I am standing for the Faculty Representative, Open & Access role because my faculty is not represented, and I would like to change that if given the opportunity. Additionally, I would like to represent the Open & Access faculty students’ voices and provide advice and support. I know how isolating it can be to study on your own, but I will be running monthly Open and Access Drop-in sessions to discuss problems and find solutions.
I believe I am a suitable candidate for this role because I am the Open & Access faculty student. I enjoy engaging with people, forming community relationships and making a positive change. I am also a Meet-up and event host, currently hosting the ‘London and wider UK OU Students Online Meet-Up’ group to increase social activity and promote other groups.
As your faculty representative, I will uphold The Open University mission, vision and values (charitable objectives) including equality, diversity and inclusion.
I chose the Student Leadership Team priority of ‘Student support’ because students are at the heart of everything we do. We are all students and deserve to receive a quality service, especially when things are going well and not so well.
I am interested in campaigning for Student Support Teams (SST) to be available over weekends and out of hours. I feel this is such an important aspect of university life to have someone available at the end of the line out of hours. Many of us are working full-time without access to the University portal during the day. The current option of sending an email to the student support team and awaiting response within five days; I think this arrangement is below standard. I am sure that there are students who are anxious about important matters of their studies, be it communication from their tutor or student support team, and I feel more could be done about that.
I also feel that ‘Student support’ matters are closely associated with ‘Student wellbeing’ so it is paramount that everything works round the clock to support students. I know that some of this may not be possible to achieve, such as round the clock student support, but achieving some evening and out of hours services would make a massive difference to students’ lives.
Student wellbeing is another good example to ensure students’ welfare by promoting positive wellbeing. I know there are some drop-in sessions already, concerning mental wellbeing, coffee and chat or the Disabled Students Group. I enjoy helping people and interacting with people, and knowing that I made a difference in someone’s day would give me a sense of achievement and satisfaction.
I also would like to contribute to the Student Leadership Team idea of ”ensuring that all students have the opportunity to feel as though they belong to a community that they care about, and that cares about them. This is an exciting area of work that has the potential to enhance the overall student experience”. And I want to be part of this team that makes this experience possible.
Thank you,
Vik
