I will… reduce the excessive cost of university living
For many students, university life can be overwhelmingly expensive, from the cost of living in halls or private accommodation, to the price of travel across the city and the expense of buying textbooks and course materials. I will lobby the University and private rental organisations to tackle the rising cost of student housing, to ensure that students are paying a fair price to keep a roof over their heads. I will also ensure that enough copies of core texts for all courses can be found in physical or digital format in the university’s libraries, and make selling or exchanging books easier for students who choose to purchase their texts. Travel costs can also mount up, and I will work hard to introduce fairer rates for students who have to travel further for their course, for example for work experience or placements. The Guild has a Hardship Fund already in place for students who find themselves in very tricky financial situations, and I will work hard to secure more funding for this so that no student’s studies suffer due to financial pressures.
I will… empower students to make a change
I want to empower students to raise their concerns and vocalise their views through making communication with the Guild more accessible. So many students have great ideas about how to improve all aspects of university and Guild life, but aren’t sure how to make these ideas a reality. I will give voice to students and make sure the Guild’s priorities line up with those of students. Whether this is starting a campaign, a volunteering project, or setting up a new club night, I will make sure students get the support they need to make the changes they’d like to see not just within the Guild but in the wider community. The job of a Student Representative Officer is not to run the Guild, but to allow it to be a student-led organisation, driven by the priorities of its’ members. In order to make the Guild more representative of a diverse range of students, I aim to introduce positions to represent a range of students often underrepresented within the Guild, including but not limited to: Disabled, Women, LGBT+ and Black students, as well as International students, Postgraduates, mature students and distance learners. Only by listening to the views of different groups of students can the Guild be a truly representative body that acts in the interests of all of its members.
I will... provide students with accessible support
The University and Guild offers a variety of services, such as the Careers service, mental health support, and financial support services, covering issues that affect a huge amount of students during their time at university. However, these services are not always as well-publicised or as effective as they could be. I will make improving these services a priority, to ensure that all students can get the best out of their university experience without barriers. These services are vital to a vast amount of students but they need to be better publicised so that students know they are available when they are needed. I will make these services more accessible by ensuring that students know where they can get support if needed, and ensuring that the support that they receive is of the highest quality it can possibly be.
