My first week as an elected officer has been insightful. I have learnt about the four distinct views of a sabbatical officer; a representative, activist, trustee, and remit role (for me this is welfare & diversity). I have learnt about the history of Student Unions, their charity status and how Government legislation has an impact on Student Union functionalist and our relationship with universities.

On the third day I learnt more about marketing and communication style which provided me with some imperative skills to develop better campaigns ensuring that they are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time specific.) For me one of the more tricker aspects of the training week was not only learning about the SU UGM’s (union general meetings) and the different cogs in the democratic system. Regardless of this, I cannot wait till my first UGM as an officer.

Currently, I am looking forward to getting on with my pre-term manifesto work before students arrive back on campus for the start of term. This includes trying to lobby the University over accommodation, start creating resources around my Eat Good to Feel Good wellbeing campaign and set up a mature buddy scheme system.