I have been committed to representing the student voice for over four years now, having sat on the Derby Union Education Council for past two, as both PTO (Music and Performance) and PTO (Derby Theatre). Any time that the student body I've been a part of has been underrepresented or that I’ve found our voice to be knowingly or unknowingly stifled, I have stepped up to protect that voice, and worked my hardest to ensure that it couldn't be stifled again.
Last year, after the union downsized the number of PTOs for the School of Art, despite all of the art PTOs at the time repeatedly insisting that we needed more – not less – officers to effectively represent the school, I singlehandedly campaigned for the creation of the role of PTO (Derby Theatre). This meant that the theatre students continue to be represented in both the union and the university and have been able to make their voices heard. In this year of academic turmoil, this has been crucial for maintaining these students’ agency.
This year, I have heard from countless students, on countless courses, that the quality of the education they’ve received has simply not been good enough. Yet, time and time again, the university has insisted that its ‘best of blends’ model is 'a value for money experience,' despite the massive disparity in teaching quality that it's caused.
I have had enough.
If I am elected Vice President of Education, I promise:
- to pressure the university into updating the fee breakdown, so you can see how they've been spending your money. They did it two years ago, so they can do it again.
- to force the university to take responsibility for the inequalities in teaching across all courses this year, especially those who missed out on vital in-person workshops and experiences.
- to ensure that every complaint about your educational environment is acted upon and not deflected with platitudes and insistences that 'we're doing everything we can.'
A vote for me is a vote for accountability.
#HasToBeHaddock