SPRING
Elections
y t i n u m m o C r e c i Off Full-time Officer Candidate Q&A
Before you vote it’s important to understand what you’re voting for. Below is the summary that the candidates were given before nominating themselves. Take a second to read the description so you can understand the context of the questions asked to candidates. Remember, you’re voting for the person that you think will best represent your views so take the time to ask the candidates questions on the issues that are important to you! Community Officer The Community officer has been created to represent students on campus life and external issues that can affect students during their time at University. The role will be expected to engage with students to represent their issues effectively around, but not limited to; • Housing • Catering • Transport • Health and Wellbeing • Environmental issues • Students as residents This person will be the lead officer when it comes to engaging with students in the SU space across all campuses to understand the needs of the student body in regards to our social provisions, services and campaigns. They will be the driving factor in student campaigns to improve their communities, whether this is around litter campaigns or quality housing to name a couple of examples. They will attend several meetings to ensure that members’ voices are heard and fed into the University’s and SU’s plans where appropriate with a particular focus on the roles remit; engaging with students when possible to truly reflect the authentic student voice.
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How would you ensure students who travel to University don’t miss out on all additional services offered whilst studying?
How would you ensure each campus has proportionate access to University and Students’ Union services?
How would you engage with students in both University and private halls of residence?
How would you change perspectives of students within the community of Wolverhampton?
sure n e u o ld y u o w ity How s r e v i to Un l e v a o tr h w s t nal o i t i studen d l ad l a n o out s s i m ng? i y d don’t u t ilst s h w d fere f o s e servic
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Ways of ensuring such students are informed of additional services can be emailing students, informing them of all these amazing opportunities they can utilise. Another method to make them aware of these services can be advertising through their respective faculty office, who in turn can pass it down to their lecturers, so such things can be announced in lectures, another method can be posting a notice on wolf about Majid Akhtar
such services, because at the end of the day these services and opportunities are there to help and develop a student, that can be through their knowledge.
It’s really important for all students to feel part of the university community. Regularly arranging social and society events during the day would be beneficial for commuters to attend, make friends and have fun at university. I also want to create a help point for students who only attend university in the evenings and have daytime commitments so miss out on many university services. I want to work with the university so all students are Tasha Cassidy
able to access the help and support they need.
The first points of action are: - Creation of more spaces on the university nursery. - I mprovement of parking providing long-term solution and travel cards in addition to swift - Promotion of SU space as waiting hub with live trafficking and public transport updates. Anastasia Vryza
- Re-consider the opening hours of the shops around campuses. - Listen to your ideas and experiences and take action. -C reate a focus group and forum for those students to share their experiences and concerns. I would encourage the University to maintain its current travel subsidy for commuting students if the issue preventing them from accessing the services is travel costs. For students using Campus shuttles I would try to ensure the shuttles ran hourly for both Campuses, improving travel between Telford and City Campus for students with evening appointments. I would try to ensure that all the services are as flexible as possible, available to all students on days where they aren’t working or studying. If they couldn’t
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make time, I would try to access the information and send it to them.
re u s n e ld you u o w How has s u p am each c ss to e c c a ate n o i t r propo ion n U ’ s t den u t S d y an t i s r e Univ s? e c i v r se
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Each campus needs to provide the same opportunities, so that students who are from say Telford have the same opportunities as a student from Wolverhampton, this is part of the structure of the campus, in fact the whole university. A few ways of making said services available in all university campuses are as follows, visits or work is done in each of the campuses equally, so if an event is advertised in Walsall campus, the same Majid Akhtar
advertisement should be done in City & Telford campuses, this can be done physically or virtually. Communication of all activities needs to be broadcast in all campuses.
Not only do we have 4 campuses at university, on some campuses the buildings are dotted around, especially at city campus, meaning some buildings like George Wallis and Kings Street can be forgotten. Working with the Students’ Union and the university I would ensure there is a presence of the SU in all buildings. If I was elected as Community Officer I would divide my time equally between all of our university campuses and Tasha Cassidy
buildings to ensure that all students have a point of contact for their needs.
