A warm welcome to the latest edition of the Teesside University Students’ Union (TUSU) newsletter! We get in touch every month during the academic year with all the latest news and events from your SU unless you ask us to stop by unsubscribing.
In this edition, we wish everyone who celebrates Christmas a very happy festive period and all students a safe, relaxing, and fun holiday. We know that it can be a tough period for some, especially if you are spending some or all of the time alone, so why not check out tees-su.org.uk/holidays. There are some great suggestions for filling the time without breaking the bank and what to do if you need help and support. You can also get tips on keeping yourself and your property safe, especially if you will be away from your usual accommodation visiting friends and family. And you can view our digital holiday card and watch our fun-packed holiday video there too!
We are also looking back with pride on a great calendar year for TUSU with the Our Impact Report and Video, and we review recent progress and future steps for our campaigns covering accommodation, cost of living, participation in student activities and much more! And we look ahead to what is shaping up to be a jam-packed Refresh Week from Sun, 22nd Jan 2023, with day and evening events/ activities aplenty heading your way!
Once again, we wish everyone a safe, happy holiday and a successful New Year! We hope that TUSU will be right at the heart of your student life throughout 2023.
Eby, Femi and Nigil – TUSU Student Officers 2022/23
Teesside University Students' Union (TUSU) reverts to holiday opening hours from Fri, 16th December, after the Festive Friday event until but not including Tue, 3rd January 2023, at 8 am.
*PLEASE NOTE: TUSU reserves the right to alter our advertised opening hours subject to levels of trade and usage from 3rd to 23rd Jan 2023. Any changes will be widely communicated to students.
We are a students' union committed to "real world" campaigns that address the key issues facing Teesside University students and truly make a difference. This includes focusing on housing, safety, physical and mental health, the cost-of-living crisis, student participation in societies and sports clubs, and course/ campus-related issues, to name a few.
Find out more about all our current campaign work through tees-su.org.uk/officers.
This has been the first full calendar year since 2019 without COVID-19-related restrictions, and it is fair to say our Student Officers, Students Reps, and of course, staff have made the most of it!
We were rated number 1 in the world by international students and broke all of our previous student election records. We also delivered hundreds of unforgettable events and remained a vital source of support, representation, activities and safe, inclusive spaces.
We celebrate our excellent collective efforts in “Our Impact 2022”. Read the publication and watch a video version now through tees-su.org.uk/impact.
We wish everyone a safe, happy and relaxing holiday over the coming weeks. Still, we also know it can be a struggle for some, especially if you are already dealing with mental health issues or spending some or all of your time alone. We also realise that with some of the usual sources of help, such as SU Student Support (SUSS) or Teesside Uni wellbeing services operating limited opening hours or closed altogether, it can be even more challenging.
Our ever more diverse range of societies have played their biggest ever role in the lives of students in 2022. Over 50 have been active, with the current number of students involved in one topping 1800 as we end the year. The groups include Academic based, such as Law and Midwifery, Cultural, such as Bangladesh and Nigerian, Faith, such as The Christian Union and Islamic and hobby-based Societies, such as Knitting and Tabletop. Here are a few notable numbers and highlights from the year in societies:
Why should you join a Society?
Whether you’re new to Uni or back for more in 2023, we want to ensure you get off to a good start! From Sun, 22nd to Sun, 29th January, we have a week packed full of day and evening events and activities to support, entertain and inform you.
You will be able to grab freebies and discounts, learn more about societies, have fun, make new friends and get advice and support with academic issues, save money and stay safe, to name just a few things. You can learn more about everything we have planned and how you can get involved through tees-su.org.uk/refresh.
It was only ever a matter of time! We have joined the TikTok revolution, folks! Give @teessidesu a follow for short, snappy, fun and informative content about TUSU that, in most cases, you cannot get on any other TUSU social media! We will have new posts every day during the rest of December and throughout January from the Student Officers, Student Reps, Societies, The TUSU Activities Team and more!
We are a team of 19 current students employed by the Students’ Union to represent each school across the university. Ultimately, we want to enhance your experience at Teesside.
We work with senior staff within our schools to help enhance the teaching and learning, facilities, and overall student experience. We also signpost students to relevant services across the university. So far, in just the first semester, we have already helped students with technical issues, re-enrolment enquiries, timetable changes, and access issues. We have also signposted students to various services, from IT to disability services.
If you are interested in representation, there may be a chance for you to become a Course Representative. Course Reps deal with course-related concerns to improve the experience for their cohort and future students. All you need to do is speak to your Course Leader, who will hold and class election. If you are selected for the role, they will then fill out a Course Rep nomination form, and the SU will contact you with an invite to training. We would love to work with you, so enquire with your Course Leader today!
We want your feedback, including success stories, positive comments, and issues or concerns. You can contact us via email, Facebook, or Instagram, by attending one of our drop-in sessions or catching us on campus; we wear black hoodies.
We look forward to working with you through the rest of this academic year and hope to hear from you soon, but in the meantime, find out more through tees-su.org.uk/schoolreps and watch a short video with some of the Reps explaining why they wanted to be a rep here.
We know that most students are feeling the pinch right now as living costs spiral. Whether you’re buying Christmas presents or not, the TOTUM app and card are a great way of saving cash. They can also help with the price of eating out, fashion, music, cinema, travel, and more! TOTUM is the only OFFICIAL student discount app and card, the only one offered by the National Union of Students (NUS), and the only one we recommend!
You can now get TOTUM Digital for FREE and enjoy 300+ student discounts, exclusive giveaways, the TOTUM app, and more for one year from the date you download.
You can also pay £14.99 (valid for one year) or £24.99 (valid for two or three years) for the TOTUM+ Age ID card option. All the discounts and savings mentioned above, extra exclusive giveaways, access to the TOTUM app, proof of age, premium discounts not available to others, and the inclusion of the International Student ID Card (ISIC)!
Aside from that, you will be helping your TUSU as we receive payments from NUS depending on how many students download the TOTUM app, how often they use it, and the number of students who upgrade to the complete TOTUM package! All that money is poured back into making your SU even better!
Teesside University Students' Union (TUSU) is led by students for students, and from February 2023, four incredible opportunities come around again!
Any current student at Teesside University* can run in our elections to find the next three people who get paid over £23,000 per year to lead TUSU and speak up for all students as President Education, President Activities, and President Welfare (you may only run for one of these positions).
You could also run for one of the positions available in a separate election, representing Teesside University at the single biggest annual gathering of students and students' union. You would join the Student Officers to represent all Teesside Uni students and make sure they are heard on the big stage at the NUS National Conference 2023.
Just running as a candidate is an amazing experience and a great way to boost your skills and widen your experience while ensuring we have properly contested elections with as high a voter turnout as possible! And if you are interested, NOW is the time to start getting organised!
Drop elections@tees-su.org.uk a line with questions about running in the elections and to speak to current Student Officers/ key support staff. We will also add a wealth of information, all the key dates for your diary, and essential downloads to tees-su.org.uk/elections in the coming weeks, so make sure you keep checking it out.
*Various factors may prevent you from being eligible to be a Trustee of Teesside University Students' Union and thus running in the Student Officer elections. Click here to find out more , or contact us using the elections e-mail address for a confidential chat about your situation.
Your SU works closely with the University and a range of external agencies such as Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire and the NHS to try to keep all students safe and well.
Check out our tips for staying safe and reducing the chance of being affected by crime over the festive period below:
