On these pages...
1: Student Support Officer
2: Elle Gray
3: Adam Mogford
4: Gareth Guyll
5: Anjola-Oluwa Adeniyi

Elle Gray

Student Support Officer

Hello!

My name is Elle Gray and I’m 23, doing my final year of a psychology degree. The collective strength of the student movement can make a real difference to student’s lives and the wider world. So I set up, and have run the People & Planet society for the last two years – and had a blast. As well as meeting amazing people, going on marches and organising campaigns & events – we’ve raised loads of money for good causes and got the University to attain Fairtrade Status. I’m also on the Society Executive Committee, representing our diverse range of societies to the Union.

Students have the right to be represented by a Union, and the Union should provide a meeting place – a safe haven for exploring ideas – where students should be supported in organising their own activities.

Part of the Job is running campaigns and I have 2 years experience running a campaigning society, working on social and environmental issues on a local, national and global scale. I was even chosen to represent “Youth and Student Campaigning in Britain” to hand in 750,000 votes for Trade Justice to Tony Blair last year!

I believe in-

• Participation – The Union needs to function as a Union of Students, so it’s really important to increase and diversify participation in all types of student activity.
• Environment – The University has a responsibility to educate us but it also has a responsibility to not damage the world we are going to live in. There are so many simple things we could do – better recycling, energy saving measures – it would even save us money!
• International Campaigns – We are one global civilisation. Students collective power can make a real difference to people’s lives. I care about the welfare of others, whether its people suffering severe poverty or students being ripped off by their landlord.

VOTE FOR THE FAIRY – VOTE ELLE GRAY FOR STUDENT SUPPORT OFFICER!

Word Associations

• Support: Community
• Welfare: Happiness
• Campaigns: Easy
• Elections: Nightmare
• AGM: Democracy

Questions

1. What do you envisage the role of the Student Support Officer to be?
Answer is in the title - if a student needs help with their landlord, finances or counselling, you need to guide them to the right services. Also to organise campaigns on social and environmental issues, make the union a more inclusive place and support students with their ideas for RAG.

2. Why should students vote for you as their Student support officer?
I’d do a really good job! Part of the job is campaigns, and I have tonnes of experience – I was even chosen to represent “Youth and Student Campaigning in Britain” to deliver 750,000 votes for Trade Justice to Tony Blair last year. I love life, working hard and playing hard!

3. What is the most important thing to remember when supporting students?
Listen to them!!!!! You can’t help someone if you don’t listen to what they are saying to you, and how can you fight for someone if you don’t fully understand their position? And although I’m a lover, not a fighter, I’m definitely a fighter when there has been an injustice.

4. What do you think are the most important issues that you would have to fight for as the student support officer?
The environment is always a tricky one as we don’t notice the devastating consequences until it’s too late, but there are many positive and easy things we could do to improve things. I also think it’s really important to make sure the Union functions as a real union of students.

5. As the Students Support Officer it’s your responsibility to run the Union campaigns. What would be your top three campaigns and why?

• Participate – So important to increase and diversify student participation in all types of student activities.
• Environment – Better recycling, energy conservation, ethical produce… lets be realistic – its time to think differently!
• International Campaigns – We are one global community. MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY, Amnesty International and protecting women and children’s rights are important projects to support.

6. Part of your role is to organise Union Council. How do you intend to improve and enhance this so that more students attend?
A lot of students don’t know Union council exists, let alone when the meetings are! If people knew the agenda, they might see how it’s relevant to them, so I’d post it on the website, and circulate it to clubs and societies. I’d also promote it in Halls.

7. What would be your main agenda item at the union’s AGM?
I can’t really comment on agenda items for the AGM, as it would be whatever the students you represent want you to put forward at the time.

8. A major part of your portfolio is Raising and Giving (RAG). What ideas do you have for building on the RAG foundations?
There are some great RAG ideas this year, and I had a wicked experience putting on a charity fashion show in December. It worked because it drew together many different societies – and this is the future for RAG – People have amazing ideas, they just need support to see them through.

9. As a Sabbatical Officer, networking is essential and important; what is your best networking line?
I don’t have a ‘line’, I just talk to people. I am bright, bubbly and enthusiastic about what I do and people respond to that. In 2 years I have made contacts and links with Politicians, Journalists, UN workers, Aid workers, Councillors, Business leaders, MEP’s, Charities and many Community groups.