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This is us, signing off

qmsu.org/elections to vote!!

Voting opens 7th March

WE ARE DONE

Why is QM elections turnout lower? Interesting

Harrison: “Maybe a longer campaigning time”

So when talking about student engagement, only one candidate mentions Student Media, and they seem to have a very limited idea of what we are (and suggest that QM students get there news from the tab, which is very generalised).

Barts turnout is a lot higher than QM turnout – Harrison

Queen Mary grad gowns are also a lot nicer than the university of London ones.

Harrison: “Change can occur” Harrison says RE changing university names on degrees from University of London

Miranda: “A social media intern for QMSU could be interesting”

We should be doing this all the time – Miranda

Miranda: “VoteFest is a cracking idea”

“that’s a cracking idea” – Miranda on Vote Fest

CAN WE PLEASE STOP SAYING “STUDENT MEDIA TEAM” AND SAYING WE NEED TO BE USED MORE WHEN YOU’VE NEVER SPOKEN TO STUDENT MEDIA

Usman: “You should be able to have the choice of a University of London degree or a Barts and the London degree”

Usman points out that if QM students can choose to be uni of London or QM then BL students should get a choice too

Candidates have now been here for four and a half hours

She also suggests we need more promo around elections

Wizzy says universities are treating students like customers so students are becoming more apathetic

Students are becoming more apathetic because universities are looking at students as consumers, says Wizzy

Joe asks about student engagement at the elections – read our article if you want to know more

Question: What are you going to do about student engagement?

Question: Barts students don’t actually get BSLA on their graduation certificate, what could we do to change that?

Oh my god surprise final question

And we’re done!

DING DING DIN BUZZER BELL ETC ETC

A lot of work. A lot of research. A lot of surveys – Wizzy

“You have to go and talk to people. There’s no point in going to QMUL with nothing to back you up” – Wizzy

Wizzy says that she was on a slate last year, and they did more to scrutinise the other slates than they did to work on the election (as did the other slate).

“Will free education ever happen? No” – Wizzy

Wizzy, who ran on a slate last year, thinks they should be banned

Usman talks about the “QM bubble”

“Arrange a lot more meetings” – Usman

“The more educated we are, the more we can do as a society” – Usman

Usman thinks that slates should stay, it’s just a coincidence that no sabb candidates are on them this year

Chair left like he was “about to get glitter thrown over [him] again

Miranda wants a celebrate BSLA day, to let everyone know what they have to officer

“Celebrate BLSA Day!” – Miranda

Miranda thinks that use slates and positions of power to get votes, and would support them if that wasn’t the case. She’s also for free education but doesn’t see how it’s possible

Miranda sees slates as a way to “tap into student votes”

“Being ballsy” is the key to stand up for BL

Question: How will you lobby QMUL to recognise the BSLA branding? (in regards to post-graduates)

Harrison: “I don’t know how free education would work in our society”

Harrison says that slates shouldn’t be removed because people will work together as groups anyway

“Why don’t we have it out in the open?” – Harrison on slates

“I provide the bants, you provide the ears” – Chair

“I’ll have no banter from the floor please Monty” – Chair

Unachievable promises are what disengages students

“The university moving away from the Barts Brand is affecting alumni” – Carolina

Surely all candidates are going to say that they support free education? Isn’t a better question what are you actually going to do about it, or if there *is* anything you can do about it?

Q: Do you support free education?

“You can even ask what your favourite jelly bean is” – Chair

Chair: “I feel like I’m on Question Time”

Miranda’s view on attendance monitoring is that it is not something that should be used to threaten students. “We should be asking are you okay?”

Miranda says that attendance monitoring is not something that should be used to put pressure on students: “If someone isn’t attending we should be asking, are you ok and what is going on?”

Miranda thinks that it’s important we give students support instead of just de-registering them

Want to know where Miranda got that skirt.

