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Candidate for the position of Sabbatical Officers - Undergraduate Officer

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Seun Sowunmi

Hiya! My name is Seun (she/her). I’m from Birmingham, and I’m a third-year historian at Wadham. My experiences include serving as the Wadham SU President, SU Scrutiny Committee member, Crankstart Events Officer, and CRAE Co-Chair. I’m currently a Young Champion for The Black Curriculum. I aspire to be the Undergraduate Officer to make Oxford a more inclusive, livable, and democratic place. My experience, ideas, and manifesto will tell you what kind of person I am and why I'm right for the job!

Oxford SU is in a crisis, I'm on my way! *Supernanny style*

INCREASING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Truly democratic decisions are made when people show up to the decision-making table. While this year’s SU transformation involved student engagement, there’s still room for improvement. My goal is to enhance student understanding and involvement with the SU beyond the freshers' fair. Here are some of my ideas to boost engagement:

  1. I’d aim to improve the SU website and revive the room booking system. As Crankstart events officer, I found it incredibly useful during the Trinity term noise ban!

  2. Revamping the SU Building: The OUSU looks rough since moving from Nando’s to Worcester St. I'd like to renovate the space, consulting students to transform it into a welcoming environment for relaxation, studying, and community-building.

  3. OUSU should hold charity events outside of the RAG Ball, like more bake sales, mud runs, bike fixing, Giving Trees, etc., to ensure a positive impact outside of the Oxford Bubble.

  4. Being on Scrutiny Committee has taught me the importance of holding yourself accountable and being transparent. 

  5. Your voice matters; SU decisions should be made democratically, by and for the student body.

SUPPORTING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH (MH)

Seeking mental health support can be scary, and for someone coming from a Nigerian background where psychological support is rarely sought- believe me, I get it. I want to enhance wellbeing support at Oxford through the following:

  1. MH Resource Guide: I'll create a guide to MH support using guidance on the university and college websites, so students know how to find support. For colleges with welfare disparities, I will work with JCR and MCR presidents to improve MH support. 

  2. I'll lobby the uni to seek counsellors and psychiatrists for the Counselling Service from a wide range of backgrounds, so students who are LGBTQ+, BME, and disabled feel more comfortable and understood.

  3. Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: The disparity between colleges shows in their sports facilities—some colleges have free access to the Iffley Road gym, and others have good college gyms. I'd like to set up a college gym program where colleges with tiny gyms are linked to nearby colleges with better facilities or set up a central sports fund to help subsidise the Iffley gym.

SERVING THE STUDENT BODY

Being at Oxford comes with challenges, and I want to assist students in the ways I wish I had support.

  1. I plan to help new JCR presidents by offering leadership training, MH resources, and a living document detailing college statistics, including rent, laundry costs, etc.

  2. I’ll provide guidance on hardship funding and advocate for stabilised rent, dining costs, food quality, and accommodation standards across colleges.

  3. Managing the workload- I'm lobbying the university once again for a reading week!

  4. I'll encourage the university to hire more staff on the DAS to reduce the wait for neurodivergent students like me to get academic diagnoses, SSPs, and DAS support.

  5. Address the attainment gaps for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

 

Let’s make a democratic, inclusive, and livable Oxford together!