OUSU achievements 2009/2010

• Effective from the start of the 2010/11 academic year Common Rooms will no longer be charged to affiliate to OUSU. This will save Common Rooms tens of thousands of pounds per year, make OUSU more stable and effective and enable OUSU to focus on crucial issues instead of internal financial problems. Funding from Common Rooms and OUSU's recurrent deficits have been replaced by funding direct from the university.
• As a result of the end of affiliation fees students from disaffiliated Common Rooms will receive services provided by OUSU, including free entry to the annual Freshers' Fair and copies of our publications including The Oxford Student and Oxford Handbook.
• Common Rooms will now be able to decide whether they want to have voting rights in the representative body of Oxford students without any financial considerations being an issue - a change from a funding model which had failed to adequately represent student interests for decades.

• Successfully lobbied the University to improve standards of sexual health provision for students, including LGBTQ students.
• Successfully campaigned to improve student representation at Divisional Level.
• Got every Department & Faculty to review their marking criteria including how mark schemes are publicised to students.
• Lobbied colleges to introduce 'peer marking' as a means of improving student preparation for exams.
• Was one of three British student unions to respond to phase 1 of the government's review of higher education funding, calling for a fairer funding system.
• Worked with the University on building a 4th nursery which will expand childcare provision by the 2010/11 academic year.
• Successfully lobbied for improved feedback for students who fail their prelims.
• Successfully campaigned for new guidelines to be commended to colleges on how they handle student complaints, appeals and disciplinary cases.
• Ran the largest consultation of graduate students in our history to determine their priorities from their time in Oxford.
• Won representation on General Purposes Committee of University Council, which has recently considered issues including the review of the Proctors Office and disciplinary procedures
• Won representation on Development Committee of University Council, which makes decisions regarding the strategic development of the University and fundraising
• Won representation on Planning and Resource Allocation Committee of University council, which makes decisions about money is spent
• Got student representatives on groups reviewing the fitness to study policy, sexual health provision, university and college complaints & appeals procedures
• Spoke up for students on areas including the development of graduation ceremonies and the government review of university funding
• Lobbied Senior Tutors on introducing better methods of academic feedback and greater access to student exam scripts
• Fed student views into both the University and the NUS's submissions to the government's review of Postgraduate Education

• The OUSU Student Advice Service helped over 350 individual students in the academic year 2009/2010.. Email advice@ousu.org to get in touch.
• Ran a Well-Being Week, with hundreds of students attending events, ranging from a 'Stress-Free Study' workshop to an evening of 'Sensual Well-Being'.
• Celebrated Queer History Month with multiple events, including a same-sex hand-holding event around the Rad Cam and a 'Queers and Careers' workshop
• Ran three drop-in sessions for students living in the private sector and produced a new Living Out Guide and resources on the website.
• Ran 'Back Yourself 2010' - 12 mixed gender finals forums which saw hundreds of Oxford students backing themselves ahead of finals.
• Ran eleven women only finals forums which had up to 70 female undergraduates attending for revision advice ahead of their exams.
• Ran Enough!, a weekly support group for students with disordered eating.
• Organised the Beyond Profit Careers Fair with over 350 attendees and the Volunteering Fair which had over 50 volunteering organisations.
• Since July our Student Advice Service has helped nearly 100 students with cases ranging from appealing against exam results through to disciplinary hearings
• Organised three drinks events for mature students
• Established a support system for students with Disordered Eating and those supporting them
• Ran training for common room officers, raising awareness about disordered eating and how to support those suffering from it, as well as improving Enough! the student run self help group and expanding it to weekly sessions
• Organised a focus group for the Graduate Supervision System to improve the service for graduate students
• Assisted Brookes in improving the Safety Bus service.
• Organised training for common room officers on issues surrounded sexual and domestic abuse as well as harassment and produced a new guide to raise awareness

• Organised training for common room presidents and officers in advocacy, chairing meetings, equality & diversity, student support and negotiation.
• Produced information and campaigning guidance for Common Rooms on study skills provision and how to improve it in colleges.
• Overhauled and produced the 2010 Rent Negotiating Pack for Common Rooms.
• Supported Common Rooms on issues including installing free ATM machines in colleges, improving student representation and reforming disciplinary procedures.
• Organised training for common room presidents and officers on advocacy, student support, team leadership and management, and negotiation
• Held over 160 individual meetings with your Common Room presidents and officers, providing support directly for Common Rooms
• Attended over 30 Common Room meetings to explain what OUSU does and answer questions

• With opposed Thirst Lodge being granted a licence to be a lap-dancing venue. A decision is yet to be made but the campaign looks set to be .
• Ran the third Oxford International Festival to which over 1,500 students and local residents went to experience the full diversity of Oxford student life.
• Successfully campaigned for the university to build more graduate accommodation.
• Worked with the Careers Service on a study finding that women perceived many careers to still be discriminatory.
• Worked with the University to ensure fair treatment of international students with visa problems
• Campaigned for fairer access to Oxford for

• Ran the second Women in Politics Open Day with St. John's College for 30 female sixth formers.
• Ran the first Women in Science Open Day with the Physics Department for 50 female sixth formers.
• Ran the Reach Oxford Scholarship program giving talented undergraduates from economically developing countries the chance to study at Oxford.
• Organised Oxford's largest student shadowing scheme for 200 sixth formers over 2 weeks in Hilary Term.
• Worked with teachers' unions on access and addressed the Association of Teachers' and Lecturers Annual Conference on 'Supporting Aspiration and Applications'
• Attended every Oxford & Cambridge Regional Conference, speaking to thousands of students about applying to Oxford

We worked with...

• Domestic Bursars to improve the way the university calculates costs of living
• the City Council to toughen up an accreditation scheme to clamp down on dodgy landlords
• the university on minimising the number of international students unfairly impacted by changes to visa regulations
• the police on crime prevention and student safety
• Worked with the university to provide International Students' Orientation programmes for undergraduates and postgraduates

Campaigning

• Secured funding for the launch of Springboard for Undergraduates, a personal and professional development programme for women, to be piloted in Trinity 2010
• Campaigned for the University to sign up to the 10:10 campaign, securing approval from the sustainability team and now pushing for a decision higher up the chain
• Successfully lobbied the university to take student feedback more seriously in areas such as marking criteria and opportunities to give feedback
• Campaigned for university departments to run study skills sessions and finals forums every year
• Won a pledge from Oxford MPs, Andrew Smith and Evan Harris, to vote against increased tuition fees in the next Parliament and fight for a fairer alternative
• Organised 350 Event with students and local environmental groups to draw attention to climate change with turnout from both local MPs, loads of students and locals
• Ran Gender Equality Week to raise awareness of the gender inequalities which persist in Britain today