EDINBURGH NAPIER STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION is an umbrella organisation made up of six distinct parts - Student Advice, Student Campaigns, Student Events, Student Sports, Student Societies, Student Representation. There have been some changes at the Students' Association made over the summer and for the new academic year.
ENSA ADVICE
Marainne Hogg is now Advice Team Lead and is joined by two new staff - Moray Pryde and Hannah Graham. Diane Lawson continues in her role as ENSA Advisor. They are all now up and running for the new academic year and to support students via our independent service. Next week we are getting talks from Safezone (the University safety app which we advise all students to download) and we are also looking at how AI can help our Advice Team.
ENSA CAMPAIGNS
The main issues students currently care about are their academic courses, careers and work expereince, the cost of living, accommodation and personal safety. I understand we are very close to resolving guarantors for accommodation (an issue taken forward by your President Evans Eghan) and our Advice Team can help during the cost of living crisis and what funding may be available for you. Details of how to contact them on page 5 of the Your Union biooklet here and more on campaigns on page 18.
ENSA EVENTS
During the summer Head of Events and Campaigns Zsuzsanna Toth went and did a talk on how to run events on a small budget at Membership Services Conference. The events team have put together Welcome Week, our new 'Settle In Week' (in Week Two - see page 15 of the Welcome Week booklet here ) and have started work on Halloween Events, Napier Film Festival, Movember, Welcome Back Week, UNIFORCE Awards Ceremony (with FIVE other Unis. organised by co President Chika Marvis), Feel Fab Feb, Student Elections, Sustainability Week, Varsity (Napier v QMU in Sports), ENSA Sports and Societies Ball and the ENSA Excellence Awards in 2026!
This year Welcome Week includes events at our partner Union Edinburgh University Students' Association and our partner city centre bar the Three Sisters. This year we have had our first ever Welcome Week intern Sadie helpiing co-ordinate during the summer months (and Emily will be rejoining us for a second year internship to help with events in 2025/26). Many of our events are for all ages, free or minimal fee with some aimed at specific groups such as first years, those in residence, postgrads, mature students, LGBTQ+ students, sports and societies and students new to the city. It's a great way to meet friends and your feedback helps us improve the event year on year.
With work our Communication Team Lead Craig Reid and Marketing and Social Media Co-Ordinator Patricia Stanny have been doing, including helping save paper (and the environment) we have been working with University Communications to inform you digitially via website, email and online prior to coming to University to avoid a plethora of information bombarding you when you arrive. A lot of our Welcome Week activities are selling out but extra tickets will be made available via our website two days before each event so you don't miss out here
Throughout the year you can check our Events section for our events and we've invited University departments (like Careers and Well Being) and partner groups to use this area so you know whats going on day by day for students here The Comms Team also put together the Welcome Week brochure and Your Union brochure (they will be in your rooms) and the very handy Academic Wallplanner which we give out when you get your keys and throughout the week.
ENSA SPORTS
We have a new staff member in the team. Student Activities Administrator Megan Robertson will be helping to co-ordintate all sport fixtures this year. Sports Clubs are supported by sabbatical Austen Bruton who has been working on improvng social media for sports for engagement with you (and helping to promote sport at the University), making partnerships across the city on suitable venues and costs and to enhance the Sports and Societies Ball next year.
Head of Student Activities Craig Stephen has been deep in data for sports and across the Students' Association so we can help engage with more of you and your needs. We saw remarkable engagement with Sports and Societies next year (doubling our target funds at events like Movember and increasing club members!) and we want to create more opportunities this year. If you can't find a sports club for you here then suggest it at the bottom of the page here and Craig and the team will help you start one.
ENSA SOCIETIES
Evans Eghan is responsible for Societies and is busy working on the Film Festival and we are keen to work with Deans and Schools to increase academic societies and more! Can't find a society here then suggest a society you'd like to start here
The team have been helping Sports and Societies look for funding this summer, we have organised a partnerhip with the Three Sisters for their Wednesday Night event aimed at Sports and Societies followed by a club night at Cabaret Voltaire where Napier clubs get low cost entry and funds for everyone who names their club going through the door. This is also supported by an increased ENSA Development Fund to support your work over the year. More details will be given at regular forums - support meetings for everyone running a sports club or society. Behind the scenes we put a lot of ENSA resources into making our Sports Clubs and Societies a success.
Our Head of Finance Helen Woodward and Finance Assistant Sonia Crawford will be looking after your accounts and ensuring everyone is insured, Adminstrator Susan Finn and Receptionist Elayne McNally will be helping with room bookings and our Comms Team will be helping promote sports, societies and all student actitivites throughout the year. You can now book rooms across the University (which we are trying to improve), plus spaces at Potterow and Pleasance at Edinburgh University Students' Association and at the Three Sisters Bar (woth more to come) - see page 4 for details in the Union booklet This is to cope with the ever increasing levels of student activities ENSA and you are putting on as part of the student experience.
PS If you don't know we also have a kit supplier and funds raised do go back into sports and societies - you can also get clothes for causal wear too! Check out Macron here Details on pages 12 and 13 of the Your Union booklet for Sports and Societies.
Don't forget all the Clubs and Societies, University Departments and commercial organisations giving out special offers and freebies will be at the Welcome Fair in the Corn Exchange on Thursday during Welcome Week - do not miss it!
ENSA REPRESENTATION
Over the last two years our Student Engagement Team Lead Catherine Jones and Head of Representation and Leadership Development have been working on improving Pogramme Reps and Student Council. Daniel even did a talk about it at Membership Services Conference. Details can be found on page 14 and 15 of the Your Union booklet. Volunteering your time is added to your final scripts and being involved in any activities across ENSA is your first step to getting the additional core skills that, alongside your degree, can help with your future career, your ongoing relationship with the University when you leave and making friends who will support you through good times and bad. With our work with Department of Learning and Teaching and the Student Partnership Ambition we have created three new paid campus roles (Academic Community Reps) to help strenghten student representation. You can apply for the roles here
The Council and Reps identify how we can make life at Edinburgh Napier University the best it can be. Students identify any issues and, working alongisde our team and the University, discuss and come up with solutions either internally or to be taken to external organisations from local groups, community councils, Scottish Parliament on Westminster via our membership of National Union of Students. You have helped develop the new Community Code for students across the University (check out the posters in each lecture room)
ROAD MAP
The Student Community Development Plan is our roadmap for all the new activity we have undertaken this year and moving forward. Most of our teams have work plans to delver for students for this year and beyond, some of them offering volunteer opportuntiies and new interns this year. You can read the Plan here here
And finally, if you want to put a face to all the names mentioned about check out our TEAM page here and if you see us around do grab us and we will try and help in anyway we can.