Replaced and Rubbished

And so, already I have a replacement! I don't know if you can ever imagine how weird that is - to have someone eager and willing and waiting in the wings. Matt (the new me!) will, I have no doubts, be an excellent Equal Opportunities Executive due to his passion which he has shown as the current Education Officer.

One example of this was that on Wednesday night we joined the Hallam Amnesty International society, STAR, Sheffield Amnesty and actual asylum seekers to protest and raise awareness of the Government's treatment of refused asylum seekers. The idea was to spend 12 hours on the street (8pm-8am), sleeping on little more than cardboard boxes and sleeping bags. I managed until 4am when I became absolutely chilled to the bone and felt sick. I am not a good person to go camping with as many of my friends can testify! I am not a nice person without sleep and I always sleep badly when I'm not in my bed. Seeing as I was going to work the next morning I opted to take a fold out bed which I incurred some wrath for, however I figured if I could function in the morning then it was worth it. But even the bed didn't help and in the early hours, after all the abuse from students kicking out of Juice, I gave in and went home. Everyone else managed the entire night and they have my sincerest admiration (apart from the fact many didn't have to go to work in the morning - although a few did!!!).

There is, as usual, so much going on that it would be difficult to write it all here in the half hour I've allowed myself to write this blog. With Collegiate Week, Diversity Week and the sexual health training over I imagined that things would slow down, but they haven't! And so I am looking forward to the weekend immensely and catching up on my sleep is my number one priority! Hopefully I'll find time to fill you in on more next week.
Jess :)

Belated Happy New Year!

Hello and a belated happy new year to you all! This is my first quick blog of the year just to let you know what will be going on over the next few weeks and also to let you know that nominations are now open for exec positions! If you fancy yourself as the next president or the new me come in and chat to us or pick up and application pack (also available from hallamunion.com from Monday).

So...Oscar (the welfare exec) and I will be wrapping up our research around student housing and are moving onto our next project. This will take place during Collegiate Week, which is the first week in February. We're concentrating on helping all students with their mental health and in doing so, Oscar is creating a booklet all about good mental health and what you can do to improve yours! Plus we're arranging yoga sessions and self defence sessions which will be launched so you can chill out or release some aggression! Look out for the meditation services too being offered by the University in the new and improved multi-faith chaplaincy. Look on the University's website for more details.

My new year's resolution was to get the sections of the website updated which I am responsible for. I'd planned to do this on Tuesday but I'm having excruciating pains with my teeth and so had to go to the hospital. Watch out for me on the 1st and15th of Feb as they're the dates after my teeth operations - I will be literally a bear with a sore head! Avoid me like the plague if you're sensible! Back to the website though, I promise to get it done as soon as I can!

That's enough for today apart from to say, we're on training tomorrow if you're looking for us at the HUBs - sorry!

Jess :)

ps. If you wanted me to do something and mentioned it to me earlier in the term please ring or email me again now we're back. A gentle reminder would not go amiss and I certainly don't want to miss any of your priorities out! (To many 'misses' there!) I don't mind at all being prodded - I have a mind like a sieve!