Are your Sabbs breaking their pledges?

### Daniel Stevens – President

Overall, Stevens admitted that he is “frustrated” with the progress he has made with many manifesto commitments “still in the initial stages of planning and negotiation”.

Stevens has worked closely with Sean Ruston on the SU campaign against HE cuts and tuition fee rises “developing an overall strategy, planning, fundraising and raising awareness of the campaign to students and staff” as well as applying “pressure to the university, members of parliament and other prominent figures”.

Due to sudden and “drastic” changes to the HE system, the Union’s priorities have changed since writing his manifesto: “This year the number one priority is dealing with the implications of Browne and CSR”.

He is currently working on a new transport campaign which he hopes will be rolled out at the end of this term and has “been in negotiations” over transport costs. He is also campaigning nationally for international students and has “developed a new joint Union-University internationalisation strategy”.

Stevens added that he will be unable to introduce a happy hour due to recent changes in English licensing laws.

### George Whitworth – Sports

Whitworth described this year’s Pop as “a massive success” due to new staff, an extension of the happy hour, and a high average attendance “at around 1,000 people”.

He plans to give students “a massive say” in the “complete redesign” of the WarwickSport website, which will include incorporating “a greater chunk of club admin into the online portal”.

Transport has been “largely impossible to combat currently” as it is bound by existing university contracts, but “significant work has been done with clubs” to ensure they don’t damage minibuses, receive unfair charges, or lack minibus assessments.

Although sponsorship is a project he has “not invested much time in yet”, Whitworth maintained that there is “no need” for this service to be available until new club execs come into power around Easter.

Whitworth added that this year’s autumn KPMG leagues “have been very heavily publicised” and “seem to be running very smoothly” due to an updated rule book and a clearer message to team captains.

He is disappointed with his failure to enthuse sports such as Basketball to hold casual tournaments.

### Sean Ruston – Education

Ruston’s priority has been the NUS anti-cuts campaign.

He is “pleased with NUS commendations” of Warwick’s organisation, as well as the SU’s collaboration with the UCU for the first time. He claimed to be in “ongoing talks with the university” over international fees.

‘Inspire’ has also “shifted to a key priority” due to cuts to the Aim Higher programme. During the second half of this term, the project will be given “a significant rise in funding” and will expand in its community outreach.

Ruston’s promise of higher standards of exam feedback has seen Advanced Teaching and Learning pilot projects in various departments in order to promote best practices. However, he added that it was “a complex area, there is no one-size fits all” and that “departments are encouraged to talk with the SSLC”.

He has worked with John Lapage on a progress report of the Life Sciences merger and is involved in ongoing consultation.

He added that short use computers are now in the library on each floor, and that he is planning to run library focus groups.

### Leo Bøe – Welfare

At the start of term, Bøe’s priority was housing students left without Warwick accommodation.

For logistical reasons, he has adapted several manifesto pledges. A ‘Housing Day’ for newcomers to Leamington and Coventry became a ‘Moving In Pack’ per student household in Leamington. A ‘Housing Week’ has evolved into the year-long ‘Relax’ campaign.

A complaints webpage has turned into an appeal for students to speak to the Student Advice Centre instead. The promised “affordable living working group” is now a campaign about bus services.

Bøe set up three GUM drop-in sessions this term which may continue depending on attendance levels. He has been unable to organise more blood drives as they must be booked 18 months in advance.

Bøe has met frequently with part-time officers to share ideas about “discrimination student support services”.

Bøe is carrying out an on campus safety survey, a responsible drinking campaign, and a campaign to raise awareness of disabled sport. He is “waiting for a quote” to provide better disabled access to the Union atrium.

Bøe is in discussion with One World Week about an international food festival which he “will ensure happens by the end of the year”.

Although Freshers’ Ball tickets were no cheaper than last year, Stanley argued that the event “represented much better value for money”.

### Stuart Stanley – Finance

Stanley is pleased that “there have been no significant price rises in the food and drink outlets” and that a 10% eating@warwick discount now applies to all drinks in the Copper Rooms.

However, he said that ensuring cheaper use of The Copper Rooms for Clubs & Societies’ events was “still ongoing”. He maintained that there was a more diverse ents program this year with more student DJs in Room 2.

Stanley is also in negotiations with the university over a late-night food outlet.

While he has ordered more seating for the atrium, Stanley is looking for a way around licensing laws to open up Room 2 of the Copper Rooms during the day as “a chill out space”. He has managed to extend the Bread Oven’s opening hours to 3.30.

Stanley’s commitment to making finance and decisions making procedures more transparent by “helping students to identify which decisions are made by whom” is “ongoing”. As are SUHQ regeneration projects which will “hopefully be included in the Union’s long-term strategy”

### Chris Luck – Democracy/Comms

Luck maintains that he has been careful “to make sure Officers [are] much more accountable to the membership”.

Each officer must now give regular reports to the Executive Committee about progress on manifesto pledges and a ‘manifesto tracker’ will be appearing on the SU website soon. An SU ‘you say, we say’ will be rolled out “over the next few weeks”.

He also claims to have “respond[ed] to your feedback in the Bubble throughout the term” and created an incentive to Union involvement with the provision of Freshers Party tickets to Freshers Helpers.

Luck is now “looking at ways of engaging the membership much more in Union democracy” including an “overhaul” of the website’s democracy sections and “a fully functioning online calendar over the next few months”.

### Andy White – Societies

Although this year there is a “massively reduced rate” for society advertisements on Union TVs, White is trying to secure four free slots per week.

White is unable to deliver his promise to set up more collectives. Due to financial restrictions, 65 societies were forced to close at the beginning of this term. As “it did not seem right to then set up a new society which nobody had explicitly asked for” White is instead looking to set up alternative ‘affiliations’ “in time for the start of term 3”.

Societies forms can now be submitted online. White assured students that “over Christmas we will work to make the forms easier to find and more user-friendly”.

White also pledged to help societies apply for joint funding. In Term 3, he will put together a sponsorship pack, including an easy ‘how to’ guide, and previous examples of packs which have been successful in securing funding from private businesses.

White also commented that “the societies’ space now has ventilation, and lots of societies are using it”, and Warwick TV and RAW have now moved into a media centre.