Ella's Final Blog
It has been a great opportunity to be the representative for students at the university this year, and to do so with such a great officer team! From Welcome Week to Guild Awards, swap shops, and society events it has been a great year full of student activity. Collectively the Officer team has been pushing on campaigns for cost of living, getting the university to increase the hardship fund and lower the price of food in the Courtyard, as well as lobbying the council and service providers to reinstate the night bus, We’ve also been busy with our More than a Month program across the year starting with Black History Month where we hosted the Rhythm club night, to Women's History Month where we held an international women's day fair. For me, a huge focus this year was to leave campus and the Guild a greener place, pushing forward to ensure the University is doing what it can to halt the climate crisis, here are some the wins and progress I’ve made this year:
Ethical Investment:
I have been working with the University this year to improve their Ethical Investment policy and procedure around sustainable investment. After presenting an initial paper with four asks around furthering divestments from harmful industries, impact investing, shareholder action, and a net zero target for investments, I met the fund managers and several months later I got some results. The university will update the ethical investment document to reduce the proportion of a company's revenues that are allowed to be derived from an excluded industry (from 10 to 5%). A review process will be implemented for pooled funds when more than 5% of the fund is part of an excluded industry. There will now be guidance for the fund managers to report to the investment subcommittee on their voting record and ESG engagement, with a further annual deeper dive into ESG engagement, potentially with a trade union representative. And they have agreed to start impact investing with a proportion of their endowments, starting with at least £500k.
In the future it would be great to see a full exclusion of fossil fuels and arms from the investment portfolio and a stricter monitoring of the fund managers voting record. However, the changes that have been made are very positive and I hope future officers continue to push the university forward in this area of work.
Guild Policies:
I have worked with the sustainability team at the Guild this year to write a new sustainability policy, the headline commitments are to establish a baseline of waste to inform a waste reduction target; Get a baseline understanding of the carbon emissions within the Guild’s control and work to match the University’s Net Zero target; Create a Procurement Policy and guidelines for staff and students; Create a detailed Action Plan to support the implementation of this policy. An updated ethical investment and exclusions policy will also soon be added to the website that includes the new exclusion of fast fashion brands.
Green New Deal:
I have worked closely with the joint trade unions green new deal action group this year, attending regular meetings and negotiations with the university. These talks are still on going, and Kathryn will now be attending, but so far we have got some positive results! Check out the claim and the university's new article here
Accessible Campus:
I have worked closely with the university teams, giving them student feedback on areas that need improvement. Works over the summer at the Guild will make our building better, as well as other places across campus. This will include a new quiet room with sensory equipment in the Sydney Jones and a new accessible study area on the ground floor. I have continued to push the university to increase the financial support they offer for educational psychological assessments, and they now will pay the fees up front for those students that need it.
CAN:
I’m so happy with the new Climate Action Network, and I can’t wait to see what the group get up to in the next academic year. The Network is a place for those interested in climate action to come together and influence guild campaigns as well as feedback on what we are doing at the Guild or changes you would like to see the university make. This year CAN influenced the fossil free careers campaign and some really dedicated members volunteered their whole day to get as many signatures on our petition as possible.
Sustainability Week:
We held the first ever sustainability week across campus this year! It all started with a big fair in the Montford hall with stalls from local businesses', our Volunteering team, C.A.N., and the university. The rest of the week was packed out with events from workshops such as trans inclusivity in climate spaces, to film screenings, gardening sessions, and sustainable crafts. Those who got involved had a really great time, and hopefully it will become an annual event!
I’ve really enjoyed my time as officer, representing students across the university and fighting for a better more inclusive campus. After not being voted in the first time I stood for election, I almost didn’t try again. But I am so thankful that I did as I have learnt so much this year and made some real changes at the university. Sustainability was barely mentioned by other officers when I ran, but appeared in several manifestoes of those running this year. I hope this carries on and students continue to push the university to do more. If you are thinking of running, I strongly urge you to go for it, even if you don’t get elected you will learn so much while campaigning. Good luck to the 23/24 officer team, I can’t wait to see what you all get up to!
