide training to candidates on all the election rules and regulations. They will go out only after the returning officer has updated and/or approved the new version and  will be issued as soon as possible. The UPSU election is run by a team of current Officers, staff and NUS representatives. The names and contact details of all those involved in running the election will be announced at the required time that is during the nomination week.

What happens if I break the rules?
This depends, but ultimately you could be withdrawn from the election. Like anything if you play hard but fair there shouldn’t be any problems. All cases in relation to the rules are investigated and dealt on an individual basis by the Returning Officer

Ents News

Ents News
Wonkeylegs has landed! For those of you who couldnt make it last night – you really missed out! The Wonleylegs launch night was awsome and the dancefloor was packed. Not sure about you but I particularly liked Take Thats ‘Back for Good’ the thumping drum and bass version. If you did miss it don’t fet because its every Monday night at upsu:
(Check the bottom of this email for a little surprise!) 

It is that time of year again when you the students decide who is going to lead the union for the following year, that’s right its elections! If you think that you can take the union forward and are thinking about standing in the elections then go to the union and pick up a nomination form and go for it! You will receive training and gain experiences that can set you aside from all the other graduates after you finish your degree and it is a unique experience that only a handful of students ever get to have and remember you the voters decide who’s in charge of your
Union! (see the end of the email on how to apply)
Tickets are still available for:
Tuesday 16th January
The Architects
Tickets £6 in advance
Architects, hailing from Brighton, were formed in the beginning of 2004 with a shared passion for anything metal. Drawing influences from bands such as Ion Dissonance, Botch, Decapitated and Deftones their music is designed to shave you a new face and leave you crying out for more.
Architects are undeniably unique, be sure you don’t miss out.

Thursday 25th January
Mr Scruff
Tickets £10 in advance
Mr Scruff’s Keep It Unreal nights cover a large range of genres and moods, all tied together with his sheer love of great music as well as supreme but unflashy DJ skills, and form an opportunity for the you to completely enter the Scruff world.

Saturday 3rd February
Goldie presents ‘Rufige Kru’
Tickets £7.50 in advance or £10 on the door
‘One of D’n'B’s most famous figures, establishing the infamous Metalheadz, gaining an acting role as a dodgy gangster in the TV show ‘EastEnders’ and was also a participant in the celebrity version of the reality show ‘Big Brother’.

Wednesday 7th February
Capdown
Tickets £8 in advance
“CAPDOWNprove the second acceptable face of trombones of the day – what is the world coming to? Given a hero’s welcome, their political yet skank-happy ska-punk is a legal high. Their audience spill out towards the burger vans, climbing up the tents and dancing like their lives depend on it. They leave the tent spent and sweaty” – KERRANG! – KKKKK
Reading Festival review, 09 Sep 2006

Sunday 25th February
Reuben
Tickets £7 in advance
Reuben have received massive support from MTV2, play from leading edge DJs like Steve Lamacq, Colin Murray and Zane Lowe and great reviews from magazines like Kerrang!, NME, Rock Sound and Metal Hammer.

Tickets are available from www.upsu.com

What’s on

What’s on at the Students’ Union – Plymouth

Fri 12^th

Pirates & Ninja’s Night – BURN Nightclub with DJ Matt-Tastic! Which one will you dress up as? MP3 Player for the best pirate and ninja costume. Plus DJ Tony in Illusion. Free b4 9.30pm, only £1 after. Open till 3am!

Sat 13^th

Big Screen Sports,12.45pm Watford v Liverpool 5.15pm Blackburn v Arsenal

Flirt! – DJ Funkylunch playing the best chart and cheese. Free b4 9.30pm, only £1 after. Open till 3am!

Sun 14^th

Big Screen Sports, 1.45pmEverton v Reading 4pmTottenham Hotspur v Newcastle Utd

The Great UPSU Bar Quiz is back and now rum by ViP – expect lots of question rounds, music rounds and maybe even some pig racing (although can’t promise it!)

Mon 15^th

Ignition – VEGAS – The fantastic Bar Roulette Game.

