Manifesto
Community? Matt For That!
I am your current Community Officer and I am on track to achieve all 18 of my previous manifesto points. I’ve significantly improved access to counselling, transformed the Inclusivity Award into a successful scheme, encouraged the University to create a 3 year mental health action plan and successfully lobbied key decision makers to prioritise the student housing crisis and act urgently.
I’ve chosen to rerun because there is so much more I’m passionate about and confident I can achieve.
Before this year, I was Chair of V Team for two years and grew the volunteering group from 350 to almost 1000 members, making it the largest opt-in student group on campus.
Housing? Local Community? Volunteering? Matt For That!
- Continue to strongly challenge the Council, the University and other stakeholders on the housing crisis to prevent further cases of homeless students both in the short and long term
- Introduce a letting agency rating and feedback system so students are able to demand a better service
- Work with local student-friendly venues to provide alternative places for students to study, hold a meeting or run an event off campus
- Create closer links between volunteering and the activities office for improved student-led fundraising and community volunteering
Equality and Diversity? Matt For That!
- Establish more funding and closer working with Diversity and Support Groups to enable bigger events and more influential campaigns
- Work with the Education Officer to lobby for an inclusive, internationalised curriculum that better reflects the diversity of the student body
- Work with the new Postgraduate Officer to create a communications strategy that ensures groups such as postgraduates and mature students feel included and involved, as well as improving signposting so that students are more aware of the various support services available to them
- Clarify what can be done in response to international crises, including creating a fund for international relief efforts
- Introduce anonymous blog posts so students can share stories of their experiences, giving others an idea of what issues people from different backgrounds can face
Healthy Living? Matt For That!
- Provide more support for students wishing to give up or reduce the risks of drug use
- Improve support for students with eating disorders
- Challenge issues with the medical centre, including accessibility and waiting times
Campus Life? Matt For That!
- Establish more and clearer funding opportunities, including doubling the University’s Hardship Fund
- Create an SU Hardship Fund so that students aren’t turned away from sports, conferences or trips because they can’t afford it
- Develop Peer Support so that all students have an effective, supportive and responsive mentor in their first year
- Encourage vast improvements in the resident tutor service to prevent isolation and provide support
- Campaign for more spaces on campus to be made available where you can eat your own food and have these publicised to students, especially when the Student Centre is busy
Community? Matt For That!
Questions? matt4that@gmail.com