I hope you've all been keeping well, I can imagine you've been having lots of exams and assignments, but I hope you are able to rest and enjoy some of the spring sun! Here are my updates for this term. Please do get in contact if you have any questions or queries!
Curriculum for Change (C4C)
If you've been reading my Forum updates, you can't have missed how much C4C pervades everything! It's understandable, because it's a complete overhaul of how the university's teaching provision is ran. We're getting to the end of the academic year, another whole year of student co-creation and focus groups. This is continuing, with lots of my meetings being around C4C, and how to better embed student voice in this decision making. We're going to be engaging students around the current academic year model next, so keep an eye out and get involved!
Make a Change - Palestine
I've been continuing to work with students and our stakeholders around our Make a Change on Palestinian solidarity. We have run screenings in collaboration with students and student groups, to provide an educational space for our students and wider community. I also worked with some students to bring Ilan Pappe, an Exeter lecturer and eminent historian on the Palestine-Israel conflict to discuss his work and research, and its relation to the current genocide in Palestine. It was followed with a facilitated group discussion and Q&A session with Ilan. This had a great turnout, and more students have come forward wanting to be involved. I'm waiting for university response on my Palestine statement, they often take a while! We will be publishing soon, regardless of whether we have had responses from both universities.
Governance
Meetings just don't stop! I'm doing a lot of work on embedding and representing the student voice in University governance structures, from small working groups to Senate to Council. It can often be overwhelming, but the University has been very responsive to student queries and concerns (especially from SSLC's), it's a lot of time behind the screen, but it's making an impact!
Chair of the Board
As Chair of the Board at the SU, I have various responsibilities that fall out of my representative role, this includes regular meetings with the CEO and deputy Chair of the Board. These are based on developing our new strategy, CEO Objectives, and new Trustee recruitment. It's such a varied job, and we are working on making our Board even more representative, let us know if you want to be involved! As we are often hiring new Student Trustees.
Food
Marketa and I have been working on all things food! Student poverty isn't going away, so we've been working to safeguard and protect the work we do around the Pantry and Soup! If you have any ideas on what you'd like to see, give us a message!
Climate
The climate crisis is arguably the biggest crisis any of us will ever face. We will face droughts, floods, wildfires, food shortages, and extreme heatwaves. It will shape our future in unimaginable ways. The University of Exeter is a world renound climate science institution, and it is changing its climate strategy, to a less ambitious target. This is largely due to a change in science based targets, but it's something I have struggled with a lot, and I'm sure many of you will too. I've been speaking on the Climate Panel Q&A events the University have run, to shape this draft climate strategy. I've tried to maintain the student voice in this space, without letting my personal feelings interact here. If you are interested and want to get involved, please do let us know!
There are so many other things I could write here, work on buses, trans rights, University funding crises and its impact on student experience, campaigns, projects, the SU Awards, handover... the list goes on! It's always a busy time to be alive, so remember to get outside, feel the sun on your face and watch the bluebells in full bloom! The end of the academic year is very close, enjoy your rest when it comes!
Oll an gwella (All the best),
Connie
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