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What You Saying Leeds,

I’m Tommy, and I want your vote for NUS Delegate. I’m a POLIS student studying Global Political Economy, Social Sec for Labour Soc and Host a show on Leeds Student Radio.

I’ve got a track record of delivering real change on campus for students. On my last campus I lobbied to secure £400k into the hardship fund to support our most disadvantaged students, increased the opening hours for the main study space on campus and secured funding to modernise the main Library.

As NUS delegate, I want to champion your student voice, raising the concerns about the cost-of-living crisis and impact that financial hardship can have on Students. Housing continues to remain a challenge for students, often living in inadequate and unsafe housing while paying extortionate amounts in rent. I’ve taken on, worked and collaborates with Vice chancellors, local government, local charities and other key actors in the sector to deliver real change for students. I will continue to work in the best interests of our students on Campus and deliver for our community.

Secure the bag and put a #1 next to Tommy.

All Luv x

We face a vital time as students to come together and work as a student movement to deliver across for young people across the UK. With a general election looming the next NUS conferences will be vital in shaping our agenda for whatever government is re-elected. I hope to be elected as a delegate so I can play my part in shaping this agenda at what is a vital time for students facing challenges of cost of living and disruption to their time at university. Coming out of COVID there should be a reinforced focus on helping students recover from their time lost however instead there have been cuts to public education and zero political attention on the issues that students face. As an experienced political campaigner I will focus on the issues mattering most such as:

- Climate change
- Student housing
- Cost of living crisis
- Tuition fees and maintenance loans

Thank you for your time.

Hello,
My Name is Vaibhav and I am from India. Presently, I am pursuing an MSc in Environment and Development at the School of Earth and Environment. I am a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship recipient and also delivering my duties as Class Representative. I am a TEDx speaker and often write on the issues of student activism, the rights of indigenous communities and their struggle to access education.

While interacting with students from the University of Leeds and other institutions in the UK, I came to know that, although international students come prepared with the living costs but they have to pay adequately for the food. Also, most of them leave early for their residence because food is quite expensive on campus.
So, If I am elected as a NUS delegate, I would like to raise the issue of subsidies for food on the university campuses for the students and staff. This will ensure students spend more time on campus and enjoy the library as well as other activities. With the sustainable solutions, this will not burden financially on the vendor or the university.

I am running to be a Leeds University Union’s delegate as I want to work to deliver the best possible deal for students across the UK. The concerns of young people have been systematically brushed out of the political debate by the incumbent government, who have instead been prioritising divisive and populist politics, and this needs to change.

If elected, I will prioritise addressing:

· Climate Change – Climate change is one of the largest challenges faced by our generation, and as deserts expand, glaciers retreat, and sea levels rise, we will begin to live in a world with less land and resources, and more people than ever before in human history. We need to ensure a ban on the creation of new oil and gas drilling sites, prioritise investment in renewable and nuclear energy, and cooperate with other states to ensure global levels of greenhouse gasses remain at reasonable levels.

· Student Loans – All students know that our current maintenance loans are not enough to live on. This becomes a huge barrier to students who don’t have the privilege to come from wealthier families, meaning academically talented young people may be prevented from reaching University. Ensuring a larger maintenance loan, which rises in line with inflation, will be a primary focus of mine.

· The Protection of Religious Minorities - In light of recent events, violence against religious minorities has been spiralling out of control. Hate crimes against Jewish people are up 537% since October 7th, and Islamophobic rhetoric is continuing to dominate the European far-right. Ensuring an end to religious violence and the upholding of religious freedoms should be a priority of any government, outgoing or incoming.

· Housing – Many young people have simply accepted the fact we will never own our own houses, and with increasing rent across the UK it seems deeply unfair that we have such an unfavourable housing market, whilst previous generations have enjoyed much lower prices. Ensuring that new, efficient, and affordable homes are being built across the UK to meet the growing demand of the market should be at the forefront of British politics.

· Employment – Whist thankfully demand for UK graduates is high, recent data has suggested that this may be under threat, with 39% of graduate employers saying that they were going to hire no or less graduates, and only 27% saying that they were going to hire more. This is a trend we must work to reverse, and the government should work towards a position where UK graduates can enter a workplace with confidence and trust with their employers, and opportunities to work in areas they desire.

· Mental Health Support – A new study by the Insight Network has found 42% of UK students suffer with serious personal, mental, emotional, or behavioural problems, and 78% of those with a mental health diagnosis conceal their symptoms due to fear of judgement. This is not just a minor issue, it is a national health epidemic, which as been systematically ignored by the current government who have continued their campaign of austerity measures and mismanagement in our public health services. As someone with a sister who works in NHS psychiatric care, I have heard first-hand about the severity of the situation, which continues to get worse each year. The stigma around talking about mental health must come to an end, and the government needs to take initiative to support those who are suffering in silence.

