Dedicated to protecting student interests.
About me:
I am a second year Psychology student with an interest in politics. I have been active in the Students Union last year as a module representative and as an ordinary member of the Education Zone Committee. From this, I have gained experience and a desire to get more involved. Becoming a NUS delegate would mean I am able to take the issues students have at Stirling and make real change on a much broader scale to help benefit all students across the country. This is especially important given the issues facing student that have been made worse by Covid-19.
Continued protection for students during Covid 19:
As NUS delegate I would be dedicated to finding ways to hold all universities accountable for maintaining high standards of teaching during the extended issue of Covid-19. This would give students confidence in their quality of learning to prepare them for later years of study and entering the job market. I would push for more transparency in terms of individual universities plans for different Covid scenarios so students can be fully informed.
Secondly, I would propose more universal avenues for student mental health provisions. So that no matter which university you go to there is a safe and effective resource to help support students’ mental health – particularly within this isolating time.
Protection from gender and sexual violence on campus and campus cities:
The tragic events of this year surrounding Sarah Everard have reignited conversations about gender and sexual violence in the UK. Safety of students should always be a priority. I would propose more funding for schemes that help prevent gender and sexual violence particularly for events that happen outside of campuses in bars and nightclubs. Equally, visibility and greater understanding from everyone is needed to help fight the norms that allow for these types of violence to continue. To do this, I would propose forums and workshops that students could attend so constructive conservation could be had in safe spaces. This is an important and crucial area that continued work is necessary for a standard of safety and security to be met for all.
Stop the student loan repayment threshold lowering:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has recently just proposed a plan to lower the starting point for student loan repayment for English students. The current threshold is at £27,295 which is when students start repaying their student loan however, Rishi Sunak plans to lower this substantially. This would mean recently graduated students are worse off as they would be paying higher rates whilst still trying to establish themselves in the work force. For the moment, this is the proposal for students in England however, I would work to stop this from happening as well as stopping the Scottish government doing the same.
