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Laura Pattinson for Campaigns and Activities Officer

I am a third year Fine Arts student. The re-election of the Tories, and everything they have done to attack the most vulnerable and the poorest, including the cutting of the Disabled Students Allowance and the Student Maintenance Grant has given me the incentive to become more engaged with political activism. I am a socialist and a feminist and I want to see a Student Union that can unite students and push forward local and national campaigns. Education is political, the students need to be also; I want to be a driving force in a union that is democratic, representational and active. 
 

Education – FREE EDUCATION 

Education is a right; higher education fees have been used as a weapon for to attack that right. Goldsmiths, as a predominantly Humanities and Postgraduate university,  has been hit hard by the austerity measures. As students you are victims of these austerity measures. I will be campaigning for lower fees, for relief of student debt and standing in solidarity with other students and universities and others fighting austerity. I want you to join those campaigns and others, such as supporting   struggles as the junior doctors and the fight to save NHS bursaries.      

International Students – SUPPORT INTERNATIONALISM

Goldsmiths is a diverse university with students from over 130 different countries; our internationalism should be celebrated. The anti-immigration rhetoric needs to be challenged, with recognition to the impacts on being a student with a visa and the changes to immigration rules that are being implemented; these changes will affect students at Goldsmiths. I will campaign for more support for these students. It needs to be accessible and so students can focus on their studies without additional stress from day-to-day problems such as banking, housing and visa problems.     

Cost of Living – SUPPORT STUDENT TENANTS

As students in London one of the main issues we face is housing, whether that be from soaring rents or dodgy landlords. We shouldn’t have to be working part-time jobs or taking out additional loans to subsidize our student loans. More and more students have to rent in private sector; halls are becoming increasingly over subscribed. I will campaign for student accommodation that runs without profit and uniting in local and national campaigns for affordable housing.

Union Democracy – INTEGRATION AND REPRESENTATION

Democracy is fundamental in a decent Student Union; I want a more transparent student union, one where the student assemblies are representational of Goldsmiths demographics, where they are frequent and open, held at different times so that part-time and working students can attend. Student assemblies should be loudly publicized giving students an opportunity to voice their opinion on the wider Goldsmith’s community. A more transparent Goldsmith’s Student Union is vital in the fight against privatization and profit making within the university. I will work with Goldsmiths staff and other officers to support the backbone of Goldsmith's Student Union — its societies — and ensure these are also represented in our structures.   I will work hard to champion the ideas of more marginalised students on campus — BME, LGBTQI, disabled, part-time, post-graduate, mature and international students.