Aman's Blog: Update from your Student's Union
By MDXSU President Aman Siddiqi
As 2015 draws to a close and Christmas nears, I thought I should update you on what has been happening at your Students' Union over the past term, particularly in terms of how we're representing you. Democracy and transparency is at the heart of MDXSU, so I think it's important to let you know what we've been up to.
It's been a great few months for democracy at MDXSU and we've achieved so much. We elected our Student Voice Leaders in October, saw some record-breaking elections for our Democracy and Involvement Committee and trustees, held our first Student Voice Conference of the year and witnessed plenty of campaign successes.
Student Voice Leaders
In October we held our first Student Voice Leader elections of the year, where students vote for the coursemate they want to represent them on their programme. We had 308 nominations this year, with a total of 62 competitive elections and 105 programmes where only one student nominated themselves. At the time of writing, there are 333 Student Voice Leaders, with 158 programmes remaining to be filled.
If you want to know who your Student Voice Leader is then you can go to: www.mdxsu.com/student-voice/your-voice-leader
If you don’t have a Student Voice Leader for your programme and you would be interested in taking the position then you can declare an interest by emailing: studentvoice@mdx.ac.uk.
Student Voice Conference
The first Student Voice Conference of 2015/16 took place on 9th November and was attended by hundreds of Student Voice Leaders and students.
The university's Vice Chancellor Tim Blackman spoke at Conference, stating his support for MDXSU and laid out his plans for the refreshment of the University’s strategic plan. The strategic refresh will be focused on six key areas which are Student Recruitment, Student Success, Research, People & Culture, Infrastructure and Financial Sustainability. The Vice Chancellor then took questions from Conference which covered issues such as the lack of a sports hall, timetabling, lad culture and blended learning.
At the Conference Student Voice Leaders voted on seven motions. These were:
- Student not Suspects
- Call it Out – Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment
- Lad Culture
- Refugees Welcome – MDXSU Syrian Refugees Campaign
- Use Your Vote
- Think Before You Print
- Housing Campaign
All of these motions passed with clear majorities and it was thrilling to see so many of you involved with the motions. This is something that has been quite rare at Middlesex in the past, but your involvement can only ensure positive change at your University.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee met twice this term and at these meetings I, the other Student Officers and the School Voice Leaders discussed campaigns and initiatives we are working on which will have an impact on you and your School.
We also discussed how to act on motions voted on at Student Voice Conference. I can proudly announce that Students not Suspects, Call it Out – Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment, Lad Culture and Refugees Welcome will be put to referendum for you to vote on in January next year in term two.
The other motions including Use Your Vote, Think Before You Print and the Housing Campaign are being worked on right now. Look out for more campaigns and events on these issues next term.
If you want to support a campaign then go to www.mdxsu.com/campaigns, or click here to watch our three Think Before You Print videos.
Democracy and Involvement Committee
The Democracy and Involvement Committee met once this term to start planning next term's big elections! In this meeting the Committee agreed on the timings of the referenda, the dates for the Student Officer elections and gave ideas on how to make these referenda and elections open and inclusive to all Middlesex students.
The elections for the Democracy and Involvement Committee (DAIC) were extremely hotly contested, with a record 54 people nominating themselves for five position - congratulations to the successful candidates!
Ideas for Change
Last but not least, I'm excited to tell you about our brand new online ideas tool!
With our new online ‘Ideas for Change’ tool any student can suggest a change they would like to see at Middlesex, and we’ll help to make it happen. All you need to do it submit your idea online via the ‘Ideas for Change’ and then encourage other students to vote for it. If successful, MDXSU will work on making your idea a reality!
For more information on how it works, please click here. To vote or submit an idea, go to bit.ly/ideas_for_change.
What a term it has been! I think you'll agree with me when I say that it's flown by, but we have achieved so much and all the hard work that you have put in hasn’t gone unnoticed.
MDXSU is the voice of Middlesex students, but our strength comes from you. By having a strong democracy we are stronger when it comes to representing you and your interests. With lots of democratic events happening next term it gives you the perfect opportunity to get involved and shape the direction of your Students’ Union and actively campaign to change the lives of Middlesex Students for the better.
Hope you have a great break and see you in the new year!
Aman Siddiqi
