More Funding, More Consideration, More Mental Health Awareness!
Hello! I’m Emilie Hines and I’m an MRes Arts and Humanities student. I’ve been a member of the student union for four years, and, like everyone else, I’ve greatly enjoyed the Speakeasy, Fresher’s Fairs, and Election Week drama. While this may be all that most students associate with the student union, my extensive experience as a residential assistant in Queen’s Accommodation has shown me that it is truly at the heart of student life at Queen’s. Every club and society is linked to it, and it gets involved whenever the university fails to solve a problem. In addition to this, the student union consistently campaigns for the better treatment of students, as seen from the £500 COVID-19 disruption payment received by many last year. That would not have been possible without the student union, and it would be my honour to join it as a part-time student officer!
That being said, last year was a terrible year for postgraduate students, and things need to change! While working as a residential assistant, I had postgraduate students frequently ask me for advice about their funding. Not only is the maximum postgraduate tuition fee loan (£5,500) significantly less than the standard postgraduate course tuition fee (£6,500 approx.), but there’s no maintenance fee available at all! In addition to this, little to no consideration is given to students with disabilities, dependents, or other nationalities. International students were charged extortionate tuition fees just to do everything online, and they didn’t even receive the COVID-19 disruption payment! Finally, last year, due to the the pandemic, mental health problems intensified throughout Northern Ireland, and several postgraduate students informed me that they had become increasingly depressed, stressed and scared. They didn’t know who to talk to, or what to do about it. This is not okay!
If I’m elected, I’ll commit to bringing the change needed by ensuring that postgraduates are heard and properly represented. I will fight for postgraduate tuition fee loans that sufficiently cover postgraduate tuition fees, as well as the implementation of a maintenance loan for postgraduate students. I will argue for more consideration to be given to postgraduates who have additional financial pressures, and for better representation of international students when it comes to tuition fees. Finally, I will continue to raise awareness about mental health and how it needs to be taken seriously. I will do all of this to the best of my ability, and aim to do even more. Vote for Emilie Hines to be your new part-time postgraduate taught officer!