Update from George: what we learnt from the SU Roadshow
Monday 22-07-2019 - 10:41
Thank you to everyone who spoke to us at the launch of the SU Roadshow! We broke free of the concrete to hold stalls outside of the library and in colleges, asking you what you’d like your SU to care about. We handed out a lot of chocolate and bamboo mugs, and heard many ideas about what you’d like to change in Durham. I thought I’d share with you some of the main things we learnt while talking to you.
We asked you to write the issues that mattered to you on post-it notes in three key categories: academic issues, welfare issues, and the cost of Durham. We collected the post-its and have made a record of all the things you care about. The three most talked about issues were support for mental health, concerns about the University expansion plan, and ways we could make the SU better.
Within your concerns about the expansion plan, it’ll be no surprise that many of you were most worried about the lack of study space and the effect it would have on colleges. In terms of mental health, you wanted more to be done to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and to expand the services available.
In your feedback, you also mentioned that you wanted your SU to come into your colleges more often, and we’re really happy to say that we have plans to do just that. We’re looking forward to collaborating closely with your SU reps to continue the SU Roadshow next year. We’ll cover more colleges, hear more of what you want us to care about, and let you know what you can get out of your SU.
Your next Student Officer team will be starting their roles soon, and have some big ideas about how we might tackle some of the above issues, but if you have your own idea for change in Durham, we absolutely want to hear from you! We can support you to make your idea a reality, whether that’s by showing you how to bring an item to Assembly, putting you in touch with the right student representatives, or giving you the support and resources to run your own campaign. Learn more about the different ways you can make change in Durham here.
