After a year like no other, your President and Vice-Presidents for 2020-21 end their term in office today
It is no secret that working in an Officer role representing thousands of students isn't always easy. Throw in the small question of a global pandemic and it has undoubtedly been a challenge, but one that your team has risen to time and time again.
We asked the team to share some of their highlights from the last year...
Amy Merchant
"Some of the standout big wins for me were...
Working with Oliver and the university to get an out-of-hours counselling provision for students, which will be implemented soon. And introducing the inclusive contraception and period product scheme within the library to make sure students still had access to products throughout Covid.
One thing I really enjoyed was organising and distributing care products to students during the pandemic. This meant I was still able to see some students throughout the year. Something I have learned is to have confidence in myself. Sometimes you are the only student voice in the room and so it is important to develop the confidence to speak up. This confidence is something that I will carry with me beyond life at Lancaster.
I will never forget the 2020-21 Full-Time Officer team. During what was a really challenging year, we all pulled together and even managed to have some fun! A particular highlight of mine was Paul's Coronactivity challenges as they were incredibly creative and always brought a smile to people's faces. At a time when we couldn't see students in person, it was lovely to see the engagement."
Shannon McCaul
"Crazy to think that a whole year has gone by! I would like to take this opportunity to thank every student for letting me work with you this year, I'm so grateful for the opportunity and proud of what we have managed to do together, despite the ever present challenges and uncertainty.
I have learnt so much about the world and myself over the last year and I cannot wait to take the invaluable experiences with me in my future career. Lancaster SU has been like a family and home for me over the last 5 years, I am sad to be leaving but could not be more honoured to have been apart of it for so long. Thank you."
Atree Ghosh
"This year's been difficult for absolutely everyone. However, spending the year working with students whether it's been with the JCRs, the Academic Reps, or anyone else has been incredibly rewarding.
From the academic experiences of students this year setting things up to be better next year or working with students who spend their free time alongside their degree to give others the opportunity to have thriving social opportunities, it's all been incredible.
From a forever cynic, everyone's pulling in the same direction and things are definitely going to start looking up. No matter how tight things might be for the SU, financially or otherwise, there's a community here trying to help, so here's to hoping that everyone can pull in the same direction together moving forward. Thanks everyone, and good luck!"
Paul McCarthy
"Obviously it's been a really difficult year for this role in particular, but I'm proud of the way I've innovated to try and keep students as active as possible, particularly during lockdowns. I think the Coronactivities and Roses Unlocked we're particular highlights of this and definitely what I enjoyed most.
Other big wins have been managing to get clubs free facility hire in 3rd term, working closely with some incredibly dedicated students to make sure College and Rec could still exist, and lobbying the uni to finally hire (and actually playing a big part in the hiring process) of an Associate Director of Sport who is due to start shortly.
I've loved working with the other Officers more than anything. Somehow we've kept each other sane in a ridiculously difficult time and I think moving forward, I'll never forget those lessons in keeping positivity in a team."
Oliver Robinson
"It's been a year. Thank you to everyone who has shown us their support at various points this year, I can't tell you how much it means. I'm grateful for the experiences this year has brought and grateful for the work that I've been able to do to make things better here at Lancaster University.
Whilst my biggest project, reforming the Union, has faced delay and challenge, fighting for the rent strikers and working with Amy to secure an out of hours service has been a great privilege.
This year has taught me tenacity in a way I couldn't have conceived of before. Going forward, that tenacity will be put to even better use as the Union continues to improve and move closer to our membership. We will robustly challenge the University management to do better by students. Thank you, all of you for this privilege of a lifetime."
While for the majority it is not the end of the road, as we are welcoming Amy Merchant (VP Welfare), Oliver Robinson (President) and Paul McCarthy (VP Sport) back for another year following their reelection, we would like to thank the whole Officer team for their incredible work this year and a fond farewell to Atree Ghosh (VP Union Development) and Shannon McCaul (VP Societies and Media). We wish you both the very best of luck for the future and we can't wait to see where you go next!