Hey, I'm Emma, your current VP Liberation and Equality and I'm running for Guild President 23/24! I'm a passionate activist and have been committed changemaking at the Guild and University for the benefit of students. As a social and climate justice advocate, I will continue to call out inequalities at the University & act on them. So, why me?
1) I led the successful £2 meal deal campaign alongside amazing student activists. I was determined to get affordable food on campus and empowered students to have a voice in pushing the University to open this new outlet. The University is run for profit, but I'm outspoken on the fact this model doesn't serve students. As Guild President, I will focus on student campaigns and making these visible changes to students lives (and bank balances!). Vote Emma for affordable food on campus.
2) Universities spend an average of just £39 per student on mental health support, compared to £2,690 on marketing. There is a complete lack of wellbeing support, so as Guild President, I'll fight for doubling that, while also getting to the root causes of poor mental health among students.
3) As Guild President, I'll continue my commitment to social and climate justice. We're in a climate emergency which disproportionately impacts young people. I will focus on increasing opportunities for students to make a difference through sustainable careers, and campaigning for a democratic way of making ethical partnerships, that puts people and planet first.
4) Finally, the Guild is not student led. As President, I'll continue standing in solidarity with the UCU and pushing the Guild as an organisation to be genuinely student-led. I will advocate for internal improvements for Guild staff so they can provide the best possible services for students.
Vote Emma, be Em-powered!
I’m Alex Stanley, and I’m running to be your next Education Officer!
I’m a third-year PPE student and have been involved in politics and activism since before I can remember. I am a department rep and have been an NUS delegate for two years, so I have experience listening to the problems that students face and fighting for what I believe in on both a university and national level.
I try to involve myself in student life as much as possible and am currently the General Secretary of the Labour Society, giving me experience working with the Guild, as well as political and activist groups.
Much of my passion comes from an ambition to improve the student experience for all. I have championed this throughout the year as a member of the Student Advisory Board, which has allowed me to share my input on key education-based policy plans from the University.
Having been a student here for three years now, I have seen how many barriers there are for students to succeed. The pressure of academic well-being falling on untrained tutors, a reduction in mitigation allowed (both self-cert and evidence-based), and marks for participation unfairly disadvantaging those with mental health issues or part-time jobs. As your Education Officer I would stand up to this- and so much more.
I pledge to you:
1.) self-certification mitigation back up to 7 days
2.) a fairer late submissions policy
3.) scrap Saturday exams
4.) opt-out option for exams on modules (where viable)
5.) part-time jobs as evidence for mitigation
6.) new, trained academic well-being officers
Students deserve better. I’ve got a clear, ambitious plan to help students and improve your university experience. Vote Alex Stanley for a fairer, more accessible Exeter.
Keep up to date with my campaign @alex4educationofficer
Societies take up plenty of time at University, or at least they have for me, but with that, comes a lot of responsibility and pressure. It shouldn’t be a choice between whether you want a first class degree, or to take part in a society you care about.
If elected, it will be my priority to streamline the Societies system based around Students’ priorities: the Room Booking system is one of those currently, but with this election taking place 4 months away from when any officer would start in post, I would use the intervening time to ascertain more accurately the priorities relating to Societies.
We do also need to have a serious look at the Society Registration system. Each year leads to at least one new society being protested against, whilst other students call out for new societies to be created in order to better represent the wishes of the student body, so therefore a review of how societies are created seems eminently sensible.
I know difficult it is to run a society, whilst keeping focus on the “important” parts of University life, so I will use my experience to fight for you in the Guild. As an accomplished presenter, I would feel confident in bringing your issues to the highest level – you can rely on me to highlight them.
The role is far more than societies, however, and gaining transferrable employability skills is crucial in your time at University for how you progress past University life. Whilst the Career Zone is good for some students, and careers fairs are a great way to bring opportunities to campus, we need to have a look at how we can better increase access to the resources of the University across our whole student population.