“I don’t like it” – Harrison on attendance monitoring

Harrison wants consent workshops like SOAS do

“You’re still doing that 1-8 crap” – Harrison on Whitechapel libraries

Harrison calls for more events like Merger

A few scoffs from the audience there

“I really like Barts because you bring a lot of prestige to QMUL” – Harrison

“I’m not very aware of what’s going on” – WIzzy on attendance monitoring

She says it’s more important we need to know why people are not attending, not just that they’re not

Wizzy says that Mental Health is important, and she would endeavour to work alongside the welfare zone to destress students

“Happy University Mental Health Day!” – Wizzy

Bold statements from Usman

Usman: “I can do work away from lectures, I work remotely sometimes”

Usman says that he doesn’t attend a lot of his seminars

“I haven’t actually attended many of my lectures” – Usman

Usman wants BL students to be able to find rooms at QM for events if needed

Usman says that he runs a society, and that there are not enough facilities in Barts for people to hold events

Usman: “I run a society myself which has over 100 members”

Usman doesn’t know about the current QM/BL relations

I’m trying to smile encouragingly at candidates but worried I look creepy

Question: What are you thoughts on attendance monitoring and QEngage?

The irony of having a question that wants to see if they can talk about something other than Junior Doctors Contracts, and then having a question about Junior Doctors Contracts….

BIG QUESTION

Question: what issues are Barts would like like to address that are not to do with the Junior Doctors contracts?

“We have a student union outlet that isn’t being used very well and I will do that” Is he talking about us?

He will go to the NUS to make sure we put forward motions that protect our independency, fight against junior doctors contracts, and make sure that all students are engaged

“This requires a massive grassroots movement”

“The biggest issue to students is deep inside the government”

Usman says that “the union needs to be free and open”

Usman is repping in a QM shirt

“I may not know every student groups requirements… but with the ideas i have in place i’ll do my best to ensure their voice is heard” – Wizzy

Wizzy: “the union aren’t doing enough to cater for postgrads”

Re-establish Union on tour – Wizzy

Wizzy: “Student engagement is at an all-time low”

Wizzy says that BSLA officers need to be empowered

Strong student leadership down at BLSA – Wizzy

Harrison says you can ask him more questions afterwards!

Harrison: “Toxic climate in NHS, I am the person who will support you through this”

Great jacket from Harrison

“Vote for your union to be an open book, because no one likes a chamber of secrets” – Miranda

Harrison is only going to talk about junior doctor contracts

Harrison is up now

“I’ve been told that I’m alright for a qwimmer” says Miranda

“How we can best support medics, students and other students who don’t fit those” – Miranda

Miranda: “I want to continue to work on the QM BL relationship”

Miranda wants an “open union that is engaging and also transparent”

Going to throw my cheese joke into the ring: What kind of cheese can you hide a horse in?

We have Miranda Black, Harrison Burton, Wizzy Heap, Usman Mohammad or RON

“The big cheese known as the President” – Chair

PRESIDENT BUZZER DING DING DING

He’ll talk more to course reps and find out what people want from their exams

Monty says he’s got a meeting with some post-graduates to talk about the impact of the HE Green Paper

“I have not got a clue” Honesty from Eddie here

Eddie thinks we need to think more about feedback for course reps and get to know them so that they continue to be engaged

Eddie: “Feedback. We must monitor where we are going wrong, having regular meetings and get to know course reps”

I’m liking the spiky hair look

“I don’t want to be mixed with all these first years” – Eddie

“More postgrad specific events” – Eddie

“If i was a candidate i could answer this” says chair

“It’s my education so you guys should be able to answer it”

Sassy chair is sassy

More sass

Ruari has fashioned his leaflet into a fan

Question: How do we make sure that course reps remain engaged year after year?

Eddie on the attendance monitoring policy

Eddie: “We can only know why people aren’t being engaged and attended seminars if we know who isn’t.”

Eddie thinks that attendance monitoring is a good thing, if we don’t we won’t be able to figure out whether people are disengaging with their studies

“I’m not even popular, it’s me mum” – Chair on why he’s texting

Eddie says that he’d like to see appointed people in each department to give on call fit to sit advice

Sumeera “quite likes attendance monitoring” “no one should be forced or punished” though

Monty believes monitoring attendance came out of a suspicion of international students and as part of prevent

Monty doesn’t think we should be monitoring attendance, people should turn up because they want to and not because they’ll be punished if they’re not there

Monty believes we should abolish exams!

what about 2 fit 2 sit amirite

Question: Reforming fit to sit, what should be done?

