Instagram Candidate Speech
Hello, my name is Charlie Atkinson, my pronouns are he/him, and I am running to be your SU President.
I have been serving as your VP Education and I have worked to ensure the student voice is heard on important topics such as online assessments and Covid on campus. I have also focused on widening engagement with Postgraduate students.
This year, I am running for the role of President to continue this progress, and to support a broader demographic of students in engaging with the SU. I also want to improve the student experience for as many students as possible. Through the relationships I have developed within the University and my experience, I aim to build upon my time as VP Education.
As President, I will endeavour to:
- Develop broader methods of engaging with the SU and enacting positive change for the student body. The aim is to create new ways for students to make changes, without the barrier of significant time investment. For example, running an event to support a specific group of students.
- Develop relationships with the wider community in Plymouth to raise the profile of the SU, and the positive impact University of Plymouth students can have on the City. This will create new opportunities and experiences for SU members, as well as developing relationships between the SU and groups within the city.
- De-mystify the work that the SU does for students, by creating a campaign to educate in a student-friendly way what the SU does, and how it happens. This could include how the SU works with the University, how students can lead change at the SU and the role of Trustees. Through this, I hope more students engage with everything that the SU offers, be that sports, societies, volunteering, representation, events or anything else.