WONKEYLEGS ! The favourite drum n bass, and breakbeat night is now at upsu: With Plymouth’s 14th best DJ Aldo Vanucci. 10pm-3am, £1 NUS Extra, £2 NUS, £3 others.

Tue 16^th

 Ignition – 7.45pm – 3rd Round Replay

Illusion: The Architects Tickets £6 in advance

Architects, hailing from Brighton, were formed in the beginning of 2004 with a shared passion for anything metal. Drawing influences from bands such as Ion Dissonance, Botch, Decapitated and Deftones their music is designed to shave you a new face and leave you crying out for more.

Architects are undeniably unique, be sure you don’t miss out. Follow On Club: Varsity

Wed 17th

20:00pm-Tottenham v Liverpool / Arsenal

Illusion – International Students New Celebration

Follow On Club: C103

Thur 18^th

Bar Footsie on the Screens Look out for market crashes.

Ignition– DJ Sharpeye

Illusion: 20:00hrs – DJ Soc presents Direct Drive – Free Entry 9pm-1am.

Please note: We will now be using the old nightclub entrance for Wonkeylegs (Mondays 10-2) and our Friday & Saturday Nightclubs, which are now open till 3am! The Main entrance will shut on Fri & Sat at 7pm and after that only the old nightclub entrance will be open.

Tributes and Condolences

Following the death of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Roland Levinsky, on 1 January 2007, the university has set up an online book for messages of tribute and condolence from staff, students and others who would like to contribute.

You can add your message and/or view messages by clicking on this link and following the instructions.

http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/vcmemorial

In addition, a book of condolences is being kept in the reception of 18 Portland Villas on the Plymouth campus for anyone who would like to leave a personal message.

Professor Mark Cleary

What’s on guide to the Students’ Union – Plymouth

Ents News
Happy New Year peeps!!
Is it just me or did the holidays go far too quickly? To ease you back into the new academic term we at upsu:ents have organised a fantastic programme of events – see below for what’s coming up this week and check out our myspace for details on the rest of the month. We also have a sparkly new ticket box office so take a look and get your tickets for all our upcoming shows before they sell out! Please note: We will now be using the old nightclub entrance for Wonkeylegs (Mondays 10-2) and our Friday & Saturday Nightclubs, which are now open till 3am! The Main entrance will shut on Fri & Sat at 7pm and after that only the old nightclub entrance will be open. Refreshers Fair!!
Back from all the festive fun of the holidays we are holding a Refreshers Fair in the Students’ Union, with lots of freebies and competitions to get you geared up for the term ahead. We have local and national companies joining us on Monday 8th January, Tuesday 9th January and Wednesday 10th January… so come join us and get your exclusive student offers!Tickets are now available for:

Tuesday 16th January
The Architects
Tickets £6 in advance
Architects, hailing from
Brighton, were formed in the beginning of 2004 with a shared passion for anything metal. Drawing influences from bands such as Ion Dissonance, Botch, Decapitated and Deftones their music is designed to shave you a new face and leave you crying out for more.
Architects are undeniably unique, be sure you don’t miss out.Thursday 25th January
Mr Scruff
Tickets £10 in advance
Mr Scruff’s Keep It Unreal nights cover a large range of genres and moods, all tied together with his sheer love of great music as well as supreme but unflashy DJ skills, and form an opportunity for the you to completely enter the Scruff world. 

Saturday 3rd February
Goldie presents ‘Rufige Kru’
Tickets £7.50 in advance or £10 on the door
‘One of D’n'B’s most famous figures, establishing the infamous Metalheadz, gaining an acting role as a dodgy gangster in the TV show ‘EastEnders’ and was also a participant in the celebrity version of the reality show ‘Big Brother’. Wednesday 7th February
Capdown
Tickets £8 in advance
“CAPDOWN prove the second acceptable face of trombones of the day – what is the world coming to? Given a hero’s welcome, their political yet skank-happy ska-punk is a legal high. Their audience spill out towards the burger vans, climbing up the tents and dancing like their lives depend on it. They leave the tent spent and sweaty” – KERRANG! – KKKKK
Reading Festival review, 09 Sep 2006  Sunday 25th February
Reuben
Tickets £7 in advance
Reuben have received massive support from MTV2, play from leading edge DJs like Steve Lamacq, Colin Murray and Zane Lowe and great reviews from magazines like Kerrang!, NME, Rock Sound and Metal Hammer.Tickets are available from www.upsu.com What’s on

