Keeping students and staff safe in residencies and on campus is no mean feat with a community of around 40,000people and almost 400 buildings to care for 24/7.We talk to Tony Cowley, Security Supervisor, to clarify the role of security in residencies and why following the rulesmean we’ll all be safer.
Tell us more about your team and the different Security Services staff that students will encounter in residencies.
I’ve been at the University for nearly two years now and I lead a team of Security Officers that provide an in-house security service across the whole university estate, which includes keeping over 370 buildings, 9 halls of residences and the students and staff therein, safe and secure, 24/7. We respond to everything from fellow student complaints to fireincidentsto building access issues –no day is ever the same and dealing with such a large campus certainly keeps us busy!
A lot of things have changed very quickly in the last few weeks and months – and that has impacted all of us in lots of different ways.
We chat to Julio Mkok, Bristol SU’s Union Affairs Officer, about how the new spaces at Senate House are taking shape, why these spaces matter now more than ever, and tips for coping during lockdown.
Our work to improve the sense of community for our students here at Bristol has started, and initiatives like the Bristol SU Living Room are helping students connect with one another. However, our students have told us that there is still more to be done.
Over the next two years, we plan to build on our strong platform of student-centred services by aligning many of the routes to support together under one roof. Given the centrality of Senate House, and the ongoing refurbishments that have already seen the building transformed into an easily accessible and all-inclusive hub for student activity, the plan is to bring even more services into the building.
Already the home of the Study Centre, the largest Bristol SU Living Room, the PGR hub (for postgraduate research students) and a student café, Senate House is steadily undergoing further changes as it becomes the centre of Campus Heart.
As well as revamping the ground floor to include a one-stop information point for all students, we hope this will become a fully integrated space that offers students access to all they need; from help and advice about fees and funding to a suite of wellbeing services.There will also be additional SU space for students to use for work or relaxation.
Our Student Wellbeing Service and Residential Life teams are already expanding, with positive results that have seen a reduction in waiting times for counselling support and a more seamless approach to early interventions, in addition to professional support available round the clock, every day of the year. We’re building on this success to ensure that our students can continue to access the high quality support they need. This includes working in partnership with Bristol Students’ Union, Sports Exercise and Health and academic colleagues to provide a range of activities to help build strong communities across our university.
Find out more as we chat to Ros Elliott, Head of Student Residential Life.
Further information about what we’re doing to transform our campus including all the latest developments at Senate House, can be seen on our latest film (January2020).
This case study is part of a series of stories sharing findings and student views from our Mental Health and Wellbeing Surveys 2018 and 2019. It’s a chance for us to share what we have done in response to what students have told us and to share what we’re planning to do. See our webpage for further information
On the first day of Spring, the very first Campus Heart Fest saw hundreds of students and staff coming together at the heart of the campus for a day of fun.
Hosted in partnership with Ignit10n, a sporting event that’s run every year by the SU’s Sports Network, more than £6,500 was raised for Bristol charity Above & Beyond.
Students buckled down for 10 hours of tough sporting challenges, and visitors could sample the winning cake in the PGR Hub’s Bake Your Thesis competition. Congratulations to Elisa Coraggio for winning the Bake Your Thesis competition, and Mary Jenkinson-Finch for winning the People’s Choice vote!
Visitors also took part in creative workshops and pop-up stands throughout the day, including the Careers Service, a stand about the New Library and the Global Lounge.
Please keep your eye on the Campus Heart website for future plans. Here are some of our favourite moments of the day:
Winning entries: Elisa Coraggio, a PhD student in the Faculty of Engineering, impressed the judges in the Bristol Doctoral College’s first Bake Your Thesis competition — and received a £20 Pinkmans voucher. Mary Jenkinson-Finch’s culinary creation won the People’s Choice vote.
Tasty treats: Bake Your Thesis entries (from left to right) Lydia Giddings, Elisa Coraggio, Janine McCaughey, Mary Jenkinson-Finch and Laura Fox.
