Vote Ellie Short 1# for Union Affairs!
I’m Ellie, the current Union Affairs Officer and am rerunning for this position! I have loved working for the student union and representing the students, I want to continue doing this. I am passionate about advocating for disabled students and minority groups, as well as assisting on matters regarding the cost of living. Some of my priorities are large tasks that require longer than a year to complete, therefore I need another year to put them in place. Some of the priorities I have been working on and want to work on in the following year if you re-elect me are:
- Ensuring ISA’s are being followed for disabled students - ISA’s are reasonable adjustments put in place to give disabled students equal opportunities in education. These are currently often ignored or overlooked and I want to work on ensuring these are followed.
- Increasing mental health support - I want to put more support in place for students in terms of mental health and wellbeing, currently it is only students that are seen as being in crisis that receive this support and I want to assist in making this support more widely available.
- Stopping the hardship fund from being based on parental income - Many students receive low maintenance loans despite not receiving financial support from parents, and they cannot access the hardship fund due to their parental income. I want to campaign for the hardship fund to be based on the individuals financial position rather than their parents.
- Providing opportunities for disabled students to connect - During university disabled students often feel more isolated, lonely and unsupported due to not being close to their usual support systems. Connecting with individuals with similar disabilities would provide students the opportunity to feel understood and less alone.
This is not an exhaustive list, most of all I want to put anything in place that you as students feel would improve student experience. I am passionate about my work and representing your wants and needs, if you re-elect me I promise to work hard to fight for you and be your voice within the university.