Micaela Levesque
Hello! I'm Micaela Levesque and I'm running for SRC Vice President of Education.
I am an international postgraduate student who feels passionately about the impact student representation has on a University. I want to serve as the VP Education so I can support an equal academic experience for all students here at UofG!
Goals
My goals for the year as the SRC VP Education would be as follows:
- Consistency and Clarity with Covid-19
As SRC VP Education, I will advocate for more consistent and clearly communicated policies across departments regarding in person and online teaching . I will also work with the university to discover what additional changes are needed to adapt to the new in-person/digital hybrid university experience . Through these initiatives, I hope to clarify expectations for students and staff in this new learning model so when there are issues with the academic experience, they can be more easily identified and addressed.
- International and Mature Student Representation
My experience as an international postgraduate student has greatly shaped my understanding of the university. Postgraduate programs have a significantly higher rate of international students, many of whom are on one year programs and do not have the time to fully engage with student representation at the university. As VP of Education, I will work with the International Students Officer and the Age Equality Officer to investigate how university funding structures frame graduate and international students and ensure that these students receive the same quality of education support given to undergraduates.
- Timely Change
As a sabbatical officer, I will have access to dedicated time that other student representatives do not have. I will use this time to support the SRC’s current initiatives in equity and diversity through the academic experience. I recognise that academic experience is the part of university that is most likely to have an impact of student’s access to opportunities post-graduation. As such, I feel that quickly addressing the issues raised by students is necessary to assure an equitable academic experience. I would like to focus on the speed at which concerns raised by student representatives are evaluated and resolved. During my year working with the SRC, I will examine the academic feedback process and work with student representatives at all levels to bring these systems up to speed. Lengthy resolution processes disproportionately impact BIPoC, queer, and working class students. In particular, I would like to push for a clear policy regarding what occurs when concerns of race and gender based descrimination are brought upon faculty and the protections given to students raisingthese concerns.
Experience and Skills
- I served as Class Representative for the MSc Creative Industries and Cultural Policy
- I am a current Committee Member for the GU Big Band
- Prior to attending UofG, I researched systems of communication and representation in
- university theatre departments and helped my university implement a new Actor Student
- Representative position
- I also worked professionally as a legal assistant where I learned to work with the detailed
- policy and legal documents
Miko Mojsiej
Hello, my name is Miko, and I’m running to be your next VP of Education!
In a time of massive uncertainty in our education, students now more than ever need to stand together. We must not accept the University’s for-profit approach as the ‘new normal. Students should not be cash cows of the institution. My main reason for running is to fight for a more sustainable and fair University experience for all of us.
If elected I will:
Sustainable University growth:
Campaign for the University to properly develop necessary infrastructure if they want to further increase student numbers as it is unacceptable to offer students places only for them to have nowhere to live once they arrive.
Standardised exams with enough notice
Push the University to ensure a standardising exam approach for 2022-23 and make sure that decisions taken are communicated as quickly as possible so that students have time to prepare.
Class recordings
With the re-introduction of in-person learning, I would push to ensure that classes are recorded and done so to a good standard.
Strikes
Continue to support UCU strikes but also ensure that students are not adversely affected by any possible strike action.
Reform the SRC:
(1) Work to review the SRC constitution to transfer the operational responsibilities towards students, this would mean that the SRC would be run by students for students, more so than it is now.
(2) Improve the transparency of the SRC, including how and what decisions are made, the first step of this would be to record and upload videos and minutes of council meetings online.
Reform the class rep system:
(1) Give class reps new training, opportunities, and responsibilities.
(2) Mandate that class reps must be elected
(3) Hold more cross-campus class rep events throughout the year, like dinners, mixers and balls.
(4) Introduce a new tool where students can report issues to their class/school reps directly through the SRC website.
Hidden costs:
Work to remove hidden costs within courses, students should not have to pay for equipment that is needed for their course when they are already paying record-high tuition fees.
Full review of SRC sponsorship deals:
Work to remove the sponsorship of predatory businesses such as PBSA’s of the SRC
Experience
- 2 years of actively campaigning for immigrant rights, including addressing the Scottish Parliament on this issue.
- 3 years of Managerial experience in my previous jobs, implementing real changes to workplace procedures and culture.
- I’m currently the President of the Glasgow Criminal Law Society, I have implemented changes to the society including the creation of an inclusivity and diversity structure.
- I have also spent time on the SRC council as the Law rep, I have gained a lot of useful insight into the running of the SRC and the relations with the University. I have worked on maintaining online exams within the Law School as well as addressing unfair exam practices.