Unite Students Accommodation Matters

S04E01: Living Black at University

Accommodation Matters is back for a new season, bringing sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

In February, Unite Students launched Living Black At University, the first report into the experiences of Black students in student accommodation; you can download the report here. This episode of Accommodation Matters features the highlights of our launch event, including an overview of findings, panel discussion and Q&A session.

Introduced by Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director at Unite Students, and chaired by HEPI director Nick Hillman, the panel features sector experts:

• Sam Kingsley, Senior EDI & Wellbeing Manager at Unite Students
• Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, Vice President for Higher Education at National Union of Students
• Professor Iyiola Solanke, Chair in EU Law & Social Justice and Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Leeds
• Osaro Otobo, Consultant at Halpin Partnership and Project Manager for Living Black at University

The Living Black at University launch event was run in partnership with the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) on 3^rd February 2022 and can be viewed in full here.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of student accommodation, providing homes to 74,000 students across 172 properties in 25 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Accommodation Matters was produced by Ed Palmer.

S03E03: Unite Foundation takeover

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

This month’s episode is a takeover by the Unite Foundation, an independent charity that supports estranged and care-experienced students through university with a unique scholarship that supports their bills and accommodation throughout the duration of their course. Unite Students is proud to be the Foundation’s accommodation partner of choice.

Featuring two former Unite Foundation students, the panel delves into how the student experience differs for care-experienced and estranged students, how the Higher Education sector has adapted to better accommodate the needs of these students in the past decade, and what more it can do in future.

Fiona Ellison – Director of the Unite Foundation - steps in as host for this episode, and is joined by a panel of:

• Dr Peter Tormey, Senior Widening Participation Officer at Edinburgh Napier University
• Bethia Green, former Unite Foundation student
• Sherique, former Unite Foundation student

You can find out more about the Unite Foundation - including its own podcast This Is Us, and information on how to donate - from its website, https://thisisusatuni.org/.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 173 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 7^th December 2021 and produced by Ed Palmer.

S03E02: The changing role of parents in Higher Education

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

This month, we’re taking a deep dive into parents and their role within Higher Education, covering how parents engage in their child’s university experience, what this means for students, and the impact on student accommodation.

Jenny Shaw – our Higher Education External Engagement Director - steps in as host for this episode, and is joined by an expert sector panel made up of:

• Dr Dominique Thompson, GP, author and student mental health expert
• Vicki Johnson, Associate Director of Campus and Residential Services at Leeds Beckett University
• Louise Bena, Chief Marketing Officer at Student Crowd
• Vicki Simmons, Area Manager for Birmingham at Unite Students

You can read more about our Empty Nest Syndrome survey findings on the Unite Students website, as well as Dr Thompson’s parents’ guide to empty nesting.

Student Crowd’s data on the influence of parents can be found here.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 173 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 15^th November 2021 and produced by Ed Palmer.

S03E01 - Expectations v reality of the admissions cycle

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

Series 3 kicks off with a look at the 2021 admissions cycle and what it’s meant for students, universities and accommodation providers. Talking points include how universities have met the needs of an expanded student cohort, the picture of this year’s return to campus, and how this admissions cycle has impacted on accommodation strategy both this year and for the future.

Host Darren Ellis is joined by an expert sector panel made up of:

• Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance
• Wendy Roberts, Director of Staff and Student Accommodation at University of Warwick
• Robert Garnish, Commercial Services Director at University of Glasgow
• Karan Khanna, Chief Customer Officer at Unite Students

You can read more about our Empty Nest Syndrome survey findings on the Unite Students website, as well as our parents’ guide to empty nesting.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 173 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 13^th October 2021 and produced by Ed Palmer.

S02E05 - Preparing for September (Part 2)

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

In the second episode of our ‘Preparing for September’ two-parter, our panel of expert sector guests discuss their plans to welcome students to campus in September, how they’ll be meeting students’ needs (as discussed in the previous episode), and how adaptable these plans are in the face of an uncertain situation with Covid-19.

Host Darren Ellis is joined by an expert sector panel made up of:

• Einita Suman, Director of Accommodation and Operations at University of Birmingham
• Rebecca O’Hare, Assistant Director of Residence Life and Accommodation at University of Leeds
• Clare Ody, Head of Customer Experience at Unite Students

Unite Students’ applicant survey data can be found here.

For a summary of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, please refer to Simple Psychology’s explainer article, available here.

More information about the Scottish pilot scheme to allow on-campus quarantines for students from red list countries is outlined here.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 173 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 21^st July 2021 and produced by Ed Palmer.

