SU22 - Rachel Hasson for Welfare officer
Rachel Hasson
Hi, I’m Rachel Hasson and I’m running to be your next Welfare officer!
I’m running because I want to ensure that we are doing all we can to make students’ mental health and welfare a priority. I want to make sure that we are creating an inclusive space for student activism and making sure that everyone’s voices are heard.
I will of course be as involved in every area of student activism that I can, but there are a few key points from my manifesto that I want to highlight. The first of those is mental health. Through my own experiences and through working on mental health campaigns since I was a teenager, I have become incredibly passionate about mental health and welfare. As Welfare officer I will make campaigning for further mental health support for students a priority.
We are in a mental health crisis and the reality is that we do not need more awareness. Everyone is aware that mental health is a pressing issue. What we need is to take an active approach in advocating, campaigning and constantly pushing for more resources and funding. I want to advocate for an increase in the number of counselling sessions and aim to make these support measures more long term. I hope to work with more mental health organisations and charities to establish a bank of resources and further events and campaigns focused on students’ welfare.
Another thing I really want to push for is amplifying disabled students’ voices. Disabled people have just lived through a pandemic whereby wider society has continually pushed a false narrative that we are disposable. I want to show our disabled students that such views are not held by our university and continue to advocate for their representation.
Another priority in my manifesto is student safety. The increasing culture of gender-based violence across our society has left a lot of women and queer individuals feeling unsafe. I know how exhausting it is to exist as a woman and to be constantly faced with the grief and fear that comes with the news of gender-based violence. As Welfare officer I want to continue the work currently being done by our officers and student societies on speaking out against this. I want to make sure we are taking active steps to try and make students feel safer on campus. I want to advocate for the establishment of some sort of listening service that students can call if they feel unsafe walking home alone.
Housing is also a prominent issue when it comes to student safety. Due to the cost of living, students are increasingly forced to rent with private landlords in poor conditions. I want to advocate for the need for more high-quality and affordable housing so that all students get the opportunity to stay in safer and more accessible accommodation.
The final section I’ve included on my manifesto is sexual health and period poverty. I think this aspect of student welfare is also very important and something that I would love to campaign on. I know personally I was taught very little about sexual health in school, and when I started university I had no awareness of any of the services available. I think that establishing initial informative workshops for students surrounding sexual health at university to signpost them to the various resources we have here in Belfast, such as clinics, would be a great foundation to further expanding such campaigns. There is also some great work being done by current officers on the issue of period poverty and I would hope to further advocate for the need for free period products in all our public bathrooms on campus.
I am extremely passionate about mental health and welfare. But I’m not just running because of personal experiences, I’m running to ensure that your voice as a student is heard and that as a Students’ Union we continue to work towards positive and long-lasting change for you and future students to come.
If any of this resonates with you, please consider voting Rachel for Welfare on February 28 and March 1!
To see all the candidates running, visit the QUBSU website