My tale of me

This is the manifesto I was elected to Academic Affairs Officer in the University of Manchester Students’ Union for the 2008-9 academic year. I have put it up on this website so I can be accountable to what I pledged to do during my year in office.

Vote Chris for Academic Affairs Officer

My name is Chris Jenkinson, I am a final year student studying Zoology. The Academic Affairs Officer is a fulltime position, representing students to the University at all levels and supporting individual students in educational matters.

Aims as Academic Affairs Officer

In my role as Academic Affairs Officer, I have three key priorities if elected:

• Training and supporting all student academic representatives, empowering representatives to argue the student position and to communication their activities, with the creation of an “Education Assembly”.
• Developing the Students’ Union’s detailed and fully-costed response to the government’s 2009 higher education funding review, based around the principle of a free education with access based on merit regardless of background.
• To fight the student corner on all issues, and make the Union effective. The Union should take advantage of all avenues to achieve change, including meetings with academics, lobbying MPs, to demonstrations - and crucially, must involve and communicate with students for a successful Union.

Students should be able to access their lecturers, so they should be able to access me. I will have an open-door policy.

My Experience

Currently I am a part-time officer in the Students’ Union, representing all life sciences students to the University and the Union. Working with the other members of the Executive including the current Academic Affairs Officer, some key activities of mine are:

• Leading the campaign to keep Wednesday afternoons free for students, allowing us to spend our time playing sport, volunteering, taking part in societies, or anything else.
• Fighting for increased face-to-face contact and smaller class sizes between academics and students in meetings with University staff.
• Working with the University to ensure that students resitting exams can use the library and IT facilities to have a fair chance.
• Training and leading the life sciences course representatives, developing for the first time strong links between the Union, course representatives and the Faculty in order to achieve effective representation for students.

I have the experience to be an effective Academic Affairs Officer and fulfil my election pledges.

Academic representatives & the Education Assembly

Through meetings with academic staff, students, through their representatives, get an on-the-record response to their problems. I will develop an “Education Assembly”, to achieve an effective representative programme, a network for anyone interested in education, at both the University of Manchester and a national level through the National Union of Studens.

• All students at the university need to know who their course representative is and why they exist. Training the course representatives early in the academic year, and providing constant support throughout the year is essential.
• Many students are unaware of the cutbacks in services provided to students, such as increasing tutorial sizes, shifts towards ‘online’ rather than face-to-face teaching, nor are they aware of the Union’s successes in defending and improving the quality of our education. The Education Assembly will be a key step in informing all students and ensuring all students know how to take advantage of their representatives.
• Through the Education Assembly the Union will hear of developing problems and be able to push for change in all areas of our degrees ranging from an end to the University’s profit from our printing, through access to university being based on merit rather than background, and leading the campaign against lifting of the cap on top-up fees and for a free education.

The 2009 Higher Education Review

In 2009 the UK government will launch an independent review into the funding system for higher education.

• Like the changes to funding in 1997 (the end of universal free higher education), and 2005 (the introduction of top-up fees), without strong opposition from students to any raising of the £3000 cap on fees, access to university will be limited to those from well-off families rather than open to all.
• I oppose variable fees and any lifting of the cap, and support a free education. As Academic Affairs Officer, I will develop a detailed and fully-costed response to the higher education review, taking into account the views of the students at the University of Manchester.
• As the largest Students’ Union in the country, with over 40,000 members, we are listened to on a national level. We must take advantage of our loud voice and demand fair access to higher education.

Fighting the Student Corner & Improving the Union

The Students’ Union is a democratic organisation and is there to support the interests of students at the University. Students have direct control over the actions the Union takes.

• As an elected officer of the Union, my job would be to ensure the University delivers a high-quality education for students. I will ask the tough questions and challenge the University, even if it is inconvenient or uncomfortable to those in charge.
• The Students’ Union has an appallingly low approval rating from its members. It is shameful the thing students have the most control over is valued lowest. Turning the Union around is a challenge but is not one I will shy from if elected.
• Opening up the Union requires better communication and more student involvement in decision-making, and I support using novel methods to inform students of the work behind the scenes the Union already does and to involve students further in the Union’s activities.

Vote Chris for Academic Affairs Officer

Please vote Chris Jenkinson for Academic Affairs Officer, and vote for other progressive candidates who believe this Union should be an inclusive, democratic and effective Students’ Union.