Important Notice for Plymouth Campus – Students’ Union Temporary Building Closure

The whole of the Students’ Union on the Plymouth campus – Shop, Bar, Offices, Loafers and the Refectory will be closed after Friday 2nd June 2006 for the summer. 

Major building works will be going on and during this time the top floor will be demolished.  There will be no access to anyone except a few upsu: staff and builders. 

Most of our staff are being re-located on campus, you will be able to find:

• Reception (Pauline) and Volunteering (Kate & Claire) with upsu: Advice, next to the Nursery  
• Sports (Nadine) at 22 Endsleigh Place   
• Finance in Smeaton Room 100  
• Sabbatical Officers in the Library 

All enquiries to 01752 238500 as usual.

We will be moving into our new extension (parallel to Davy) at the end of August and look forward to seeing you all then.

ENGLAND V HUNGARY – WATCH IT LIVE IN THE PLYMOUTH UNION K.O. 8.05PM

Jamie Carragher is likely to be deployed in a holding midfield role for England's friendly with Hungary on Tuesday.

Widespread reports suggest the Liverpool defender will be given the chance to stake a claim for a World Cup starting berth in the match at Old Trafford.

England coach Sven Goran Eriksson has revealed his intention to field his strongest team available against the Hungarians, with a view to the same XI kicking off the World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 10.

With Wayne Rooney still recovering from a foot injury, it appears likely Eriksson will opt to play Michael Owen as a lone striker, rather than in tandem with Peter Crouch.

Owen has overcome a minor injury scare to take his place against Hungary, with former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard due to provide the key support.

But in the midfield anchor role, Eriksson is tipped to spring a surprise by naming Carragher as the man to shield the defence.

Tottenham's Michael Carrick appeared to be the obvious choice for the role, but Eriksson is leaning towards the selection of Carragher.

Though Carragher has occasionally operated in that position, in more recent seasons he has become a bedrock of the Liverpool defence, establishing himself as one of the most reliable centre halves in Europe.

With Carragher in midfield, the back four is due to comprise Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Ashley Cole, with Paul Robinson in goal.

Gerrard's role in linking up with Owen will leave captain David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole filling the remaining midfield places.

Eriksson will doubtless ring the changes during the second half and Theo Walcott could become England's youngest-ever cap if he comes on as a substitute.

Aaron Lennon will also be hoping to get a chance to shine after impressing during the England B side's defeat to Belarus last Thursday.

For Hungary, there are likely to be two English-based players on show in Gabor Kiraly and Zoltan Gera.

Crystal Palace's Kiraly is due to start in goal, while West Brom schemer Gera is expected to play in behind lone striker Imre Szabics.

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Students Against Lecturers’ Strike Action

Students Against Lecturers' Strike Action

"fight for your right to graduate"

A group of final year students have got together and are asking everybody at Plymouth University to wear RED on 24th May to show the University and lecturers how strongly we all feel about the current strike action.
At universities around the country final year students may only graduate and receive a final grade on coursework already marked and given back to students. This may result in many students receiving unrepresentative marks, especially when the majority of students work that much harder in the months following Christmas.
As much as we all believe that the lecturers deserve better pay, we feel that final year students are being used as pawns in their fight.

Whether you are a final year, or first year student we ask that you show your support for all students at the university by wearing RED on 24th May. There has been interest from the local press and this will only increase as more and more people become involved. So please, please, please forward this on to everybody you know and tell every student you speak to to wear RED on 24th May.

Rally outside the Portland Square building at 1pm,

For more information please contact:

salsaday@hotmail.co.uk

Open meeting Thursday 18th May in Babbage Lecture Theatre at 6pm, Plymouth campus

Dear Student

Please just take 1 minute to read about something really important.

The Students' Union is currently undergoing the biggest review it has ever seen. We get accused all the time of not being relevant to students and not getting you involved in decision making so we're completely changing how we get you involved.

Some of the new ideas are:

A new student Parliament

Presidents Question Time

Big debates on student issues

Televised debates played into the bar.

To view the whole proposal please copy and paste this address into your web browser.

Do you have any good ideas? To come and ask questions about the review and give your input there is an:

Open meeting Thursday 18th May in Babbage Lecture Theatre at 6pm, Plymouth campus

[Free glass of wine or orange juice for all those who attend]

It's your union, make sure you come and have your say on how it is shaped for the future.

Kris

Finance and Communications Officer

University of Plymouth Students' Union

www.upsu.com

The University of Plymouth Students Union responsed to AUT/NATFHE action

The University of Plymouth Students’ Union (UPSU) is highly sympathetic to the demands of AUT and NATFHE and their fight for greater pay. UPSU fully recognised the contribution that all University staff make to the organisation and the investment they make in helping our members attain their goals. We are an organisation whose goal is to improve the student experience and, as part of this, it is important that all staff are well motivated, enthusiastic and ready to work with our members to achieve this goal. However, we do have concerns with the action being taken by the lecturers in terms of detriment to students’ degrees and implications to students’ mental health and stress as well as targeting students at this vulnerable time of year.UPSU are working alongside the trade unions, other students’ unions, NUS and the university to ensure students are not being disadvantaged in any way. We are extremely concerned with inconvenience cause to students at this vulnerable and important time in their courses.We are already aware of the worry caused to students over this action and ask for a swift conclusion to the marking boycott to prevent any potentially detrimental mental health problems that can be inflicted on students as a result of the stress caused. 

