WELCOME TO PLEXUS

PLEXUS proudly present the latest edition of SOLAR

Welcome to all new OU Students and Welcome Back to all returning students

#new2OU #back2OU WELCOME Hello and welcome to the 5th edition of SOLAR our membership exclusive publication. We couldn’t start this edition without welcoming both new and returning students. We hope those of you haven’t been studying over the summer enjoyed the break and are looking forward to the year ahead.

Hopefully you will have seen us participating in two major Pride events along with the wider University community in London and recently in . We had an excellent time celebrating the diversity of the Open University in addition to putting PLEXUS on the map.

The PLEXUS committee have been busy looking at activity for the upcoming year taking into consideration your thought and ideas. We’ll be attending more Pride events, supporting all LGBT+ students through our education campaigns, we’ll also be working closely with the Disabled Students Group, the Societies and of course the Open University. You’ll see a programme of activity later in this publication.

One important activity we need to mention now is that PLEXUS will be holding its first ever elections. This will be where you, our members, will be able to stand for one of these posts, the Chair, the Secretary, Campaigns Officer, Equalities and Support Officer and Women’s Officer. These five posts are the leadership of PLEXUS and drive forward the annual report and programme of activity. The term of office is for 2 years starting on the 1st January 2018. If you would like to know more about these posts please contact either of us via email or social media.

Throughout the year we want you, our members, to continue advising us on what support you require, how PLEXUS continues to develop and how we engage with the OU community. The easiest way of doing this is by posting in our forums. These are only open to our members.

In this edition of SOLAR, we reminisce about the year that has gone by, we highlight to our new members why PLEXUS is here and that it isn’t just for the LGBT+ community. We also have stories from our members, the staff team in Milton Keynes, and we’re very lucky to have a special feature from Helen Richardson- Walsh an Olympic Hockey Gold Medallist telling us about her OU journey and that it’s cool to be out in Sport.

We wish you all the best for the year ahead and we look forward to seeing you participate in our activities whether this is online or at one of our events.

In Pride Graham & Alex FRESHERS: FUN, FEARS AND By Mike Jennings Autumn is a time of change, but not just for nature! For many LGBT+ students, this month will be the beginning of a new journey into university education (or a return to that journey if you, like myself, are coming back to university for the second time). Unsurprisingly many of these students may decide to come out for first time when they arrive in this fresh and exciting environment.

It could be due to moving (away from parents, away from remote areas into cities) or it could be due to finding themselves surrounded by more like-minded and inclusive people. It may be that students start to forge their independence, and therefore understand their identities more. Whatever the reason is, it happens, and it will only be a pleasant and safe experience if all institutions are doing their best to support it, including the Open University.

Why is this important? It seems like an obvious question, but amongst all the freshers’ fun it can be easy to forget that not all students end up in the safe space that they were hoping for. Research compiled by NUS into LGBT+ students in higher education showed that they were more likely to consider dropping out, compared to heterosexual students. Even worse, just over half of the respondents who identified as Trans had seriously considered leaving their university. 56 percent of those who had considered leaving reported that feeling as though they “did not fit in” was a factor. Dreams of making a huge group of brilliant new friends, partying until the early hours of the morning and even finding the love of your life (or the night) don’t always come true straight away and if a student feels uncomfortable or that they are not being supported or accepted, that could hinder both their personal growth and their studies.

Therefore, it’s important to have realistic expectations. From my own personal experience, I remember thinking life would be very different once I moved away from home and arrived in bustling, cosmopolitan London. But the people around me were perhaps not as inclusive as I had hoped, nor had my confidence in myself as an LGBT+ person grown enough yet, so I ended up feeling secluded and like I wasn’t making the most of my experience – one of many reasons why I eventually dropped out and went straight into work. Now I’m back at the Open University and want to do anything I can to support those who may find themselves in a similar position.

Here at the OU, many of our students will be in distance learning and won’t have a campus. This means that immediate sense of community and inclusiveness is not necessarily a given – but we can work hard together to foster that community in different ways (both in the real and digital world) and help each other find the safest space to start to be the person we want to be.

