What I'm working on this year
This includes:
- Celebration of the diversity of students through organising events like Black History Month
- Conducting a Race Audit of the Union's approach to equality, diversity and inclusion and developing an action plan
- Supporting the development of an International Student Forum
- Building an anti-racist union!
- Building bridges across difference to unite against all forms of hate
- Developing a Guild for Cultural Societies to facilitate their collaboration
Working with the university to eliminate the BME attainment gap through developing initiatives like:
- Liberation Curriculum Reporting Tool
- BME Academic Representation
- Tackling the BME Employment Gap
And sustaining initiatives like:
- Inclusive Curriculum Health Check
- Inclusive Curriculum Partners
- Curriculum Consultants
More information of existing initiatives can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/education-strategy/1-personalising-student-support/bme-attainment-project-supporting-student-success
Every BME Students' Officer has lobbied UCL to take it history of Eugenics seriously - we have lecture theatre named after the man who invented the term. And in 2018, UCL launched an Inquiry into its Historical Links to Eugenics. My priority is to continue this campaign, more information can be found here: http://studentsunionucl.org/make-change/what-were-working-on-0/decolonise-ucl
My manifesto listed :
- Pushing for crisis accommodation and free travel cards for students in need
- Fighting for tailored quality welfare and pastoral care
Hi! My name is Sandy and I am your BME Officer this year, making some big changes and carrying on the legacy of predecessors. You can find my original manifesto and my vision for change at UCL.
Find out how to get involved with the BME Network here.
During my time here at UCL…
I edited the Women’s Network Zine called ‘Genderal Studies’ and helped organise feminist events on campus with UCL Medsin (Students for Global Health). I was also the project lead on a student-led volunteer group called UCL Environmental Justice Project, that educated young people on local and global environmental justice issues, and how communities have fought back. I was also briefly part of the PiTV Specials team.
I ran for election because…
Student Unions have a rich history of making positive political change – we have the Eugenics Inquiry and Centre for Race and Racism directly because of efforts in student organising. This collective power is amazing and I wanted to support students to continue this work. Also, meeting people at the Students’ Union and societies through my time at UCL, taught me so much about the world and gave me so much comfort through tough times.
Something you don’t know…
I love to pole dance!