Students are arguably the biggest stakeholders in the university and as such I feel it is a mistake, and a fault in the democratic legitimacy of the university, that we are not consulted on important changes to policy.

In recent years there has been huge staff turnover within the university and as such students are forced to go without consistent teaching for large parts of their modules. This will inevitably impact on the quality of teaching within the course, school and institution as a whole. In an attempt to avoid large scale turnover, students should be consulted on important changes to university policy as well as the appointment of senior figures, such as course leaders and heads of school.

This could take the form of direct student consultation or through the position of an elected representative of the student body.

A key example of how this would work in practice is the election of the Chancellor. Following the controversy regarding our previous Chancellor, it would have been vastly more appropriate for their successor to have a democratic mandate and as such operate with a greater degree of legitimacy.

I know we can make positive change and continue to better student experience.