International Students Handbook 2020

BRIGHTON STUDENTS’ UNION WELCOME TO BRIGHTON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HANDBOOK

WELCOME SEPTEMBER 2020 TTOO BBRRIIGGHHTTOONN LET’S DO THIS! SSTTUUDDEENNTTSS’’ UUNNIIOONN We are led by you, for you.

We are here to make your student life better. Whether you are 18 or 118, part-time, postgraduate or commuting, there is something for everyone! From getting involved with our societies and sports, representing your student voice, providing you with academic advice and support or helping you gain valuable employability skills by working and volunteering with us. We make sure that your University experience is the best it can be by providing you with plenty of opportunities to get involved and graduate with more than just a degree.

START THE Ingredients DAY WITH PANCAKES 1 Large Egg (or 1 Overripe Banana, Mashed) Serves 8 1 Mug of Self-raising Flour 1 Mug of Milk Oil (or Butter) for Pan Toppings of your choice Timings 15 minutes Method 4. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and add oil or butter 1. Crack egg into mixing bowl 5. Once heated add a ladle of batter to the pan (or use more for a bigger pancake) 2. 6. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until small mug and put into the mixing bowl, then bubbles appear on the surface use the same mug to measure the milk and place into the bowl 7. Flip pancake over (show your skills) 3. Whisk all the ingredients together until 8. When pancake is golden brown on both you have a smooth batter with no lumps sides, serve. Add the toppings of your choice

YYOOUURR OOFFFFIICCEERRSS They work for the Union full-time to ensure your The Officer Team are elected by you! voices are heard and campaign on the issues that matter to you, helping make your student life better. Find out more about your officers at: BRIGHTONSU.COM/OFFICERS Sihem Ziada Ramy Badrie Union President VP Education Sihem ensures we’re providing a Ramy works with the University to quality service for our students and ensure they promote the best represents your voice in important educational experience possible. University meetings. Sihem is also the Ramy is also the lead o cer for lead o cer for the Falmer campus. the City campus. Meg Donovan VP Activities Meg supports our societies, sports teams and student media to ensure they can provide a valuable experience to their Evangeline Solomon members. Meg also represents VP Welfare the Eastbourne campus. Evangeline campaigns to improve the mental and physical health provision at the University and SU. Evangeline FULL-TIME OFFICERS also represents students on the You’ll see your full-time Officer Moulsecoomb campus. Team around campus. They represent your views and work BECOME AN OFFICER every day to improve your University experience. They have If you’d like to get involved by all studied at the University of representing your fellow students, Brighton and have been a stand for a position in our Elections student, just like you! during the Spring terms. Even if you Find more info at: don’t stand, make sure you vote for BRIGHTONSU.COM/STUDENTVOICE the students who best represent your views!

CAFÉS If you’re feeling peckish, need a break or a place to reboot, we’ve got you covered. We have two fantastic student-focused cafés in our Falmer and Moulsecoomb campuses! The money you spend in our outlets is invested back into Union activities and campaigns. Therefore, by spending money in our cafés and shops, you’re helping us to make your student life better (and others!). We’ll be implementing some BASBBEAAMSSEEMNMETENNTT measure to help keep you CENCCETENRNATTLRRAALL safe. We’ve introduced hand sanitiser stations, cashless In Moulsecoomb? Pop in transactions through our here for lunch or after Yoyo app and will be study sessions in Aldrich carrying out regular cleaning Library, unwind with schedules to keep your friends and eat some great experience in our outlets as value food. We have an risk-free as possible. extensive menu that caters for everybody, and serve TTHHEE HHIIVVEE Starbucks’ coffee so come along to check it out today! The Hive is on our Falmer campus, where we serve Starbucks’ refreshments, light lunches and treats during the day. Join us in the evening for events, cocktails or a pint. It’s also connected to our If you’re trying to save common room if you want pennies, we have microwaves somewhere else to relax, on every campus, so you can play a board game, have a heat up your lunch for free table tennis tournament; or and chill in our SU areas! wait for your lectures. FIND OUT MORE AT: BRIGHTONSU.COM/CAFES

