SCRUTINY AND SUPPORT PANEL MINUTES

PresidentJay Malpass Clark

Present / In attendance
Jay Malpass-Clark (SU President) / John Goodwin (Facilitator)
Declan Mulholland (Chair) / Emma Feneley (Secretary)
Riccardo Stone (Permanent Panel Member)
Thembi Nkau (Permanent Panel Member)
Sam Baines (Temporary Panel Member)
General Update from Officer
This is the officer’s opportunity to update on their work in general since the last Student Council meeting. The panel may ask questions and contribute to the discussion
Reconfiguration Projects/Estates Strategy – Work is currently being done with the University Estates team to persuade them to prioritise the use of their reconfiguration budget to update the sporting facilities. Once the sports centre has been redeveloped, there is also the idea of building a multi-storey car park next to the facilities, in order to alleviate the car parking issue at Headingley Campus.
Work on the new SU Bar Menu
-It was clearly stated that no changes to the menu would be made without student consultation. The idea is to hold student taster groups this semester, so that a new, inclusive menu can be introduced in September.
-One idea is to not have separate vegan, vegetarian or gluten free menus, but to make sure that all options can be customised to suit preferences or dietary requirements.
It was suggested that perhaps it would be better to have a separate vegan/vegetarian menu in order to make the menu easier to read. Jay clarified the customisation idea by using the example of build-a-burger: For every burger, there would be the option of a vegetarian or vegan patty, a gluten free bun, or lettuce leaves instead of a bun, and a variety of toppings.
It was agreed by the panel that while this is a good idea, money/food waste may be an issue. It was noted that the new menu is very much in the preliminary stages, and that meetings with the catering staff would need to take place. It was also noted that Students’ Union bars buy their food at a discounted rate.
It was agreed by the panel that a new menu would be a step in the right direction to update and re-invent the bar.
Vice Chancellor Search panels
The search panels are going well. There will be a meeting with all candidates on Friday 20th March, and the final selection days will take place on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th March. By Monday 30th March, the university will have appointed a new Vice Chancellor (VC).
Support for Pennies to Pounds & Student Bright Ideas
Both of these ideas have been supported at Board of Governors.
The computer society are going to be part of building the Student Bright Ideas software, which will be a much improved version of Staff Bright Ideas.
Trip to York
The York University Union student media department is award-winning, so Jay, Stephen and some media students visited for some inspiration and to share ideas.
It was asked whether there is a call for a student newspaper at Leeds Beckett, to which the response was that there had been a lot of interest. It was clarified that this would be an online paper, not a printed one.
It was suggested that that media could all be combined rather than having separate areas on the website for TV, radio and newspaper. This suggestion was taken on board, but it was also noted that ultimately, any decisions about media would lie with the new VP Activities.
It was also noted that due to the media co-ordinator leaving, student media now sits under societies.
Progress on Objectives
The officer should provide a detailed update on the progress of their objectives, highlighting any areas where particularly good progress has been made, as well as any areas that aren’t progressing as hoped. The panel should seek to both note where good progress has been made, and try to identify causes where progress has been less than expected.
We will implement a Student Consultation Framework
The Student Consultation Framework aims to introduce a system of student consultation to the university, considering students’ views before any big changes are made; whether this is something minor such as a lecture moving to a different room, or something major such as the university name change. It will be modelled on the colour coded system which is currently in place at Imperial University.
