Friday 28-06-2024 - 10:32

Hi! I’m Maisie – your Students’ Union President! This blog will follow my year as Vice President (23/24). It will detail all the highlights, training and progress of my manifesto.

Before my year as Vice President commenced, I had to go through the process of nominating myself and campaigning for the role. This happened in March of 2023. Campaigning and voting weeks were stressful, adrenaline-fuelled, and nerve-wrecking. This being said – I wouldn’t change it for the world. Those two weeks alone have given me skills that I am going to use for life.  The result of those two weeks has changed my life…

Fast forward to July when I officially started my role…

Within the first few weeks of starting, I had 1-1s with all staff members within the SU to get to know a bit about each department. Within this time I also had inductions with the University which included 1-1 sessions with executive staff members and detailed training for each board/committee I was going to be a member of. Also in July, I attended NUS Charity Lead and Change in Leeds. This conference brought together student officers from across the UK for a collaborative learning experience across 3 days.

Over the following months I put all of this training to good use by listening to what you needed from us and implementing changes. I developed the Savvy Students campaign which aims to help students become “confidently independent” during their time at university. This campaign started due to feedback from students stating that they did not feel ready to go to university and when they arrived, they felt they needed help with shopping, cleaning, cooking etc.  
 

                                 
 

In response to feedback around the cost of hot drinks and soft drinks on campus, I created and introduced a loyalty scheme which can still be used in Glyn’s Bar and Lounge! 

The SU had also received feedback from students about the support services available and feeling as though sometimes they’re “pushed from pillar to post”. Due to this, I underwent basic advice training with AdviceUK so I could act as a triage service for our Advice Centre and answer any basic questions students had rather than signposting them elsewhere.

Throughout my time as VP I also worked with external charities on my Charity Tuesdays initiative. This involved local and national charities coming to talk to you about any volunteering or part-time work opportunities they might have which could aid you in your studies. These charities were able to give you advice and guidance about a number of different topics. This charity work led to the development of the My Body, My Choice campaign as a lot of students were interested in advice about consent and sexual health. The campaign has gone from strength to strength; whether that be hosting fairs and information sessions, or ordering 180 free STI testing kits for students to take away.

As well as manifesto work, I also travelled and networked a lot. For example, I:

• Attended a training event in Keele Students’ Union
• Attended NUS Lead and Change in Leeds
• Travelled to Bangor to present at an Advance HE symposium
• Attended an Advance HE governance training event in Cardiff
• Presented our policy proposal at NUS Wales conference in Aberystwyth
• Travelled to Birmingham for the Festival of Training

As well as all of these achievements, I worked proactively with the SU team to address your feedback and improve your student experience. We are always keen to hear what you think so please feel free to get in contact with a member of the team.

If you think you would like to get involved with any of these ongoing initiatives, or if you have any ideas for what the SU could do this year, please contact me using my email: supresident@wrexham.ac.uk

Written by Maisie Head, Students' Union President 
Edited by Lauren Hole, Communications & Engagement Coordinator

 

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