It’s been all systems go here at the Students’ Union, we’ve not stopped working, to make sure that we’re effectively representing you. Our full-time staff team and sabbatical officers have been keeping the SU cylinders firing on full power, so here’s 20 things that we’ve done to help City Students;

1. We’ve launched our New Website which will help students find information easier and access our services.
    
2. Our Shop has moved online so students can get access to City Merchandise easier and introduced cheaper items to expand our range.
    
3. We launched our Money Advice service. Students can discuss their financial situation and money worries with an advisor, discuss overspending and strategies to help manage your money, and we can help you draw up a budget. This new service will refer or signpost you to specialist services if these are needed.
    
4. In response to students telling us that their finances were a big worry for them, we have launched a Short-Term Loan scheme. Students can apply for up to £200, interest free and repayable over 6 months. The loans are intended to help you in an emergency, and we are likely to approve loans where you are clearly struggling and where a loan would make a clear difference to you financially.
    
5. To help us grow the above services we have created and recruited to a new Academic & Money Advisor position.
    
6. We have provided feedback and recommendations on revised City policies, including an amended Extenuating Circumstances policy for 2020/21.
    
7. Our Advisors have provided support to 34 students since 1 September.
    
8. We launched a new project titled 'Student Check-in', designed to 'check-in' on new and returning students to ask how they are doing and refer those that need it to further support. In our first week we made over 1,300 phone calls to students.
    
9. Premiered new training modules on Moodle for student groups to learn how to manage their memberships, with more training on external speakers, finance and fundraising, and data protection to come in the next few weeks.
    
10. Met with members of the Careers team to discuss collaboration opportunities, including events for students of colour, training modules for student volunteers to help market their skills, and potential events later in the year. Collaboration with this team previously has led towards Union involvement in their Micro-placements module, with a student embarking on work experience in the Union, which will hopefully be re-started pending lockdown restrictions and staff being in the office. 
     
11. Connected with staff in the Learning Enhancement & Development team to ensure that information they hold on the SU, and how they relay this to academic staff, is up-to-date and fit-for-purpose.
     
12. Currently processing approximately ten new society applications, which should be approved and running in the next fortnight.
     
13. To ensure the voices and opinions of City students are at the heart of City Students’ Union, we have created new online feedback measures such as the Big Ideas platform. You set the direction of your Students’ Union. 
     
14. City Students’ Union was able to secure funding to deliver new initiatives that reduce the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) attainment gap such as a BAME Ambassador scheme focused on reviewing, commenting on and contributing to projects with City’s Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team and Student Attainment Working Group.
     
15. During the academic year of 2019-2020, City Students’ Union trained 359 Programme Reps to actively collect feedback and create change within their courses. 
     
16. City Students' Union recognised the call to action from staff, students and the wider public and actively lobbied City, University of London to change the name of City’s Cass Business School.
     
17. Over 50 thematic issues were raised through Student Voice covering multiple areas including Assessment and Feedback, Teaching Standards, Online Resources and Employability. 
     
18. City Students’ Union believes in the importance of student mental health. By us working with the University, students can now access free, confidential online support from any location with Together All, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
     
19. Student feedback showed a general disappointment over the lack of student space at City, University of London, therefore we are working on generating new space for students at City.
     
20. City Students’ Union worked with the University to put in place a safety net, ensuring the results of assessments taken after 16th March would not negatively affect your degree classification.
     

Phew... you made it, we'll be back next month with more updates on how we've progressed. Bye, for now.