FAQ

Reading University Students' Union (RUSU) is an independent student-led charity that supports and represents students at University of Reading. Visit our website for more information.

All registered students are automatically members of Reading University Students’ Union (RUSU).

Please email us at rusu.websupport@reading.ac.uk and we'll do our best to help you out. Please provide the email address you're signing up with, and a clear description of the issue you are having including any error messages.

Please note: If you haven't received your validation email, please check your junk/spam folder. During times of high demand validation emails may be delayed. But don't worry, it will come to you.

We’re still primarily connecting digitally. Check out some digital spaces the student community uses to connect with each other:

• Facebook RUSU Community page
• Follow RUSU social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
• Follow RUSU Events social media (Facebook, Instagram)
• Use the Support our Students scheme
• Check out the University Students Services news blog
• Check out the Student Life blog

The RUSU building and outlets remain closed for the time being, but we are still here for you digitally. RUSU staff are working remotely to ensure we can continue to support you during this challenging time. The Nursery is now open. The Merch Store is also open online: please note, however, that we are currently processing orders once to twice a week. This may result in longer than usual order and delivery times.

Yes, your Full-Time Officers are all contactable digitally and are continuing to work normal hours. You can contact them via email or their Facebook pages, details of which you can find on the Full-time Officer pages.

Every year we welcome new students joining University of Reading to campus in late September. We run a range of activities and events to allow new students to meet and interact with other students. These events usually include freshers fayres, welcome talks and events, the all-important fancy dress themed nights out and the all-important Freshers’ Ball.

This year, we are anticipating our events are going to look slightly different to usual. We are still planning on bringing you a range of physical activities and events, but we are going to be keeping students’ health and safety as our key priority. Unless government guidance and restrictions change in the next few weeks we won’t be putting on club nights, but we do have plans for turning our venue into a giant table service pub, and also plan to put on events where small groups of you can get together and learn to make cocktails, play mini golf, take part in our infamous quiz and karaoke night or just chill out and watch a film on our giant big screen with a bunch of popcorn and snacks.

New students are expected to move into their accommodation between Tuesday 15^th and Sunday 20^th September. Welcome week officially starts when all students have moved into their accommodation, so on Sunday 20^th September. Generally Welcome Week would last a week. This year, because people will be moving in from earlier than usual, we are planning to begin hosting events from Tuesday 15^th September and will continue to provide these Welcome week events until Saturday 3^rd October. After this we will be providing as many of our usual weekly and termly events as possible.

Usually we are a bit more organised than this, with a range of club nights scheduled, acts booked and a wristband advertised and on sale. However, in the current circumstances, with no guidance on when nightclubs will be safe to reopen, we are having to be a bit more adaptable and flexible with our offering.

Our advice, if the guidance doesn’t change before September, is to wait until you get here. We will be advertising what entertainment we will be offering on our Events Page. Wait until you arrive and meet your flatmates/housemates and decide as a group what activities and events you all want to do.

It’s best to check on our Events Page before attending anything as some events/activities will need to be pre-booked and you might have to register the details of the group of people you are attending with.

No official Students’ Union or University events are on sale yet. Some local and national promoters in the Town Centre are advertising and selling tickets. Some are real and some are ticketing scams so if you do decide to buy something, just be really careful and do some research. If it looks like they do something across multiple cities in the UK, that they have no venue advertised or there isn’t much information about how to contact the organisers then it’s probably a scam.

If you find a link and aren’t sure about it, we’re happy to give some advice, just email the link to enquiries@rusu.co.uk and we’ll take a look and let you know what we think.

The advice team continues to offer support for students with academic, housing or money issues. If you feel you need support, in the first instance contact them through the online form. Although they are not able to offer face to face advice, Advisers will be happy to provide support by email, phone or skype during usual office hours (10:00-17:00, Monday-Friday). The advice team have compiled a comprehensive document with information about the effects of COVID-19 on students in regards to finance and housing.

For support with your assessments, you can

• Contact your Support Centre – login to RISIS and use the Ask A Question service
• Contact your Academic Tutor
• Email take-home-exams@reading.ac.uk

For general academic support, you can:

• Use the Circumstances Impact Process by logging into RISIS.
• Contact George, the RUSU Education Officer by emailing educationofficer@rusu.co.uk, or messaging him on Facebook.
• Contact the RUSU Advice Service.
• Check out the Life Tools programme
• Library – resources, study advisers and Academic Liaison Librarians.

