Hello! My name is Alyson Mackay, I identify as she/her, and this is my manifesto for becoming Vice-President Communities here at the University of Stirling. For those of you who don’t know me, I hope this brief outline of my goals can make it clear why you should vote for me in the 2021 election.
Since (literally) day one at Stirling I’ve been actively involved with the Union and representative student voices. Over the past three and a half years I’ve had so many positive experiences, but I’m also well aware that much is yet to be done to make the university truly feel like a community for everyone. I’m not asking you to vote for ideas, I’m asking you to vote for action.
Clubs and Societies
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Encourage clubs and societies to collaborate while also providing more interactive opportunities for them to promote themselves through the Union.
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Provide committees with bystander training and resources to tackle gender-based violence.
Democracy & Transparency
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Hold the University to account for their spending and any costs incurred by students, e.g accommodation, washing machines etc.
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Supporting the media societies right to publish as long as it’s’ within industry standards and does not discriminate.
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Ensure Part-Time Officers receive sufficient training for their role, and encouragement to take part in and run projects.
Health & Wellbeing
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Up-to-date support for isolating students.
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Support all campaigns for increased health and wellbeing awareness, including providing societies with mental health training.
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Ensure students, regardless of location, have access to support and are not left to feel isolated.
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Support non-traditional entrance students, and widening access students beyond the current level to ensure equal opportunities and adequate support.
Housing & Campus
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Campaign for improvements to all older accommodation, on and off-campus.
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Establish a ‘house rep’ for each university building so that new students have a point of conduct.
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Set up house-wide (virtual) socials for students in university accommodation to get to know their neighbours.
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Make all areas of campus a safe space for students by providing additional lighting along walkways.
Sustainability
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Full support for the Green & Blue Space, and increased publicity once re-opened.
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Support for the ‘hedgehog friendly campus’ campaign, and other environmentally based university improvements.
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Remove, as much as possible, disposable plastics from university retailers.
Transport
These bullet points are the minimum I hope to work towards if elected, I will seek to incorporate the values of the students throughout my time in office, and support campaigns that work towards the betterment of our community. I hope to be held accountable by the Union and students of Stirling. Thank you for reading my manifesto, feel free to get in contact with me to ask any questions via akm00015@students.stir.ac.uk. #VoteAyeForMackay