Falmer The AMEX Train Station Stadium A community campus, surrounded by FALMER the beautiful South Downs. Come and CAMPUS visit us in Ringmer House (by the bus stop) and pop into our café, The Hive, for Great Ringmer a coffee with friends or the SU shop to Wilkins Halls House grab your essentials and meal deal. You Paddock Field Halls can also come ask our SU staff in the Reception any questions while you’re Moulsecoomb Moulsecoomb here or hang out in our common room. Train Station Place Halls Cockcroft The largest campus at the University of Huxley Brighton. Visit our café, Basement Advanced Mithras House Central, or our SU shops while you’re Engineering here. You’ll also see our SU area with our friendly Reception and our Societies Watts & Student Voice teams. Pop in to say hello to them if you need their help or MOULSECOOMB have any questions. CAMPUS Close to the centre of Brighton, City Brighton Phoenix Halls Campus is the perfect place for finding Train Station St Peter’s House inspiration, whether you’re on an art or Library humanities degree. You can purchase all of the equipment needed for your next Grand Parade masterpiece at a student-friendly rate in our SU Art Shop and find us in the SU Pavilion Parade Reception on the mezzanine floor of the main Grand Parade building. We also CITY have a common room for you to use in CAMPUS Pavilion Parade! Edward Street Palace Pier 1 CHECK OUT WHATS ON YOUR CAMPUS AT: BRIGHTONSU.COM/YOUR-UNION/CAMPUSES

FRIDGE Ingredients RAIDER RAMEN 1.2l Chicken or Vegetable Stock Serves 4 1 Red Chilli, Deseeded & Sliced (Keep the seeds if you want it hot) Timings 2--30 minutes 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce 100g Pack Baby Pak Choi 100g Egg Noodles (or Flat Rice Noodles for vegan/ gluten free) Small Pack Coriander, Stalks And Leaves Separated 150 - 200g Leftover Vegetables 150g Leftover Cooked Meats (Tofu or More Vegetables) Method Got some leftover vegetables and/or meat that you want to use before they expire? This is the recipe for you. 1. Put a large saucepan over a medium heat and pour in the stock. Finely chop the coriander stalks and add to the stock with the chilli. Bring to the boil and add 200ml water 2. Once boiled, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 mins to infuse the coriander 3. Add the soy sauce, then the pak choi, meat, vegetables and noodles. Simmer for 3 minutes until the noodles soften 4. Serve in deep bowls and add coriander leaves

Who doesn’t LOVE a YOUR FREEBIES HOW TO

Brighton is a wonderful and unique city with a vast array of events and activities all year round. If there’s one thing that we can guarantee, it’s that your memories made here will stay with you for life, and many students decide to stay long after graduation! BRIGHTON SEAFRONT Relax on Brighton beach, take a trip to the Palace Pier and enjoy the funfair rides, or grab an ice-cream or chips, but beware of seagulls! Take a trip up the BA i360 to see the spectacular views. ROYAL PAVILION Meet friends in the historical Pavilion gardens to enjoy the sun. LOCAL RESTAURANTS & SHOPS Dine at independent restaurants and pick up vintage treasures in the iconic Laines. SURROUNDING TOWNS East Sussex is one of the most beautiful counties in the UK (well, we think so anyway!). Take a trip to Eastbourne, Lewes or some of the other towns to see more of the countryside and enjoy a day out.

FUN EVENTS Brighton is famous for its quirky nightlife, there is something for everybody. Have fun in the wide range of pubs and bars. Take advantage of all you can with our Freshers ‘Unplugged’ events at the start of term (see the last page for more details). If you are going out in Brighton please keep Covid safe and wear a mask where necessary and adhere to the rules set by the place you are going to. SPORTS & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES Why not get outdoors and try something new like water-sports at Hove Lagoon, the Yellowave volleyball courts or the mini golf courses along the seafront? PARKS & NATURE Stroll around the South Downs, Devil’s Dyke or one of the city’s many parks. In the city centre there is Preston park with outdoor tennis and table tennis, Queen’s park with a lovely pond and dog free seating area, near our Moulsecoomb campus there is Wild Park a Local Nature reserve and towards the University Falmer campus there is the local Nature Reserve of Stanmer park. The choice is yours!