For PGR academic support, you can:

• Contact your Supervisor
• Contact the Grad School

For financial support you can:

• Visit the money advice section on our website
• Check out and use Blackbullion
• Contact the RUSU Advice Service
• Contact the University Finance Team via their website, email at studentfunding@reading.ac.uk, call at 0118 378 55 55
• Apply for Student Support Fund

See below for welfare resources:

Supporting Yourself

• Use Big White Wall
• Use the Support our Students scheme
• Use the Circumstances Impact Process by logging into RISIS.
• Check out the Life Tools programme
• Check out RUSU’s article on looking after your mental health

Additional Support

• Contact the University Welfare Team – studentwelfare@reading.ac.uk, 0118 378 4777.
• Contact University Counselling and Wellbeing

In An Emergency

• Your Doctor/ GP Surgery – you can request an emergency appointment.
• NHS non-emergency advice – call 111 (available 24/7).
• Emergency Services – 999.
• University Security – 0118 378 7799 (non-emergency)/ 0118 378 6300 (emergency).
• The Samaritans – 116 123 (available 24/7).
• Berkshire NHS mental health crisis number – 0300 365 0300 (available 24/7).

See below for contacts:

• For Disability support, contact the Disability Advisory Service
• Contact the RUSU Advice Service
• Use the Circumstances Impact Process by logging into RISIS.
• Email take-home-exams@reading.ac.uk.

For advice on Visas, contact immigration@reading.ac.uk. For any other advice contact the RUSU Advice Service.

Visit the Housing Advice section of our website for up-to-date housing advice, including Housing and Covid 19 FAQs answered by our Housing Advisers. See below for other housing advice resources:

• Contact UPP Halls hotline – 0118 378 7777
• Contact UPP Halls – Reading.Helpdesk@upp-ltd.com.
• Contact Unite Halls for contract cancellation cancellations@unitestudents.com
• Leaving Halls? Fill out the Online Departure Form
• Staying in Halls? Fill out the Staying on in Halls Form
• Privately rented/Halls accommodation – contact the RUSU Advice Service.

See below for career support resources:

• Career support information
• Make a 1:1 appointment

Formerly known as the NUS Extra card, TOTUM gives you access to student discounts and deals on food and fashion, tech and travel, and everything in between. The TOTUM card costs £14.99 for a year (multiple-year options are available) and offers a huge number of discounts online and in the high street. You can purchase your TOTUM card online.

If you are an international student or regularly travel abroad, you can take advantage of a free one-year subscription to ISIC for no additional cost. Additionally, all students are eligible for free access to TOTUM Lite, a new offering of specially selected student discounts.

You can find enrolment information including key dates on the University's online enrolment page.

It may be possible to change it depending on what course you are on and which course you want to change to, but you will need to contact your department to discuss the options available to you.

Please contact your Academic Tutor or the Programme Director for your course and they will be able to help. Alternatively, get in touch with the RUSU Advice Service.

Contact the RUSU Money Advisers through the online form.

Take a look at the University of Reading Accommodation page. Alternatively you can contact the Accommodation Office by phoning 0118 378 4203 or by emailing accommodationonline@reading.ac.uk.

Take a look at the University of Reading's What to Bring page for information.

Join the Find A Housemate facebook page, take a look at the RUSU Advice Service's guide to finding accommodation, or contact the RUSU Advice Service.

You can download a campus map from the University website or pick one up from RUSU reception when the building is open.

There are three cash machines on campus. One is within the Students' Union building, around the corner from our Student Activities Centre. The others can be found next to the entrance of the Co-op and outside the campus branch of Santander.

There is the Co-Operative, where if you have a TOTUM card you are entitled to a 10% discount on all food items. A small selection of shops can be found on Christchurch Road near the Sportspark, and other major supermarkets can be reached by bus/car.

There are various doctors' surgeries located around campus. The University Medical Practice can be found in Northcourt Avenue, a 10 minute walk from the Whiteknights campus. You can register online or during Welcome Week. Chancellor House Surgery is located on Shinfield Road opposite the Whiteknights campus entrance. Representatives from the surgery will be at the Societies and Sports Fayres during Welcome Week so you can talk to them and register with them then.

Your loan is paid in three instalments at the beginning of each term. The first instalment should be paid into your bank account once you have registered as starting the course. This should happen when you pick up your university student card. If problems occur you can find help at the RUSU Advice Service or the Student Services Help Desk.

The University of Reading has a detailed guide to university for international Freshers.

RUSU held an all student vote on the no detriment policy, to inform its position. After considerable student feedback on the existing university policy, RUSU has written an open letter to the university, calling for the University to ensure that their grade safety net covers as many students as possible.