Label sat down with your Welfare & Diversity candidates for the 2021 Exec Elections!
Alex Marlowe
What are the main points of your manifesto?
I am running on three points predominantly to try and be succinct and precise with what I would like to commit to. The first one is to create an LSU equity, diversity and inclusion strategy, which I suggest is made for the next five years to allow us to be ambitious with our equity, diversity and inclusion work. But, to also be realistic but be structured and allow for long term vision which we often miss when we have a yearly turnover. The next point is to continue to lobby the University for shorter mental health waiting times. I think we have seen consistently this year that it needs to be more so a priority but, I also don’t want to stand still here at LSU when I think there is a gap for us to be doing something to specifically tackle mental health or, to provide a stepping stone to services. I want to create structures, allocate resource, to have peer to peer mental health services within the organisation. Whatever a student wants a peer led student mental health service to be for, we will support them in that. We will have this structure developed where we know the insurance, we know the liability disclaimer and we know we are not going to be sued because we have got ourselves backed up. Most importantly, we are going to cause no further harm to anyone. My final point is to embed a Welfare & Diversity concept within every section at LSU by having each section appoint, or elect, a Welfare & Diversity Officer who is trained, managed and supported by any position on the Welfare & Diversity Committee. Who will be trained and managed by hopefully myself if I am reelected into the role! To ensure that if we are doing anything relating to wellbeing, mental health, equality, diversity, inclusion – it’s all tied up to the same work and everyone is prepared and trained especially.
What previous experience do you have which is important to the role?
Very fortunately I have been doing it for the previous year. I’ve ran in the previous election for the same position and throughout the months I’ve been working in this role, I’ve come to really develop a passion for equity, diversity and inclusion work. Whether it is specifically anti-racism, whether it is trying to dismantle toxic cultures within an environment such as a university or campus. So I have been very fortunate to have done that for the past year but, I have also got my roots in LGBT+ activism and so, I have got a specific community I am tied to historically. As I have said, I have been very fortunate to have the generality of doing it this year – which I suppose is important and confident inducing for the voter!
What sort of projects and events do you want to create which will spread and promote W&D?
My opinion on this one is that it’s about the students and what the students want to do for their specific communities. What my role is and what I would want to do if I was reelected into the role is continue to be the facilitator and coach for our activists. Whether it be at a senior level with the Welfare & Diversity Committee or grassroots. I see my role to facilitate what the community want to be able to do, either resource, training, support or coaching. I don’t think it is my duty to spread and promote specific events, there are certain exceptions of course but, if it’s not led by the students then I don’t think it is going to be authentic enough. If it’s not led by the communities then it’s not going to be realistic. I guess in answer to your question, I would like to continue to ensure that anyone who wants to do anything welfare and diversity related, is trained and supported so they can go ahead and do it.
Jean Cameron
What are the main points of your manifesto?
The main points are looking at peer to peer study groups which are led by students so they can help with any type of work and to have that platform to be able to talk about these things and help each other out. The second main point is looking at building on that inclusivity that Loughborough already has with international students and curating these nostalgic events that will help international students feel at home. With the culture societies to collaborate with them on certain events to give them that home away from home feel. Finally, I want to look at creative activities to relive stress and collaborating with the creative arts. For example, like a wine and paint session.
What previous experience do you have which is important to the role?
Previously I was media rep for the Ghana Society which really helped working with a team and with event management. Like organising posts to go up on media and working within the society and with other societies and communicating with different people from different backgrounds to work on different events; especially for the first years and thinking about what everybody would want to see.
What sort of projects and events do you want to create which will spread and promote W&D?
Particularly with the creative events, I think that would be really good to relieve stress. I do textiles and that I find even within the course, even though we have got these deadlines, we can paint and make things and create things that really do relieve stress. So I think opening that up to many more students would be very good for the whole wellbeing and stress would be very beneficial.
Voting closes on Friday 14th May at 4pm!
Header image designed by Christos Alamaniotis.
