We’ve had a great time over the last few weeks, busy with activities, theme nights and your ideas. It’s been brilliant to see so many of our Clubs and Societies hosting events, meetings and getting up and running. So many of you are getting involved!

We’ve been getting in the festive spirit at the CSA. Our Christmas decorations have gone up, and the jumpers have come out.

We’ve had so much going on, let’s take a little look back at the last month.

These are some of the events we’ve had over the past month!

Let’s get Quizzical

The Pub Quiz was back for Round 2! There were over 35 attendees, which made for some stiff competition. This time, our hosts had a microphone. No lost voices this round!

Don’t string me along!

Zal Ahmed joined us for Acoustic Night! He really livened up the bar, the guitar solos hit and Sweet Child of Mine was particularly popular!

Indian Bangers Night

The name speaks for itself. The tunes were blasting, and you really brought the vibes.

It’s beginning to look a lot like ...

We had the Kid’s Christmas Party to get even the littlest in the festive spirit. The kids got arty and decorated some beautiful biscuits. We even had a visit from Father Christmas! It can’t get more Christmassy than that!

Let the Games Begin!

Your President for Student Life, Fahad, hosted a Christmas Games event on the dancefloor. There were festive themes and plenty of tinsel to get you in the festive spirit! There was even a festive corner of sweet treats and prizes.

Our Presidents have been busy too! Here’s what they’ve been up to:

Fahad:

“It has been an action-packed start as your Student Life President! My immediate priority has been representing you when tackling campus issues, including residential lighting concerns, Stringfellow Hall entry delays, heating at Baroness Young Hall, and mailing glitches. Between advocating for you, I’ve been connecting with the Trustee Board and student service departments to ensure your voice is heard at the highest level. On the lighter side, get ready! I am currently finalizing plans for an epic CSA E-Sports tournament and our festive CSA Christmas Games to bring everyone together!”

Simran:

“This month has been all about listening, connecting and taking action. I attended the Student Experience Committee meeting to share the concerns and challenges students have raised, ensuring their voices are heard at every level. I also joined the student representatives’ event with the University Executive and Vice-Chancellor, strengthening our partnership and advocating for student needs. Looking ahead, we’re planning a Sip & Paint evening – an expressive, mental-health focused event where students can unwind, connect and let their emotions flow through art.”

Get to know your Presidents more! This month, I sat down with Zahra, your President for Research and Education.

Intro:

Hello, my name is Zahra. I’m doing my PhD in Environment and Agrifood and Bioinformatics. I’m Education and Research President at the CSA.

Quick Fire questions:

q. What is your favourite meal?

a. My main meal I really love is lunch, the main dish is chicken kebab, I love chicken kebab. Also, we have traditional Persian food like Ghormeh Sabzi, I love that as well.

q. What is your favourite thing about being a student?

a. I’m a research student and I’m doing research in Agrifood using molecular biology and bioinformatic technique. The most interesting part is that it's not boring and because I need to explore new ideas and test novel methods, sometimes it's a lot of work but when we see the result I think it's worth it.

q. If you had a superpower, what would it be?

a. I love this question. I would like to have the power to stop time. If you remember Bernard’s Watch, I watched that when I was a kid. I really loved that, I’d really like to have the power to stop time, do my business, have a rest, manage all my work, then I restart the watch. I’d really like to have that power, I need it.

Longer questions:

q. Why did you apply for this role?

a. I applied for this role because I enjoy being a link between students and the university. I like that the position allows me to support student engagement on one side, while also working with the university’s executive team on the other. It feels meaningful to help communicate student needs and ideas, and to contribute to improving the student experience from both perspectives.

q. How do you see yourself developing the role?

a. I see myself developing in this role by continuously building my skills and taking advantage of the opportunities, that Cranfield University offers. It’s a place where you are encouraged to grow, learn, and push your abilities further.

q. Do you have any favourite clubs and societies? Shout them out.

a. Yes! I am currently running the Persian (Iranian) Society, which I really enjoy. I’m also a big fan of the volleyball club and the Women in Business group. And hopefully soon we will have an active Parents Club as well.

q. Do you have any exciting plans for the winter break?

a. My winter break will probably be quite relaxed. I’ve been very busy recently, so I’m looking forward to resting, spending time with friends, and welcoming a few visitors.

q. Do you have a favourite spot on campus? Why that one?

a. Yes, I love CSA, it's always open for us. Like home. The playground area and woods. They’re peaceful, refreshing, and perfect for taking a break from work and enjoying a bit of nature.

These are some of the events we have coming up after the break!

New Year Bash!

You’ve worked hard for your exams; now it's time to play hard. Dance away the stress at the CSA

Sip & Paint

Join your President of Engagement and Representation for a Sip & Paint evening. This event will be focused on expression, wellbeing and imagination, so come down, get a drink and let your creative juices flow.

Blue Monday, Brew Monday

Join the CSA, the SWADS team and the Samaritans service for free tea and coffee, a chat and free activities in the CSA! Access support and talk with others. Meet Poppy, the CSA Student Engagement and Communications Coordinator. Come for a chat, join in with some colouring, find out about clubs and societies or enjoy the games room with pool and air hockey. The local Bedford Samaritans team will be here for ‘Brew Monday’, meet the team and win a goodie bag by completing some fun tasks from 12 – 2pm. We will also be joined by Jessop, the Pets as Therapy (PAT) dog!

Over at MK:U:

Over at MK:U, the CMDA students had an Autumn Social, celebrating the spooky season. They carved some great pumpkins, played ‘guess the vegetable’ and enjoyed a Halloween Quiz.

Now for some apprenticeship news. Rachel Reeves has announced that the cost of apprenticeships for under 25s at Small to Medium Enterprises will be free, as part of the Youth Employment Guarantee. As MK:U is apprenticeship based, this is important news for MK:U students, especially those from less established apprenticeship programmes.

Shrivenham Section:

Things are feeling festive over at Shrivenham. At the Shrivenham Campus, there has been a Christmas party. There was a Secret Santa, games and lots of seasonal cheer, what a great start to the Christmas period.

We would like to involve you in the newsletter. Have you done something amazing, something you are proud of? Are you going to do something wild over Christmas? Share it with us! Follow the link or scan the QR code below, fill out the form and you could feature in our new Student Spotlight segment!

Newsletter: Student Spotlight – Fill in form

See you next time!

That’s all from the November and December Poppy Mail. Check out the next one, if you see me say hi!

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