Hi, I'm Pei and I want to be your Association Director of Representation.
Who am I?
I am a fourth year psychology student and this is my fifth year in St Andrews. I am one of the founders and a key member of the Chinese Hongpao Society. Running a society has given me the platform to work with both the Union and individual students. It has also equipped me with the experience to organise events from initial idea, through publicity to funding and final implementation. I am also a member of the Rector's Fund Committee. I have worked with the Rectors Assessor, the Dean of Arts and the Director of the Careers Service to encourage, evaluate and celebrate the internship experiences of students.
What are my policies?
- Keep fighting for an international student fee cap.
Overseas students are often subjected to arbitrary changes to their fees. Undergraduates are here for four years and the changes in fees across this time can be substantial. As a result some international students face severe financial problems in their honour years. I want international students to have the peace of mind they deserve by knowing how much they will need to pay during the course of their studies in St Andrews. I will therefore push for a tuition fee cap for international students, a motion which was endorsed by the SRC in the past year.
- Lobby the university to bring back reading week.
The new academic calendar has caused stress for both students and staff. I will lobby the university to start teaching a week earlier for second, third and fourth year students so as to bring back a mid-term reading week. As school exam result dates prevent first year students from starting University a week earlier, I will work to ensure a long weekend for first year students.
- Engage School Presidents with the Union.
Study is the first priority for students, but it is sometimes underrepresented in our representative council. As the line manager of the School Presidents Forum, I will invite one School President to sit in each SRC meeting (rotating around all School Presidents over the Martinmas and Candlemas semesters) and report back on the educational issues facing students in their School. I believe this will improve the engagement of the Union with educational issues and, at the same time, give school presidents a wide platform to voice the needs of students.
- Initiate a global alumni network.
St Andrews welcomes students from around the world, but the potential of the international connections created through our alumni body has yet to be fully explored by the Students Association. I will look to work with the University in building a stronger global alumni network. With sustained effort, such a network will create more opportunities for exchange programmes and internships in the year abroad and also improve the employability of our students.
How will I represent you?
In order to encourage communication with students and promote the accountability of the Union, I will proliferate the channels through which I can gain the student perspective as a sabbatical officer. I will, for example:
I am a fourth year psychology student and this is my fifth year in St Andrews. I am one of the founders and a key member of the Chinese Hongpao Society. Running a society has given me the platform to work with both the Union and individual students. It has also equipped me with the experience to organise events from initial idea, through publicity to funding and final implementation. I am also a member of the Rector's Fund Committee. I have worked with the Rectors Assessor, the Dean of Arts and the Director of the Careers Service to encourage, evaluate and celebrate the internship experiences of students.
What are my policies?
- Keep fighting for an international student fee cap.
Overseas students are often subjected to arbitrary changes to their fees. Undergraduates are here for four years and the changes in fees across this time can be substantial. As a result some international students face severe financial problems in their honour years. I want international students to have the peace of mind they deserve by knowing how much they will need to pay during the course of their studies in St Andrews. I will therefore push for a tuition fee cap for international students, a motion which was endorsed by the SRC in the past year.
- Lobby the university to bring back reading week.
The new academic calendar has caused stress for both students and staff. I will lobby the university to start teaching a week earlier for second, third and fourth year students so as to bring back a mid-term reading week. As school exam result dates prevent first year students from starting University a week earlier, I will work to ensure a long weekend for first year students.
- Engage School Presidents with the Union.
Study is the first priority for students, but it is sometimes underrepresented in our representative council. As the line manager of the School Presidents Forum, I will invite one School President to sit in each SRC meeting (rotating around all School Presidents over the Martinmas and Candlemas semesters) and report back on the educational issues facing students in their School. I believe this will improve the engagement of the Union with educational issues and, at the same time, give school presidents a wide platform to voice the needs of students.
- Initiate a global alumni network.
St Andrews welcomes students from around the world, but the potential of the international connections created through our alumni body has yet to be fully explored by the Students Association. I will look to work with the University in building a stronger global alumni network. With sustained effort, such a network will create more opportunities for exchange programmes and internships in the year abroad and also improve the employability of our students.
How will I represent you?
In order to encourage communication with students and promote the accountability of the Union, I will proliferate the channels through which I can gain the student perspective as a sabbatical officer. I will, for example:
- Preserve and develop the existing good routines such as sabbatical officers' attendance at hall dinners and the “Sabb State of Affairs” radio show;
- Maintain a weekly physical and online office hour;
- Make sure that students always have easy online access to minutes of SRC meetings;
- Integrate societies and organisations with similar interests such as mental health and social justice.