The outspoken will never be silenced
Key Manifesto Points
- Equality for you
- Better safety on and off campus
- Better communication between staff and students
Main Manifesto
Approachable, energetic, confident and friendly are the words that anyone would describe when referring to me. I’m also self-motivated, organized and passionate for sharing my creative visions and experiences as an undergraduate at Solent. Always keen to meet new people and engage in the different lives of the student body, from home to International, Mature and BAME students – I know the realities of student life and finances and what it takes to successfully attain a degree while maintaining a university life that is fulfilling, rewarding and fun. I am determined to contribute my time and energy to create positive changes that students want to see, and more importantly I want the students to feel that I am a person that they can trust with making their time at Solent memorable for all the right reasons.
While energy and passion are what it takes to develop SU’s current momentum of positive change, I also aspire to be the platform that insures all voices are heard by using my experience as a participant at the Addressing Barriers to Student Success Conference, University of Derby, and engaging in Solent’s Beating the Attainment Gap programme. I was particularly inspired by Amatey Doku, Vice President (Higher Education) National Union of Students and his mission to “cement the student voice at the heart of National HE conversation’, and I intend to ensure that Solent is reflective of an open, tolerant institution. This means that while I am in the position of Student Voice and acknowledge that the SU has a strong, co-operative relationship with the university, I also intend to improve on the accountability of the university to students, particularly with the potential challenge of the change in tuition fees and the modification in the student finance system. Any review of education funding must prioritize ensuring students have enough to survive without taking on further debt burden.
Questions & Answers
1. How would you help build a community of students at Solent University?
A successful community is one that is brought together and united across several platforms. I plan to launch a number of initiatives that include:
- Academic and professional collaborations between students from across all disciplines
- The use of academic and social events to develop potential working partnerships
- Focus on inclusivity by presenting a much more visible presence of our International, Mature and BAME students through a poster campaign.
2. What types of events for students would you like to see on campus?
Student art and book/zine fairs are held around the campus – I would like to promote them further and provide a more visible platform by hosting exhibitions in the SU corridor and in the SU ground floor breakout space.
I would like to promote the key skills of several of the societies on campus by building around specific events – a key example is the Solent Make-up Society, which opened with a successful Halloween Horror Makeover held in the Spark Hall.
3. What improvements would you push for catering facilities on campus?
There is limited choice in terms of healthy foods and special diets across both the Dock and the Deli. If you wish to have vegetarian, vegan, gluten free selection this is particularly limited in the Deli. The Artisan café is better presented, and more indicative of a commercial space. In addition the opening times need to be extended to support students who wish to work beyond 5pm.
4. How would you make the university and Students’ Union more inclusive?
My vision as the Student Voice is to build a cohesive perspective on learning outside of the classroom, where out of many voices, social backgrounds and races, we are one community of students. Inclusivity is at the heart of who I am, and this means that I am willing to hold difficult conversations such as institutional and everyday racism, and the effect of Brexit on International students feeling included in the discussions of the potential effect on their futures while studying and issues surrounding mental health and student poverty.