The Framework will be introduced on a bottom-up basis, piloting at the lowest levels of senior management teams. This objective is not something which can be quickly implemented; it is a process which could take up to 6 months.
There needs to be careful consideration whether to introduce the Framework now, under the new Vice Chancellor (VC), or whether to wait for the new VC to commence work in May. If the new VC is supportive of the framework, waiting would be beneficial. However, if the new VC is opposed to the idea, waiting could be detrimental. Regardless of the views of the new VC, waiting until May would delay an already drawn-out process.
It was asked whether it could be guaranteed that the University would implement this Framework after agreeing to it. The bottom-up pilots should help with this; if higher level management teams see that the idea has worked at lower levels they should be happy to implement it at their level, rather than being forced to.
The Panel recommended that Jay explain the Student Consultation Framework in detail at the next Student Council, and ask for their opinion on when it should be implemented.
We will get a Bright Ideas website in place for students to feed their ideas into the University and Students’ Union
There is a pre-existing staff Bright Ideas whereby staff submit their ideas; big or small to improve the university. Work is currently being done to implement a Student Bright Ideas system, which will be a much improved version of the existing software. The computing society will be involved in its creation – “made by students, for students”.
It was asked whether any students involved in Bright Ideas could have something put on their degree certificate recognising the work they had done. Jay was unsure, but did say he would be a referee for anyone involved.
He suggested bringing a demo of the software to Student Council to make it clearer what is trying to be achieved.
We will set up a Pennies to Pounds scheme for university staff to donate to a Student Hardship fund
The idea of Pennies to Pounds is for university staff to round down their wages to a whole number, donating the spare pennies to a student hardship fund on an opt-in basis. The fund would be a blanket one that any student could apply to without means testing. It could also be a “fill-in” fund, supporting students whilst they go through the application process for other funds, i.e. Disability Support Allowance.
It was hoped that this would be ready to present by the upcoming Student Council meeting, but due to scheduling issues and meetings being pushed back, it will not be ready until the meeting in May.
This idea was well received by the panel, who made the further suggestions of fundraising events being held, possibly in the SU bars and monthly updates on what the fund is being used for.
There was also the suggestion of students, parents and alumni being able to anonymously donate to the fund if they chose to do so.
Progress on Mandates from Student Council
The officer should provide a detailed update on the progress of their objectives, highlighting any areas where particularly good progress has been made, as well as any areas that aren’t progressing as hoped. The panel should seek to both note where good progress has been made, and try to identify causes where progress has been less than expected.
Jay Malpass-Clark to arrange a meeting with Luke Green and a university representative to discuss Futures Fest/BUCS Fixtures
There was an attempt to contact Luke via Facebook, however there was no response.
Jay to chase this up to check whether or not the issue has been resolved.
It was asked whether a previous mandate from Student Council regarding the promotion of ethical purchasing within the university had been chased up. No progress had been made due to the proposal needing to be amended. It was noted however that the proposal has now been appropriately updated, and can be followed up. Jay confirmed that he has an upcoming meeting with the VC where this can be discussed.
Any other business
Officer or panel members can raise any other items for discussion here, such as upcoming events or activities where support may be needed.
As requested at the beginning of the meeting, it was noted that at the next Student Council, Jay would report on:
-Progress on Pennies to Pounds – whether or not it has been agreed by CMT.
-Progress on Student Bright Ideas
-The meeting with Paul Smith, Deputy Vice Chancellor Strategic Development.

