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Grizedale College Annual report 2017/18 Reports from College Officers 2017 – 2018 Principal??????????????????????????????? JCR President?Senior Advisor????????????????????? ?????????????????????????? Deanery?Accommodation Manager??? ?????????????????????? ????????????????Principal’s Report – 22 October 20181. I would like to thank Patrick Montague for his dedication and hard work for the College and for ensuring he handed over a healthy and happy team. I do hope we continue to see him around Grizedale. I officially joined Grizedale College as Principal on August 1st 2018 and the transition was going to be seamless until he handed me the tasks of graduation and appointing both a new Dean and a new Senior Advisor. Luckily, he guided me through the former and Will guided me through the latter. I felt part of the Grizedale family before day. Thank you to both in particular, but also to the rest of the team.2. Thanks and Acknowledgements - On behalf of the college I would like to thank the JCR and the Freshers’ Reps for their work during Welcome Week. We had positive feedback from parents on Arrivals Day and our new College members settled in well.3. Andy Harrod and Sue Holt – we said goodbye to Andy and Sue in the summer. We very much appreciate their time and commitment to the Grizedale family and we hope they won’t be strangers. 4. We welcome our new members of the College Advisory Team and the College Deanery whose positions have been ratified earlier in this meeting. 5. Sporting events and achievements: Warriors was an outstanding success and we pleased to report that Grizedale won. Winning the Carter Shield for the first in 13 years, was particularly gratifying. Also congratulations to Grizedale A football team and their victory that won them the League Cup.6. Awards and recognition – Our inaugural Pride of Grizedale Awards took place in the Summer Term 2018 and we all managed to squeeze in to the Meeting Room for a joyous occasion to celebrate our students’ achievements along with their families. The winners were: Rhiannon Bates, Tom Donellon, Heather Dyde, Jake Crolla and Katie Littlefair, who all overcame numerous challenges to complete the year.Another win from the National Students Housing Awards - Best Individual Accommodation for 2018 (Grizedale Townhouses). The College would also like to formally congratulate Grizedale alumnus, Daisy Johnson, for being shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018. Not only the youngest ever nominee, but a phenomenal achievement in its own right. We hope to welcome her back to the College in the future.As we go into the future, I hope to be able find new ways to enhance our Grizedale students’ experience and to continue to be the best College to belong to.Dr Karen Wright(Grizedale Principal)JCR President’s ReportGrizedale College Syndicate meeting, Monday 22 OctoberSocials and CommunityThe founding of the new and improved Community team for 2018 enhanced the existing synergy between the Socials and Welfare teams, with events incorporating both branches of the JCR and bringing a new dimension to the work we carry out as a unit.Our time in office started off with what could have been the trickiest time for a new exec, Refreshers. While it was a time of transition and change, this was a great success. The new officers eased themselves into the dynamics of their roles and were all soon comfortable with the new responsibilities they faced.In February we ran the Pups and Pancakes event with County, which was hugely attended and a fantastic occasion to raise funds for charity. We enjoyed having such a wide range of students attending the event and I believe it is definitely something that should take place again going forward – dogs are always a winner.This was one of many de-stress events the College hosted. Working with societies and other colleges was especially beneficial in organising a variety of activities and in including a greater number of college members. Weekly workouts, yoga and aikido lessons and LEGO/colouring in sessions were welcome additions to the staple BBQs and Grizzle Quizzles. Events such as the Royal Wedding street party and the yearly Eurovision night also proved very effective in bringing the college together and bringing a smile to the bar managers’ faces.Our first ever Liverpool Social also had a huge turnout and the feedback from the attendees was very positive. The team worked very efficiently, and we learnt a lot in terms of communication, managing a large group of people and sticking to timelines, while also proving to be an excellent opportunity for team bonding.Extrav, as always, was a huge success. All exec members had a great input in the weeks and months leading up to the event and everyone was at their absolute best on the night. The team dealt with a number of situations professionally and efficiently and everyone