Manifesto Points:

MANIFESTO: Power to provoke change

1. SMART NETWORKING AND BETTER JOB OPPORTUNITIES
2. CHAMPIONING INCLUSIVITY FOR ALL
3. INVESTING IN OUR CAMPUS AND SAFETY

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Hello! I’m Sharon and I’m running to be your Union Affairs Officer 2024-2025. I want to share a little bit about myself: I am a Modern Languages graduate and a postgraduate student of the MA in Culture Society and Globalisation. I worked many years for multinationals and then, I decided to make a twist in my life by working for the Education sector, which gave me the amazing opportunity to work for a university for a few years as an International Mobility Coordinator. This has been one of the biggest and best decisions of my life as I really love to serve others across different cultures and I believe in the POWER TO PROVOKE CHANGE in the education field.

I am currently volunteering as a Chair of the Postgraduate Committee in Wentworth College in which we have held Coffee Meetings and our first Cinema Forum. The experience has been amazing and I want to take things further and truly maximize our Union’s potential. Here’s how I want to do it:

SMART NETWORKING AND BETTER JOB OPPORTUNITIES

• World-class universities developed every year international job fairs in which many organisations willing to hire students by the quality of their skills. Why should not this happen in UoY? The University is not only one of the best in the UK but one of the best in the World. I know this can be possible by working strongly and hand-by-hand with the Careers and Placements Office, Student Circus and the City of York Council to develop strategies to attract organisations of the most important job sectors of the UK such as: Health Care, Finance and Banking, Technology and IT, Education, E-commerce and Retail, Engineering, Hospitality and Tourism, Energy and Sustainability, Transport and Logistics, and make a job fair in which tangible and competitive opportunities can be offered for students that are about to graduate. The invited or interested companies must be those that promote jobs also for the disabled, the LBGTQ+ community and ethnic minorities.
• How many times have a personal connection changed your life? We need EFFECTIVE NETWORKING SESSIONS between students. We are in an international university and this means we come from all over the world! Our next partner in business might be next to us without even knowing, maybe in a lecture, a workshop or a party! How can you possibly know this? I believe we need more creative spaces that can bring spontaneous encounters led by professionals on the matter already working for different professional sectors, professors and Alumni that can bring networking spaces and share how this is done in real life. I have ideas to provoke these spaces by gathering students between different faculties, same faculty, and with lecturers, to find out what is new and learn how to connect properly in this competitive world.
• Placements are very important for many students that conduct general research and in laboratories. These opportunities can change their professional life forever. Careers and Placements will be our strategic ally to obtain more sponsored placements for students that will increase quality research for the University.

CHAMPIONING INCLUSIVITY FOR ALL

• As students we don’t come with the same background. Talent sometimes can open the door for high-education but money sometimes is not enough for living. I will work so the UoY, with the support of the private sector and City of York Council, can afford at least 2 rooms per college for the ones that can prove that it is not possible to live in the UK unless they receive 80% of their accommodation costs.
• The University of York provides various funding opportunities for different regions worldwide. However, I have observed that there is no specific scholarship designated for certain regions experiencing significant currency devaluation, which can present challenges in currency exchange. Introducing a scholarship for these regions, similar to existing ones, would enhance representation and accessibility. My aim would be to have a scholarship of maximum £15,000 for countries with devaluated currency.
• More items in the Student Pantry! As this is one the life savers for many students. In the student pantry there is an opportunity to grab items for personal use. I believe this pantry can also be a food pantry to find out non-perishable foods such as grains and canned goods, that will help all students (vegan and vegetarian). This will be possible by doing strategic alliances with retail companies.

INVESTING IN OUR CAMPUS AND SAFETY

• I am aiming to work with the UoY and the York Council to install electric lighting on the section that connects the exit of Wentworth College to Fulford Road, where there are several private student residences. This road is very popular and is crossed daily by students at night, walking and cycling, where it is impossible to see, which makes it necessary to make this road safer.
• Investing on our campus means investing in students. There are many students that cook their own food to have lunch, for example. My aim is to have inclusive microwaves in strategic points of the campus, such as Piazza Building, LMB, Vanbrugh kitchen and Morrell Library for students that can’t afford their food on campus. They will have the chance to warm it!
• Every student that lives on campus has the right to live in a clean and comfortable space. Most of them leave there at least 6 months of their lives, others, years. This is precious time! In order to promote inclusivity in campus accommodation we also need to promote better life conditions in every room. There are many colleges that need maintenance, especially those ones that have mold. My aim is to secure Accommodation Support for distribution next year to secure maintenance, especially issues that can affect student’s health. 

The manifestos appear here exactly as they were submitted to us. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of York Vision.