The next NTSU elections are nearly here – we got in touch with the VP Community & Welfare nominees to help you decide who to vote for.
Lauren Herpe, Sociology student
How will you make sure to represent the entire NTSU Community?
I will strive for an equitable, inclusive, and representative community by raising awareness of experiences of discrimination that BAME, LGBTQIA+, and religious groups face to create a more understanding and empathetic community.
No student should ever feel excluded from the community.
I will actively listen to, learn about, and understand the voices of those who may feel this way, ready to change negative experiences into positive ones!
In what ways will you be supporting students affected by the pandemic/lockdown?
As Covid restrictions ease, and the excitement to go out, see friends and socialise increases, it is more important than ever before that students ‘Get Home Safe’, which is why I will be developing the campaign further.
Within this, I want to ensure that those students who may feel anxious about life ‘going back to normal’ also feel supported as it is important to understand how the pandemic has affected everyone differently.
52% of students describe their well-being as worse off compared to pre-Covid life therefore increased support and awareness of the pandemic’s effect is essential to break down the stigmas and stereotypes associated with poor mental health.
What is the main change you will make if you are elected?
I do not believe in a hierarchy for welfare issues as there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Individual student experiences are diverse and unique.
I can offer a few examples of the issues I would like to raise awareness about which include sexual violence, safe sex, and consent; advocating to reduce mental illness stigma; and bringing attention to the discrimination and disadvantages that BAME, LGBTQI+ and religious groups face within the community.
If I had to tell you my ‘main change’ it would be to create a more empathetic and understanding student community to encourage students to seek help for their welfare issues.
Zoë Mallett, current VP Community & Welfare
How will you make sure to represent the entire NTSU community?
As the current VP Community and Welfare I have worked closely and will continue to do so with the Equality and Diversity Network Chairs throughout the year and several focus groups surrounding these demographics to gauge a full understanding of students needs.
I have represented students with various stakeholders including residents, police and the council to defend students’ rights and fight for equality for students within the wider community.
I will continue to work with a large variety of students and stakeholders to ensure I represent the entire NTSU community.
In what ways will you be supporting students affected by the pandemic/lockdown?
I have supported students throughout the lockdown and pandemic since my time in post began, from gaining £5 million in rent refunds and waivers to increased financial hardship funds and even many socially distanced walks with students who felt lonely and wanted a sense of in person support.
I have continued to safely offer in person support to students who needed a sense of normality and a listening ear.
I will continue to support students who may face social anxiety, those entering the night time economy for the first time in over a year and facing binge drinking and drug use by raising awareness.
I have trained over 400 Mental Health Champions this year and intend in changing the structure to that of Academic Reps to ensure mental health is as much as a priority as education at NTU.
What is the main change you will make if you are elected?
I have already made and will continue to make many changes at NTU and supported many students which I will continue to do if re-elected.
I have worked on NTU’s Student Code of Behaviour successfully and continue to make changes which ensure students are not unfairly treated.
The main change will be the introduction of an anonymous reporting system for sexual violence within Nottingham.
This reporting system will be linked with the police to ensure perpetrators are put on the police’s radar and will help build a realistic picture of what types of attacks are happening and where.
The victim will remain anonymous throughout the whole reporting and will be offered tailored support.
Jessica Scrine, French and Spanish student
How will you make sure to represent the entire NTSU community?
I think the only way I can do this is by listening to people’s problems, experiences and ideas and working with them to come up with solutions.
From the LGBTQIA+ community to our international students and everyone in between, I want to know and learn as much as I can so I can help!
In what ways will you be supporting students affected by the pandemic/lockdown?
I’ll make sure support is readily available for those who need it as we transition from lockdown into a “new normal”, whether that support is financial, emotional, or any other kind.
I’ll also work with VP Education to ensure students feel like they’re progressing despite the disruption of the pandemic.
What is the main change you will make if you are elected?
I really want to change the way we approach supporting students who are struggling with their mental health.
I believe it’s so important to see people as individuals so the help they receive is specific and helpful for them, instead of the current “one size fits all” approach.
So, I’m going to work with our Student Support services to ensure they use a more individualised approach, and that the support is available to anyone who needs it.
Muhammad Shigraf Saadat, LLM Barristers Training Course student
How will you make sure to represent the entire NTSU community?
I believe that the students are vital organ of the university community and since the union is about them, it is imperative to keep them at the centre of the institute.
I will make sure that every student has a voice and a platform to talk not just about their issues, but their ideas and suggestions as well.
I will address the issues raised by students and make all out efforts to resolve them and escalate these to higher ups if required.
Doable ideas and suggestions will be transformed into future plans, policies and pursued accordingly.
In what ways will you be supporting students affected by the pandemic/lockdown?
Since I was a part of this year’s lot, I experienced these difficulties firsthand, and I realized many procedures were outdated in the system and were not flexible enough to deal with the current pandemic.
Therefore, my first step would be to make sure that these are evolved to address such situation in future and help is readily available where it is needed.
To make it happen, there will be a proper guide for both international and home students providing solutions if they have issues with their enrolment, fees, accommodations, living, visa, travelling etc.
Moreover, I will also be taking feedback from the students and will constantly redevelop the policies keeping their best interest in mind considering not everyone suffers from the same problem hence flexibility is the key.
What is the main change you will make if you are elected?
My main aim is to build a support system of students.
Since it is about the community of students and their welfare, therefore, to make it work it is crucial that we constantly work together to improve the experience and help those who are in need.
To achieve this, I will set up different digital social groups, to address and resolve issues.
I will also invite students to come forward with improvement ideas and suggestions and spare some time for volunteer work to make support system a well-orchestrated platform working for welfare of student community.
Lewis Tibbs, Broadcast Journalism student
How will you make sure to represent the entire NTSU community?
NTSU is such a diverse community with people from all walks of life, so it is vital that everyone’s voice is heard, and I will make sure that every single student is properly represented at NTU.
I will be holding weekly drop-in sessions so that I can listen to students’ first-hand and accurately reflect their concerns in my role.
I’ve already been representing the entire NTSU student body for the past three months through NTU Rent Strike, so I am confident in my ability to properly represent all students at NTU, no matter who you are or where you from.
In what ways will you be supporting students affected by the pandemic/lockdown?
I will be creating a dedicated mental health fund using five per cent of my salary to improve access to counselling & online chat services, specifically for NTU students.
The current automated Silvercloud service is simply not good enough and we have to do better to support students – an online anonymous chat service would be a great way to start.
Currently, Trent Chat are running a peer-to-peer online chat service entirely by NTU volunteers, with absolutely no support or funding from NTSU, I will change that.
Part of my donation could go towards paying for their website hosting and training for their amazing volunteers, as well as increasing access to therapy and counselling services.
What is the main change you will make if you are elected?
I will be making lots of big changes, but the main change will be the introduction of an ‘Approved Housing Scheme’ alongside Nottingham City Council.
I have already spoken with Linda Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Nottingham City Council, who is very much on board with creating a housing scheme with NTU to inspect and regulate accommodation providers and landlords, to ensure that all advertised providers are reliable.
They already have this in Sheffield, where providers do not get advertised unless they signed up to the scheme, so there is no reason why we can’t have one at NTU.
This is the single most important issue to be addressed after the bullying and exploitation we have seen this year, and we must do more to protect students.
Candidate Pritha Soni has not replied to our interview invitation.
Voting for the students’ union elections opens at 7pm on Friday, the 12th March and will close at 5pm on Friday the 19th of March.
By Jamie Morris