Joshie Christian

Hi all,

I'm Joshie, about to start my third year of a maths degree at Southampton, and I'm running to become a Member of the Senate for this year!

I have been very involved in representation at the University of Southampton, firstly by being a Student Rep for two years followed by my new role this year as the student president for Mathematical Sciences. I took over from my predecessor early so I have already chaired my first SSLCs, which I have been improving by bringing more representatives in, and taking conversations about important feedback directly to lecturers to get things fixed in a more timely manner. Instead of idly waiting for staff to answer emails we have been pushing communication within the department! I will bring all these communication skills to our Senate. My passion and commitment from my SSLC meetings will be my strongest asset to our senate.

I am ready to support the decisions and changes of the Senate this year to build upon what I have already achieved as a student rep, including: 

 - I lobbied against all our exams in mathematics being online, as my cohort were strongly against this, while keeping online exams for the older students who wanted them to continue.

- I helped to make suggestions to our department to change staff lecturing in the first year of our courses, directly leading two changes in our staff that students have been greatly appreciative of. This is highly important, as the staff need to know when lecturing quality slips below the standards you deserve!

- Revolutionised our student-led Buddy Scheme with new plans and extensive materials, which has involved running training and organising communication amongst a large team of volunteers.

- Helped rewrite our Induction to prevent overloading first year students with information. I have included an open forum Q&A into our induction with an anonymous link for questions, to ensure we make the best use of the time for our freshers!

I have used my passion for our university to engage in societies and with the student union for two consecutive years! 

I would pledge to give every member of the Senate opportunities to bring forward everything they hope to achieve, especially the underrepresented officers of the Student Union. Everyone would have fair treatment, and we would all discuss and scrutinise the plans and manifestos of our dedicated Sabbatical Officers. I would drive fellow senators to decide whether we are making the best possible use of the student union’s time and money!

Joshie Christian