Christmas break and testing

The Government had given the university guidelines for Christmas break for students leaving campus to go back home. The University will be providing 2 rapid testing to all students before they leave campus. You can now book testing; on suggested dates from your schools based on your table. Taught students are expected to leave campus from 3-9 December according to the government guidelines to the universities.

Welbeing support

The University has launched a new 24-hour mental health support for students. The SU Advice Service continue to support students on various issues. The SU will be adopting the University Six Ways to Wellbeing. We will launch a campaign to highlight all the wellbeing support services for students at the university. A new BAME wellbeing assistance intern had been hired by the University to fill the gap channel of BAME wellbeing support. The Buddy Scheme had been very successful, we currently have more than 300 students signed up to it and we continue to monitor its progress.

Elected JCR/RA / Halls

The New Hall Reps committees had been elected, this committees have been supporting the SU and University to deal with many issues raised by the students living in the University accommodations. The main issues are students gathering, security and health and safety, maintenance reporting and the closure of Hall social spaces. As you are all aware the university have offered all the Hall students 30% reduction on their rent for the 1st semester. Students living in Halls can leave their accommodation contracts without repercussion and can also come back to the Hall for 2nd semester if they wish to.

University hall accommodation students issues and demands

Some students living in the Halls decided to rent strike, 80 students withheld their rent and further 30 students. The SU campaign team worked to respond to the rent strikers. The students were invited to meet the SU Execs to discuss their concerns. The student rent strikers met with the SU Execs Kwame the General Secretary and Junior Welfare and Community Officer. This meeting was for the SU to listen to student rent strikers. 

November 5th the fencing incidents in Fallowfield. The university apologised to the students issuing a statement.  The University hosted a town hall with JCRs/RAs candidates to discuss with the students concerns and issues in the University Halls. Major issues include, accommodation maintenance, security, health and safety, mental wellbeing provision, and high number of students gathering breaching coivd-19 guidelines.  The students also demanded a rent reduction as a compensation for the facilities they were not allowed to use as a result of covid-19 measurements.

Based on the students concerns and incidents mentioned above the University decided to engage in negotiation with the students’ union to provide a solution package to all students living in Halls. I would like to point out this negotiation was not to satisfy a specific student group demands. The Students’ Union is a democratic organisation that represent the interest of all its members students its fights and support them.

The new accommodation pledge resolution from the university was agreed by the SU to support all students concerns and address the issues which were most important for our students. This is also to provide a peaceful transaction to Christmas Break, exam period and 2nd semester.

As your Welfare and Community Officer my utmost concerns are the wellbeing and health and safety of all students’ studying at the University of Manchester. The packaged provision signed by the SU was in the interest of all students concerns not specific students group demands. Also, this package will lead to continue work to address all the other issues and concerns the students raised.

As result of continuing work, the students’ union held a joint town hall meeting with University and the newly elected RAs & JCRs committees. We continued to advocate for the interest of the students living in halls that the University can go further. An additional 30% rent reduction was negotiated for the students living in halls. We worked really closed with the newly elected Hall Reps, and their feedback was important for us to move forward and accept the offer un behalf of the students.

The new negotiation also agreed to accelerate action working collaboratively.

1. Opening more social and study spaces in halls
2. Working together to develop a behaviour pledge
3. Improving the reporting, tracking and resolution of maintenance issues
4. Working together to enhance safety and security in halls

Students recial profile

The SU have contacted the student who experienced the racial profiling incident. I spoke to the student. We are going to have an official meeting with the student to offer our support, listen to the student and work to tackle racial issues on the University Campus.

Projects and campaigns leading

• On the 7th December the SU is launching the Wellbeing Support Services campaign. This campaign will highlight the support services in the SU and the University.
• Meet Your Flatmate events, hosted events in collaboration with Manchester Students Homes, to provide opportunities for students to meet a potential housemate and learn about housing contracts and agreements.
• Greater Manchester students’ solidarity campaign We Belong, this campaign aim to provide solidarity to all Greater Manchester students, our SU will be leading this campaign. This campaign will involve different stakeholder from SUs in Greater Manchester to Universities and Colleges as well as local businesses, Councillors and the Greater Manchester Major Office, all together to provide solidarity to students. As students we contribute a lot to the Greater Manchester community.
• Working with the Hall Reps to supporting them prepare for Christmas events, re-opening social spaces as well as developing Hall community pledges for students’ residents.