Your VP Education Steph will be leaving her Elected Officer position slightly early, with Wednesday 2nd June her last day in office! Steph won’t be going far though, as her new role within the University staff team begins very soon!
We’ve been so grateful to Steph for her incredibly hard work over the past two years.
From developing guidance and support for staff, Course Reps and School Presidents, to campaigning for a No Detriment Policy, to her Spill The Team campaign, to her work on decolonising the curriculum and sharing her experiences during Pride month, Steph’s dedication to her role has been second to none.
One of Steph’s proudest achievements whilst in office has been her successful campaign to save the University’s academic support service; WISER. At the beginning of this academic year, the University announced its plans to remove the service and integrate the skills into each course. Steph gathered students’, staff members’ and your Elected Officers’ concerns and presented them to the University to ensure that the essential WISER service was not lost and was, in fact, improved upon. Another is Steph’s work around academic integrity and essays mills which has seen her speaking with MPs and the Westminster HE Policy Forum about the need for protective legislation that bans essay mills and protects students.
Steph also developed an excellent relationship with the National Union of Students, the Quality Assurance Agency and Higher Education platform WonkHE, and contributed a number of articles to the website.
Steph said:
“Everybody is looking for that something, just one thing that makes it all complete...I came into this role because I believe education is a right that must transform lives like it did mine. I never thought that this job would transform my life too! I would like to thank every single course rep, liberation officer and school president who has worked with me, messaged or emailed me about their experience, alongside phenomenal staff in the Students’ Union and University who support the work surrounding education. I have learnt a great deal over the past two years and would recommend all students to just say yes at the chance to run for election in one of the Elected Officer roles! I look forward to beginning my new role at the University and continuing to support students, but I will never forget my incredible journey, opportunities and friends at UCLan Students’ Union...seeing you all thrive has truly made me feel like I’m flying without wings!
Now practice self-care, VP Edu OUT!”
You can read Steph’s most recent update here: https://www.uclansu.co.uk/news/article/8316/Stephs-Students-Council-Report/
Goodbye, and good luck to Steph as she ventures into life and work outside the Students’ Union. We’ll miss you!
We look forward to Usman taking up the VP Education role in summer, but in the meantime…
Got an academic concern whilst we’re in-between Education Officers? Don’t panic! Our Representation team is still here to support you. Email yourunion@uclan.ac.uk, or if you’re a Course Rep or School President with a query, email coursereps@uclan.ac.uk.