Candidate 1
I’m a final year undergraduate studying Sport Science with Management, and I’m running to be your next Education EO.
Through my involvement with Education within Loughborough University and the LSU I have identified 3 main areas I will work within next year if I am elected. These affect most students and therefore will contribute to an overall better experience for Loughborough students.
Release of timetables
I will work towards lecture and exam timetables being released earlier than they currently are. This will enable students to plan their extra activities, such as jobs, more easily with their upcoming semester. An earlier release of exam timetables will help students plan revision and allow for a more accurate summer job/internship and placement search.
Dissertation clarification
There currently is a large disparity in timings for dissertations, both between departments and within. I would like to identify these differences, the reasons for them and make sure these are clearly communicated to students.
Peer mentoring and PAL
Peer mentoring and peer assisted learning (PAL) are working well in the 9 departments they are currently available in. I want to work with Student Voice to further these schemes and enrol them in more departments, offering more academic support to students.
Further to these, I will continue Lewis’ support of DSF and other student extra-curricular activities, and endeavour to maintain the positive relationship and involvement he has with the Programme President and Rep system.
R.O.N.
Hi, I’m R.O.N and I stand for Re-open nominations. It’s my job to make sure you’re aware of candidate shortcomings. If you don’t feel that the candidates are applicable to the role, have a read of MY manifesto, and vote R.O.N.
This manifesto shows a good understanding of the issues that affect students, and would likely improve student experience if the points are achieved. However, it lacks a certain amount of ambition and clarity in terms of what can be achieved, and potentially showcases a lack of understanding into the way the University works.
Starting with the first manifesto point – the release of timetables is and will always be a contentious issue amongst students. I believe that this would improve student satisfaction, but the candidate needs to think more clearly about what exactly they want to achieve. “Timetables being released earlier than they currently are” is a vague point, and the candidate should consider a more precise goal. Also, the candidate would need to talk to the University to see how achievable this would actually be. From my perspective, I am unsure. The candidate needs to figure out exactly what their goal is before they can set about making this a key aim for their year in office.
Secondly, dissertation clarification – I can see why the candidate thinks that there is work to be done in this area, yet the point is unclear. Will they be seeking a change in processes or just improving communication pathways between department and students? I would question here whether the candidate is aware of work being conducted already in this area by the current Executive Officer. How will the manifesto point contribute to this?
Finally, peer support. Firstly, it is positive to see a manifesto point about peer support. However, the candidate seems to have misunderstood the differences in the two aspects mentioned. Peer mentoring and PAL are different schemes with different aims. The candidate doesn’t seem to be aware of the difference, evidenced by the fact that they seem to not realise peer mentoring is in place for all Part A students, whilst PAL is offered in nine departments. However, there is a definite need for Peer Support to be extended, and I think this would be a good thing for an Education EO candidate to focus on.
Yours sincerely,
RON
