Manifesto

Building a relationship between students and the local community
Students should be able to live in safe and secure accommodation wherever they live in Dundee, including the West End.

I want to invite students, local government, community leaders and representatives from the local police and fire brigade to discuss the issues surrounding our students living in Dundee. With issues ranging from HMO regulations to recycling facilities to street lighting, it is important that our voice is heard and that we accept our responsibilities as members of the local community.

Review of the Induction process
The move from High School to University can be the most stressful period of a student's entire university career. This time throws up many issues for freshers, ranging from bullying to sexual health as well as the obvious issue of being away from home for the first time.

The Freshers Team is the Union's answer to this problem; students who volunteer to be visible and approachable throughout Freshers Week.

There is also a group run by student services called ‘Peer Connectors', these are again individuals who volunteer to lend support to student throughout Freshers Week.

I want these services to join forces and take a different approach to supporting new students. I want to provide a higher level of support that is structured to be closer to the new students. The Freshers Team would be split into much smaller groups of 2 or 3 and each group would look after and mentor a flat of 10 students. This approach would allow for more supportive relationships to form. Another benefit of this method of support would be the team aspect; students participating in Freshers Week as a group would encourage the shy ones to participate and allow the group to bond more quickly. This would hopefully lead to increased support among peers over the year. This will also build upon the successful academic parent structure that exists in Medicine, Dentistry and Law. This gives first year students a group to turn to throughout their early times in Dundee .

The Student Advice Centre
Over the last year a lot has changed in the pastoral provision of the Union . At the start of the year, Student Services moved into DUSA in order to provide a frontline service to students, alongside the HELP service already in DUSA. This has not happened.

Since the beginning of the year the help service co-ordinator has left and the provision from Student Services has been split into several units. What students have now could not be any further from the frontline, easy access service that was intended.

If elected, I will not allow the current situation to continue. I will lobby for a Student Advice Centre, not a branding exercise but a co-ordinated approach to providing students with the best possible level of support.

The Student Advice Centre will incorporate all the services currently on offer within the DUSA premises, plus some more, so that any student with any problem can come to the Union and get help. The services on offer would range from private accommodation issues to sexual health, but will be easily accessible and delivered in a student friendly way.

The Student Advice Centre would serve many other purposes. An online presence would be very important, offering advice and information for those who are not quite ready to come and speak to someone. Another key role would be the structure the Centre would offer student volunteers. Many students volunteer to either help through peer-to-peer support or to run campaigns and the Centre would offer them support, training and resources to help others or get their message across.

Effective Representation on National Issues
The type of issue which becomes the subject of national representation are usually the ones which make the biggest difference to students and - 9 times out of 10 - students' pockets. This year I was part of the campaign to abolish the Graduate Endowment which saved over half of the students at Dundee and those who left this year £2300 each.

There are some senior figures in English universities who believe that the cap on top up fees should be lifted in 2010. There are people who believe that Scottish Students should pay up front tuition fees. Let me be clear: I will not support any attempt to introduce fees in Scotland and will oppose any attempt to do so.

Improve facilities within the Union
We all love Mono but it is getting a bit grotty. I would invest in the venue next year and bring in changes to enhance and improve the venue. There will be consultation on the changes made, so you will have the chance to say what you would like to see.

Another area that would benefit from investment is the area behind 4Food as at the moment, there is a big cold space with some dining furniture. During the day the area is well used but at night is dead. I want to make the best use of this space. If elected I will bring in sofas and chairs to make the area more sociable and comfortable. I want to install moveable partitioning so at night the area provides two spaces which would be available for Societies, Clubs or other student groups to book and use.

Work closely with the Sports Union and ISE to ensure good value for money for student active in sports at Dundee.
Over the last year the relationship between the ISE and the student body has been a difficult one despite the provision of a new gym, new facilities for squash, dance, martial arts and of course a new reception for everyone else. The ISE is under a great deal of financial pressure, as are students. I will support the Sports Union in open dialogue with the ISE, with a view to reaching a compromise that everyone can afford.

I would aim to engage in open discussion about facilities charges and any future development; students must have their voice heard on the issue and have their needs and financial constraints taken into account. On large issues like Riverside, there is strength in numbers and I would support the Sports Union in their endeavours to secure development there.

Support for Students in Private Accommodation.
Currently there is very little support for student living in private accommodation. I want to create a forum which will address the needs and issues of students living in Dundee may have. Working with the Council, local community councils, fire prevention and crime prevention workers and of course students, I want to bring thes stakeholders together to open meetings to discuss the issues that matter to all in the West End and City Centre of Dundee.

