Cost, safety and wellbeing: Update from Alex
Hi everyone – I’m Alexandria, your returning Vice President Community & Wellbeing officer here at JMSU! I have had a fantastic start to my second term in my role engaging with our students and campaigning on important issues. Below I will share what I’ve been up to and how I have been working towards my manifesto goals!
Student Safety
I have continued to create Safety Packs for students and have distributed them in various locations, such as Freshers Fair and at our pop-up unions across campus. I have ensured that the items in the safety packs have been continually stocked up at JMSU reception in the Student Life Building, available for students to take when they need them. Students can access reusable drinks covers and drink stoppers, drinks spiking test strips, condoms, lube, and information leaflets signposting to support. If you would like a safety pack, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be more than happy to help!
Ensuring the safety of students is one of my top priorities, and I’m excited to share progress on another initiative that means a lot to me: organising Liverpool’s first Reclaim the Night march since 2019. Together with officers and staff from Liverpool Guild of Students and Liverpool Hope Students’ Union, we brought this collaborative campaign to life. Reclaim The Night aims to highlight the importance of making our campuses and communities safer, especially for those who have experienced harassment or feel unsafe navigating public spaces after dark. The march was an opportunity for us to reclaim our streets, raise awareness about the issues of gender-based violence, and demand action from local authorities to improve safety measures. We had such a strong turnout from our student body that showed solidarity and a push for real change. Check out the Reclaim webpage here!
Embedding anti-spiking and anti-sexual violence training into the Student Leadership Programme was another one of my manifesto aims. I have been working with The Egalitarian to implement this training for our sports and society committee members, ensuring that they can engage in training which they have learnt how to run safe socials. Students who complete this training will receive a recognition certificate as this goes towards their accreditation for the Student Leadership Training Package. Interested in completing the training? Keep an eye out here!
Decrease Travel Costs
Alongside JMSU President, Brenin, I’ve been working hard to make travel more affordable and accessible for all students. We have been working with various teams within the university to work towards ensuring that commuter students in particular are better supported with the rising costs of travel. We have also been engaging with external travel companies to push for student discounts, so we can all benefit from more affordable transport options. On top of this, we have been working with key city stakeholders to expand the night bus service, making sure everyone has access to a safe and reliable way to travel around the city, especially during late hours.
The night bus service links to one of our aims for the Reclaim the Night march, which is something that all of the Student Unions in Liverpool are wanting to improve together. Do you want to share your experiences travelling to and from campus and be in for a chance to win a bus pass or rail card? Fill in the transport survey here!
Tackle Rising Food and Energy Costs
Brenin and I joined fellow Student Officers (including Othman from Liverpool Guild of Students) and the National Union of Students (NUS) in Westminster. Together we lobbied MPs around the country for urgent support amid the student housing crisis. We highlighted challenges like the rising cost of rent and the lack of affordable housing for students, stressing the need for policy solutions. We met with Kim Johnson, our local MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson, highlighting the importance of national action to alleviate the burden on students. We also had key discussions around the hardships that international students face in particular when trying to access student housing in the UK, such as the process around the guarantor system. This system requires students to have a UK-based homeowner as a guarantor, often leaving international students in impossible positions. We hope that these important conversations will influence MPs to ensure students and their needs are not forgotten in the Renter’s Rights Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.
I have been working in collaboration with Liverpool Student Homes (LSH) and colleagues from the LJMU Accommodation team to organise the second LSH Accommodation Fair, which has now become an annual event. The fair took place last month and gave our students the opportunity to research their housing and accommodation options for next year by browsing stalls, chatting with LSH accredited accommodation providers, and further information on housing-related advice from LSH staff.
Continue Work from Last Year
I have continued to organise monthly visits from Therapy Dogs Nationwide charity, which is part of one of my manifesto aims to improve mental health and wellbeing amongst our students. The first therapy dog session of the academic year aligned with our World Mental Health Day activity, and even the Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Experience stopped by for a hug from the therapy dogs! Please keep an eye out on the JMSU Instagram page and the JMSU website to stay up to date with when they will next be visiting.