On the next page are top five Freshers Fixes The Five Freshers Fixes 1. Facebook groups are your friend. Whether it’s the group for the OU, specific to your degree, your module or any kind of LGBT+ group linked to the university or area in which you are based, Facebook groups are a great way to contact and share information with fellow students. This can really help create a sense of student community, especially if (again, like myself) you study from home and don’t have the opportunity to meet your colleagues face to face on a regular basis. The more, the merrier! Here is the PLEXUS Facebook Group

2. Switchboard will listen. Although they are based in London, Switchboard takes calls or Instant Messages from anyone, anywhere. They are an LGBT+ helpline who do their best to offer a wealth of material to those seeking information or simply just be there if you need someone to talk to for guidance. If you need assistance finding local LGBT+ groups or information about events, or need help with coming out (or anything at all) then Switchboard is a great tool to utilise.

3. Student Support could help. From your online StudentHome profile you should be able to access the contact page for the Student Support Team who are there to try and answer any educational queries you may have. Although the assistance they provide is tailored more towards your modules, exams and career, they could be of use to anyone who does find themselves considering dropping out or if you have any issues and con- cerns with tutors, staff members, or other students – unlikely to happen at the OU but always good to know the support is there if needed!

4. Meet up on Meetup! Like using Facebook groups and events, Meetup is another website and app that lets you create, join or search through events based around specific themes or subjects. For instance, you could search for LGBT+ events or events related to your studies, all happening within your area, sorted by distance. You could even cre- ate your own events to share with the students on your course to see if any of you could form study buddy groups in your area – it’s all about finding ways to create your own community and help support one another. Once the support network has been estab- lished, students who want to come out will feel more capable of doing so, without fear of isolation.

5. PLEXUS wants you! Despite the lack of campuses, here at PLEXUS we want to make all LGBT+ students feel included and that their voices are being heard. Join the forums, request an invite to the Facebook group and sign up to SOLAR – all these things will put you in the right place to discover new friends and like-minded individuals in the LGBT+ community who can offer all kinds of guidance and support, especially if you are coming out and need someone to talk to. If you just need to post on the Facebook wall for advice, want to attend an event to put faces to names, or even contribute to the SOLAR Magazine, all you need to do is click and get in touch. The aim is to continue to grow as a community and work together, using our own experiences and understanding, to make sure that the university adventure (right through from Freshers Week to gradua- tion) is as easy, enlightening and fun as possible!

There you have it, the top tips to making sure your introduction to the great big world of university – hopefully those help, and if you have any other comments or feedback, don’t be afraid to get in touch! We don’t bite – after Freshers is over that is! PLEXUS & OU MAKE A MARK DURING PRIDE 2017 PLEXUS and the Open University have achieved something that has never been done before, we made a noise at not one, but three Pride events this year! Our first pride event took place in February during LGBT History Month. We joined students from across the UK at National Student Pride where they challenged the taboo of talking about sex and launched a campaign to ensure sex and relationships education in School covered LGBT+ relationships.

More recently PLEXUS was fortunate enough to enter the parade and Manchester . We partnered with the wider OU community to celebrate the diversity of the OU in addition to celebrating the love and strength of the LGBT+ community.

Pride in London was a celebration of Love and it can Happen Everywhere. To be involved with that parade was an exhilarating experience. At first, we were a little apprehensive of what to expect, but as soon as the music started and whistles were blowing we were very much at home. We were joined by Nicola Simpson, President of the Students Association who shared many videos and photos. After the parade Nicci had this to say “I had a great day with OU students and staff at Pride in London. You couldn't fail to be overwhelmed by the experienced - the whole parade route was lined with thousands of people, all there to show support for the LGBT community. It was like nothing I have experienced anywhere else!”