In the light of the new structure of student offices in our university the advice section of the SU should consider the characteristics of each campuses and act accordingly, I have designed a total new system and efficient, simple and anonymous complaint procedure. My priority is obtaining feedback and work with the students of each campus, giving the chance to the students to bring desired changes and feel part of the wider university community. You want the best possible access to all the offered Anastasia Vryza
services and I will be there to listen to your ideas and views and put them in action for you.
I would try to ensure that officers rotated visits to all three campuses, ensuring maximum interactions with all students and that services that might be limited only to City or Walsall Campus were still accessible to students from all Campuses, every working day through online or social media based communication. This might benefit students with employment or caring commitments as they could send any relevant documents or information via email while travelling to work or lecture and receive annotated Chris Forrester
feedback within a reasonable amount of time without causing disruptions to their schedules.
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age g n e u ld yo u o w How both n i s t en d u t s h wit lls a h e t priva d n a sity r e v i n U e? c n e d i of res
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In my experience, the best way of engaging students in anything is by arranging an activity or an event which is relatable to them. So, if a service was to be brought to the attention of students, one could advertise it via competitions such as games, crafts, tournaments, with minor prizes as a result, or if an event is kept with an incentive for students that too will engage students. By incentive I do not mean awarding them a PS4 Majid Akhtar
or a 1st class degree, but small incentives like gifts, awards, vouchers something that is useful to them.
As a student who has lived in both university and private halls, I know that sometimes a university presence in private halls can be non-existent. I’d like to work with the private halls of residence in Wolverhampton by putting on more student events and strengthen the university community. I also feel that new students to our university living in private accommodation would benefit from knowing the services the SU and university have to Tasha Cassidy
offer when moving in.
Continue to hold drop in sessions in both private and university halls. I will be available to answer questions and deal with possible problems by person and online. Will create more events for hall residents. Furthermore, will keep organising events and information sessions in regards to housing and finance. Finally, will develop a project which started last year the “free shop” supplying free necessary items to new and returning students. I promise to be available as much as possible and listen to you, your concerns and your Anastasia Vryza
needs and help and direct you.
I would do tours of the different University buildings and accommodation every day or so, trying to ensure that I was available as possible either in person during daytime hours or through social media during the evenings and weekends. I would try to engage with some of the Accommodation Assistants to discuss any problems that might fall under the SU’s purview and then try to discuss the relevant students and help where I could. I would also use weekly drop-ins so students could engage with me in the SU Chris Forrester
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before or after their lectures or if they should be using the Learning Centres.
ge n a h c you d l u o How w ents d u t s s of e v i t c e persp of y t i n u omm c e h t within n? o t p m rha Wolve
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In order to change perspectives, one must firstly find out what those perspectives are. This can be done via surveys, open session, suggestion boxes, expressive events. Once identified we can see what the consensus is and act accordingly. We can keep educational events, where students are presented information, and are given a chance to give feedback. We can do more work in the community, like volunteering, contact Majid Akhtar
local community centres, generally get in touch with the local community to help improve the already amazing reputation of the Student’s Union and the University.
I want to work closely with Volunteer Central to encourage more students to take part in giving back to the community that they now live in. I would also like to put on events, working with local businesses and charities, where students can contribute and get involved with the already thriving Wolverhampton community. Tasha Cassidy
More volunteering options for students to be active with the local society showing in practice that we care about the society and contribute towards its development. I have established successfully last year the homelessness week and aiming to develop it further with the year-long project ‘create to save’ where students reduce their stress levels by creating handcrafts which will be donated to local charities. The project will include among others painting, knitting and creative writing. Our community is my priority. I will Ana Vryza
work hard with the local authorities and students to bring a change.
I would try to encourage students to perhaps engage with and volunteer for local charities or services, preferably ones that are heavily involved in the local community, highlighting how time with places like The Way Youth Zone might benefit them in the long run but improve local residents’ perceptions in the short term. I would also encourage them to engage with University events such as Homelessness Week, sharing evidence of student engagement across social media and through other potential Chris Forrester
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avenues to reach more of the community.
For more information on the elections go to:
www.wolvesunion.org/elections