Amy Smith

Hello everyone!

My name is Amy Smith and I am a final year Politics student. One thing you should know about me is that I am all about young people. Uh huh, that’s right, I’m talking to you, voters aged 18 – 30. Through working in youth representation (from being a module rep, running a society, to serving on a National Youth Council), my eyes have been opened to just how overlooked we are in society.

I believe wholeheartedly that this imbalance could be solved by university education being genuinely accessible, empowering and rich with opportunities. Now that my time at Stirling is coming to an end, I would love to be able to play my part in making this a reality by becoming your VP Education!

My pledges (if you’re still reading, thank you) are as follows:

Accessibility

• SAAS in the summer: We all know the struggle of having no student loan payments from June to August. At best it’s a pain, and at worst it’s a time of anxiety inducing uncertainty, especially for those of us who rely on temporary or zero hours work as our main source of income. I therefore pledge to join the nationwide campaign urging the Scottish Government to improve student finance and accessibility.
• Better access to sanitary products: Scotland recently became the first country in the world to provide free sanitary products to students! But wait… anyone who has tried to access these products on campus with know that, sadly, they are only supplied in one or two of the bathrooms in each building. I therefore pledge to work with the university to provide sanitary products in all female and gender-neutral bathrooms across campus!
• Mental health drop-ins: Taking care of our mental health is paramount to our success at university. I pledge to improve the mental health services currently available, aiming to re-introduce drop-in services.

Opportunity

• Support study abroad: Funding for Erasmus+ study abroad programs is under threat because of You-Know-What.  Studying abroad is hugely valuable to students, regardless of their background, and is an opportunity we all deserve. I therefore pledge to join the nationwide campaign for its continued funding, during and after Brexit.
• Improve our study spaces: Nowhere to sit! No water fountain nearby! Ugh! These all-to-relatable problems may become even worse over the next few years as campus refurbishments threaten to disrupt our learning environment. To address these problems before they get worse, I pledge to improve the system for accessing unused classrooms and make sure that we have adequate resources, including additional water fountains.

Empowerment

• Employment mentoring: Alumni mentoring is currently available in the Natural Sciences Faculty and has proven a success in improving graduate employment opportunities. I pledge to implement this more widely so that all students can benefit from building connections with people working in their fields.

For more information, find me on Facebook (AmyForVPED) or e-mail (ams00051@students.stir.ac.uk).