Question: How would you bring in course reps to help with the issue you find in education?

Monty: “I’ve been in demonstrations”

Monty: wants “grassroots movements”

Sumeera: “I am a girl, and a Muslim. That is one of the majorities at the SU”

Sumeera is up next

Eddie says that the Library is not up to scratch

PLUGS AND TOILETS #justlibrarythings

“Real, realistic and practical change” – Eddie

VP Education is up now

Aaron is being praised for his water distribution skills

“If you mention Jeremy Hunt you get a round of applause” – audience member

Generally giving more support to outfirm students – Gemma

Gemma mentions that outfirms are a big issue

Gemma: “I want to lobby the university to get people to get placements together”

She also says that she’s been screwed over by her landlord, and wants to give these issues a greater online presence

True. Housing fair does give out a lot of spoons

Gemma says that the housing fair at QM is rubbish, although she did get “loads of spoons”

More insider scoop: Adam is from Birmingham and so is our Editor

Adam: “I don’t like pitting things off like one thing is more important than the other”

Adam wants to work with the housing department to make more of a BL effort

Not enough is happening down here in Whitechapel – Adam

Adam thinks rent prices need to not go up if standards are not going up

Phillip: “We need to work to improve the support available to students with mental health issues”

Phillip chooses to focus on mental health issues

Interesting that none of the candidates have mentioned Prevent yet, surely that’s another big one in terms of welfare?

“I’m a good chair. My mum said”

The chair wants to change the order of the speakers and the room cannot keep up

Chair: “we’re all friends here right……. ok obviously not”

Question: What are you going to do about housing students?

He doesn’t want Barts to be overshadowed by QM

Adam: “I’ve been here for a thousand years”

Adam feat. gravity defying hair

Adam: “We need to bring counselling services to Barts”

How does Adam get his hair like that? Honestly? Is it witchcraft?

Insider knowledge: Phillip has three children

Philip thinks that students don’t know enough about what is available to them welfare-wise

A lot of praise for Miranda Black

Gemma wants to work with the BSLA president to see what problems are here

There’s always more that can be done

Question states Whitechapel is nowhere near QM

Q: How are you going to protect BL autonomy?

Q: Does QM do enough to support students’ welfare and what could they do better?

“despicable” junior doctors contracts – Gemma

Gemma is opposed to the new contract proposals from Jeremy Hunt

Societies “the backbone of our union” – Gemma

Gemma wants to give more support to societies: “they’re the backbone to our union”

Gemma: “I want to overhaul the sexual health service”

Gemma Meredith is up now

Phillip: “There is a problem with mental health”

Phillip: “I’m passionate about making sure students feel included and represented”

Phillip is up now. “Every student should feel supported, represented and included”

Philip Mugurwa-Gobvu is up next

Adam says that Barts traditions need to be “protected and respected”

Wants to push for the save our NHS campaign, and thinks that Jeremy Hunt is despicable

Adam: “We need to help the Save our NHS campaign”

Adam Sparkes is up first

First up Adam Sparkes

Audience member: “well you’ve lost their vote now”

Will Atkins may have just knocked over one of our laptops

VP Welfare is up!!!

Will wants to run another campaign to find out what Barts students want from The Griff Inn

Barts

Will: “Its about time we ran a campaign to ask students what they want from the Griff Inn”

Will doesn’t think the divide between dentists and medics is overstated, but wants to do his best to represent everyone

Will: “We should represent medics and dentists”

Shout out to Ben, for translating Barts into English for us

Aleks thinks The Griff Inn should be made more available to groups for #more activies

Aleks wants the Griff Inn to be more available

Aleks: “I’m not a girl and I’m not muslim”, but he wants to speak to people to get to know the problems of others to see what can be done

Aleks: We need to look into creating a new position on the BSLA board, and look into how they can represent their students

Q: What would you do to address financial underperformance at The Griff Inn?

Q: Is there any student group you feel you wouldn’t be able to understand?

