SOUPS: Home Page

Welcome to the home page of the Southern Open University Psychological Society,

               famous for its monthly PUB MEETS - click here to learn more!                                                 

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Course Overview Days - Saturday 20th March 2010

SOUPS - "WHO WE ARE"

By Phil James (2009 update now included!)

SOUPS is OUPS in the South. It is one of the regional branches of OUPS, which currently include: London (LOUPS), Yorkshire and Lancashire (Y&LOUPS) and North (NOUPS). Other regional branches may open if there is sufficient demand and someone is crazy and motivated enough to volunteer to take it on!

SOUPS supports students who are preparing to take, taking and/or have taken OU psychology-related courses in the OU’s South Region, Region 02: “encompassing Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Channel Islands, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, part of Wiltshire (including Salisbury)” (from the OU in the South website). So, now that we’ve covered the acronym, what does student “support” actually involve?

Face it, being an OU psychology student is quite challenging. Based on this premise, keeping your motivation high, realizing that you’re not struggling alone with all those strange words, learning tips from others who have completed the course, help with exam revision and simply being social and enjoying discussing psychological topics arise as the main support areas. OUPS addresses these issues on a national basis by providing the wonderful course-specific Revision and Mini Summer Schools / Summer Conference Weekends. The regions complement this national activity with Course Overview Days, Pub Meets and an Autumn Conference.

SOUPS Course Overview Days are typically held about a third of the way through each course and do exactly what they say on the tin! The best, most inspirational tutors present ways in which you can gain the big picture of the course material and learn key study skills to prepare for TMAs and the exam. These are occasions when the penny drops and the course themes become clear.

Although mainly social, Pub Meets are an informal way to get to meet the occasional tutor or course team member and other students to chat psychological stuff or simply moan about the course. SOUPS Pub Meets are arranged to fall on the same Thursday in every month: the first Thursday of the month is held at The Grosvenor in Reading, the second at The Original White Hart, Ringwood and the third Thursday at The Manor Hotel, Datchet. Plus, three keen DSE212 students on the Isle of Wight are starting another pub meet on the first Tuesday of every month (email Ian as Regional Rep for details).

The SOUPS Autumn Conference is based on a key topic in psychology that many are interested in. In 2007, the conference was Careers in Psychology; in 2008, it was 'Consciousness'; in 2009 it was 'The Psychology of Personality'.

OK, so now we know where and what, how about who, I hear you cry. Who is daft enough to volunteer to devise events, invite speakers, arrange tutors and just cajole others to turn up? The SOUPS Committee, I respond, that’s who. (These one-way conversations are such fun – almost better than the real thing.)

The SOUPS AGM (Annual General Meeting) is held at a party in early January each year, hosted by Dr Alan Pechey (SOUPS Vice Chair). The regular agenda reviews the accounts for the year (aiming to run at break-even), appoint officers (strictly only the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are absolute requirements) and debate/agree on what, when, where and whom to invite to speak at the various events.

In 2009 our AGM agreed to appoint the following as officers in SOUPS:

Phil James
Chair

Phil is Chair of SOUPS, taking over from the 'famed' Dr Pechey. He will also continue to do all the work of publicity officer (unless he can 'delegate' this to Anne, the new secretary. See below...) An OU psychology graduate Phil has started an MSc in Neuroscience with the OU. He says: "I hope you have heard about SOUPS events from me on FirstClass, OUPS News and flyers! And... please come to the Datchet Pub Meet and prevent me from being “Norman No Mates”.

Dr Alan Pechey
Vice Chair

Having stepped down from years of service as the Chair of SOUPS, Alan is now our vice-chair. A very popular DD303 tutor, runs his own occupational psychology consultancy and is also currently Vice Chair of OUPS, having been an enthusiastic member and its Chair for many years.

Dr Peter Naish
Vice Chair

Peter is Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology with the OU Psychology in Science Group, is chair of DD303 and SOUPS’s mole inside the corridors of power. Fortunately Peter takes an active role in SOUPS, coming to Pub Meets, giving the New Year AGM Lecture and frequently speaking at SOUPS events.

SallyAnn Wakeford
Treasurer

Sally-Ann is the new SOUPS treasurer taking over from Vanessa who moves sideways to events organiser (see below). After gaining her OU psychology degree, SallyAnn is in the middle of her PhD. She enthusiastically started and runs the SOUPS Pub Meets in Ringwood.

Anne House
Secretary

Another new officer, Anne finished her psychology degree with the OU and has now started her Masters in Psychological Research Methods with the OU.

Ian Cooper
Regional Representative

Ian, another OU psychology graduate, is the Regional Representative for OUPS and represents the regions in SOUPS. Ian’s role is to help new regions become established and to act as a liaison between regions.

Vanessa is also an OU psychology graduate, gained her MSc in Psychological Research Methods from the University of Reading and started her PhD there in 2008. Stepping down from Treasurer of SOUPS, Vanessa is still involved as the Events Organizer for SOUPS: devising conference topics, arranging speakers, booking venues  - and also the unenviable task of taking bookings, collecting the money and sending back joining instructions for all SOUPS events.

We also have 'ordinary' committee members - these people may not have specific roles but they support SOUPS in many ways (normally in the pub...)

So that is the SOUPS Committee, brimming with energy and pumped to make your year extra-psychologically-special. But we can’t prove it unless you come along to one of our events. Please do! We look forward to seeing you.

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