Welcome to your weekly email from your Students’ Union.
Walktober starts Monday – Win Prizes by Walking!
Walktober our annual Walking Challenge starts this Mon 5th Oct and runs until Sun 1st Nov. It is open to all staff and students at NUI Galway. How to take part:
- Get into a team of 3-6 people, including the captain
- Sign up online www.activetravellogger.ie
- During the Challenge log your steps online at www.activetravellogger.ie
Teams will be awarded for their improvement throughout the challenge. There will also be lots of opportunities to win prizes throughout the challenge.
Laptop Loan Scheme Applications Close Tomorrow
Applications for the Laptop Loan Scheme close Friday the 2nd of October. You can find more information and apply online here
This Friday 2pm-4pm we will be doing a clean-up down at the Spanish Arch and Claddagh area of Galway. If you want to join us please register here. Please note spaces are limited due to Covid-19 regulations.
Virtual Clubs & Socs Day Today!
The last virtual Clubs and Societies day takes place 5pm-8pm today.
- To take part in the Clubs Day pick a Club from the list HERE and use the button on the right to join their virtual booth.
- To take part in the Societies Day join at the link HERE
You can also join any of the clubs and societies any time by logging on to www.yourspace.nuigalway.ie
How is the return to College going for you?
Take our survey HERE so we know what issues you need us to be aware of.
The FREE Student Health Unit is open but you must book your appointment online prior to attending. More information on their services and how to book your appointment online here.
The Financial Aid Fund is due to open on Tues 6th Oct. More information about the fund, eligibility and online application will be available here.
Need Someone to Talk To?
- Contact NUIG Counselling service to set up an appointment on: counselling@nuigalway.ie
- Text HELLO to 50808 if you need mental health support or advice. Service available 24/7
- Phone the Samaritans on 116 123 or email them on jo@samaritans.org 24/7
SU Services Opening Arrangements
- SU Pop Up at the Quad 12pm-3pm Mon-Thurs
- SU Shop 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri
- Sult 8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri
- SU Office closed (this means we can’t do Student Leap Cards or sell secondhand books)
- Smokey’s Café closed
The Academic Writing Centre reopens today online. They provide one-on-one tutorials on essay writing that are free for all NUIG Students. They also support student writing through workshops, modules, and competitions.
Take Control with Stress Control the free online stress control programme offering advice on ways to manage our stress levels during these tough times. Starts next Monday 5th Oct. More info
Interested in volunteering while studying for your degree?
Start your volunteer journey at 1pm on Wednesday 14th October with Mairéad Cleary of the Irish Examiner and some special guests from across volunteer organisations and the StudentVolunteer.ie team. Volunteering is linked to personal wellbeing and professional success have a click in and find out more!
Or Watch on the StudentVolunteer.ie YouTube Channel here.
The Career Development Centre has loads of events online this semester to help you get job ready. More info and registration details are available on their website here.
Class Representatives
Every class is entitled to a Class Representative to represent their class. If your class does not have a Class Rep your voice will not be heard. If you have any questions on the roles and responsibilities of a Class Rep contact the SU Vice-President/Education Officer Emma at su.education@nuigalway.ie. Further information regarding the role of Class Reps is also available here.
Keep it small, keep it safe, keep your distance.
We are supporting the new USI campaign called “Keep it small, Keep it Safe, Keep your Distance”. We know this virus has had a massive impact on our lives – going to college is very different this year, we haven’t had the summer we all had hoped for and we haven’t been able to see as much of our friends and family as we may have hoped. We all have a part to play in limiting the spread of the virus, but we are also concerned about the impact of loneliness or seclusion on students. So, depending on where we are in the country and the restrictions in place at the time, we can meet friends and family providing it’s done in a safe way. This will help support our mental health while reducing the risk of spreading the virus.
The main message is that we can still meet with friends and family, we are just asking that you keep your gatherings small, keep yourself and your families safe and keep your distance.
Free online mindfulness sessions are available for all NUI Galway staff and students 8.15am-8.45am every Tuesday and Friday morning. These are delivered by Dr Eva Flynn and are suitable for all levels from beginner to experienced.
