Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are George Burrow’s answers to our questions. George is running for SU President.
Why are you running for your role?
I am running for the role of President because I fundamentally believe that our union would be stronger with me at the helm. I want to change the way students perceive our union, change how our university interacts with students and make positive change to every single student within our community. We have to believe that we can have better, we deserve better, from improving mental well-being services to ensuring the SU promotes quality landlords rather than profit taking agencies and securing better democratic voices for students, bridging gaps in today’s union and ensuring positive action on in-equality within our campus and believing that we can turn the tide and bring positive change to all UOP students and the campus we belong to. I am someone who brings vast experience in terms of serving on educational boards, delivering for young people in my home county and running in bodies that sought to bring positive change to FE and HE education.
To those, that think I’m too bold or that I’m proposing too much, I ask them to think again. I am not a small-minded person with little ideas, I want to create noise, raise the ambition of students, and get innovative polices through the door. I dare to dream, I know my policies are ambitious and creative; one should always think big, no one ever got anything done by aiming low and so by electing me, you’ll get a truly committed leader that will prove his worth.
What makes you different to the other candidates running?
It is true that for one, there are many candidates running in this election and to be blunt everyone is different, and everyone will have their opinion on what matters; but there is a key difference with me and that is my opinion is not what matters, my manifesto is built for the students, it’s been built from what students have told me, I like to call my candidacy as the ‘students candidate’ because I really do believe students have faith and confidence that I am the one that can turn the tide because I listen to students, I want to bring them in and build an inclusive union that doesn’t depend on the opinions of sabbatical officers but the opinions of its students. I have one simple message to students, and that’s ‘Trust George, your voice matters’.
In what way will you improve the influence of the student voice on the way that the university and SU operates?
I have for the last year like many seen our world change, change into a new world; and believe it or not the world is not the only thing that changes. Our SU has changed, and it changed for the wrong reasons and I am here to change it back to a positive, forward looking union that creates a forward-thinking campus with students at its heart. Our influence is distorted right now, our voice has been neglected and I’m sorry to say the SU and the University have been hand in hand in creating a negative environment for students, if elected this frosty relationship will end and the union will demand more, build back better and campaign for what students really want not what our establishment want.
I will commit to full transparency, direct new campaigns aimed at fast-tracking students voices and demand respect from our university. 30,000 students need a strong voice and that’s something I want to build, we don’t need opiniated leaders, we need direction, commitment, and someone willing to explore the unknown and pursue a brighter future for our campus.
If you could only pass through one of your policies this year, what would it be and why?
The policy I’d most like to pass would be creating a new ‘university wide accommodation programme’ because this would be a universal system that would benefit students from the get-go, no longer would students have to depend on student reviews on agents or landlords, no longer would you be held in contempt over awful student living conditions. A universal accommodation system provides something new for students, an affordable way to live in healthy and up-to-date housing. We (students) want our SU to lead from the front, cut the deals with agencies and promote those who will provide affordable, quality accommodation.
We should not need to ask our SU to do this, but I’m afraid students have been let down, for years we’ve had continuous leadership teams forget what their office was for, I will never forget what the office would be for and that’s for you, the students.
What approach are you going to take this year regarding working virtually and in person during your time in office?
I’d like to think that I will take the direct approach with a simple message, that our students are fed up and want to see real change. I don’t see myself as someone who is quiet or thinks by sitting a room and raising a hand is the right way to go … I need
to be in that room and standing up and telling those at the helm that its not just good enough to chat about student issues, they must act and prove that their words have actions. Students don’t need another wasted year, and they don’t need another sabbatical team just creating noise without action, they want action which I am determined to bring to our sabbatical team.
I don’t just talk the talk or walk the walk; I act and pursue change. Yes, there are those that say, you can’t, or that’s not possible but wherever there is a will there is a will. I will never lose slight of the objective and that is to create a positive environment for students alike.
Do you think there should be more emphasis placed onto students to either get their work and research published in academic journals or to compete representing the university in their sports clubs/societies? Why?
I believe that if you work hard, you can play hard, of course there are those that say you come to university to earn a degree and that academic success out ways any social success but I would disagree. I passionately believe that you need both because they interrelate and not just define your university experience but also define who you want to be going forward. There are times when we must of course consider where our heart lies the most but I firmly agree that without our societies and sports clubs we don’t have a university community and we would not have the students we have today without those passionate socs and clubs.
Something that drew a tear to my eye was the recent success involving the university Football clubs charitable success, an eye-opening success that drew such inspiration to me, this is why socs and club’s matter, the nature to which these socs and clubs mean to the wider community shows why we need to have both an academic life and a social one alike.
Something I will always remember is that a healthy body is a healthy mind, something that we at university should aim to keep in our heart and minds.
How will you improve the university services digitally and in person?
Our university services need improvement, they need to be wider in respect to ensuring all students have equal opportunity of accessibility to the services in place to keep students going.
Well-being services need to be face-to-face and I implore the university to do this as soon as possible, my main concerns relate to the university being out of touch with its students and its well-being service is just the start when it comes to the uni being out of touch. Digital services have been kept up-to-date and have had sufficient funding in place which has made this possible and so my question to the university is simple … why have you not put the same amount of funding and money into current services that are struggling to provide efficient services to students.
It has not been credible for the university to suggest they have done their best for students, when in my opinion they have done the minimum required and that is simply not good enough. I will ensure in-person service are bought back and are equally improved to deliver not just what students desire but what students demand from our university. We don’t just want better, we deserve better.
We need firm commitments that services will get better, we need firm decisions on the future of our student services, and we don’t just want blank promises, we deserve clear answers.
Students can vote from the 26/02 – 05/03 on the UPSU website