Students should be able to live wherever they choose in safe and secure HMO accommodation. Dundee City Council has introduced a scheme to limit the numbers of HMO's granted in each postcode area. This has reached ‘saturation point' in the West End of Dundee where a large number of Dundee student choose to live. This means that as the supply of HMO property decreases the price will inevitable rise.

This is bad for students, not only will rent levels increase but some will resort to cheaper accommodation that does not offer the protection of HMO. My first priority is that students can live in safe and affordable accommodation. Safe being the key word. In doing so they should be able to contribute positively the local community and economy.

A More Efficient, Environmentally Conscious Union
I will lay down a strategy for making the Union ‘green'. I could easily sign the Union up to an offsetting programme and ignore the obvious waste that happens, but I won't.

Carbon offsetting does have a role to play but first I want DUSA to be more efficient. This means using local suppliers as much as possible, changing lighting and heating systems to ensure we don't heat or light empty rooms, making sure we recycle as much as we can and putting charges on plastic bags in the shops. This year DUSA is leading the way in a bid to gain the entire campus fair-trade status. The bare minimum to achieve this is to have fair-trade options but I want DUSA to promote these options also. A ‘Green Union' is not just about what we do within the building, its about the effort we put into awareness campaigns, the effort we put into lobbying the government and the effort we put into working with our University to ensure that our education is not gained at the expense of the environment or the people in it.

Building a sense of Pride and Student Community
Dundee lacks the community spirit and sense of pride that many other universities have. This may be due in part to a lack of engagement but the main cause is Dundee's composition. Our University is made up of various smaller groups including the Medical School, Dental School and Duncan of Jordanstone. It is my aim to engage all these groups and nurture a community mentality at Dundee. Several events will be held over the year, the RAG week being the biggest. I want all students, staff and those who are associated to the university to take park in a University-wide week of events with the aim of raising money for charity. The whole University community will work together with a common goal.

Private Accommodation Web Site
DUSA looked into a private accommodation website this year and it was abandoned on the grounds of financial viability. The model for that was ill thought and did not have a clear objective. I want DUSA to provide a website as part of the Student Advice Centre I have already mentioned. The objective of the site is clear – to provide the information students looking for Private Accommodation need to make an informed choice.

There should be a site you can log onto and find a wealth if information about landlords in Dundee . Many bad landlords get away with providing poor service because their tenants often leave the area or have nowhere to post details of their experience for others to find, similarly good landlords rarely benefit from good feedback. I want a site that tells you things like which landlords are accredited, the number of properties they operate, the details of their leases, and other such feedback in a format that allows for easy comparison.

The site would also provide a wealth of other information dealing with deposits, council tax, legal rights and other sources of support in Dundee .

Representation
The representation system at Dundee is fragmented and that fact that a lot of you won't know what I am talking about here is testament to that.

Any student at this University has the right to make your opinion heard. If you have any issues, whether you disagree with the way your course is taught, there are inadequate facilities or you are just not happy with the way something is being done, you should be represented and your issue be put forward and resolved.

A lack of knowledge as to what the role of School Presidents and other representatives is means that in most cases you are not being properly represented. In the last year very few of the School Presidents representing you were active on Student Council. This is because sometimes School Presidents themselves are not aware of what their roles are.

Along with the Deputy President, I want to work with the Schools to reform the representation system so that all students are represented.

Working with the Schools, I want to provide the School Presidents and Class Reps with training at the start of the year. I will also provide publicity and other measures to ensure that you know who your representative is, and how to get in contact with them.

I will also support regular School Council meetings where Class Reps and the School President can meet and discuss the issues within their school.

University Residences
There has been much concern voiced recently regarding the prices charged in University halls. I am acutely aware of this and it is something that cannot be ignored. I will lobby the University to ensure that the price charged is the lowest possible and that the relative financial position of first year students is always at the forefront of their mind.

Working with the University to Include the Alumni
Along with the University, I would like to build a closer relationship with alumni. I want to enable society alumni to be in touch with the societies they were in at University. This will give societies access to a variety of advice, information and support.

Overview

Build a better relationship between students and the local community

Review the way DUSA supports freshers when they arrive
in Dundee

More supportive, in-depth student advice facilities

Effective representation on
national issues

Improve facilities within
the Union

Work with the Sports Union and the ISE to provide good value and service to students

Create and sustain an effective and envionmentally conscious Union

Build a sense of pride and student community

Introduce a Private Accomodation Website

Support and provide training for course and school representatives

Address the cost of Student Accomodation

Work with the university to include the alumini

All images and content © Dave MacLeod 2008. Website design by Joanna Montgomery.
Please note that the views and opinions represented here are not those of Dundee University or DUSA.