Nominations: Nominations closed
Voting: Voting closed
Election
Category
Candidates
Umar Ashraf
What will you bring to this role (e.g. experience, skills or qualities)?
As Hall Rep of JDH, I proposed several policy changes to the student union. One of these was to enforce the change to make communal spaces 24/7, which has increased sociability and the freedom we feel living in our home. If you ask residents living in the JDH, they will tell you that I have been there for everyone of them since taking up my role as their Hall Rep. I hope I can do this for all UCL students as the Accommodation and Housing Officer.
What do you hope to achieve in the role if you are elected?
I hope to improve the systems between the Students Union, UCL, and UCL Accommodation. I have found that there has been a consistent flaw in the communication chain between UCL's various departments which has only led to issues that have affected students in halls negatively. I will ensure that all feedback given to me by students will be relayed directly to the relevant people and vice-versa. I would also like to support next year's hall reps in continuing to make changes to improve the living conditions of students in UCL halls.
Please summarise why students should vote for you.
As your Accommodation and Housing Officer. I will do my best to continue the work I have done this year. I hope to build foundations that will make our living standards at UCL as best as possible, which will also be in place for future students so that they will not have to face the same issues as we have. I have learned how the current system works, and this understanding will help me enforce necessary changes when they need to be made.
As someone approachable, I will be available for all your ideas and concerns for anyone who needs me to help improve your life at UCL as your home.
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Nick Miao
What will you bring to this role (e.g. experience, skills or qualities)?
In my role as the Hall Representative for Goldsmid House, I have made myself known to UCL Estates that I will not be pushed around on important issues nor go down without a fight. For example, I have
- Negotiated for a permanent solution for the lack of communal facilities in Goldsmid House
- Set up a petition to UCL Estates signed by 34% of all residents
- Sent an unholy number of passive-aggressive emails to UCL Estates
In dealing with UCL Estates, I have also familiarised myself with their habits, procedures, and weaknesses.
What do you hope to achieve in the role if you are elected?
UCL Estates is heavily commercialised and prioritises profit before people. As Accommodation and Housing Officer, I will seek to hold UCL Estates to account, making sure that the student experience always takes precedent. To these ends, I hope to
- Address the chronic failures in maintenance and upkeep caused by UCL Estates' outsourcing model, including its contract with Circuit Laundry
- Pressure UCL Estates to increase student representation in all decision-making processes
- Urge UCL Estates to freeze rent in the face of rising inflation
Please summarise why students should vote for you.
Thanks to the amazing people at Goldsmid, I have had the best halls experience anyone could ever ask for. But I could not pretend for a second that living in an overpriced, undermaintained, and under-resourced hall of residence nearly three miles away from campus is what I expected for the price I paid.
As Accommodation & Housing Officer, I will continue to hold UCL Estates to account by bombarding their inbox with passive-aggressive emails and making sure that they are prioritising the student experience above all else.
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