· Public Transport – Public transport is already ridiculously unaffordable, and this is a situation which is getting worse, not better, and our 16-25 railcards just aren’t cutting it. Students

must have access to affordable, and frequent train services, as students we shouldn’t have to be spending half our weekly budgets just to visit our families!

I have experience working with and supporting unions as I am a member of USDAW, and I am proud champion of progressive politics as I am both a member, and a previous councillor candidate, for the Labour Party. I would be honoured to get to represent Leeds University Union at the National Union of Students, and get the opportunity to ensure the voices and concerns of young people are heard, not discarded by those in power.

I'm Michail, a final year Business Management with Marketing student from Greece 👋 My university experience, beginning amid COVID and lockdowns, has evolved through the challenges of the cost of living crisis and ongoing strikes. Last year, I represented us as an NUS Delegate at the NUS National Conference, where I got a great understanding of student issues on a national level.

There are many issues that we can solve if we work together, that’s why NUS is important, and I want to be an NUS Delegate again this year, because we can deliver change and support for students on a National Level. I have been following the current affairs and challenges the student community and LUU have and how NUS, the University but also LUU respond, and I can say that we as students need more. I will use my experience and student opinions to represent us at the NUS Conference and help form new policies that will benefit every student.
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Also, I have attached my picture and the signed campaign rules.

Thank you!

I am Kuriakose Junior. I am a post-graduate student in Sustainability and consultancy. I have been elected student representative and worked for the betterment of students in both of my previous universities.
In Leeds too I wanted to use my ability as a result of which I was selected as the school representative for Earth and Environment School.
In a session hosted by LUU, I came to know about the investment policy of the universities in the UK. Participating in the session I would like to mobilise students and promote them for policy-level intervention with their respective universities including Leeds to invest in clean energy and the development of society rather than fossil fuels.

Hello everybody, I’m Tim and I’m running to be one of your NUS delegates for this year. You should vote for me because I’m already active in political student life through my experience as co-chair of the Leeds Labour Society, and because I am passionate about improving student life for everyone. My three priorities as your delegate will be: working with the NUS to deliver a student cost-of-living support package, protecting wildlife around universities, and ensuring university campuses are a safe space for everyone.

Students have been through a tough time recently: the long-term effects of covid still have an impact on our education, rent for student accommodation has increased massively and the workload can be a strain on our mental health. I want to see a big improvement across these aspects of university life so that all students from all backgrounds can afford to go to university and feel like they’re receiving an effective education worth what they’re paying.

I love the beauty and tranquillity of wildlife on our campus. Being surrounded by nature can have massive improvements on mental health which is a necessity during exam seasons as well as being a nice place to relax from work. I will ensure the importance of wildlife around university campuses is prioritised by the NUS.

University should be a place where everyone feels welcome. It should be our priority to ensure that all people are included across all aspects of university life and to ensure that diversity is reflected in our studies.

I really look forward to representing you and our university at the NUS. #VoteTim

My name is Henry, I’m a fourth year Politics student and I’m standing to be one of your NUS delegates.

I’ll try to keep this short but here’s why I would like to represent you:

My time at university has seen several COVID lockdowns, years of online learning and endless strikes. But throughout it all, one thing has remained a constant: the kindness, the inclusiveness, the generosity of my fellow students.

We really are stronger when we are united.

I saw this first-hand through my involvement with Leeds Student Staff where students together with staff told university leadership that their working conditions are our learning conditions.

With Leeds Labour Society I’ve witnessed the passion and energy that students bring to fight for a better future.

That passion and energy is something that inspires me and drives me. We need an inclusive, united, and energised student movement to demand better and I believe I can help deliver that for all.

As winter approaches, we say goodbye to our summertime sadness as snow on the beach looks ever more likely, University of Leeds Students have a simple choice. The choice is more of the same, or a radical change to improve the NUS, and thus the student experience for all.
Firstly, about me. I’m Ciaran Weir, a fourth year BSc Social Policy with Quantitative Research Methods students, originally from the Midlands, who happens to be a huge Lana Stan. I had the luxury of studying abroad at the Australian National University for my study abroad, which was the experience of a lifetime. My experience of student politics in Canberra, is what has encouraged me to run to represent you as your NUS Delegate, despite being relatively unknown, the NUS delegate elections pave the way to shaping the future of student experience across the United Kingdom at all participating Universities. I don’t come from a political background, I don’t come from an LUU background, which I think could be my biggest strength. I’m not running for election to enhance my C.V, to promote my own party-political views, or as a continuation of an LUU role in the past. I’m running because I believe in what the NUS stands for, representing and giving students a voice, which is even more reason why I’d like to be considered to represent you. A vote for me is a vote for change, whereas a vote for someone else could be a vote for more of the same.

