2014 has been a great year for Brighton Students’ Union.  We’ve got a new look; had numerous successful events across all 5 campuses; employed Community Organisers in Brighton and Hastings; said goodbye and welcomed a new Student Leadership Team and part-time reps; successfully campaigned a number of issues that affect students; plus lots of other accomplishments- have a look at our Impact Report to come in February or attend our AGM in March for more info.

In January and February we supported the National Student Survey, held a few week-long campaigns like I <3 my education, Student Volunteer and Green week plus our annual Course Reps Conference giving the opportunity for all Course Reps to come together.

March and April saw our always-popular RaG (raise and giving) week including Dance Rivals in Eastbourne, Student Elections voting period and our AGM meeting, Wellbeing Week and our annual Varsity battle with University of Sussex (which unfortunately we lost, but we will regain our title in 2015!).

May and June saw the end of academic year and the Volunteer and Excellence Awards, and we said goodbye to the new graduates of 2014 with a great Grad Ball in July. Then it was time for a lovely summer break!

In September and October we welcomed new students and returners over 5 campuses with Welcome events including Freshtival, Fringe and our hugely popular Freshers’ Fair at the AMEX. October also saw Bright n Green’s Reclaiming the Alternative event that included students and the local community with a range of stalls and activities.

We co-hosted The Big Brighton Christmas Fair in November, as well as our first ever SocFest on our Moulsecoomb campus, which gave students another opportunity to sign up to different societies.  December was also busy with two Christmas Ball’s on our Eastbourne and Hastings campus, as well as the Falmer Community Showcase.

Not forgetting our weekly Bike Co-Op sessions and CaSH (Contraception and Sexual Health) drop-ins, alongside our Student Leadership Team heading out onto campus with their ‘Sabbs on the Sofa’ campaign with the aim to see what students want and need. Our Students’ Union Support Service also ran their ‘Feeling Ruff’ campaign to get students communicating early about any problems they have that could affect their studies and potentially their assignments and deadlines. We’ve also trained over 280 Course Reps to represent courses across all campuses, they are the voice of students at a course level and provide a vital link between students and staff as they have a right to shape their University experience.

Our Student Leadership Team have also successfully campaigned a number of issues over the past year; including extending the Unizone to Eastbourne (and now further to Hastings which is currently an ongoing campaign), cheaper bus tickets in Brighton, extended studio hours plus more! We also joined the Alcohol Impact initative which is going well, we're helping and supporting students to drink responisbly.

We plan on keeping the momentum going with a busy 2015!