Hi, my name is Joshua. I am the current vice president of the Students Union, and I'm running for president of the Students Union. The year 2020 has been a hard one for everyone. my desire as President Just like it was as vice-president is to alleviate students’ financial struggles on a day-to-day basis. As vice-president, I have had the privilege of being parts of student voice meetings and listening to students these past couple weeks, and if I become president these are the areas that I would like to place my focus: 

Returning to the building:

Even though I would like to be optimistic about the future, there is no telling when things will go back to normal. In the case that things aren’t back to normal I would like to increase the number of students allowed into the building, currently, I believe only a maximum of 300 out of 2500 students are allowed in the building at any one time since the beginning of October, I would like to double that to 600 and let students work in the environment that they're paying for. 

A review of tuition fees:

We have to be realistic about the situation. The most common question I hear from students is “what are we paying nine grand for” and I feel that we need to push the university to put pressure on the government for some kind of compensation. I’m aware of how challenging this task is. However, I think it would be beneficial to you who have missed out of a full university experience.

An upgrade of our infrastructure:

Everything from kit store to student software needs to be updated and I believe this is the best time and as vice-president, that is what I've been pushing for, I would also like to see a Kit stour delivery service to deliver to students if they need kit off-site.  

Flexible hybrid classes:

Some people enjoy working from home, and some people enjoy being in the building. I believe when things go back to normal, you should still have that choice. 

More diverse speakers: 

I've heard from students that value an inclusive workspace & diversity, and whilst I believe that the speakers that Ravensbourne have brought in the past have been amongst the best in the world, I do believe Ravensbourne could broaden who it decides to come and speak to students. 

What have I done so far?

• As vice president, I’ve promoted students work in the building and on social media, 

• Push for free printing for design school students was something I campaigned for last year and whilst we didn't get that, we did get a compromise that the most vulnerable students would get free printing and I believe that's a good first step. 
• Created a student database to get students better connected with each other.

• Organise well-being events and weekly droppings.

Conclusion: 

I Truly believe that I can help students improve their experience and make this an unforgettable time.