PLYMOUTH'S PROGRESS - Plymouth University

PLYMOUTH’S PROGRESS | 21SU: CHARITABLE STATUS,SPORT AND THE SILENT DISCOAll silence at the ‘headphone disco’.MESSAGE FROM SEENA SHAH, UPSUPRESIDENTThere’s a new team in place at the University’s Students’ Union(UPSU), bringing with them plenty of ideas for new projects andcampaigns that will be presented at the first Annual President’sAddress in January 2011.The new officers will continue the work of the previous team, leadingUPSU through the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative and benchmarkingour work against national standards, with the assessment being submittedin mid 2011. The Union will also see the recruitment of a new ChiefExecutive and, as with all students’ unions across the country, registrationfor charitable status.Always looking to offer something new, this year’s summer ball featureda ‘headphone disco’ - everyone was issued with wireless headphones andtwo separate DJs broadcast to them live via dedicated FM channels. Asurreal spectacle unfolded: a mass of humanity, throwing moves, pullingshapes and singing along to what appeared to everyone else to be...complete silence!As UPSU develops its offering to accommodate our varied studentdemographic, we look forward to helping provide students with moreopportunities for their personal development.Ladies’ Varsity Rugby team, 2010.ACTIVE IN SPORTS AND SOCIETIESReport fromLou Ramsay,Entertainmentsand Events ManagerParticipation at the2009/10 Sports andSocieties Fair wasexceptional, with over6,000 students joining105 different clubsand societies, and 32teams entering theBritish Universitiesand Colleges Sport(BUCS) leagues.Last year, Plymouth had success ina wide range of sports, with men’ssquash winning the BUCS Gold;an array of individual and teamgold and silver medals in the BUCSsurf championships, and furthermedals for judo, karate, sailing andoctopush. Overall, Plymouth came45th out of 150 institutions - a jumpup of six places on the previous year.We also won the Varsity Cupagainst local rival, UCP Marjon.The event ran over three days andinvolved 250 students, who raised£11,395 for The Anthony NolanTrust and The Motor NeuroneDisease Association.Finally, the Musical TheatreGroup put on Grease, which wasenthusiastically received and led tothem being awarded Society of theYear for the second year running.