The Committee decided we had to match our experience in London again in Manchester! To our delight the theme in Manchester was ‘Class of 2017’. 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of in the UK. This is an important milestone in our history and you will see from the pictures that we ran with that theme. Alex and Graham looked amazing in their robes and everyone enjoyed the festivities. Once again, we were joined by some very special guests. Ian Fribbance, Executive Dean for the Faculty of Social Sciences, along with Jiten Patel, Head of Equality, Diversity and Information Rights. Following the parade Jiten said “ is an amazing experience. This is the second time I’ve been to Manchester and it’s wonderful. It’s a great family atmosphere; I loved seeing the kids in the arms of their parents along the parade route”.

We’re sorry that we haven’t been able to get to more Pride events this year but we are already looking at dates for next year and the OU have already agreed to offer support by joining us. We are expecting to attend events in Belfast, Dublin, , Edinburgh and London. We will also be asking you, our members, which Pride event we should attend in England, keep a look out for further details in the New Year. HELLO FROM THE OU CAREERS SERVICE By Cathy Lovell Hello my name is Cathy and I have recently taken the lead in providing careers support for LGBT+ students. Whether you are new to the OU or you are returning to your studies, do remember we are here to support you.

I have provided some additional information about our service, including feedback from other students over the next couple of pages.

How we can help

Often OU students are looking to study to bring about a change in their lives and we want to help you bring this about, by offering impartial advice.

Here are some of the ways we can offer support:

One to One Guidance – email, phone or Skype – it’s up to you. You can contact us as many times as you need, and the service continues for up to three years after you finish studying with us.

We have a new programme of webinars and careers forums planned for next year – meanwhile take a look at our webinars.

You can view forthcoming and recent forums – you may find questions you want to ask answered here, as other students may have similar issues to you.

Did you know we have a job vacancies list? Have you registered? Take a look at our Job Zone. Take a look at our website www.open.ac.uk/careers

Careers Events

For updates on all careers events follow us on:

There are two careers events in November which may interest you:

EqualEngineers is the hub for inclusive engineering employers and diverse engineers, launching in September 2017, with a specific focus on underrepresented groups in engineering including LGBT+

They will shortly be launching registration for the Equal Engineers Engineering & Technology Student & Graduate Careers Fair 2017, in partnership with Rolls-Royce and over 50 leading engineering organisations with vacancies for engineering and technology graduates and internships. This will take place in Birmingham on Saturday 11th November.

You may want to attend the Diversity Careers Show on 10th November in London. There will be career development activities and opportunities to meet face-to-face with employers who embrace diversity in their recruitment and will be offering advice on all aspects of careers.

Useful Websites

I wanted to highlight some resources which you may find interesting. Many of you are probably aware of ’s Starting Out Guide a tool to help graduates and career- changers find out more about -friendly employers but you may want to take a look at these as well:

The Workplace Equality Index lists the top 100 most LGBT friendly UK employers.

The Gay Business Association is a network for LGBT professionals in the UK

There is a helpful summary of advice on and issues relating to employment, which you may find useful.

Getting Involved

I shall be posting on the PLEXUS Facebook Page when I hear of events, employers or other resources of interest.

If you would like to be involved in a user group to comment on and provide feedback on how we support LGBT+ students – look out for an Facebook post asking for volunteers – I would love to hear from you!

Make Contact!

Do get in touch if you would careers support, we are more than happy to help, so we are looking forward to hearing from you. INTRODUCING THE LGBT FOUNDATION By Ian Dyer I am an undergraduate with the OU, studying Combined Social Sciences. I am also a volunteer, and have been for the past 4 years, with the LGBT Foundation which is based in Manchester. I personally am a member of the Library and Archives Team based in Central Library. We cover various areas of work – including HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health. I would like to introduce the Foundation and some of the areas of work it covers.