Here’s the link (please use GOOGLE CHROME to open it)
National Breastfeeding Week 1st – 7th of Oct
Breastfeeding works best when women have access to breastfeeding support services. NUI Galway’s Breastfeeding Group helps provide this support to breastfeeding staff and students. The group provides a monthly online peer-to-peer group for breastfeeding mothers with the help of La Leche League, Cuidiú and other colleagues. Women share advice on managing the return to work and study and all other aspects of parenting through breastfeeding. The group meets online on the third Wednesday of every month (during term time). All breastfeeding mothers and female breastfeeding supporters as well as those from outside NUI Galway are welcome to join. Please contact Anne Fallon (anne.fallon@nuigalway.ie), Rachel Hilliard (rachel.hilliard@nuigalway.ie), Oonagh Meade (oonagh.meade@nuigalway.ie) or Claire Withey (claire.withey@nuigalway.ie) or for further info.
The School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures is organising an online evening course in Chinese Language and Culture. The course is an introduction to Chinese language and culture for beginners and will run for 20 weeks with online classes every Wednesday at 7pm starting Weds 14th Oct. It consists of Chinese culture knowledge, basics of Chinese pronunciation rules, Chinese character writing principles, and practical everyday phases. It establishes a foundation for further study or self- study to reach HSK 2 (Chinese proficiency test level 2). The fee for NUI Galway students is €120. There are no formal exams but students will receive a certificate on completion. To register for the course please contact Suzanne Gilsenan, suzanne.gilsenan@nuigalway.ie
The SU Office might be closed but you can call in to our SU Pop Up in the Quad to pick up your pack of 3 free reusable face masks. The masks have been supplied by NUI Galway and there’s a pack for every NUIG student so don’t panic! We will also have FREE SU Diaries, SU Cards and Flirt FM Wall Planners at the SU Pop Up. Please wear a mask and follow the social distancing signage/instructions. The Pop Up will be open until Fri 9th Oct and our provisional opening hours are here.
5 Ways To Get Involved in Your SU this Year
- Charity Challenge – Each month we will have a different charity challenge to raise funds for the SU Charities. Contact studentsunion@nuigalway.ie for info
- Event Crew – The crew will organise events during term to give students a chance to meet up on or off line. Contact su.president@nuigalway.ie for info
- Class Representatives – Each class elects a class rep to be their voice. Contact su.education@nuigalway.ie for info
- Welfare Crew – The crew will organise campaigns on student issues such as sexual health, mental health and equality issues. Contact su.welfare@nuigalway.ie for info
- Elections – There are currently 5 Vacant Officer positions to be filled. Contact studentsunion@nuigalway.ie for info
Our office is still closed so we can’t currently process Student Leap Card applications and we don’t have a reopening date yet. For any queries please contact the Student Leap Card help desk (Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm) Email: info@studentleapcard.ie Phone: 1890 457 056
Our CÉIM academic peer support programme for 1st year students at NUI Galway is being delivered online in 2020/21 due to COVID-19. CÉIM is available to approximately 1,650 1st year students studying: Engineering & Construction Management; Geography; Law (all programmes including BA Law); Political Science & Sociology; Psychology. More info here.
The Library is back open with limited services and you now need to book your seat online before attending. More info on their services here.
Graduating soon?
Don’t forget to register for your vote in the Seanad Éireann elections. Register here.
Disability Support Service Registration
Students with evidence of a disability, long-term physical or mental health condition, or a specific learning disability should register with the Disability Support Service. Please email disabilityservice@nuigalway.ie
Galway is currently at level 2 (green). We would love to reach level 1 but to do that we need to stop the spread of Covid-19 by:
- Limiting our social contacts to priority contacts.
- Practising good hand hygiene. There are hand sanitisation stations all around campus. Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds.
- Wearing a face covering. Free reusable face masks are available from the SU Pop Up at the Quad. There are 3 for every NUIG student.
- Keep social distance of 2 metres and please follow the yellow arrows/social distancing markings on campus.
- Maintain good cough/sneeze etiquette. Throw used tissues in the bin.
- Self-isolate if you feel you have any symptoms of COVID and ring your GP or the Student Health Unit ASAP to arrange a test.
- Download the free Covid Tracker App.
Contact Us
You can contact the Students’ Union by email to studentsunion@nuigalway.ie with any questions or suggestions you may have.
You can also like or follow us on Facebook Instagram Snapchat (@nuigsu) and Twitter.
Our office is currently closed but we are working remotely to help you.
