Written by Liam White, Students’ Union President
On the 18th of March, I had the privilege of being the opening student speaker at WonkHE’s ‘The Secret Life of Students’ event in London. This is an opportunity for leaders and advocates across higher education to come together and discuss how we can be making change for universities across the country – in a political environment where higher education seems to be deprioritised.
Something that set this conference apart was its balancing of students’ personal stories alongside expert panels. The day consisted of deep-dives into topics such as student-friendly public policy, barriers in international students’ experience of education, and building students into local communities. But each panel was punctuated by a student taking the stage and sharing their experiences of challenges and successes, to drive-home the need for change in each topic area.
I had the exciting opportunity to be the first student speaker, to help set the scene. I drew upon my experiences of first joining university, when I found myself estranged from family and friends whilst battling through a mental health crisis – and the student community that brought me back. I spoke to the audience about the financial realities of being a student in that, had I not been fortunate enough to get support from the university, higher education would have remained a closed-door for me. I used these experiences as a call to action for why we must all demand more considerate social policy for students, in a world where the cards are stacked against so many of us.
I was really grateful to find that, for the first time in my life, my speech was accompanied by a British Sign Language interpreter. Aside from the interpreting team being some of the loveliest people I’ve ever met, it was a poignant moment for me to have my words retold in a way that more people could access and engage with – an experience I won’t soon forget, and something that I felt really elevated the conference experience.
While I could write a thesis about what I learned from the student stories and panel segments, I’ll just share highlight that I’ve been reflecting on in the last week. Jim Dickinson (Associate Editor, WonkHE) opened with a powerful speech about framing student issues as “rights”, arguing that a legal student status can equip us with protected rights rather than the sometimes ad-hoc advocacy we do at the moment. This has left me to question what protections students need as a baseline that are unique to us, as opposed to the general population. Where else is it an accepted standard that a full-time status should be supplemented by part-time employment? Where else can thousands of hours of unpaid labour be a professional expectation alongside outdated assessment tactics?
A common thread through all of the student speakers (myself included) was the impact of time constraints (as opposed to just financial ones) on the student experience. Paige Rivers from Edge Hill SU shared her story of grief – grief from personal circumstance but also about all the time she lost from the relentless hours sacrificed as a student nurse. Molly Pemberton from Hallam SU echoed this from her experience as a commuting student. All of this pointed to higher education’s failure to adapt to modern students’ time pressures; the need to pick up part-time work or live away from university fundamentally changes how we can access our education and at what personal cost.
The quality of the students’ stories and in-depth panels each reignited my own ambitions for change. Naturally, many of the conversations drifted towards maintenance loans – the injustice of Guildford not being on the London-weighting maintenance loan despite soaring rent costs; the outdated parental income thresholds from 2008 that are barring students from accessing the maximum loan; and much much more. This remains a priority campaign of mine throughout the year, and I was happy to see this momentum shared across everyone at the conference.
Further subject-specific conversations then focussed on the international student experience, the continued systemic barriers facing disabled students, and some projection into the direction of travel for higher education more broadly. Some of the best value in all of these conversations was the networking afterwards, to learn about people’s stories and broaden my horizons about how we can have influence as future leaders.
So, what action can I take from this event? As I mentioned, a lot of it was validating my current ongoing projects (student funding, credit-bearing placement years, and so on). The additional context and national political perspective will help me to push these over the line. But I’ve also been introduced to new concepts (dual GP registration, cutting through ineffective committees) which I will carry forward in my remaining time as your President. With Surrey Decides over, I’m certainly feeling the ticking clock of my time here – but my aim is to set up the Union to keep these conversations going, leveraging our influence, and making change to give you your best Surrey Life.
Thank you to WonkHE and all the attendees for their continued work supporting students across the country, the opportunity for me to share my story, and for all the attendees who shared their perspectives!
