News

Hello from your Student Leaders

Hi everyone! If you don’t already know us, we are your elected student leaders in charge of making change at Christ Church for all students! Amongst the fun activities, we also attend various board meetings and sit on a plethora of committees that operate high up in the university - meaning that we have the opportunity to raise your concerns to the people with all the power!

In the aim of transparency, we want to update you all regularly with our plans and progress, as well as provide you with the chance to make your voice heard! Happy reading :)

July & August 

Joe and Emma started over the summer, joining Molly in the SU Office. We all had to meet new staff members (or the same people with new titles) because in line with the TCP (Transformational Change Programme) many staff members left and others gained new titles. We spent the summer training, getting initial plans together for our campaigns and attending our first ‘serious’ meetings.

Joe was a part of the entire interview and selection process for the new Vice Chancellor, meeting and questioning all of the candidates!

The three of us spent a lot of time at the Medway Campus, revamped the Union Council and had a few days at the University of Essex, exploring how other student unions operate. Finally, alongside all of this, we were planning for Welcome Week!!!

September!

We were very excited for September because it meant that there would actually be students back on campus - it was getting lonely. Emma started the month in Medway with the KSU and GSU officers where we planned our joint campaign. Our three unions will be focusing on student safety and transportation.

Then Welcome week rolled around! We helped new students move into their new accommodation and spent Monday in Touchdown, giving out welcome guides and directing first year students to their lectures. On Tuesday, Joe and Molly spoke at the graduation ceremonies (and Joe made Steve Backshall laugh).

Wednesday was Welcome Fair day! It was great to see how much effort all of the student groups put into their stalls! It was amazing to see so many new (and returning) faces; if you missed the event or needed more information, all student groups can be found on our website.

Throughout September, we also hosted The Big Quiz and a Society Takeover at the Lounge. We had a great time and hope you did too. Keep an eye out on our instagram page (@ccsu_elected) for what we plan to host in the future.

Then the Baton of Hope came to Canterbury and we attended the event at Augustine Hall. There was a Pitch Perfect acapella performance from Simon Langton’s female choir and many therapy dogs. The keynote speech from Ben West was enlightening about the need for improved teacher mental health training. You can find more information about the Baton of Hope online, it is an important initiative with a really powerful message.

September was also quite messy… from the colour run and the Futures Day GUNGE Tank, we certainly got stuck into all of the events happening on campus. But we love getting involved! In fact, you probably saw Molly at the netball allstars event (pretty sure she won). Don’t be surprised if you see all three of the Student Leaders at some sort of BUCs event - they can’t leave Christ Church Sport behind!

Now we are looking ahead to October! Students and staff are settled so it’s time to start moving forward with our campaigns and MAKE IT HAPPEN! Have a look at our focuses for October and please reach out to us if you have any ideas! We LOVE student input!!!

October’s focus…

Joe - Planning for upcoming cultural events such as Diwali and Bonfire Night, and beginning a monthly shoutout scheme for students achieving great things.
Emma - Kickstarting my course mentoring programme and making progress with the Medway-Canterbury shuttle bus system. 
Molly - Introducing our sport and society committee members to the volunteering programme and continuing the Don’t Burn Out! campaign with the restart of Chooseday Chill.