SHOPS, YOYO & We have an SU shop on every You can now pay in all of our campus, stocking snacks, stationery, outlets with the Yoyo app. This University merchandise and more. app allows you to pay with your phone and earn loyalty Just like our Cafés, we’ll be points to gain rewards, like a concentrating on keeping people free sandwich or hoodie! safe as our highest priority and we will be taking the same measures Download Yoyo today to get within our shops as we are within our our Brighton University T-shirt cafes (you can read about these and Hoodie twin pack for only under our cafés section). £25 (£30 through BSU outlets). If you’re looking for specialist Or visit supplies for your course, head to our brighton.Universityhoodies.org shops in Grand Parade and Mithras throughout the year to get all House. Grand Parade has an Art your University merchandise. Shop with art supplies at budget-friendly prices and individual items not available elsewhere! Mithras has a wide array of equipment and materials for our Architecture students.

EMPLOYABILITY Working for your Students’ Union is a We normally employ around great way to earn extra money 150 Student Staff at the whilst studying. start of each Academic Year Brighton Students' Union is a We offer opportunities across the supportive, representative, and fully whole Union – within our cafés, independent charity run by students, shops, Partner Colleges and our for students. We understand the membership departments such pressures that you (our students) are as communications, marketing, under so all student staff are employed events, engagement, on flexible contracts which allow us to administration, etc. Whatever your provide work that not only fits around interests are, and wherever you’re your studies but term breaks as well. studying, we will try and match you to a suitable role where you will learn valuable skills that can be used in your future career. No experience, no problem. It’s more important to us that you have the drive and passion to deliver excellent customer service to students. We work hard but play hard as well, you’d be joining a friendly team of like-minded people who want to contribute to ‘Making Student Life Better’. It also looks great on your CV!! Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and the current restrictions on social distancing, we won’t initially be able to employ as many student staff this year. However, as soon as some of the restrictions are lifted, we’ll be advertising vacancies on our website so keep your eyes peeled! brightonsu.com/jobs

SOCIETIES STUDENanTd MEDIA

BROWS E OUR SOCIETIE S TODAY Societies are a brilliant way to meet new people and make like-minded friends. We have so many societies at Brighton Students’ Union, which are all student-led and cover a diverse range of interests. HHOOWW TTOO JJOOIINN SSTTAARRTT YYOOUURR OOWWNN You can join a new society If you can’t find a society all year round! Head to that reflects your interests, our website to see what you can make your own! we have to offer and Gather a group of students officially join a society! who share your idea and head to our website to start the process. STUDENT MEDIA If you want to host your own radio show at Buzz Radio, or We have fantastic student you love to write and want to media opportunities – you gain experience at The Verse don’t have to be studying a student newspaper – you can media-related degree to get find out more about it below. involved either. We also have Brighton TV if you're interested in video! @VerseBrighton @BuzzRadioBSU @VerseBrighton @BuzzRadioBSU @VerseBrighton @BuzzRadioBSU theverse.co.uk buzzstudentradio.com

Sport Brighton is the home of the University of Brighton’s sport and activity services, providing you with the opportunity to develop and maintain your fitness, compete in sport and have fun with friends. We believe that everyone should get active in some way, even if you don’t consider yourself to be sporty, we will help you find something you enjoy. Gym & sports facilities, including fitness classes Your local gym and fitness facilities are located in Moulsecoomb and Falmer. A fitness class programme is offered throughout the week and the latest timetables can be found at the Sport Brighton website or at any Sports Centre receptions. Student-led sports teams and clubs known as the Brighton Panthers From the competitive to the social, our range of student clubs has something for everyone: Archery to Volleyball and everything in between. Parklife is a great way to get involved in FSPIPNAODRRKOTL.UBIFRTEIMGPLHOATRYOE.CNOA.AT.UC: K.UK activities at a low cost. There are a wide range of activities to get involved with including local @SportBrighton swim offers, football social leagues, drop in @SportBrighton sports sessions and more. @SportBrighton Look out for special Parklife events throughout the year.