The Foundation's journey started with Healthy Gay Manchester, which became the LGF Foundation in 2000. In 2015 to recognise the importance of including the Bi and Trans communities, it became the LGBT Foundation and is based in the heart of the Manchester’s

The Foundation's aim is to provide help and support to the LGBT community through various services. The Foundation has approximately 40 staff and 180 volunteers led by Paul Martin the Chief Executive. Amongst the key services provided is Counselling - covering a wide range of situations, and carried out by trained counsellors. Another is Sexual Health Outreach – this includes provision of safe sex packs for both men and women and HIV/STI testing – this is done at the Foundation and at various gay saunas, in addition to that through GUM/Sexual health clinics. Other services include advice on drugs and alcohol, and a key area, mental health. There is also help and advice for young people and their parents. Furthermore, there are police surgeries and legal advice clinics, again held at the Foundation. There are a number of social groups held at the Foundation, covering all areas of LGBT – these include Icebreakers and Older and Bolder. All of them include mutual support but also 'fun' activities as well.

Pride in Practice is another key area. This aims to get surgeries and medical practices to sign up to fully recognise and respect the needs of LGBT patients. Accreditation can be granted to those surgeries and practices that demonstrate evidence of good policies for LGBT patients.

The Foundation also supports and participates in various Pride events in , including my own Wigan Pride, and of course Manchester Pride. We have information points, take part in the parades, and actively participate in the vigils. This latter point neatly leads into our excellent relations with kindred bodies, including George House Trust, our co-partners in World Aids Day with the Foundation actively helping in the fundraising and the vigil.

The Village Angels is another important service. They operate around the Village on Friday and Saturday evenings to provide help and advice in various ways – there is a shelter for individuals to recover, and there are excellent relations with the emergency services and the businesses.

The Foundation encourages diversity in all universities including the O U.

Finally, the Foundation can be contacted on: 0345 3 30 30 30 between 10am to 10pm, or email: info@.foundation

PLEXUS are hoping to form a partnership with the LGBT Foundation, enabling our members to access their services even to those outside Greater Manchester PLEXUS AND THE YEAR AHEAD It has been an exciting year for PLEXUS; there are moments we have to pinch ourselves that we only came into fruition a little over a year ago following the Biennial OU Stu- dents Association Conference.

In July, we held the first Annual General Meeting and provided you with a report of our activity and vision for the next twelve months. We received some really positive feed- back and some great ideas that we are hoping to put into place soon. Some of the ideas were a little bigger, and the current committee is still considering those, and will encourage the new committee to find ways to take them forward. New committee you say? That’s right; we’ll be holding our first ever elections and we hope you will want to get involved. Look out for more details coming soon.

What else is coming?

On the next couple of pages, we have detailed some of the key activity that is already in the calendar, not just LGBT liberation dates, but our key campaigns such as, Mental Health Awareness Day, World AIDS Day and LGBT History month. Following the success of #OUPRIDE17 we are pleased to announce that we will be attending Pride in events in each of the nations and we want your input to help decide where we attend in England. We will be attending Pride in London along with the wid- er OU community, but with so many Pride events to choose from, we are going to hand that mantle to you.

SOLAR publications

We will continue with our membership exclusive publication SOLAR, which provides you with all the information you need about upcoming activity, news stories, and will be the main source of information around our campaigns. We want our members to be a part of these publications too, and in this edition we’ve had five students who have contributed, which is amazing. The deadlines for pieces to be included are below, your stories, articles, etc, can be anything between 300-500 words on an array of subjects. For more details, email the Secretary.

And finally, we will keep you up to date on current and future activity via the PLEXUS closed forums – our members-only safe space, and via our social media channels. If you have any ideas about what we can do, we what to hear from you!

Deadline for Feature Publish Date Articles Six LGBT History 12th January 1st February Month Seven IDAHOBIT and 20th April 1st May Pride 2018 Eight Freshers 2018 7th September 22nd September PLEXUS CALENDAR 2017/2018

Bisexuality Visability Day 23rd September

Freshers 2017 25th September until 6th October ‘Welcome’ OU Live Drop In 28th September 6pm until 8pm Facebook Chat 5th October 7pm until 8pm Mental Health Awareness Day 10th October Working together with the Disabled OU Live Drop In 6pm until 8pm Students Group National Coming Out Day 11th October Share your story on Facebook and the Forums PLEXUS Elections October/November

