Students’ Union gains national recognition for best practices

York St John Students’ Union has been awarded a silver accreditation in the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative, becoming the smallest students’ union in the country to gain the prestigious accolade.

The Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) is a programme which aims to make a positive difference to the lives of students at university, by improving their students’ unions. The SUEI quality assessment model looks to improve services and activities delivered to students by indicating areas for continuous improvement. The scale for accreditation runs from working towards through bronze and silver up to gold.

York St John Students’ Union was one of the first students’ unions to gain accreditation under the initiative, receiving a bronze award in 2009. From that evaluation, the sabbaticals and staff team looked at all aspects of the Union and worked with students to identify areas for improvement. This led to launching the ‘More than just a bar’ campaign, which encouraged students to engage with all aspects of the Union rather than just a place where sports and societies met. The campaign, along with a plan which centred on student feedback, was one of the areas where the SUEI audit noted that the Union was delivering best practice within the sector.

Commenting on their award win, Leigh Hankinson, York St John Students’ Union President said:

"I am so pleased with this great news. I would like to thank the whole staff team who helped with the evaluation process and for the fantastic work they do day to day. I am smiling ear to ear knowing that when I leave my post this summer, the York St John Students’ Union is in a good position to progress in these challenging times."

Anthony Payne, Head of Student Experience at York St John University said:

"The Students’ Union plays a vital role in a student's experience throughout their university career and the achievement of the silver accreditation is testament to the hard-work of York St John Students' Union and their close-working relationship with the University."