Hundreds of students descended on the home of football to celebrate at The DSU Awards on Friday night.
*UPDATE: You can find all of the photos from the night on Facebook here.*
Hundreds of students descended on the home of football to celebrate at The De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) Awards on Friday night.
The evening was the first time that societies, sports clubs and volunteering groups have been recognised alongside Course Reps and SRCs all at the same event, and saw more than 400 De Montfort University (DMU) students head to The King Power Stadium to look back on an action-packed year, hosted by outgoing President Dan Winney and DSU’s Officer Team.
DSU's Pole Fitness Society picked up the award for Most Improved group or individual in 2017/18.
Kelly Davies, a third-year English and Creative Writing student, was the big winner on the night as she scooped the Course Rep Development Scheme Award and was named as DSU’s first ever Personality of the Year.
She said: “I’m really ecstatic about it to be truthful. I didn’t expect to win anything, so to come away with two [awards] is great.
“It’s really liberating, because one of the big things I’ve been doing this year is pushing for more people to become a Course Rep.
“I still think it’s one of those roles that people don’t see as ‘cool’ and one of the things that I’ve always been pushing for is to change that image a bit – and to be able to say it can work.
“I’m absolutely over the moon to be recognised as this larger-than-life character. It’s all very exciting – you wait years for an award and two come along at once!”
Incoming VP Student Activities Derrick Mensah got the room going before presenting Best Event or Project of the Year to the Christian Union.
Members of next year’s Officer Team were also in attendance, with current VP Student Activities and President-elect Ahtesham Mahmood presenting the award for Society of the Year to a visibly shocked Music Society.
Tim Baker, chair, said: “It’s all pretty intense; it’s amazing as we were not expecting at all to win it, and we have all put a ridiculous amount of work into the society this year so to get some recognition for it has been really quite humbling.
“We were bawling like babies when we got it as we’ve been working so hard and the society means so much to us.
Tom Carnell, secretary, revealed that lifting the trophy was one of two highlights of the year – the other being the society’s Varsity victory in March.
“It has to be Societies Varsity,” he said. “Where we sold out Firebug on a Monday night and had to actually turn people away because it was full and they wouldn’t let us have anyone else in. To win it just made it even better.”
And while both Tom and Tim will be graduating from DMU this year, current treasurer Matt Coll will chair the society next year and has high hopes for 2017/18.
“We want to do the same again next year; but better,” he explained. “For me, this not only feels like a victory for us and our members, but all of the previous committees and society members as well. We feel really humbled by it.
“At the beginning of the year we said it’d be great to even get nominated, especially when you hear what other societies are up to, because they are all amazing. I can’t wait to do it all again next year.”
Members of the tennis club were also in attendance at The King Power Stadium.
The full list of awards presented on the night included;
- Faculty Student of the Year
- Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities – Payge Temple
- Faculty of Business and Law – Hamza Abba
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences – Louise Cunliffe
- Faculty of Technology – Oliver Catton
- Course Rep Development Scheme Award – Kelly Davies
- Student Staff Member of the Year – Michaela Maginnis
- Campus Presence of the Year – Bollywood Dance Society
- Best Event or Project of the Year – Christian Union
- Most Charitable Group – Indian Society
- SRC of the Year – Emma Charge
- Most Improved – Pole Fitness Society
- Course Rep of the Year – Emily Hall
- Committee of the Year – LGBT+ Society
- Volunteer of the Year – Kate Whitfield
- Win of the Year – Lauren Clancy
- Personality of the Year – Kelly Davies
- Campaigner of the Year – Lauren Thomas
- Society of the Year – Music Society
- DSU Hero – David Pilsworth
The DSU Awards were sponsored by Sulets, the only lettings agency recommended by your students’ union.
RELATED NEWS