Hello, my name is Laurie and I am pleased to announce I am running for V.P for Equality and Diversity in the upcoming Student Leader Elections at Queen's University Students' Union
I am a Final Year English student graduating in 2021 and it is my passion to fight hard and work on your behalf to highlight and improve the current difficulties, barriers and exclusions faced by many.
I aim to work on some key projects and campaigns on behalf of the broad spectrum of students which fall under the categories of equality, diversity and gender issues.
As a female student, I am also a parent and I fall under other categories such as LGBTQ+ and mature student.
One of my priorities in my role will be on behalf of International Students. As highly regarded members of the QUB student community, they are championed nationally by the university in the media but in fact their standard of education and financial support this past academic year has fallen short of acceptable by any means!
Alongside the international students, part time students have also missed out on a financial aid announced by the executive last week and this is not acceptable! As a collective, the student body at QUB has suffered in many ways as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic, so ALL students must be included in support packages and financial aid offered.
Other priorities I will tackle if elected will be things such as an investigation into student safety on campus and in student accommodation across the city. The university is slacking on gender based violence and reporting issues and this needs to raised urgently and action taken immediately.
Finally, I aim to fight on your behalf for the abolishment of tuition fees. This last academic year in particular has highlighted the need to drop the tuition fees paid by all students for their education. This issue is particularly prominent in societal terms as all QUB education is currently delivered online as a result of the pandemic. This acts as a barrier to education, as the ability to learn effectively at home is hugely impacted by the impediments faced by many, such as electronic access, internet issues, childcare, safe spaces, caring responsibilities and disabilities: both visible and hidden.
Thank you for taking the time to read my first post. My manifesto will be released in the coming days. Please don't hesitate to message me with any questions or if you want to talk to me about issues you would like me to be made aware of.
Keep and eye out for more activity soon.
Stay safe and be happy!
Download Manifesto
Candidate Question Time Answers (Video)