This year FXU turns ten! A lot has happened in that time. 2004 was the year that…

• The first episode of Lost aired, along with the final episodes of Friends and Sex and the City
• Fox hunting was banned in the UK
• Facebook launched. Can you imagine your life without it now?
• Janet Jackson had a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ at the Super Bowl
• Britney Spears got married. Twice!
• Steve Brookstein won the first series of X Factor. Does anyone actually remember him?!
• Brian McFadden broke hearts around the world when he left Westlife
• Speaking of Westlife, Flying Without Wings topped the first ever UK Official Download Chart
• The biggest selling single of the year was Band Aid 20’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?
• And the final instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy won 11 Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.

Way back in 2004, Penryn Campus (or Tremough Campus as it was known then) opened, bringing University of Exeter students to Cornwall to live and study alongside those of Falmouth College of Art. Since then we have come a long way. Here’s a little taster of what FXU was like back in the day:

• When FXU opened its doors in 2004, its staff consisted of just two Presidents (one for each university) and an administrator. We now have 21 members of staff, plus part-time student staff who support us in the office
• This number includes four full-time Presidents, each tasked with developing and improving a specific area of your student experience, including education, community and welfare
• Initially FXU had one part-time student advisor. We now have four positions, with the team working daily during term time across both Falmouth and Penryn Campus. Last year alone they advised on close to 1,000 appointments and have been able to earn students thousands of pounds back on unclaimed money
• Freshers might be one of your highlights during your time here but we didn’t have a full Freshers programme in 2004
• There wasn’t even a Freshers Fayre! This year’s Fayre was attended by over 50 local businesses and community groups
• We have close to 100 sports clubs and societies now but it wasn’t always that way. Ten years ago we had just one society and inherited the CSM sports clubs
• We also didn’t have a fundraising team. Our current RAD team is growing by the day! Students raised a whopping £20,000 last year!
• Our team of Executive Officers has also grown tremendously. In 2004 we had five part-time officers (Women’s, Equal Opportunities, Communications, Entertainment, Sports) and we now have an incredible 11 positions, including Community and Widening Participation officers
• Hundreds of students across both Falmouth University and University of Exeter Penryn Campus are representing their courses and halls at all levels, including international, mature and part-time students. All of this feeds through FXU so current student needs are met
• Not only has the student voice team evolved, they have also introduced a range of policies and campaigns, tackling issues as varied as tuition fees, environment and ethics and unpaid internships.

If we’ve come this far in ten years, can you imagine what the next decade will bring?!

We are currently developing our list of ten priorities for this academic year, which we will launch at the end of the month, In the meantime, let’s party! Come along to The Stannary on 11 October for our tenth birthday party. We’ll be going back in time, playing the best that music had to offer over the last ten years. Tickets will be available on the door and full event details will be made available early next week. Anyone for fancy dress?