As election season rolls around again, the big sabbatical officer positions next year are up for grabs. To help students make better sense of the SU elections, The Beaver talked to candidates to find out why we should vote for them.
Polls open on Monday 21 March and close on Thursday 24 March. To make your voice heard, vote online at https://www.lsesu.com/voice/elections/.
Why are you running for this role?
Matt Wilcock | I want to introduce the ‘community module’ – community in education is my jam. I’ve got a belief that only supporting each other can we ALL thrive. |
Hannah Brown | I’ve loved my time at LSE and feel like the student community has done a lot for me and I would love to give back to improve the university. I’m really passionate about education policy, especially in higher education and feel there are projects, some which I have already been working on, that I could continue to contribute a lot to if I get this role. |
What do you want to achieve?
Matt Wilcock | My BIG IDEA is this ‘Community Module’ where students can use their credits to give back to LSE and make an improvement to a society, department, or halls by putting on an event or fundraiser/ writing up recommendations in a report and get some practical skills for your CV in the process. It is like a practical mini-dissertation. Imagine 100 people doing it – what a difference this would make for us all. |
Hannah Brown | I would like to improve the support for extra-curricula educational programs (consent education, sex education through LSEX, digital skills lab etc) that can enrich student learning and provide a more rounded experience. I want to explore avenues for students to receive compensation from the university for academic losses over strike periods- be that financial, a blanket policy on exclusion of topics over exams or some other compensation. I would like to review and improve the support and training given to Graduate Teaching Assistants teaching classes. I feel there needs to be better cross-departmental support for joint honours or multidisciplinary courses. |
What makes you right for this role?
Matt Wilcock | I ran community gardens during lockdown (training volunteers, putting on and advertising events) and got paid to do it by the NHS. Why? Because it brought isolated people together, improved their mental and physical health and gave them a community from which they could propel themselves further to jobs/ other opportunities. |
Hannah Brown | Before I came to LSE I was a teacher in higher education and worked writing curriculums for PSHE courses in educational administration- as such I feel I can provide a unique bridge between students, academic staff and teachers. I have worked extensively at the university on SU projects: leading consent education workshops, founding LSEX, as well heading up committees for multiple societies, so therefore have a close understanding of SU workings. I feel I have strong communication skills, and not only am I very capable of problem solving, I love to work to create solutions. |
What differentiates you from other candidates?
Matt Wilcock | My core belief which I’ve pursued for years – community is a medicine, and one desperately in need at LSE. Working together, 10 people can obviously solve more problems than just lil-ole-me. And my key skill is building community. If you elect me, I will be out there getting students involved, not taking decisions from an armchair somewhere else. |
Hannah Brown | I think that my experience both in teaching before LSE, and my time at the university put me in a unique position to understand the issues that the university and that students face. I’ve identified real problems affecting the students and have good, practical and realistic ideas on how to help fix them. Having spent 3 years at LSE, this would be more than a job for me but a real opportunity to help a place and people that I love with networks I have spent years building up. |
Credit: Candidate and title pictures supplied from SU website.