Transgender Day of Awareness 20th November OU Live Drop In 6pm until 8pm World AIDS Day 1st December

PLEXUS New Term of Office Commences 1st January

PLEXUS Official Birthday 26th January Birthday Party 6pm until 8pm OU Live Drop In Holocaust Remembrance Day 27th January

LGBT History Month February PLEXUS Theme ‘Love Wins’ University Mental Health Awarenes Day 1st March OU Live Drop In 6pm until 8pm International Transgender Day of 31st March Visability

International Day Against , 17th May and OU Live Drop IN 6pm until 8pm OU Students Association Conference June

Annual General Meeting July Throughout 2018 we will be entering a number of Pride Parades with the wider Open University Community. Attending all of the Pride events in the capital cities across the UK and Ireland. Plus we want you to tell where we should focus our entry in England in addition to PLEXUS attending Pride in London with the OU. Look out for more information on how you could nominate your town or city.

Pride Edinburgh June

Belfast Pride August

Dublin Pride June England? Tell us Pride in London where! July

Pride Cymru August A DIFFERENT WAY TO GET INVOLVED

Students join the OU Students Association in creating Student Ideas

Do you want to be part of a pilot for a new crowdsourcing platform that allows students to submit their ideas for how to improve the student experience at the OU?

What is ‘StudentIdeas’?

StudentIdeas is a joint project between the OU and the OU Students Association that puts students at the centre of decision making and innovation. The project is based on an online crowdsourcing platform which provides students with the opportunity to share their ideas of how they think the university experience can be improved. As well as suggesting your own ideas, you can comment and vote on other students’ innovative ideas. There will also be dedicated OU Students Association area for you to have an impact on the development of your Association. Feedback on what has happened as a result of the ideas you submit and updates on implementation will be shared with you regularly.

How can you help?

We are looking for 2,500 current students to pilot the crowdsourcing platform in order for us to receive feedback on the effectiveness of the platform and how it would run going forward. The pilot will run from this month to December 2017 and you can dedicate as little or much time as you have available. To qualify you will need to be a current student at the OU and have access to the internet. During the pilot there will be bi- monthly campaigns that you can provide ideas about as well as a general campaign to suggest any improvements.

At the end of the pilot, we will be asking you to pass on your thoughts on the effectiveness of the StudentIdeas platform as part of an evaluation process. This is your chance to make a real difference to student experience at the OU.

Register your interest here. By Alica Eaton-Todd Hello and a big welcome to Freshers and Returners to our Open University family, from The Open University Ballet and Opera Society (OUBOS).

We’re a society designed for people who appreciate and enjoy Ballet and Opera already, or for those who want to dip their toes into something new. There are many methods of accessing productions around the country/world, whether it’s online, in the cinema or in their original locations, so it’s perfect for us as distance learners. This society is here for discussing plots, costumes, productions, hints and tips on what to watch, organising trips, and where to get the best student discounts too!

Everyone knows that plots, character portrayal and atmosphere are crucial to believability and getting empathy when required. To see how this is done in an environment where the words are sung or there are no words spoken at all, then join our society to experience something special. Our society meet ups, whether they’re in person or online, are also great excuses to talk to like-minded people who understand the OU babble of course codes, TMA’s, EMA’s and the pressure of balancing life, study and work; all whilst sharing a new or fully honed hobby of watching ballet and opera.

So please join us, by emailing [email protected], and get social on……

Our Website is: www.ouballetopera.wordpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OuBalletOpera/ Twitter: @OU_Ballet_Opera Our OU Forum: http://learn1.open. ac.uk/mod/forumng/view.php?id=11595

We’re here as something that will bring us closer together, when studying from a distance, so we look forward to hearing from you. My Story to share wi...OH

SQUIRREL By Alex Phennah On the 10th October, it’s World Mental Health day, a day that aims to highlight hidden illnesses and disorders that many of us live with and battle with every day. I was asked to write a piece about this day, and was wondering what to write. So I thought I’d just tell my story.

