Hello! I am Aaron Caulfield, a 3rd Year Law student - and a candidate for your Student's Union President.
Ever since I came to Stirling in 2019, I have been working in and around the Student's union to try and fulfil their motto of 'Making Student's Lives Better'. In trying to live up to this I have passed many items of policy at the Unions general meetings in order to try and achieve this - from the Coronavirus Recovery Motion to the Accommodation Services motion - but it is not only in the meeting room that I have tried only to improve the lives of Stirling's students and encourage success within our clubs and societies, I also participate in the Stirling University Labour Society x Stirling VERA Plant-based pantry project in order to attempt to reduce student food poverty and have served on both the Elections committee and CZEC to help with the democratic oversight and decision-making of the Union. If elected; in order to help me keep making good on this motto - I pledge the following
COST OF LIVING
- Continuing the Student's Union programmes to alleviate student food insecurity and ensuring that the free breakfast is expanded
- A zero tolerance approach to accommodation services rent increases
- To campaign for students rights in the workplace - it is often forgotten by students and other young people alike what can, and cannot be done, at work in Scotland - the Union will make it a priority to create a campaign to spread workers rights
- To ensure to support all striking workers, regardless of being UCU or RMT - it is the place of a union to support others
- To make representations on behalf of the Student's Union to governmental and non-governmental bodies to lobby for greater support for students in these times of economic uncertainty
OUR UNION
- To encourage, and to introduce reforms that would allow, greater participation within the student population into the Union's decision-making process - and to push for more engagement in University policy
- To support a greener, more sustainable Union - and ensure the effective and equitable implementation of democratic union ecological policy
- To campaign for the equality of all, especially considering the national political rhetoric it is essential for the Union to commit to protecting it's members - the Union will condemn anything contrary to this under my leadership
- To encourage reform of the constitution and schedules for the purpose of good governance of your Union
- To create new, accredited volunteer opportunities within existing Union projects to engage students and give something back
- To find new uses for the commonly closed 'Venue' in an effort to improve student life on campus
- To make the Housing Emergency committee produce it's report, and implememnt it as a standing committee of this Union to monitor the housing situation going forward
I will deliver these pledges, and more, if you remember to vote Caulfield on the 28th of February! I'd like to thank you for reading - and hopefully see you on results day
