Hi everybody, I’m Dan, and I’m your current Christ Church Students’ Union President. This year I am re-running for a second term.

Having the opportunity this past year to represent Christ Church students and to make sure your voice is heard has been the most incredible experience. I want to build upon everything I’ve learnt and achieved this year to make next year even more successful.

I hope to build upon the many relationships I’ve made this year with students and staff to continue working on improving and enhancing the student experience at CCCU.

Here are some of the things I would like to achieve if re-elected:

Student Voice

Student voice is vital to improving academic experience, however more needs to be done to ensure this is the case.

• I will work with the University to ensure all course reps get the opportunity to be trained by the Students’ Union.
• I would like to see more incentives given to course reps and I’ll push for a separate course rep awards event to make sure they’re recognised for their hard work.
• I will create more focus groups to ensure that underrepresented students from all campuses are listened to, in a space with others who may share similar experiences.
• Strengthening my SAR (Student Academic Representation) committee is a big target of mine, having more regular meetings and creating a stronger community between the group.

Canterbury Campus

The Canterbury campus has seen a lot of changes in the last few years, with some fantastic new buildings. However, more needs to be done to make the whole campus feel like a vibrant place where students want to be, want to study and can have the best experience.

• We’ve made real progress this year on getting the Students’ Union back onto the Canterbury campus, and I finally want to make this a reality. This move is so important to allow you to have easier access to us and all of our services.
• The Canterbury campus lacks a variety of study spaces, spaces where students would want to go and study, to hang out with friends or just relax. I will make sure the University consult with you on the types of spaces you want.  
• There is a real lack of activity and exercise space on the Canterbury campus. I will continue the work done this year to make sport on campus a reality.
• The family room at the Drill Hall library in Medway is a fantastic space, loved by our student parents there, and I will push for a similar space in Augustine House.

Medway

In recent years the Students’ Union have really increased their engagement with Medway students and I want to continue this and build on the work I have done there this past year.

• I want to put on even more ‘Medway Breakfast’s’, where I’m able to chat to students about their experiences whilst offering free coffee and food!
• I will continue to support and champion the University’s ‘Academic Success’ sessions and push for even more.

I have really enjoyed going down to Medway this year, chatting to students and finding out about their experiences. If re-elected, I will be heading there even more and continuing on important projects that will improve your academic experience.

• I will continue my research, alongside our SU Medway Coordinator, looking into the issues around the allocation of healthcare placements at CCCU, and working collaboratively with the University to see changes.

Visibility and Transparency

• I will make sure all four sabbatical officers are as visible as possible on the Canterbury campus each week, to ensure students have the opportunity to easily talk to us and raise any issues.
• I will work closely with Christ Church’s student media website, UNIfied, to keep students up to date on all things CCSU; what sabbatical officers have been up to, our plans for the future, different events and campaigns etc.

Events

• I will push for a larger variety of events at the Lounge and on campus to give students even more opportunities to meet new people and to have fun!
• This will include making sure the different events we put on are diverse and inclusive for all students at Christ Church.

And…

• I will continue to work with the University on the Closing Our Gap project, looking at reducing the awarding gap between white students and black students.
• Canterbury is an expensive place to live and, with the rising cost of living, being a student in this city will become even more of a struggle. I will work with the University and the local council to look at what can be done to support students.
• The climate crisis effects every single one of us and I will continue to work alongside the University and with the Students’ Union to continue our collaborative push to be as sustainable and energy efficient as possible.    
• The Careers and Enterprise Hub at CCCU is fantastic, helping students with everything from CV writing to job application advice and I want make sure it is even more visible so that more students have access to it and use it. 

If you have any questions about any of my manifesto points (or want to know more!) then please don’t hesitate and get in touch with me by emailing danielbichener@gmail.com!

Thank you!