University Council Representative
The successful candidate will be attend university council, the executive body of Lancaster University, as a representative of the student body
Candidate: Anna Kettle
What motivated you to run for this role?
I’m motivated by how much I care about student experience. I’ve spent my time at university often feeling like I’ve been shouting at a brick wall when it comes to issues that effect students. I feel like being on University Council and having student reps who are visible and engaged can make it feel like students have someone to turn to and aren’t just shouting into the void.
What skills and experiences can you bring to this job?
I’ve been on numerous execs and committees during my time at university. I’m used to having to work to make myself heard (especially as a 5’5″ woman). Debating has given me the confidence to stand up for what I believe in. Furthermore, I’ve also spend enough time in the Union, working on committees and with societies to have a decent understanding of the way things work in a way many other students might not.
How will you carry out your pledge to hold drop in sessions and ensure that they are well attended?
Working with the Union and FTO’s to make sure the drop in sessions are promoted by the SU and are included on things like student newsletters. Basically making sure that details of them are clearly communicated to all students well ahead of time.
Candidate: Amara Betts-Patel
What motivated you to apply for this role?
I applied for University Councillor because I had relevant experience and I knew I could make a useful contribution to the Council. As well as this, I’ve never undertaken a campaign before so I wanted to give it a go. So far, the experience has been very positive- hustings, putting posters up, and getting involved with the student media has been great!
What skills and experiences can you bring to the table?
I was a Student Voice Representative at my college which was a role similar to University Councillor, just on a smaller scale. The experience gave me a lot of skills, partially through the training that I received on constructive communication, but also through the first hand experience of representing the student body.
How do you plan to fight for student welfare in a context of narrowing funds for the university?
The focus of Council decisions should always be on our welfare, above all else. I want to push investment in to areas that will enhance the student experience at Lancaster. This will both improve our time here and make the University more attractive to prospective students. Because of narrowing funds, it is vital to focus money on areas where we will see the most benefits. I hope to contribute to making Lancaster University a better environment by making sure that the money that we do have is spent on projects that will directly benefit students.
The remaining candidates are Glory Simoni and Josh De Leeuw Van Weenen. They were only contacted for comment on Monday morning due to delays in procuring the final candidate list
