Maia Jarvis.
Candidate for President
Who successfully lobbied the College to open the library 24/7?
Who stood up for students and fought for a fairer online access policy in front of the College’s most senior staff?
Who ensured Schools would provide in-person practice exams and offer support from CeDAS and Wellbeing to ensure you’re prepared for your summer assessments?
As Vice President Education, I have spent the last eight months fighting for your academic interests at high-level meetings and gaining the respect of senior management, meaning I can hit the ground running as your President. I have the confidence to challenge the status quo and the experience needed to deliver the following aims:
ECs and Extensions – Extenuating circumstances are not fit for purpose: I will lobby the College to create a supportive system and review applications regularly so students aren’t waiting until summer for outcomes. I also want to conduct a review of the current extensions policy to ensure students still feel supported after the removal of two-week extensions.
SU Security – There have been too many instances of racism, homophobia and transphobia at the SU: students should be treated with respect rather than manhandled. I will work with my colleagues to introduce thorough cultural competency training to ensure our venues are inclusive, safe spaces. I also want to work closely with the Night In campaign, BAME Collective and LGBT+ Soc to ensure student voices drive change.
Online access – The College’s online access policy is unfair and shows no compassion to students who have non-COVID-related reasons to attend remotely. I have already challenged the Senior Vice-Principal about this and written a proposal for it to be discussed at NUS’ National Conference; I want to continue the work I’ve done to ensure that everyone, especially students with physical/mental health conditions, commutes or caring responsibilities, can access the education they pay for.
Decolonisation – The College spend a lot of time focusing on data but I want to hear what decolonisation means to you: my goal is to set up paid focus groups and work with culture and faith societies to ensure lived experience is at the heart of solution-making. I will work closely with the VP Education to address attainment gaps and lobby the College to set up peer/staff-led mentoring schemes for black and global majority students.
As your VP Ed, I’ve already proved I can turn student feedback into concrete change. Have your say – Vote MJ. @maiajforpres