Vote for a voice. Vote to be heard.
This year communication has been more important that ever. As School Rep I have worked every day to improve communication between staff and students, and to facillitate engagement, focusing on improving student representation for the benefit of all within our school. I believe the School have started to listen - this year we have seen Town Hall events and lunchtime sessions, we have created a Teams Common Room for all students, and suggestions made in Student Voice Committees have been quickly acted upon.
I have worked closely with our Faculty and have raised your concerns at every level of the University - even as high as stressing to the Pro Vice Chancellor that lecture recording should continue in the future, and advising the Faculty of the need for more staff to better handle and support the larger cohorts! My suggestions led to rep-run surveys in our Faculty in semester 1, and now in semester 2 they have got the ball rolling for a review into the effectiveness of the Personal Tutor system. Currently I am actively supporting the Students Deserve Better Campaign, rallying support and lobbying the powers that be for fair assessments after such a disrupted year!
I have worked really hard this year for the students of our school, but my work is not done!
The last few months I have been building connections within the University and the Students' Union. I have been learning how things work and how to get things done. I therefore feel that I am the best candidate to be School Rep again next year, as I have the experience, the contacts and the proven drive to make a difference. All of this will be crucial next year, as we transition back to a face to face learning environment.
One of the main things I will be pushing for is for all lectures to be recorded. The University have put it off for years, but this year has proven it is beneficial to all students to be able to go back over the content. I also aim to strengthen students' relationships with their personal tutors, so they have somewhere to go for references, CV advice, and pastoral care. I will do this by pushing for timetabled sessions for all years, not only in first year! I am also determined that student representation will be stronger than ever, and as well as Course Reps I will request the creation of Subject Reps - for BioSciences, Food Sciences, and Environmental Management, to make sure that no cohort within the school is forgotten and that every group has an equal voice. Finally, I will ensure that every student will know who their rep is, and who to go to if they have issues to raise.
Vote Ashlin to make sure the student voice is heard!