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May 2012
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► David Harding

YES to Diversity
It’s often easy to stereotype students as fresh out of school with no commitments except that gig next week and the obligatory pint or dozen every night. The truth of the matter is that students come from all backgrounds with many having full time jobs, family commitments, health difficulties or a multitude of other reasons why the conventional university experience doesn’t apply.
NO to Hypocrisy
It is all very well for accessible further education and development to be espoused by the powers that be but how often do we hear the same hollow promises without any action taken to alleviate the obstacles most mature students face. As a part-time student I know what it’s like to juggle work and study – add into the fold all the other things in our lives and it becomes clear that a ‘one size fits all’ attitude to higher education is an absurd concept. Whereas the Paris Hiltons of the world can live a life of celebrity stardom on daddy’s fortune most of us aren’t so brainless fortunate… if we are serious about education for all let’s make sure it is in practice.
YES to Opportunity
University is not simply about attaining a good job – it’s about opportunity - the opportunity to develop as a person, to learn, to meet new people and try new things. Ultimately, I aim to campaign on opening as many opportunities as possible for Mature Students and the student body at large. In recent years we’ve seen the decline of many avenues for students, the reduction in evening study classes and the limited financial help available to cover the costs of university. For example, whereas full time students have their tuition fees paid, part-time students have to pay £230 per module per semester with limited financial support.
NO to Discrimination
There’s no place for it, yet it just won’t go away! It is all too easy to turn a blind eye on what is still an endemic problem in society, whether it is racism, homophobia, sexism, ageism or discrimination against the disabled, the people that perpetuate this nonsense need to be stopped. I wholeheartedly commit to working with the other elected representatives of SUSA to ensure that both the Association and the University say no to prejudice.
YES to Childcare
It is completely unacceptable that many students are left in great financial difficulty because of the lack of support for preschool childcare. It is difficult enough to work towards a degree without the commitments of a young family, yet so many students are forced to bring their children with them to university – if big employers can provide childcare support then one of the largest contributors to the Stirling economy should be able to do the same. Initially I propose to establish an agreement between the University and SUSA on direct funding for Treehouse places at the macrobert. This would facilitate the care of children from 6 months to 4 years in a crèche right at the centre of the campus. This is not enough however and I would actively like to see greater childcare support for students from Stirling Council and expand on the limited curriculum based nursery care it currently pays for. If the University is serious about making higher education accessible to all then it needs to demonstrate it!

 

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