stuck to the rota throughout the evening. The input from the Extrav committee was also invaluable. Surfstrav will live long in our memories!SportsIn what was probably the most successful year for Grizedale Sport to date, the college has secured a remarkable Treble; Carter Shield success sparked celebration in early summer term, with tremendous performances at pivotal stages of the competition ending a long spell of close finishes. The football team followed suit, bringing home the College Cup with a 5-1 win in the final, and securing a narrow second place in the league. Yet, of course, the biggest party came after a nail-biting finish in the mixed Dominoes, which culminated three days of blood, sweat and burgers to hand Grizedale the prestigious Warriors trophy. Warriors has well and truly made its mark as a core event in Grizedale’s calendar, and long may the event (and the wins) continue.Welcome WeekFrom a JCR perspective, Welcome Week was a great success. The new directives that were dispensed by the SU and the University made the organisation of the week somewhat trickier, but the JCR and Intro Week team worked incredibly hard from January to ensure we provided the most diverse and most engaging set of events we could. The freshers had a fantastic time and the work of the Reps was, for the most part, absolutely paramount. The JCR and the Reps dealt with the few incidents we had in a very professional manner and ensured that nothing could stop a fantastic week-long party.On behalf of the JCR, I would like to thank the SCR and Welfare teams for their continued support to ensure our members can fully benefit from the events and initiatives we provide.Paolo Hossain(Grizedale JCR President)Senior Advisor ReportThe College Advisor Team (CAT) system continued to run throughout the year in 2017/18, building on the success of its previous years. The CAT acts as a first point of contact for Grizedale students covering the following areas of wellbeing: academic (including support for students involved in Standing Academic Committee), emotional, financial, physical and social. The role of the CAT is to provide a warm, safe and engaging space for students to explore their issues, agree on outcomes with the student and refer on as appropriate. The CAT has contact with Grizedale students by email and in person at drop-ins and appointments. The CAT use a shared email address for student contact and record all interactions with students on a secure shared spreadsheet. The team in 2017/18 was Andy Harrod as Senior Advisor, and Nicola Caldwell, Abigail Oyston, Luke Gacesa, James Leyshon and Leanne Taylor as College Advisors. The College Advisors were appointed on a one year contract. The CAT works with Sara Mellen, College Wellbeing officer. Andy and Sara met termly to discuss student matters. CAT activities includedWeekly drop in sessions every Thursday 12-2pm during term time in the college meeting room. Attendance at these varied week by week and overall were deemed successful and a useful point of contact for Grizedale students. The CAT Travel Awards, (?150 grants toward travel) continued to be popular and provided academic or personal development benefits to the student. Very popular with 13 awarded.The previously used ‘Ask CAT’ posters with frequently asked questions displayed in the Foyer on a regular basis were replaced with use of an ‘A’ board advertising drop-ins.Grizedale student emailed day before the drop in to remind them that the event was taking place. Trialling of social media (twitter and facebook) as alternative ways of interacting with students. Not many students engaged with these and the CAT team itself had little time to ty and engage with these too. CAT social media closed in September 2017, to work with JCR on social media instead. The CAT team helped to organise a number of events in college such as the Pumpkin carving competition, Grizedale Bake off in aid of Cancer Research, weekly SCR socials during the Michaelmas term etc.That CAT had contact with 187 students, of which 66 were to do with academic matters (mainly arising via departments regarding non-attendance and missed coursework deadlines) 84 were welfare, 13 CAT Travel Award, 1 Accommodations matters, 11 Financial matters and 12 general advice. Andy Harrod resigned as Senior Advisor due to his decision to return to study at the University, and Luke was appointed Senior Advisor, having previously been an Advisor within the team. Many thanks go to Andy for all hi hard work and efforts. During the year Leanne Taylor took a break of two terms, then resigned due to workload within her main university role. Thanks go to Leanne for her work with the CAT. The contracts for Nicola, Abigail, and James were renewed for a further year, thank you for your excellent work, great to have you with us for another year. The CAT welcomes Angela Moore, Hannah Chadburn and Catherine Bentley who were appointed