Union President

Hi, I’m Joe, the current CCSU Union President. This year, I’m running for re-election to continue the great work that the rest of the CCSU team and I have started this year. I feel really passionate about the CCCU community. It’s one of the main things that drew me to this university in the first place, and I think a focus on making sure all of our students feel seen, heard, and valued is one of the most important things we can do as a university.

I want to continue in my current goal to get a student bar somewhere on campus, hopefully, in the space that is currently the SCR (below the canteen). This process has been going well, and hopefully sometime next year we can finalise the establishment of a student bar/cafe. This year, I have put on several community events. I would love to continue these next year. These include the first CCSU bonfire night, the Christmas Market in the SU, the Spring Celebration, and the upcoming Summer Fete. I think these events could be really positive for a lot of students, acting as a marker in the year and allowing for the chance to reset and make some new connections. Next year I plan to give some more opportunities for new students to meet each other and establish friendships early on. Loneliness at university is an increasing issue and making sure people can set up support networks as soon as possible would be a great first step in helping with this. I want to continue supporting students on placement courses, providing free breakfasts and spaces for them to talk with the placement team and try to resolve any issues they’re facing. Furthermore, commuter students are frequently overlooked despite making up a large percentage of our student population. I hope to give them more space on campus to relax when the option to quickly go home is not available.

As the Union President from 25/26, I already have a year of experience in the role. This gave me time to learn and develop the necessary skills for the job, and make sure I’m in the perfect position for the role this year! This has included all the responsibilities of a Union President, but crucially also the time to familiarise myself with the role, understand the most effective methods for change, and move into my second year with a more comprehensive idea of how to help the student body as much as possible. While I was studying, I was VP of the Dungeons & Dragons society, Treasurer of Musical Theatre, and a member of the Men’s Rugby Team. This gave me a wide experience of what CCCU has to offer and has helped me make sure as many students as possible are being positively impacted by our campaigns. I think the feeling of belonging that sports and societies give us all is vital, and I hope to share that feeling with as many people as possible.