Lana Del Ray said “It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you, everything I do”. Going into the role of NUS delegate that will be my mantra. I want students to feel heard and represented, and the first thing I think is important is that the NUS works to restore its relationship with the UK Government. The UK Government suspended its relationship with the UK Government 18 months ago, due to a widespread antisemitic culture in the NUS, meaning that student voices are no longer heard in the way they used to be heard. First and foremost, if elected, I’ll encourage the University of Leeds to push for the restoration of this relationship and take whatever measures necessary. Without this relationship, student voices are stifled, and we know that students are struggling so much with the cost of living, antisemitism on campuses and accommodation and rental crises in student cities including Leeds.
I’m a pragmatic candidate, I believe the NUS should spend its money, time and resources on things that work, rather than things that don’t. Firstly, the NUS should focus on ensuring Universities, and the university system in general provides a good value for money for students. The NUS should focus less on playing politics, and more on helping students. For example, in 2016, the NUS LGBT+ conference was criticised by Stonewall for implying that gay men don’t need positions in LGBT+ societies as they are not longer oppressed. But the NUS hasn’t recently commented on the skyrocketing number of graduates who are unemployed, or working in jobs that don’t require degrees. I have witnessed this first hand, as a fourth year with friends that have graduated. The number one reason most people come to university now is to prepare them for the workplace, I believe that universities should work harder to improve their student’s chances of success in an already overcrowded job market.

As a UK based organisation, the NUS can lose sight of the international picture, I want to be a champion for international student’s experience, as well as encouraging more British students to take part in international experiences. Since Brexit, the UK has no longer been part of the Erasmus scheme, instead part of the Turing Scheme, the NUS must pressure the Government to providing more funding so every student can afford to do a placement abroad.

Feet don’t fail me now, take me to the finish line. Thanks for your consideration!

The Higher Education (HE) system is broken.

Hi. If we've not met, I'm Haryati, a domiciled (official lingo) home student originally from Singapore. I was a part-time, mature student-parent, one of the groups of students referred to as hard to reach. The reality is that we are underserved and as your current Equality and Liberation Officer, I work to change the narrative. When institutions support students with the most assessed needs, every student benefits. Our HE system is broken.
It is harder to be a student to enjoy a fulfilling student experience because the system has failed us. Students on Universal Credit (UC) lose out on much needed financial support because their Maintenance Loan is regarded as income. Student maintenance loan has not kept up with inflation and students are struggling even more because everything is so much more expensive now. To top it off, international students are paying extortionate fees because their fees are needed to fill the funding gap faced by our institution, to prop up our failing system. The HE system is broken. In its current state, it is neither sustainable nor equitable.

As your delegate I’d advocate for NUS to work together with students, and student unions to lobby for the reversal of unfair practices that have been imposed on students – the maintenance loan as income, increase visa and NHS surcharge for international students. Increase the maintenance loan so that it does what it says.

ALL OF US deserve an equitable university experience that recognises our worth as critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers. We need radical transformation to fix our broken HE system, to improve the experience of current and future students. While some might say that NUS has ‘lost its bite’, I believe that working as a collective, alongside other Student Unions and NUS, we can transform all our experiences for the better. This is why I’m asking you to vote for me as your delegate, to represent you at NUS conference.
#BeASmarty Vote Haryati for NUS delegate.

Hello, I’m Dhairya Dugad, currently pursuing my Master in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Leeds, with a background in a five-year integrated BBA LLB program and a Master in Corporate Law from India.

Beyond my academic achievements, I have a strong passion for sports, having actively participated in various interschool competitions such as football, cricket, and hockey. I have engaged in numerous competitions like State, National, and International Chess Competitions that has honed my strategic thinking and discipline. I pride myself on being a friendly, sociable individual, always eager to connect with new people and create meaningful relationships. Therefore, if elected as NUS Delegate I will focus on:

• Improving Disability and Health Services – Prioritizing the well-being of individuals, particularly in the realms of disability and health, is of paramount importance. As an international student, I have observed certain challenges in accessing adequate treatment. If elected, I am committed to advocating for changes in NUS policy to ensure a seamless and supportive environment, where every individual receives the care, they need without facing obstacles.

• Smooth Transition into University - As students step into university life, they encounter challenges in adjusting to the new environment. If given the opportunity to serve, I will strive to ensure that every student receives the necessary support from the university, eliminating any barriers to their success.

• Cultural Discrimination – This issue affects people in different ways, like religion, gender, ethnicity, disability, and race. If I am elected, l will ensure that NUS policies are clear, making sure everyone in university is culturally intelligent for an inclusive, respectful and interculturally sensitive environment.