For more, go to http://rhysisrunning.website3.me
In the last decade, the number of university students who report mental health (MH) issues has risen 450%. Having experienced MH issues and an eating disorder; I am aware of how debilitating it can be to try and succeed academically while managing our personal lives. I am a passionate MH advocate on social media, under the name 'Recovering With Mia'.
Our students know that our university’s well-being services are oversubscribed and often not able to provide effective support. In my role as Communities and Equality Officer, I plan to prioritise the improvement of our well-being services, through introducing innovative ways to facilitate student well-being, e.g. hosting events to raise awareness about MH and facilitating/uplifting peer support groups.
Another major concern for students is safety, especially for women and marginalised groups. I have been part of a student-led organisation, 'Sit Down and Shut Up' (SDNSU), in protest of the university's lack of effective safety measures and its continued inability to make victims feel heard.
During Fresher’s Week 2022, I worked with SDNSU to facilitate student safety events, including; a self-defense class; safe sex talks with Devon Rape Crisis; and an LGBTQIA+ safe night. I aim for a safer environment for all students and to improve the reporting process so that students feel completely supported.
As a disabled student, I have personally experienced ableism from lecturers. My friends have been complimented on their English when English is their first language. This discrimination is unacceptable, but students from marginalised groups often fear speaking out. I want to platform people's voices to represent the unique needs of their community and improve training for staff while providing a more accessible and safe complaints procedure.
I am tired of students feeling unsafe, unsupported, and unheard!
In a recent poll, Exeter students identified finances and housing to be two of their main concerns for the coming years of university life. As a third year, I have either experienced myself or seen a lot of my friends deal with difficult landlords, financial difficulties, problems within the local community and issues of safety around Exeter. The total number of Exeter students has risen by 26% in the last five years, which also means finding affordable housing is particularly difficult- I know that there is so much more we can do to support students who are struggling to find somewhere to live in the stressful October house rush. I would also like to provide a platform for support and legal advice for the staggering number of students who are having issues with their housing/landlords, making every student aware of the basic HMO requirements so that they know when action needs to be taken and are supported through that process. As inflation and cost of living impacts day to day expenses and student loans remain the same, I would like to do more to support students financially, for example installing a bulk zero waste station where students can fill up their empty bottles of cosmetics, packets of food essentials and washing liquid/detergent for a reduced price. I would also like to change the perceptions of campus security, as they are ultimately there for student’s safety- perhaps having a safe zone and a patrol to walk students home if they are alone. I was greatly encouraged to see that the Guild created this new role, and feel that my personal experience with these issues will allow me to target the specific ways in which students feel their university experience can be improved.
Hello, my name is Gee Burnett, and I would love to be representing you all as your sports president for the 2023/2024 academic year. Currently, I'm a 3rd year studying Sport and Exercise Science. When I first joined the university, I got involved with playing rugby but after I broke my leg towards the end of first year, I had to look into other avenues to do with social sport to get playing and involved again. It took a while to get settled with a club due to covid making it not possible for a lot of clubs to run, however I am now involved with Rugby from a performance analysis side and benchball through coaching. Before University I got a qualification in personal training and have loved coaching people from track cycling to fitness and gym. I believe sport is one of the best ways to make friends at university as well as develop a routine to do with healthy lifestyle habits.
What do I stand for in this election?
Accessibility- I understand this year more than any, that trying out new sports financially has been a burden to some due to the cost-of-living crisis and want to make sure that sport is widely accessible to everyone.
Diversity- I want to promote between club relations to increase match day support and club links. This will help promote club diversity and help bridge the gap between AU and guild sports, getting players to know more than their club and course.
Improved sporting facilities- Finally, Exeter is one of the top universities for sports I want the facilities to match. I want to help drive the proposals forward for upgrading sports park to help fix and update sports park and surrounding sports grounds such as Topsham.
