Manifesto
Hello everyone! My name is Francisco, I am a 4th year PhD student in Mathematics and I want to be your Postgraduate Officer for 2018/19!
Before starting my PhD in Bath, I was both an undergraduate and a Masters' student, so no matter the level you are in your studies, I believe I have the right skills to represent you and to bring substantial improvements to student experience!
#FranciscoFightAndForward
A few of the points I will be working hard on are:
1) Continuation of current officer's job: printing quota for all students, extra space for study both on and off campus and more...
The current SU officers have been working hard towards very important points that would bring a lot of benefit for all students, in particular for all the postgraduates, as the introduction of printing quotas and the increase of common study space on campus and in town. It can take a long time before these become a reality and it is essential that the next officer continues the work in progress.
2) Your voice heard at the university: make sure students are adequately represented in all university committees.
After being on the news for not nice reasons, the university is preparing for big changes in its governance structure as a consequence of the HEFCE report. I will push hard to make sure that students' demands are listened to through this process and that student representation reaches all the main and secondary instances.
3) International students: I understand you!
Over 50% of the postgraduate students in Bath are from abroad - over 100 countries! As a Tier 4 international student, I do understand your needs and I will be working on a direct channel with you.
4) Teaching matters for everyone: Improve the working condition for students who teach.
The working conditions for students who teach has become a major problem over the last years: according to a recent SU's report, Bath has the lowest pay rate among all GW4 universities. Furthermore, some students are not paid for their compulsory training sessions and activities and the tutorials and seminar classes have increased substantially in some departments. One of my priorities is to work towards a better deal for all the students who teach at this university and bring concrete improvements to the aforementioned points.
5) Bench fees: research students should not spend money out their pockets to pay for compulsory university requirements such as binding a thesis (costing at least £50), printing services and mandatory training courses. I will push for a better regulation in this matter and to make sure the bench fees are available to students until they graduate.
Some of my other priorities are:
- Enough office space for research students and to ensure a high quality of supervision for Doctoral Students.
- Student stress and mental heath issues: effective actions to reduce stress and to ensure enough support when needed.
- Integration between international students, societies and within the SU.