in September 2018, pleased to have you on board. CAT activities planned for 2018/19Weekly drop in sessions every Thursday 12-2pm during term time in the college meeting room. Continuation of the CAT Travel Award, but grants lowered to ?150 to allow for more awards and to be in line with the amounts awarded by other colleges. Luke to lead on working with the JCR welfare reps regarding events and campaigns.Luke to lead on working with the JCR Communication reps regarding promotion via social media. Production of a staff guide to being a college advisor.Development of supervision group for the CAT team to discuss student issues and relevant wellbeing themes, twice a term.Buddy system to help train new Advisors, pairing them with existing Advisors. Regular (three a term) meetings between Luke and Sara to discuss student matters and university wellbeing campaigns. Term 1Off Campus and Erasmus Afternoon Tea. Thursday 25th October 2018. There will be hot drinks and snacks available in the bar to welcome off campus and Erasmus students to the college. To be set up by Luke and Karen, then advertised and run by the JCR, this will be a good opportunity for off campus and Erasmus students to get to know each other. Pumpkin carving competition. Wednesday 31st October 2018 ???There will be a number of pumpkins and electronic candles (not real ones – health and safety) which the students can collect from the college.? Possible competition for best pumpkin (TBC). Grizedale College bake off. Students and staff encouraged to bake cakes, which will be sold in aid of Cancer Research in the college foyer. This event was very popular last year and raised hundreds of pounds for charity! Mince pies and Christmas chill out – Event for both Students and Staff.? Free mince pies and festive drinks in the bar.? Arcade games, pool, and general festive fun!? Probably 12 – 2 on the Thursday 6th Dec. Plans for Term 2Grizedale Easter egg Hunt. (Week 10) Welfare related Easter egg hunt where students can spend last week of term looking for clues around college, answering CAT Welfare questions then submitting completed answer papers into college before a winner is drawn. Prize of a big Easter egg. Smaller prizes also available.Plans for Term 3Students & SCR end of term social? - maybe a joint social with students after exam period but before graduation with a bit of food and some competition games such as a game of rounder’s or tug of war?Weekly Grizedale gets fit – trim trail experience / walks around campus during lunch time?Luke Gacesa, Senior Advisor, 16/10/2018Grizedale College Deanery Report 2017/2018??Comparison to Previous Years??In the academic year 2017/2018 the Deanery levied ?3480 in fines compared to a total of ?2400 in fines in 2016/2017. This indicates an increase of ?1080 or 45%.???At first glance, this?would suggest that the Deanery has had a busier year. However, this may not be the case. This difference may be explained by differences in dealing with noise complaints during quiet period. During 2016/2017 quiet period was described as a ‘disaster’ for the Deanery which was ‘hobbled by issues with noise from the bar, which meant we were unable to properly deal with noisy students.’ However,?this feedback was fed into last year’s syndicate meeting. Following this, due to work between the bar and college management throughout the year in preparation for quiet period, noise from the bar did not hobble the Deanery in dealing with noise issues in quiet period of 2017/2018. As such, during quiet period of 2017/2018 21 fines were administered for noise for a total of ?840. This ?840 represents 78% of the increase in the sum of fines. Suggesting that 35% of the 45% increase in fines can be attributed to the work of the college management in ensuring that the bar noise issues of 2016/2017 were not repeated.???In summary, if noise complaints during quiet period are discounted,?following the above reasoning,?the Deanery saw an increase in fines of ?240 which was a 10% increase on 2016/2017. Even so, including all fines, ?3480?is still ?540 more than was taken in 2015/2016?and?this?is indicative of a rise in deanery dealings.??Break Down of Fines??In the Academic year 2017-2018 the Grizedale College Deanery distributed 77 unique fines. This number includes suspended fines whether they were enforced or not. This number also includes, as a unique fine, multiple fines given to individuals. As such, less than 77 individuals were fined. Finally, this number is not representative of the number of cases considered by the deanery as some investigations resulted in no further action being taken.???The nature of the fines is broken down below:?60 fines?(78%)?involved some element of noise/antisocial behaviour under regulation 4.2.5?21 of these 60 fines?(35% of noise fines)?were administered towards the end of summer term during quiet period.?8 fines?