My name is Alex, I’m 33 years old and I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I’m a man who identifies as gay/ (can never decide which) who also suffers with bouts of Anxiety and Depression – nice to meet you reader, whoever you are!

School and college was always tough, but being my age, ADHD diagnosis wasn’t given much thought as I didn’t have much of the kinaesthetic hyperactivity (being notably physically hyperactive) that was, at the time, one of the main attributes people saw and society was still trying to understand what ADHD was. Often it was blamed on bad parenting and “E numbers” and I was just seen as lazy and talkative, causing trouble around me by distracting others.

This went on into adult life, I went from job to job, unable to settle or focus; so what did I do? I beat myself up about the fact I just wasn’t normal, also I was dealing with my sexuality, that I was already different to everyone around me (how I felt at the time). This culminated in me having a very intense bout of Shingles, including around my eye, which could have caused long-lasting damage. I was diagnosed with stress & depression and put on anti-depressants, had a few weeks off work, then back to it. Life went on for a number of years with periods of stress and depression. This was caused by my inability to focus and perform duties in work, making mistakes, missing deadlines and thinking I was just stupid/worthless.

Then I came across an article on Buzzfeed that talked about being an adult with ADHD and I was like, erm…. this sounds awfully familiar! So I checked it with my housemate to make sure I wasn’t just trying to find similarities and he agreed. Time to talk to someone, luckily I was working in Further Education at the time, so I went to speak to an amazing person I used to work with who knows about this kinda stuff. After a lengthy chat about getting a diagnosis, and why I wanted a diagnosis, I had a plan. Then cue the waiting. One year later, I get to the Adult ADHD service; I get a diagnosis and start treatment. I was 30 years old.

Medication is great and horrible, a challenge and amazing, makes me lose weight and put on weight, not eat and eat, and in an odd way, on my non-med days I get even more hyper JOIN ME AND THE than I used to be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, but with proper management I have got to a good level of PLEXUS TEAM FOR medication, restoring a healthy balance in my life A LIVE CHAT ON (for those who think it just be great getting those meds, it’s not fun taking an amphetamine for THURSDAY 10TH breakfast, believe me). OCTOBER ON OU LIVE Now I have strategies, coping mechanisms, support with uni (well, I managed to get organised for one year out of the last three – DSA can be a real challenge to apply for) and support from an amazing team and manager. Studying psychology and counselling has equipped me with tools to help me understand my condition. It’ll never stop, and the anxiety I get, the cyclical invasive thoughts, overthinking, social anxiety and more won’t just go away. All I can do is to fight every day and not beat myself up. I will never be ‘normal’, because you know what, there is no normal. I will always be impulsive, I will always throw myself right into the deep end and get easily distracted on date-night (my partner strategically chooses the seats in restaurants now…). I will want to hide from the world and spend 4 hours overthinking something I said, I will struggle in meetings, watching TV without playing on my phone, but hey, that’s just me.

This past year I have been through some incredible life changes; moved across a country, learned a lot about myself, grown in confidence, and part of that was realising there’s only one person that I needed to accept me for who I am, yup - me.

This world Mental Health Day, for me, is about all those out there dealing with conditions that won’t go away, don’t ever think you’re not worthy, don’t ever think you’re broken, everyone is different. Some of us are more than others, but you’re still you, the only you, and we only get one chance at this! So do what you need to do, get the help you need, get rid of the toxic people out of your life, and get positive people in your life. Keep fighting, don’t give up please.

Don’t become a statistic: get help, speak, talk, laugh, love. (And in the ADHD way – do it all at once going at 100mph! :-P)

PLEXUS is linked with a number of support charities and organisations, and we’re here for our members, if you need any help or advice, get in touch.

For more information on Mental Health and downloadable publications, please visit the Mental Health Foundation website here.