Fri 5th	BURN Entry Nightclub with DJ Matt-Tastic! and DJ Tony. Free b4 10pm, only £1 after. Open till 3am!
Sat 6th	Big Screen Sports,12.30pm Tamworth v Norwich City 5.15pm Liverpool v Arsenal Hair of the Reindeer Party ! – DJ Funkylunch playing cheese to ease you back into the academic year. Free b4 10pm, only £1 after. Open till 3am!
Sun 7th	Big Screen Sports, 2pm Manchester United v Aston Villa 4pm Cardiff City v Tottenham Hotspur
Mon 8th	Big Screen Sports, 17:30hrs FA Cup 1st Round Replay 8pm – Illusion – Open Mic Night Everyone welcome – full drum kit and backline Ignition – VEGAS – The fantastic Bar Roulette Game. WONKEYLEGS Launch Party! The favourite hip hop, drum n bass, and breakbeat night is now at upsu: With Plymouth’s 14th best DJ – Aldo Vanucci. 10pm-3am, £1 NUS Extra, £2 NUS, £3 others.
Tues 9th	Ignition – 7.45pm – Liverpool v Arsenal Illusion: Playstatin Tournament – Pro Evolution Soccer , register from 7.30pm £1 per person. Overall winner gets cash prize! Club: Varsity – check out the new inside! Varsity has a make-over.
Wed 10th	19:45 – Wycombe Wanderers v Chelsea Illusion – Football Club Social Follow On Club: C103 - The Legend Continues
Thurs 11th	Bar Footsie on the Screens Look out for market crashes Ignition– DJ Sharpeye Illusion: 20:00hrs – Singstar Karaoke Night – Bottle of Bubbly for best singer.

UPSU saddened by the loss of the Vice-Chancellor – Professor Roland Levinsky

The vice-chancellor was killed when overhead power cables came down during a storm in Devon.

Prof Roland Levinsky, 63, was walking his dog when the accident occurred in a field in Wembury on Monday.Paramedics were called, but he died at the scene. He was appointed vice-chancellor in September 2002. He was a professor of medicine in Plymouth and professor of immunology at the University of London. The coroner was informed of the death after emergency services were called to the field behind Warren Close in Wembury at about 1245 GMT on New Year’s Day.

Power failure

The Health and Safety Executive has been informed.

The University of Plymouth confirmed his death on today.

A thunder and hail storm was passing over the area at the time.

About 1,400 households had electricity cut off as a result of the cable fall. Engineers later restored supplies.

Police cordoned off the junction of Warren Close and
Hawthorn Drive for three hours as part of their investigation and while engineers from Western Power restored supplies.

Prof Levinsky trained as a doctor, specialising in paediatrics. He worked for several years at the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.

In 1990, he was appointed as dean and director of research at the Institute for Child Health in London.

He was appointed in 1999 as vice-provost for biomedicine and head of the graduate school at University College London.

He was the author and co-author of more than 250 scientific papers, reviews, chapters in books, and editor of two multi-author books.

His research interests included bone marrow transplantation, the molecular basis of immunodeficiency diseases, gene therapy and stem cell biology.

The university’s board of governors said Prof Levinsky would be remembered for his huge contribution to the life of the university, the city and the region.

UPSU send its deepest sympathy to his family.

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

UPSU would like to wish all its members a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

See us in January for these great events:

ReFreshers Fair – 8/9/10th January in the Plymouth Students’ Union

WONKEY LEGS – Every Monday starting the 8th January

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Latest news – Coursework deadlines

Due to the network problems all coursework deadlines for the 13/14/15th December have been extended to the 8th January 2007 at the earliest. For the full details call your Faculty office or the student portal (once this has been fixed!).