Representing your Student Voice We are here to represent your student voice throughout your time at University, and support student-led campaigns on issues that matter to you to improve your academic experience. CAMPAIGNS & PETITIONS We believe that all students have the power to make change no matter the size. If you’d like to lead or be part of a campaign or start a petition, we’re here to help. So, if you’re interested contact one of your Officers at brightonsu.com/officers or visit the Campaigns Hub at brightonsu.com/studentvoice/campaigns We also run central campaigns which constantly challenge the University to improve on key issues. USE YOUR STUDENT VOICE We are committed to fully understanding your student experience and ensuring that you have the best time imaginable. Throughout the year we’ll be checking in on how you’re doing and asking for your thoughts and opinions on a range of topics. We’ll be running surveys, focus groups and Student Voice events on campus for you to get involved with. NNAATTIIOONNAALL UUNNIIOONN OOFF SSTTUUDDEENNTTSS Brighton SU is affiliated to NUS. Each year your elected Officers and NUS Delegates attend NUS conferences to represent the views of Brighton students on a national level. Contact your Union President, Sihem, for more information: [email protected].

RCOEUPSRSE “TURNING STUDENT ”FEEDBACK INTO EFFECTIVE ACTION A Course Rep is a student that volunteers to share feedback at a course level to ensure that you’re getting the most of your University experience. The elected Rep will attend meetings with the University, raise any issues on behalf of coursemates and help to create positive, lasting change. Course Reps are essential in representing your Student Voice; they help to ensure that you are getting the most from your course and that it is running smoothly. If you’re interested in becoming a Rep, let your course leader know at the beginning of the year. An informal election is held to decide who will be the representative for each course. You will have full training, get support from BSU, learn key employability skills and attend social events as well as receiving rewards such as hoodies and vouchers.

WELFARE We understand that while University is an amazing experience – it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, so we help by providing advice and guidance as well as running awareness raising campaigns throughout the year. Led by students and officers, we support and host regular welfare activities and campaigns. Anyone can get involved with these, keep an eye out for activities on your campus. We have wellbeing cupboards on every campus. These cupboards are filled with essentials to help keep your health and wellbeing in check. All these products are free for our students, so if you’re stuck and need something while you’re at Uni - you can head to the cupboard, no questions asked. LOCAL & UNI SERVICES BSU team up with multiple local services and companies who provide expert support and advice on different health and wellbeing topics. Find out more at: brightonsu.com/support We also work with the University on many of our wellbeing projects over the year. Visit the University website for more details about the services they offer at: brighton.ac.uk/wellbeing

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ADVICE AT BSU, VISIT: BRIGHTONSU.COM/SUPPORT Our Support Team, a dedicated group of professionals, are here to help you with any difficulties you may face as a student. You can contact us if you need to find out about mitigating circumstances, appeals, complaints and much much more! We are here to guide you through University policies and processes, and help you make informed choices, aiming to resolve any issues that impact your University life. BSU SUPPORT HELP AROUND 1,000 STUDENTS EVERY YEAR FROM ACROSS ALL CAMPUSES. DON’T HESITATE TO CONTACT THEM IF YOU EVER NEED ADVICE. We are independent from the University so can o er you advice, free of bias. Any information you share with us is free and confidential. CCOONNTTAACCTT You can check our website for drop-in details which are held weekly during term-time or book an appointment by emailing us at: [email protected]

We know starting something new can be worrying or anxiety-inducing, whether that’s getting involved in one of our virtual events, or talking to your new course mates, you never know until you try! There are many ways to get involved with our virtual Freshers’ Fair this year. There’ll be loads of information about all our societies, including vouchers and freebies! Scan QR code to join our FOL@LBrOigWhtBoSnSUtuTdOenRtsEUCIniEoVnE REGUL Be sure to follow BSU on Freshers’ email for up to date social media channels to news on events, clubs & societies. receive regular updates with Freshers’ events and Once you are a SU updates all year student at Brighton, round! We’ve got a you are automatically Freshers’ dedicated a member of the SU e-newsletter too with all family! Try not to let the latest updates on the stress of the events you can get outside world distract involved with. you from enjoying yourself – you have AR UP@DASUTBErSigOhtNonFRESHE@RSS’UEBVrEigNhtToSn worked hard to get here, now let us show 2020 you how amazing it is at Brighton Students’ Union.

[email protected] @BRIGHTONSTUDENTSUNION @SUBRIGHTON @SUBRIGHTON BRIGHTONSU.COM Company No.9628909 Registered Charity No. 1164033