Latest News | 19 May 2021
Union partnerships ensure warm welcome for students
Partnerships forged by the Union of Students are helping the University of Derby welcome its students back to campus.
Throughout the pandemic, the union and the university have been working to provide support to students who have faced challenges with their study, housing, finance and wellbeing – whether they’ve stayed in Derby or are further afield.
It has done this through an online Covid support hub, a hotline manned by volunteers, food donations, online events, student forums and one-to-one advice appointments.
This week, the union is welcoming students back to campus with a range of activities made possible thanks to a number of strong local and national partnerships, as well as a new mobile catering trailer – Campus Kitchen.
When campus life changed due to the pandemic – the union’s venues team had to think outside the box.
Having closed the academy bar due to a dramatic decline in footfall, Campus Kitchen was developed with a view to providing delicious food to students in halls.
Doughnut company Project D and vintage fair host Vintage Vera will also host a series of pop-ups on campus at Kedleston Road over the next fortnight.
And following a successful evening back in September, the union has also continued to build a partnership with Derby Live and Derby Market Place, to secure an exclusive student night of al-fresco dining on Thursday, 27 May.
Students in Halls of Residence are also being offered discounted cinema tickets as part of QUAD’s 16 to 25 programme, to encourage flatmates to rediscover the city’s cultural offering and enjoy the latest film releases on the big screen.
While the union has been able to maximise on the new opportunities to build vibrant digital communities online over the last 12 months, the team also successfully created an on-campus Freshers Village back in September.
Partnering with a number of local Derby businesses gave the union an opportunity to try a new approach to the Freshers Fair – and reassure students that organisations like trentbarton, Bustler Market and Derbion were committed to supporting them in their university life.
The union is hoping to create a Freshers Village at Kedleston Road this September – and is keen to hear from organisations who want to work with the student community.
To find out more contact the union’s marketing and communications manager Heather Gunn at heather.gunn@derbyunion.co.uk.
