Beth Elder

As students, we are the future of our society.

We are the ones who will be leading the world in the years to come, and that is why it is crucial we have a strong and effective Students’ Union to represent us. As a candidate running for president, I am extremely passionate about ensuring that the student voice is heard, and that we have the resources we need to succeed.

But to make this a reality, we need a leader who is committed to working tirelessly on behalf of every student. I am exactly that person.

The question is, who am I and why should you give me your vote?

My name is Beth and I’m a recent Pharmacy graduate, current Education officer, policy nerd, avid Guinness drinker and cat lover!

I’ve spent the last year here in the Union leading student representatives to realise their full potential and take hold of all of the opportunities available to them, and this is clearly reflected in the fact that the student representatives this year have been THE most engaged team in the past 10 years. I am so incredibly proud to have worked alongside such a strong, capable, and engaged team of over 600 reps this year, and I can honestly attribute my inspiration to run for president to each and every one of them.

The leadership in our Students’ Union is vital to setting the tone of the organisation’s culture, values, and direction. Having fun is also important, because it fosters that sense of community that we’ve been missing, and encourages participation in student life. One of my main goals is to bring community back on campus through consistent free social events, especially on the weekends. Movie nights, quizzes, game nights and art classes are so unbelievably easy to organise and make a huge impact on our mental wellbeing- what’s not to love about painting your very own plant pot?

Democracy, democracy, democracy.

Democracy in our SU is kind of like a puzzle. Every single student has a unique piece to contribute, and when put together it creates a beautiful picture of a unified student body. The current barrier is that the democratic structures are not working. Student Council creates a cold house for those with alternative views than the majority, and the everyday student isn’t getting the opportunity to contribute. The recent overhaul of the part time student officers leaves us in an extremely unique position to foster Student Associations, and allow students to actually have their say.

In an idealistic world, this would come together nicely overnight, but this obviously isn’t the case. We need strong, empathetic, and relatable leadership with a passion for shifting the power back into the hands of the students. This will take time and effort. Time and effort that I am willing to give.

But what about the Cost of Living Crisis?

The cost of living crisis is no joke. In my current role, I have so much contact with students – and their stories are hard to swallow.

Students are choosing between working 30+ hours per week to afford rent and food, or attending their lectures. Placement students are living on the breadline to pay their extortionate travel costs to get to their full time, mandatory, unpaid placements halfway across the country. Education is simply no longer accessible to students.

This is my priority. This year, I’ve had a hand in many of the cost of living mitigations already in place, especially the refill pantry. As president, I will continue this initiative as its success speaks for itself.

After research and using my network to ensure this is a realistic goal, I’d love to introduce £1 hot meals on campus – other SUs have seen great success in doing this.

Travel was the number one cost for a huge number of students. Students need the opportunity to take advantage of public transport discount smartcards – so on campus, in person, immediate printing of these cards is vital. Additional financial support for students travelling to their mandatory placements is a baseline requirement to remove discrimination from our courses.

You’ll notice in my writing there is little to no humour wrapped into this section. That is because this is not a laughing matter. Students are no longer worrying about the cost of living; they are struggling with the cost of surviving.

The Students’ Union is an essential platform for students to have their needs represented, to provide a constructive place for dialogue and advocacy on issues that matter to them.

Vote Beth for president and together we can create the change we need to see.

To see all the candidates running, visit the Queen’s SU website

SU23 - Beth Elder for Students' Union president