A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
YUSU Welfare officer Bob Hughes has warned students to be vigilant after a student loans phishing scam has been revealed.
Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York on Maundy Thursday, 5th April, as part of the 800th anniversary of York’s Charter for the traditional “Royal Maundy” ceremony.
A flood caused by a heating system “failure” forced the university IT services to shut down many essential systems on Sunday night, causing problems for many students on the eve of their exams and assignment due-dates.
Logan: I decided to run for the position because I believe I've had a great positive impact on how the Chemistry department is run in the last 3 years, as I've sat on it's Staff-Student Liaison Committee since my first term and have raised many points and helped finalise details on a resolution on equally as many occasions. I've also been a course rep and a faculty rep, so I have a good understanding of the issues with the wider university, especially issues such as assessment submissions, printing problems and timetabling among many others, and have some fresh ideas of how to solve these issues once and for all.
Osborn: I decided to run for Academic Affairs Officer because I wanted to continue the work I've started as Politics Course Rep, Social Sciences Faculty Rep and University Senate Rep, and to have the chance to make a lasting difference to students at York.
Logan: I think I'm the best candidate for the job as I'm the only candidate who is a current faculty rep and has seen how the role has developed over the past year. I like to think that I'm very friendly and approachable and will always listen to a concern or opinion and will always act on it if I think it's in the best interests of the wider student body. I think this is a critical difference between myself and my opponent, as I will always be willing to go the extra mile to solve any issues, no matter how big or small at the earliest possible opportunity.
Osborn: I believe that my combination of experience mentioned previously, dedication and hard work makes me the best candidate for the job. I have proved that I can make a real difference to the academic experience offered at York, increasing first-year contact hours in politics by a third, setting up and chairing a department Student-Staff Liaison Committee and leading student participation in the University's Communications Review.
Logan: If I'm lucky enough to be elected, one of the first issues that I want to tackle is library hours. This has been an issue that's been knocking about for years, but with the refurb of the library it has never been practical to bring about. As during my term the refurbishment will be completed, this will be the first great opportunity in many years where we can justifiably lobby the university to move to a 24-hour system during terms. On a wider note, and a problem that I envisage will take a huge amount of time and effort to resolve is that of faster, better feedback. Essentially, feedback takes too long to return to students and when it's not returned, it hasn't got a great enough level of detail, so I want to look at and work with every department, to see where things are going right or wrong, and to bring in to the mix the best practice of the departments who can turn around feedback promptly, to get these times reduced. Another big policy is a complete review and overhaul of the university's online component as it's too disjointed and in too many places, and essentially I want a dashboard where everything is accessible from one screen, and a better implemented VLE. From the departments I've seen use it, it's too complex for them to use effectively, and they tend to leave it well alone, so creating more dispersed areas where material is deposited, thus exacerbating the problem further. I have heard that some departments use it very well on the other hand, so perhaps all we need is training sessions on how to set up an effective VLE site. Who knows? I shall have to see next year.
Osborn: My main aims for the next year are 24 hour opening for the library, faster feedback and improving teaching quality. I firmly believe that these are both essential and achievable. A 24 hour library is the industry standard and applicants are too often surprised and disappointed that we don't have one here at York. Similarly, most universities have a standard deadline of 4 weeks for returning feedback, rather than the 6 we have at York. The increase in fees means that teaching at York is going to have to match up to the very best in the country, which means lower student-staff ratios and smaller seminar and tutorial groups.
Logan: The best thing about the University of York is simply it's diversity. There's just so much going on every day, it feels like you can miss a lifetime's worth of events in a single week. With around 145 societies there is too much to miss, and you realy get a chance to develop yourself in any and every possible way! Also, in your day-to-day life, you will meet people from all walks of life, some with the most amazing life stories, and I'm so thankful for having the chance to meet all the people I have and to have amassed such a great and diverse friendship group. And as a last point, there's always the Willow! Now that you can't find just anywhere!
Osborn: I think the best thing about the University of York is its students. We have a fantastic student body, and the extent to which they get involved in all aspects of university life is truly remarkable.
When was time of press? I emailed my answers in on 21st, and there was no indication of deadline in the email with the questions...
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