Emily West, Plymouth Site President said “We are pleased that negotiations have started but urge them to continue and to, at least, agree on solving the 'marking' boycott" 

UPSU are asking that the university through UCEA and both the trade unions hold more meetings that are productive in ending our students concerns. We are asking that a solution is implemented that will bring and end to this dispute and allow our members to concentrate on their studies.

For further information please contact;
Rob Gofton, Marketing Manager, UPSU. Email robert.gofton@su.plmouth.ac.uk , Fiona House, Education Officer, UPSU. Email education@su.plymoutha.ac.uk or Kris Talikowski, Finance & Communications Officer, UPSU. Email financeandcomms@su.plymouth.ac.uk

Plymouth jumps thirty places in Guardian league tables

The University of Plymouth has jumped an impressive thirty places in the Guardian’s national university league tables published today – from 73rd place in 2005 to 43rd place this year – above such big players as Exeter, Dundee, and Aberdeen.

The university, which the Guardian describes in its profile as a ‘forward thinking’ university, also secured a ‘top 20’ place for ten subjects including social work (fifth place), tourism, transport and travel (eighth place), art and design (twelfth place), Agriculture and Forestry, Drama, and Materials and Minerals Engineering (13th place), Earth & Marine Sciences and Geography, and Environmental Studies (15th place), Sports Science (17th place) and Architecture (18th place).

Update on academic staff union pay dispute

It is very good news that pay talks between the UCEA (the body that represents universities as employers nationally) and the higher education unions will resume on Monday 8 May.  Following a meeting facilitated by the arbitration service ACAS, both sides have agreed to the talks to try and bring an end to the current assessment boycott. 

The university hopes that this will result in a resolution to the dispute in time for marks to be made available to assessment panels and boards, so that results can be processed as usual. . 

In the meantime, we would like to assure you that all examination papers have been set and examinations will take place as shown in the published timetable, and that all coursework deadlines remain as published in your module briefings (or as otherwise notified).  Final year students should also note that dates for Graduation ceremonies remain unchanged.  

Whilst we wait for the talks to take place and subsequent decisions to be made at national level, the university will continue to make contingency plans to ensure that there is minimal disruption to progression and to classification of final qualifications.  A special Academic Board will be scheduled to approve these plans if necessary. 

We are today writing to external examiners to advise them that it is our intention assessment panels and boards will take place as scheduled and we will make sure that the impact of any disruption to date, in terms of student anxiety or limited availability of feedback is reported to panels and boards so that it can be taken into account as appropriate.  

You are advised to continue to submit work and prepare for examinations according to the published timetables. 

The Student Union website at www.upsu.com provides links to information about the academic staff action nationally.

Help raise money for the educational charity Gemin-i.org – Representatives wanted

Gemin-i.org is organising a banger rallying tour under the name of Sucata Run August 25-27, 2006. Fifty teams will drive in banger cars (Sucata – Portuguese for junk) from port Calais in France to the most Western point of Europe Cabo da Roca in Portugal. Those willing to participate will commit to raising £1000 per team for the charity. This unique project is the first one setting the pattern for an annual event. The main Sucata Run prize for the best fund raiser will include a weeks holiday at the luxury apartments in Portuguese resort of Algarve.All the raised funds shall go towards an educational charity Gemin-i.org (www.gemin-i.org). The organisation is specialising in developing innovative web based solutions to improve education in the developing as well as the developed world. As an organisation Gemin-i.org works at bridging the digital divide and getting young people to learn and understand more about world cultures using interactive educational communication and collaboration tools. Gemin-i.org has over nine years of history of linking schools all over the world.We are now promoting this unique fundraiser and looking into finding university representatives to help and promote the event among students.This is what we can offer to the representative: great experience to add to her/his CV, possibility to register team without registration fee, a CV workshop, truly great time and meeting loads of new people. We are committed to provide all promotional materials and all the necessary support. Contact details below.

Giedre Paludneviciute

Project coordinator – volunteer

502 New Loom House

101 Backchurch Lane

E11LU London

02077029621

07722420718

giedre@gemin-i.org www.gemin-i.org

Plymouth Colours Awards 2006

Scott Dann was the special guest at the UPSU 'Colours Awards' 2006
On the evening of the 26th May, UPSU took to the stage in the Holiday Inn for one of the most important evenings of the year. The event was about recognising the amazing talent, and dedication of certain students towards the sporting field including some societies. The awards ranged from half colour and full colours to contributions to sports and club of the year recognising not only the achievement of individuals but also of teams and entire clubs. UPSU was blessed to have sports both in the mainstream, but also the extreme sports like Snowriders, be recognised on stage. There is now only optimism and excitement that things really are only getting better.Download a list of the winners here…