Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students), Professor Kate O'Riordan, wrote to all taught students earlier today. You can read the full message below:

Hello,

This week I would like to highlight our brilliant Law Clinics, run within our School of Law, Politics and Sociology. Supported by the Sussex Clinical Legal Education team, students gain legal experience through helping clients and members of the community who would otherwise find it difficult to access legal support. The students receive supervision from expert academics in relevant areas, such as housing, employment, criminal justice, migration and family law. Through the Citizens Advice project, run in collaboration with Citizens Advice in West Sussex, Law students also offer advice on a range of issues to people in need.

You can read what students have to say about their experiences on the Student Voices from the Clinic blog, which features this interesting post on equal pay by Madeliene Adams-Smith and Kam Singh. If you are a Law student, you can volunteer for the Clinical Legal Education projects and take a Clinical Legal Education module in your final year.

Another opportunity, open to all students, is the webinar we are co-hosting with the Governors for Schools charity on 28 February. In this session you can hear about how you could share your skills to make a difference to schools in your local community. I encourage you to register for the webinar if you are curious about volunteering opportunities within education.

You can discover more paid and voluntary opportunities with your Students’ Union too.

Please read on for your regular update, including:

• Measles: check if your vaccinations are up to date
• Final-year student? Get an exclusive class of 2024 t-shirt
• Students’ Union leadership elections: put yourself forward by 1 March!
• Save the date: Sussex Pride (29 February)
• Pitch for the Planet and you could win up to £5,000 funding
• Book your place to explore courses at our Masters Open Day
• In conversation event on intergenerational justice and equality (28 February)
• Enjoy new £1 dance sessions with Active US
• Get 10% off Beryl bike hire until 31 July

Measles: check if your vaccinations are up to date

The UK Health Security Agency is raising awareness of increasing measles cases. Measles is a viral infection that spreads very easily by coughs and sneezes. It can cause serious problems in some people. Anyone with symptoms of measles is being advised to stay at home and contact your GP by phone – please do not go to your GP, walk-in centre, or any other healthcare setting without calling ahead, as measles is very infectious.

Speak to your usual doctor (through the on-campus NHS health centre if you are registered there) to make sure your vaccinations are up to date. The main vaccinations you should consider cover:

• measles, mumps and rubella (the MMR vaccine)
• meningitis
• HPV (human papillomavirus) – free for those under 25. 

You may be able to get these free of charge if you register with a doctor.

I urge you to read the full update on the Student Hub news pages.

Final-year student? Get an exclusive class of 2024 t-shirt

Final-year undergraduates, please tell the world about your time at Sussex in the National Student Survey (NSS), open now at thestudentsurvey.com. It takes around five minutes to complete and, as a thank you, you can collect an exclusive class of 2024 t-shirt on campus. Look out for our NSS Helpers at the Student Centre and the Library on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 11am and 2pm.

Find out more about the NSS.

Students’ Union leadership elections: put yourself forward by 1 March!

Now is your chance to represent students on the issues that matter to them, while gaining skills and experience. Nominations for paid full-time officer roles (£25,811 per annum) and other voluntary roles with the Students’ Union are open until 12 noon on Friday 1 March. Check the key dates and documents on the Candidate Hub, then nominate yourself.

All students will be able to vote in the 2024 leadership elections from Wednesday 13 March to Friday 15 March. Don’t miss your opportunity to choose who represents you! Find out more about the elections on the Students’ Union website.

Save the date: Sussex Pride (29 February)

Sussex Pride is coming up on Thursday 29 February! Your Students’ Union is running events from 2pm onwards, which will include creative workshops, a pride walk around campus and a Queer Falmer House Party. The celebratory day will end with an open mic night hosted by the BAME Society in Room 76.

Pitch for the Planet and you could win up to £5,000 funding

We are now taking applications for our annual Pitch for the Planet student sustainability innovation competition, which gives you the chance to win up to £5,000 seed funding and a coveted spot in our summer accelerator. Visit the Student Hub for information about who can take part, how to enter, support available and more.

Book your place to explore courses at our Masters Open Day

If you are an undergraduate student, you might have discovered a particular area of your course that you really enjoy and would like to explore in more detail. You might like to attend the Masters Open Day coming up on Saturday 2 March, where you will be able to:

• attend subject talks and discuss courses with academic staff
• meet current Masters students and find out what postgraduate study is really like
• get advice on career development and find out where a Masters could take you
• find out about our £3,000 Sussex Graduate Scholarship
• get tips on applying, scholarships and funding.

Book your place now.

In conversation event on intergenerational justice and equality (28 February)

There is still time to join our next Inclusive Sussex: In conversation event, which will focus on how inequality and inclusion are viewed across generations and the role universities can play in helping drive change. The fourth in this series, the event will feature Dame Nicola Dandridge DBE and Dr Omar Khan, two notable individuals in higher education and equality.

Enjoy new £1 dance sessions with Active US

You can join the newest addition to the Active US programme on Wednesday evenings, for only £1 a session! Taking place from 6pm-7pm at the Student Centre, this session is a chance to try out all kinds of dance styles in a relaxed, social atmosphere. Dance sessions can be booked via the Active Us Social online shop each week.

Get 10% off Beryl bike hire until 31 July

We have partnered with Beryl BTN Bikes, a local bike hire scheme with hundreds of bikes and e-bikes available across our city, to offer you 10% off minute bundles. Register on the Beryl Bike app using your @sussex.ac.uk email address and redeem the discount code (UOS1) to mix up the way you travel sustainably. The offer is valid until 31 July 2024.