Q: How do you think intercollation (?) students could be supported and represented?

Aleksander is re-taking third year and knows how hard it is.

Aleks: “I understand struggles of students retaking years, I am retaking third year myself”

“I’d certainly be willing to look into funding for extraordinary projects” Will

“The important point here is that the junior doctors situation is extraordinary” Will

Lights out again

Q: Do you think the process following exam failure could be improved?

Another round of questions for the VP BL Candidates

Will Atkins: “we need to push for female candidates in those positions”

Aleks will make sure “women know what they can run for… that’s the only barrier I can see.” Not sure that’s the *only* barrier for women

“People are not aware of a lot of positions” So true.

Rakin wants to bring back the research forum

lol

They want to find each other in the blizzard

Question: What are you going to do to try and get more women in higher positions of power?

Q: What would you do to help students engage with junior doctors’ strike stuff?

“I know what it’s like to seemingly work against the SU”

“When i’m President” is bold and we kind of like that

Alex: “I want to be remembered as the president who spoke with you, and not at you”

Aleksander wants to impove “togetherness”

Alex: “Lets improve togetherness of Barts”

Alex is also known as Aleksander Rula

“together we can drive BLSA and QMSU forward” – WIll

Alex says he was sports officer last year

Will Will will?

What Will Will do?

3 candidates

Will Will?

VP Barts and the London is up first

Will Will win?

Which will?

Will Atkinsssssss

Big cheers for full-time positions

Executive Officer Positions up next!!!

Candidates who don’t turn up, what impression are you trying to give?

Will mentions society suspension and the need for more transparency

Will: “Transparency and accountability is important”

Will lists his long list of experience

Is this Will Atkins number one?

Will Atkins is up

Student Trustees are up now

“campaign tour de force” used twice by William

Will: “NUS needs a framework in place”

The hashtag #BeadyMan has officially taken off

Will Dyer mentioning nurse bursaries

William believes housing is the biggest issue for students

Aaron just can’t keep away from the water

Audience “What is the biggest issue for students generally” Monty: “The conservative government” *bIG ClaPS*

Round of applause for Monty

Monty tells us the motions deadline is tomorrrow

Akiqul: “i want to speak to the societies facing this problem”

Akiqul is also opposed to the cuts to maintenance grants

Akiqul: “it should be both… we need to make sure that everything they do will resonate with the students”

Aaron: “I will fight to get NUS to oppose jeremy hunt’s contract plans”

Aaron: “I don’t see why we can’t do both”

Q: What is your biggest priority?

Q: Priority to represent QMSU at NUS or bring NUS to QMSU?

Very interesting Qs from the audience

Taran Dillon isn’t here

Aaron has stats, and is the first candidate to mention Prevent (important)

Aaron wants a doctors’ voice

Aaron: “We need to support the doctors’ strikes”

Aaron: “We need delegates who will be a progressive voice”

“I am Aaron and tonight i’ve been waterboy”

“We want to be the shakers and movers”

Akiqul Hoque calls for greater visibility of the NUS

Akiqul: “let’s make a movement”

Akiqul: “There is a lack of transparency, but that is mostly to do with engagement”

He mentions the Higher Education Green Paper

Monty is a massive lefty

Monty is already very well known by sheer poster distribution

If you’re going to note that you’re an “ist” without specifying why or giving examples, there isn’t much point in mentioning it.

The Chair problems that there are “good bants coming form the floor”

Robbie hold his heart as William says we’re not getting value for money with the NUS

Robbie: “did i explain that well” Audience member: “nhyu”

Chair defines the conference floor representation rules for the NUS

The chair just told a cheesy joke (literally a joke about cheese)

Aaron Parr is getting ready

NUS delegate positions up next

I think a bad chair is one that doesn’t have four legs

Asad: “It’s like being a good chair, but the complete opposite”

Audience member says that Asad should take some tips from this Chair

Q: “What do you think makes a bad chair?”

Asad confirms he will not be biased

Why do no one want to office us? we’re very easy to office

Asad: “I want to ensure that everyone gets the chance to speak without being interrupted”