S02E04 - Preparing for September (Part 1)

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

In the first episode of a two-parter that focuses on preparing for September, our panel of expert sector guests discusses September’s incoming student cohort; their needs, anxieties and expectations, and how the sector can respond to those concerns.

Host Darren Ellis is joined by an expert sector panel made up of:

• Sunday Blake, President at the University of Exeter Students’ Guild
• Wayne Templeman, Director of Sixth Form at St Bonaventure’s school
• Adrian Clark, Student Health and Wellbeing Manager at University of London
• Simon Jones, Business Development Director at Unite Students

Unite Students’ applicant survey data can be found here.

A summary of the findings from both the survey and the expert round table on new students' needs, written by Jenny Shaw, is available here.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 173 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 22^nd June 2021 and produced by Ed Palmer.

S02E03 - Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

This month, our panel considers race and inclusion in Higher Education after a year that has thrown race equality into sharp focus across all walks of life. Our guests delve into what work had already been done in the sector prior to 2020, how much last year’s events accelerated an existing appetite for change within the sector, and how universities and student accommodation can be more inclusive spaces where staff and students of all races can flourish.

Host Darren Ellis is joined by an expert sector panel made up of:

•​Shakira Martin, Head of Student Experience at Rose Bruford College

•​Mhairi Taylor, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at University of Glasgow

•​Alex Mormoris, Inclusion Manager at London Metropolitan University

•​Sam Kingsley, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Unite Students

 

To learn more about Unite Students’ research into Black students’ university experience, head to Halpin’s project website here, and email unitestudents@halpinpartnership.comto take part.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report on racial harassment in universities in England, Scotland and Wales is available here at the Commission’s website.

Aiming Higher, the Runnymede Trust’s major 2015 report on race and higher education, is available for download here.

You can learn more about Glasgow University’s action planon racism and racial harassment on campus here and London Metropolitan University’s Race Equity Strategy here.

 

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 173 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 25th May 2021 andproduced by Alex Parsons.

S02E02 - Future of Higher Education

Accommodation Matters, bringing sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

Our April edition is all about the future of Higher Education, with Alister Wilson of Waverley Management Consultants providing provocations on what this might look like. Our panel considers the impact of Covid on established modes of university teaching and learning, the changing nature of jobs and skills as we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and how course structures might change to accommodate lifelong learning.

Darren Ellis returns as host, and he’s joined by:

• Professor Sue Rigby, Vice Chancellor at Bath Spa University
• Ian Dunn, Provost at Coventry University
• Paul Sweeney, Chief Strategy Officer at Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 173 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities.

Accommodation Matters was produced by Alex Parsons.

S02E01 - Sustainability

Accommodation Matters is back for a new season, bringing sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

This season kicks off with a look at environmental sustainability: why sustainability movements have gained traction in recent years; how sustainability is relevant to the Higher Education sector; and what universities, accommodation providers and students are doing to shape a more sustainable world.

Darren Ellis returns as host, and he’s joined by:

• Andy Nolan, Development and Sustainability Director at the University of Nottingham
• Jade Monroe, Interim Director of Education at SOS UK, which is the National Union of Students’ sustainability charity, representing 7 million students in higher and further education
• James Tiernan, Head of Energy and Environment at Unite Students

James Tiernan and Andy Nolan will be speaking at the AUDE Conference 2021 from 12-16 April 2021 - you can read more about the conference at https://www.aude.ac.uk/events/annual-conference/.

Find more about Unite Students’ Sustainability Strategy here: https://www.unite-group.co.uk/responsibility/our-sustainability-commitments-16-march-2021

SOS UK’s latest Sustainability Skills Survey report is available here: www.tinyurl.com/8c9m9k9s

Learn more about the National Union of Students’ Green Impact programme here: http://greenimpact.nus.org.uk/

The University of Nottingham’s Green Rewards app can be found here: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/uon-green-rewards/id1554090130

The Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges can be found at https://www.eauc.org.uk/

Accommodation Matters was produced by Alex Parsons.

S01E05 - The story so far

In September 2020, Unite Students launched the Accommodation Matters podcast, recognising the need for a space to discuss the implications of Covid-19 for universities and accommodation providers, and how these have impacted, and will impact, on students’ living and residential experience.

 

Our host Darren Ellis, Higher Education Engagement Director at Unite Students, takes us through a selection of our highlights so far in this series break special episode – so sit back, listen and enjoy! We’ll be back with a brand new episode in February, so subscribe to our channel to be notified of the latest updates.