Celebrating: UOL Students’ Union - Bailey, Nat & Sade
Despite the challenges that the pandemic has thrown at students across the globe this year, the UOL Students’ Union Campaigns Network has worked hard to enhance the student experience and make impact on and off campus.
Bailey Marchant, Vice President Campaigns & Environment
In 2020, Bailey was elected as the first Vice President of Campaigns & Environment at the Students’ Union. During her time as a Student Leader, she set up the ECO-Award which gives students an easy checklist to become more sustainable, developed a sustainability module available to all students, so that every student has free access to information about sustainability, and secured recycling facilities in two 3rd-party owned accommodations. The main goal of the project was to ensure all students were informed about the climate emergency and to give them the tools to take action themselves! Bailey also became part of the Lincoln Climate Commission helping to bridge the gap between the County and University in regard to our response to the changing world. Reflecting on her year, Bailey said “the most rewarding highlight of 20/21 has been aiding the BAME, Disabilities, LGBT+, Environmental and Women’s Officers with their individual campaigns and history months, as Chair of the Campaigns Network.”
Sade Sekoni, BAME Officer
As the student BAME officer at the University of Lincoln, Sade set out to create something memorable and meaningful for Lincoln’s One Community and the BAME student network she represents. One of her priorities was “to change the usage of the term 'BAME' due to it not being representative of the community and what the network stands for. With this I’m really close to my goal and will probably see a change soon!!”
Sade worked on a number of awareness events and campaigns throughout the 2020/21 academic year and was the driving force for getting the BAME social media page active and bright, creating student engagement with daily posts on celebrations throughout Black History Month, Lunar New Year and Women’s History Month. This provided a platform where students felt comfortable having their voices heard, providing feedback and collaboration opportunities with several societies and networks from across the Students’ Union, including the Wellbeing Network, the African Caribbean Society, the Blackfemsoc, and the International Student Association network.
Nat Kirchin, LGBT+ Officer
Nat has led the Lincoln Students' Union LGBT+ campaigns group for the 2020/21 academic year, inspiring students to get involved in a number of important campaigns and awareness events, including Transgender Day of Remembrance and LGBT+ History month. In July, the group wrote to the Equalities Minister, Elizabeth Truss, asking her and the Government to ban conversion therapy, after their lack of response to a petition to ban the practice. Under Nat’s leadership, the Committee has also begun the process of getting gender-neutral toilets across campus and gender-neutral changing facilities in the Sports Centre.
Find out more about the Univeristy of Lincoln's Students’ Union Campaigns Network and the fantastic work they've been doing here