As campus wakes up after a long summer, we can’t wait to welcome each and every one of you to Newcastle University. You’re officially a student at a world-class Russell Group university based in the most student friendly city in the country, and we can’t wait to show you everything that we’re about.
My name is Ronnie Reid and I am your Students’ Union President. I’m here to make sure that every student at this university is adequately represented in the local community, media and University. I’m also part of a sabbatical officer team who specialise in welfare, education, activities, sports and the editing of this very paper.
Even before many of you even finished your exams, we’ve had a team of Fresher’s Week organisers meticulously planning what will be an amazing start to your time here. From morning until night, there will be something on.
You’ll be able to visit St James’ Park in the morning, go paintballing in the afternoon and see world renowned acts such as Snakehips and Neiked in the evening. Every minute of the week is there for you to enjoy.
My advice to every Fresher this year is to try and park those feelings of anxiety and awkwardness. It’s a cliché, but everyone really is in the same boat and wants to make friends. I also thoroughly recommend that you to visit the Fresher’s fair which is running on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday where you can sign up for societies and sports teams. This will give you a great foundation to go out and meet new people that might not be in your halls.
“It’s also extremely important that take care of yourself! It’s a marathon not a sprint, so don’t feel like every night has to be as wild as the last. There is absolutely no shame in a lie-in, in fact I thoroughly recommend it. If you have a wobble, that’s totally normal.”
It’s also extremely important that you take care of yourself! It’s a marathon not a sprint, so don’t feel that every night has to be as wild as the last. There is absolutely no shame in a lie-in, in fact I thoroughly recommend it. If you do have a wobble, that’s totally normal. Just pop into the Student Advice Centre on level 2 in the Union and our lovely team of advisors will help you out.
But on top of putting on the undisputed best Fresher’s week in the country, NUSU do so much more throughout the year.
The Students’ Union are here to represent you, and make sure that you have the most affordable, career enhancing and enjoyable University experience; this is something that every student deserves. To do this, NUSU are always working to make the small changes which make a big difference.
Unlike any other large organisation, an SU is run by you for you. From day one, all of you have the ability to shape the experience of over 26,000 students associated with Newcastle University. This could be through attending Student Council where we debate pressing issues, volunteering through our Go Volunteer scheme, or joining a society.
All in all, you’re each about to embark of an unforgettable three year journey. You’ll each learn a huge amount in the classroom, and arguably even more outside of it. Throw yourself into everything you can, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the coming weeks.