PLEXUS, along with the Disabled Students Group will be hosting an array of different activities on the 10th October, so please look out aditional information very soon. HOCKEY, THE OU, RIO & LGBT By Helen Richard-Walsh When my wife Kate and I won the Gold medal in the Rio Olympic Games last year, I honestly had no idea how significant a moment that would turn out to be. I didn’t know we were the first same sex married couple to do so, and I didn’t know we were the first married couple to do so since the 1920’s. So when the press jumped on the story and put it in the limelight, the response we got from the LGBTQ+ community highlighted the importance of this moment in time.

When I was growing up, I loved everything about sport. Obviously the playing of the sport, whatever it was, being part of a team, being away from home, travelling the country, but most importantly sport was a safe place for me; it was where I felt I could truly be me, and be accepted for that. It wasn’t all straightforward of course, I didn’t come out until I was around 21 and struggled with accepting that in myself, but once I did I was welcomed.

Clearly there is currently a different landscape and a different experience for out men in the sporting world. The stereotypes we place on people are extremely limiting. All men regardless of or might currently find themselves feeling on the outside within a sporting environment. There are of course other areas of our lives where women and gay women would feel just as marginalised and less comfortable. But for me, as an out woman, the sporting world has been my place of solace and acceptance. I feel blessed to have had a supportive family, friends and work colleagues around me. I know that many LGBTQ+ people are not that lucky.

Within our GB women’s hockey team, we placed a huge emphasis on recognising, accepting and getting the best out of people’s differences. We are all different that is the beauty of life. It is the acceptance of, and the understanding of our differences that can make a diverse group of people, really become a high performing team. Part of that is of course ones sexuality, and as senior players and leaders amongst the group being comfortable with, and sharing that difference quite openly can only help to encourage everyone to be themselves.

Even though society has and is moving forwards in many ways, it can sometimes feel at times that real acceptance is lacking. So when, after Rio, Kate and I received many letters, emails and messages on social media from the LGBTQ+ community, we knew that being open about our relationship was making a positive difference. Of course, responses have not all been positive. A few messages from the faceless and nameless, have slammed us for who we are and how we live our lives. That hurts. But receiving one letter of thanks, from someone who has been able to feel more comfortable with who they are makes it all worth while. PLEXUS BUSINESS On 1st September 2017 we needed to make a small change to our data protection statement, in particular around the use of MailChimp - PLEXUS’ and the OU Student Associations preferred mail distribution tool. We are required to inform all members of this change. If you are happy with the revised statement, there is no further action. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Phennah, the Secretary of PLEXUS

Data Protection Statement - 01/09/2017

Your information will be placed onto a database of other members. You are also agreeing for your information to be shared with the OU Students Association in order for them to activate your credentials in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) forums.

To keep you informed about PLEXUS, we use an email service called MailChimp - one of the largest email providers in the world. The information you provide when signing up to this service will be stored on MailChimp’s secure servers, which are based in the United States. Data processed in the United States by MailChimp benefits from the same protection as data held within the EEA due to their certified compliance with the EU – U.S. Privacy Shield. In subscribing to this service, you agree to your information being held outside of the United Kingdom. Whilst every effort is made to ensure your data is processed securely, we advise that you read MailChimp’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more information. MailChimp will not pass your personal information on to any third party. For more information about how we collect, use and protect your data, please see our Privacy Policy. If you would like to unsubscribe from our mailing list, would like us to delete your personal information, or have any questions, please email: [email protected]

Editorial Team Contributors Graham Rimmer - Chair of PLEXUS Mike Jennings - Fresher: Fun, Fears and Alex Phennah - Secretary of PLEXUS Coming Out & The Freshers Five Fixes Cin McGuigan - Editor Ian Dyer - Introducing the LGBT Foundation Alicia Eaton-Todd - Ballet & Opera Society Cathy Lovell - Hello from the OU Careers Service Helen Richardson-Walsh - Hockey, the OU, RIO & LGBT Alex Phennah - My Story to wi...OH SQUIRREL SOLAR is a publication brought you by PLEXUS the LGBT+ Group of the OU Students Association.

For any enquiries regarding the publication, please contact [email protected].