VP Education Saffron Rose

Present / In attendance
Saffron Rose (VP Education) / John Goodwin (Facilitator)
Maddy Leather (Chair) / Emma Feneley (Secretary)
Lerece Stuart (Permanent Panel Member)
Ben Wilson (Permanent Panel Member)
Gemma Whitfield (Temporary Panel Member)
General Update from Officer
This is the officer’s opportunity to update on their work in general since the last Student Council meeting. The panel may ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
Organising Course Rep Conference – The organisation of course rep conference is going well, however it has been stressful due to the timing of the SU elections.
Golden Robes Nominations – Nominations are going well. The target this year is 700 nominations.
It was commented that the Golden Robes have been very well promoted; in such a way that students are very aware that they are happening, but are not becoming annoyed with the presence of promotional materials around campus.
Visit to Parliament – The full-time officer team went to Parliament to lobby Leeds MPs Greg Mulholland and Hilary Benn on issues affecting students, such as university fees and Disability Support Allowance.
Lecture podcasts – The use of the Panopto software is currently not run on an ‘opt-out’ basis as it is in some other universities around the country. Meetings are currently being scheduled, and a paper is being written about the university fully introducing the use of the software across all courses.
It was asked what the timeframe for the lecture podcast software is. It has not yet been finalised, but if the university does decide to full introduce it across all courses, they will not be doing so until September 2016.
Progress on Objectives
The officer should provide a detailed update on the progress of their objectives, highlighting any areas where particularly good progress has been made, as well as any areas that aren’t progressing as hoped. The panel should seek to both note where good progress has been made, and try to identify causes where progress has been less than expected.
Get the licence renewed and agree to a pilot for recording of formal lectures
200 members of staff currently use Panopto, but many others do not know it exists. If the university decides to fully implement the use of this software, it will be on an ‘opt-out’ basis, and training sessions will be given.
Feedback from students whose lecturers currently use the software was that Panopto is incredibly useful, particularly for revision purposes, or if you are unwell and miss a lecture.
It was commented that there are better software options that Panopto that could be explored. While this is true, those lecturers who do use it have no complaints. The university are going to continue to use Panopto for a few years in order to give it a proper trial.
It was asked whether the Computing Society could be part of the lecture recording software. This is something that will be raised at the next IMTS meeting.
It was suggested that course reps could discuss this issue with their lecturers and encourage them to record their lectures. All in attendance agreed that this was a good idea.
We will change library purchasing and lending policy to have at least one copy of each core text considered as reference only
The library have confirmed that this will not be possible. They have changed the lending system so that if a particular book is in high demand, they will buy a new copy. This copy however will not necessarily be marked as reference only.
The other avenues to be explored are the use of e-books, and the promotion of the Sconul card, which would allow Leeds Beckett students to access the Leeds University Library.
It was suggested that student support for this manifesto point could push the library to take action. If the idea was passed by Student Council and approved as SU policy, then they might be in a better position to drive the library to change.
We will embed and continue to improve feedback
Whilst many students complain about the quality of their assignment feedback, it is very difficult to persuade Deans to realise that there is an issue. Evidence from course representative forums is currently being collated to present to university staff that there are many problems with feedback. The ideal way for feedback to be set out would be to have 3 things done well, 3 things to improve on, and general comments.
It was suggested that there could be a system of ‘feedback on feedback’, whereby students give constrictive comments on the feedback they have received.
It was commented that course reps would be very happy to help with this issue.
We will share and communicate with NUS better than present
-The profile of Leeds Beckett has been raised on a national scale through the attendance of networking events, conferences, protests, meetings and NUS conferences.
-The Union has also sent a number of elected delegates to liberation conferences.
It was asked how this relationship will be maintained once Saffron leaves. It is in the job description of the Student Engagement Manager and the Governance and Campaigns co-ordinator to maintain the relationship with NUS, and ensure that delegates are sent to NUS Conferences.
Progress on Mandates from Student Council
The officer should provide a detailed update on the progress of any work that was mandated to them by Student Council, highlighting any areas where particularly good progress has been made, as well as any areas that aren’t progressing as hoped. The panel should seek to both note where good progress has been made, and try to identify causes where progress has been less than expected.
Saffron to ensure that more is done in the future to promote course rep conferences to all course reps.
An all-student e-mail about course rep conference was sent out, as were announcements via social media. This appears to have worked, as the course rep conference is over-subscribed for the first time. There is currently a waiting list for the conference, with the possibility of more places opening up if the 25 staff places are not filled.
Any other business
Officer or panel members can raise any other items for discussion here, such as upcoming events or activities where support may be needed.
Golden Robes – It was requested that the course/school reps push Golden Robes as much as possible. It was noted that nominating lecturers who give particularly good feedback for an award is a good way of raising awareness of how important assignment feedback is to students.
Voter registration – The Union has received a grant of £18,000 from NUS to spend on registering students to vote. As part of this, the Union will be paying a number of students to be ‘voter registration assistants’, which will involve canvassing students face-to-face – applications are now open.
Action: Saffron to e-mail panel with the link to the job description so they can distribute it.
Feedback on the 3rd floor of the library –
-It was noted that the layout of the 3rd floor is confusing, and would perhaps benefit from the addition of a visual map.
-The silent areas are being well controlled by security and the librarians.
Feedback on the 3rd floor of the library will be considered when re-designing the 2nd floor.

