Dear fellow students, I'm Shada, a Palestinian MSc Psychology student on Goldsmiths humanitarian scholarship.
I'm thrilled to run for the Campaigns and Activities Sabbatical Officer. While Goldsmiths has allowed me to pursue one of my dreams, it has come at the cost of witnessing racism, xenophobia, and sexism against those who are more vulnerable. When you have no form of protection, it is easier to intimidate you, which is why I want to fight for safe student spaces.
Having seen the potential within our student community to enact change, my commitment to improving student life, advocating for inclusivity and safety, and fostering a vibrant campus community drives my candidacy.
1) Improving student life:
-Accommodation: The housing crisis and high accommodation costs heighten student stress. I am committed to advocating for transparent communication on accommodation costs and affordable quality options.
-Transparent Communication Channels: I aim to improve attendance registration (SEAtS) to avoid significant effects on students, enhance the MyGoldsmiths platform for a better user experience, ensure correct class scheduling and an easy module registration process. Advocating for accessible information regarding exams and deadlines, and a more efficient feedback process to support student learning.
Campaigning to ensure digital systems accessibility to secure student rights such as appeals and complaints, accessible learning resources and environment to empower student’s education and combat the impact of commuting, cost of living, and other issues that affect education, and allow students to customise their timetable to add other commitments such as work and childcare efficiently.
Campaigning for culturally competent well-being support to be embedded within the classroom, VLE and Goldsmiths’ campus and digital environments.
2) Advocating for inclusivity and safety:
-Transparency on current and future financial investments:
Goldsmith's investment in NICE Ltd, a software and AI company formed by members of Unit 8200, Israel's cyber spy unit, poses risks to all students particularly Palestinian students, despite the university's claim of abstaining from investing in companies endangering individuals or groups. I will advocate for the transparency of financial investments. We must ensure that our university's funds do not compromise student safety.
-Protect our right to protest:
Following the motions passed at the Students Union, I’ll ensure the security of students in exercising their right to protest and safeguarding freedom of speech. This is particularly important for students on scholarships and visas.
I’ll support integrating student-led campaigns into the classroom. I’ll ensure student voice frameworks at the SU and the College are reviewed and improved to capture and deliver on a wide range of student voice and feedback including political feedback, so that the College does not only focus on the regulated data. I’ll also work on building a wider community-led discussion about freedom of speech and its regulation to centre marginalised student voices.
3) Diversity and Cultural Activities:
-Societies and sports clubs:
I’ll work closely with societies and sports clubs to improve their visibility and support as they are key to our community. This includes ensuring marginalised communities and fostering cross-cultural understanding by integrating global awareness campaigns on campus and collaborating with societies ensuring inclusivity and empowerment for students to engage and participate in societies, sports clubs, and other extracurricular campaigns. I’ll ensure the College properly recognises this in students’ HEAR reports.
-Widening the network circle:
Establishing activities with various student unions in different universities to create opportunities for students to engage with a broader network. I am enthusiastic to work towards these goals. We deserve the right to safety, proper communication, and representation in our university, and for that, I ask you to unite our voices and vote for me.
Your voice, your campus, and your campaign.