(10%)?involved smoking in rooms under regulation 4.2.14 pertaining to section 8.1 of residency agreement?3 fines?(4%)?involved tampering with fire safety equipment i.e covering smoke detector under regulation 4.2.14 pertaining to section 8.1 of residency agreement?1 fine?(1.5%)?involved online comments under regulation 4.2.1?3 fines?(4%)?were levied for non-attendance??2 fines?(2.5%)?involved unauthorised access to the roof of university property??Comments?The Deanery received two appeals by groups of students who were fined during quiet period. These appeals did not contest that the breach occurred but sought to contest the size of the fine levied (?40 per individual as opposed to ?20 outside of quiet period).?The appeals were not grounded on any of the routes to appeal as detailed in the university regulations.?These appeals were dismissed by the former dean Sue Holt and the students did not attempt to appeal to Strategic Planning and Governance. This gives a good indication that though we always follow up and have levied substantial fines we have been seen to be fair.?Ultimately, the?Deanery is?acting in the interests of the safety and welfare of all residents. We need to keep acting in that spirit and conveying that message.?We have two Assistant Deans staying on in Aluna and Luke and have only had to recruit one new Assistant Dean. Grizedale welcomes Chloe Humphreys who we are all looking forward to working with.??Mark Bowen(Grizedale Dean)Accommodation Manager’s report, October 2018Arrivals This seemed to go well with hardly any queuing. The Porters did an excellent job of assembling the keys and giving them out to students. The main problems were frosted up freezers, missing hoovers, faulty locks and blockages in showers and basins. I was surprised there were not more issues considering all the last minute work and various cleaning issues.The Freshers’ Reps were great and had taken heed of last year’s problems. The online induction which release the Freshers’ house numbers has caused less issues this year, mainly because townhouses are now grouped into blocks so students don’t know exactly who their housemates are. Around three students have asked to move room; two have since changed their mind and one has moved. There are a couple of students in studio accommodation who have emailed me to tell me they feel isolated but in the last few days they have made friends. This is always going to be an issue in house 30 as there’s no social space. There was also an issue with the laundrette card dispenser eating up money and not releasing cards. Even though we received a few spare it was not enough to go round and some students or their parents complained. This has been fed back to the Head of Commercial Services, Circuit and the Customer Service Manager at LU. We were given a few more cards and the dispenser seems to be working ok now. Grizedale College won the 2018 Student Switch off Campaign and it is running again for the next academic year. Green Lancaster have placed adverts in the college and accommodation. Occupancy and ApplicationsThere are currently two rooms empty in Grizedale due to early withdrawals. Those students allocated to Grizedale living in temporary guest room accommodation have now been offered a permanent room in Grizedale or other colleges. Accommodation ImprovementsThere are new stair carpets and improved WiFi in all standard blocks 16, 17 and 18. Though these refurbishments were completed pretty close to the bone. There are also new sofas in the cluster flats (well half of these have been delivered with the rest to be put in December time)I am still pursuing the option of a weekly cleaning service in all townhouses (Grizedale/County) but there is a discussion about who will pay for the cleaning service which could impact on rental prices so I do not think it’s something which will happen in the next couple of years. Open DaysWe have two houses showcasing their accommodation for the in-year open days and we have chatted to both houses about our expectations. Fire AlarmsThere is a larger percentage of fire alarm activations in Grizedale than most other UG colleges. This is mainly down to cooking and the sensitivity of the alarm system which isn’t really cause for concern as at Least they are effective. The frequency has been fed back to UPP and the SHAW committee. The Assistant Deans will soon be starting fortnightly checks of the townhouse accommodation and feeding back any issues or rule breaks. Accommodation 19/20There will be a joint housing fayre for all colleges for on-campus and LU Homes accommodation running on 15th November with the portal opening for applications shortly afterwards. I am putting fliers and fridge magnets in accommodation to advertise this.Lancaster University did not retain the NSHS ‘Best University Halls’ title this year but Grizedale Townhouses won the Best Individual Accommodation ? ................
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