VP Student Activities Stephen Ross

Present / Apologies were not received from:
Stephen Ross (VP Activities) / MahsaChadry (Permanent Panel Member)
Dan Perry (Temporary Member)
Apologies / In attendance:
Luke Green (Permanent Panel Member) / John Goodwin (Facilitator)
Bethany Hushon (Chair) / Emma Feneley (Secretary)
General Update from Officer
This is the officer’s opportunity to update on their work in general since the last Student Council meeting. The panel may ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
Visit to York: Jay and Stephen visited York University Union’s student media department, which has been voted one of the best in the country, in order to get ideas to expand and improve Leeds Beckett Students’ Union media. Jay is in the process of putting together a bid for a block grant to take to the Board of governors. It was noted that now student media sits under societies, they will be able to apply for grants like any other society.
Societies nights: Societies nights are generally going well. BeMedia postponed their quiz night, but it is to take place this week. The Islamic Society are hosting the next event, and there is one space left to be filled.
Parliament visit: The full-time officer team went to Parliament to lobby Leeds MPs Greg Mulholland and Hilary Benn on issues affecting students, such as university fees and Disability Support Allowance.
Progress on the Raise and Give Society: There is now an elected committee for RAG. The objective now is to recruit society members.
Encouraging students to vote in SU elections: During election period, students were actively encouraged to vote in the SU elections by posting on Facebook, working on polling stations, and making announcements at societies nights.
Registering students to vote in the general election: There has been a drive by all the full-time officers to register as many students as possible to vote in the general elections.
Away Day: As part of the VP Activities away day, the activities by-laws were reviewed, and they have now been drafted by the societies co-ordinator.
Employability scheme: Meetings have been held with the university to discuss a new employability scheme for students; tracking their grades, attendance and involvement in extra-curricular activities such as societies or volunteering.
There were no questions or comments.
Progress on Objectives
The officer should provide a detailed update on the progress of their objectives, highlighting any areas where particularly good progress has been made, as well as any areas that aren’t progressing as hoped. The panel should seek to both note where good progress has been made, and try to identify causes where progress has been less than expected.
We will improve our relationship with the AU
In a recent meeting with the AU the following was discussed:
-Feedback from the Refreshers fair: There were a number of areas where sports teams felt improvements could have been made.
-Wednesday timetabling issues: Classes are often scheduled on Wednesday afternoons, clashing with sports fixtures.
-Student Elections: There were issues in the past with space for candidate posters on noticeboards during the election period. Due to a change of rules this year candidates do not have to put their posters on noticeboards, so this issue resolved itself.
-SU Attempts: A series of events where full-time officers take part in team sports is in the process of being organised.
-Lad culture: Both the AU and SU are keen to tackle this issue.
-Drinking holidays: The AU are going to work with Amy (VP Welfare) on raising awareness of the dangers and consequences of drinking holidays.
To set up RAG so it can fully function next year
-A full committee has now been elected.
-Society members/fundraisers need to be recruited.
-There is an upcoming meeting with Leeds University Union RAG, which is very successful, to share and discuss ideas.
-Now the committee has been elected, there should be some events happening in the near future.
We will get media based courses more involved
-Some journalism students interviewed SU election winners.
-There have been a number of lecture shout-outs to media courses .
-A group of media students went on the visit to York Uni Union media – hopefully they will have been inspired to take part in media.
Other objectives
-Collaboration between media, societies and volunteering is still going well.
-Societies forum is also going well – well attended each week, and lots of societies have been applying for grants.
-The BeMedia radio station is continuing to do well.
-Beanbags and Teabags – This went well in first semester, but none have been held this semester. Action: Stephen to talk to Jay about arranging another Beanbags and Teabags.
-Leeds Beckett Students’ Union is now the best in the country for providing micro volunteering opportunities.
There were no questions or comments.
Progress on Mandates from Student Council
The officer should provide a detailed update on the progress of any work that was mandated to them by Student Council, highlighting any areas where particularly good progress has been made, as well as any areas that aren’t progressing as hoped. The panel should seek to both note where good progress has been made, and try to identify causes where progress has been less than expected.
Discussion of ‘Charity Week’ (RAG) event with Luke Green
Luke was invited by Stephen to a RAG meeting. He was unable to attend, but has been invited to the next meeting.
There were no questions or comments.
Any other business
Officer or panel members can raise any other items for discussion here, such as upcoming events or activities where support may be needed.
There was no other business.

VP WelfareAmy Waine