VOTE MUSHTAQ!

Dear Fellow Students,

My name is Mushtaq Ismail and I am campaigning to continue as your Vice President of Education next year. I will be graduating this summer after being a member of the Roehampton community for four years and having been the VP of Education for the last four months. The role has been full of surprises and challenges but is far more rewarding than I thought it could be.  However, the by-elections happened a few months into the academic year and so I would love to complete a full term next year and continue to make positive changes for all students.

Key manifesto points:

• Mental health provisions - Whilst this year I have been focused on helping students adapt to in-person teaching after learning mostly/completely online, moving forward I aim to continue ensuring that all students have access to necessary mental health provisions to participate fully in university life.

- One key scheme I am pushing for to ensure this is for all lecturers to record in-person lectures and seminars in order to alleviate stress and anxiety for students who are unable to attend.

- Other issues I am dedicated to tackling are the wait times and accessibility of university funded counselling.

• Wednesday afternoons off - Wednesday afternoons with no lectures, an action implemented to allow for students to partake in sports games and tournaments, is an ideal for many students in Roehampton’s large sporting community. I aim to implement this if I continue as VP in the next academic year. For students who do not participate in sports, free Wednesday afternoons could be used to partake in non-sports society events, catching up on work and prioritising interests outside academics.

• Inclusivity and black and brown representation – As a black woman in higher education working on increasing inclusivity, diversity and black representation is of extreme importance to me. In the past year I have worked closely with the Race equality champions who create research on how black and brown students feel about their university experiences – this directly impacts course reviews targeted at decolonising and diversifying all curriculums.

- Currently I am planning a careers fair/workshop specifically targeting male-dominated sectors to help increase interest and accessibility for the majority female Roehampton Student population.

• Diversifying food on campus – both culturally and dietary wise.

- Along with the help of the part-time officers the RSU were able to hold the Plant Powered Roey Campaign, a week long event with talks about food and well-being, the climate crisis, cultural diversity in food, becoming plant-based etc. This is something I would like to continue into the next year by offering similar talks and pushing for alternative food options and a diverse variety of food.

I am incredibly excited about the changes we could continue to make together here at Roehampton, and I would love to have your support in this upcoming election. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at Mushtaq.Ismail@Roehampton.ac.uk or @Mush4vp on Instagram.