Vice President Activities Monthly Update

The past month has focused on strengthening society engagement, expanding student-led nightlife through collaborative programming, and progressing initiatives that highlight the diversity of our campus community.

ROGUE: Society-Led Nightlife

ROGUE continues to develop as a platform for societies to lead and showcase culturally driven nightlife events. This month featured several successful collaborations including African Caribbean Society, Hellenic x Greek Society, Slavic Night (Ukrainian, Romanian and Polish societies), Malaysian Society, and French Night (ELSA, Francophone, and French Connection).

These events have demonstrated the strong appetite among students for nightlife experiences that celebrate different cultures and communities. Based on the success and attendance of these collaborations, we have been able to identify several nights that will return and scale further next term, including African Caribbean Society, a Bollywood x Kollywood collaboration with Pakistan Society, and French Night. Discussions are also ongoing for potential Latin x MENA and Spanish x Turkish themed nights.

The aim moving forward is to continue developing ROGUE as a structured pathway for societies to design and deliver their own events with support from the Students’ Union.

Women’s Night Initiative

In collaboration with the Women’s Officer and SU Engagement team, work has been underway to organise a Women’s Night at SU Bar scheduled for Thursday 19 March from 21:00 to 00:00. The initiative aims to create a welcoming and inclusive nightlife environment while responding to student interest in more diverse social spaces. The event will feature Chloe Jeffery DJing on the night and will act as a pilot to evaluate demand for similar initiatives in the future.

Student Feedback and Campus Improvements

Student-led suggestions continue to inform ongoing work. One notable example is the proposal to introduce bidets on campus, which has progressed to the stage where a Legionella safety check is required before further implementation discussions can proceed.

In addition, I observed strong student interest in screening Wuthering Heights at Cine10, with over 35 responses recorded through a social media poll. This feedback has been shared with Cine10 to explore the possibility of programming the film in Term 3.

One World Essex

Preparations have continued for One World Essex, including outreach to societies to collaborate on the Flag Parade scheduled for 17 March at 14:00. Societies contacted include:

1. Ukrainian Society
2. Indonesian Society
3. Sri Lankan Society
4. Romanian Society
5. Indian Society
6. Tamil Society
7. African Caribbean Society
8. French Connection
9. Naija Society
10. Francophone Society
11. Pakistan Society
12. MENA Arab Society

The parade aims to visually represent the diversity of the student body and provide an opportunity for societies to showcase their cultures and identities on campus.

Society Engagement and Support

Supporting societies remains a central priority of the role. During this period I reached out to more than 10 societies directly to conduct check-ins focused on:

• Reflections on Term 2

• Plans and ambitions for Term 3

• Current challenges or concerns

• Support or resources required

• Preparation for Standards and Awards

These conversations are intended to ensure societies feel supported and that any issues can be addressed early.

SU Leadership Elections

This month also included the Students’ Union Leadership Elections, during which I took two weeks of annual leave to campaign and engage with students across campus. I am grateful to share that I was re-elected as Vice President (Activities) and look forward to continuing the work that has been developed over the past year.

To mark the conclusion of the election period, I also hosted the SU Elections Afterparty at SU Bar on 13 March, providing students with an opportunity to celebrate the democratic process and the newly elected officer team.

Planning Ahead

Work has now begun on preparations for the summer term. This includes early collaboration with the SU Engagement team on upcoming initiatives, as well as working with Blades and Rebels on initial planning for Derby Day 2026.

The priority for the coming months will be continuing to strengthen society support structures, expanding collaborative events, and ensuring that student voices and cultures remain at the centre of campus life.

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