This coming week sees a fresh influx of students arriving in Belfast for the next stage of their university life
This coming week sees a fresh influx of students arriving in Belfast to either start or resume the next stage of their education journey at university.
Among those preparing to welcome new and returning faces to Queen’s University is Amy Smith, the Students’ Union President this year.
Amy, 23 and from Derry, served as Postgraduate Education Officer last year and says she “enjoyed every second” of making a difference for the university’s current and prospective students. She studied a Bachelors of Arts degree in Drama and English, graduating in 2023 and is currently working towards a Master’s in Arts Management.
READ MORE: ‘Help my disabled son get to university’: Mum’s heartbreaking plea as transport woes risk degree dreamREAD MORE: Queen’s University Belfast reopens Body Donation Programme
In March of this year, she was elected as President of the Students’ Union, taking up the role in July while also becoming a member of the University Senate. She has sat on the Executive Management Committee of the Students’ Union for a year and is a Member of the Union’s Management Board.
Amy spoke to Belfast Live ahead of Freshers Fair about making the most of her own time at Queen’s and how it’s shaped her for the big year ahead.
She said: “I’ve been involved in all things Students’ Union since working in operations and the reception desk so it’s exciting to take on this role and ensure more representation for the students here at Queen’s. I started at Queen’s in 2020 during the pandemic which was an interesting time. Obviously I hadn’t been to university before so I didn’t really know what to expect but I quickly got involved in SU activities and joined clubs and societies.
“I loved every second of my time at university and the Student’s Union has been the heart of my experience. I’ve been an active member of Queen’s Knights Cheerleaders and Queen’s Musical Theatre Society since my first year, taking up roles such as Treasurer in 22/23 and also President in 23/24.
“I was definitely one of those people that got immediately stuck into university life. It’s really the only way to sort of meet people and be part of uni life. I’ve met some of my closest friends through clubs and societies. I think it’s a great way as well to keep your mind not just on academics because university life is more than that.
“It’s important that everyone gets involved by coming along to Freshers’ events this week. It’s the best way to join clubs and societies and get to know about things that are happening in the university. We’ve got quite a good line-up of events for our students this year and again it’s another way to meet people in your course, but also people outside of your course who may have the same interests but don’t do that course.
“I definitely think my university life wouldn’t have been the same without the Students’ Union. It’s about getting in and getting involved and whether that’s clubs or societies or even just going for a drink in the bar, you’re still connecting with your union and getting involved that way.
“But there are many things within the union, not just clubs and societies. There’s also volunteering where you can offer your time one off or you can do a programme of that as well as SU Enterprise and also SU voice. Being a school rep or course rep is one of the main ways you can get you involved in the student activism side of things while also just being a voice for your classmates. It’s really up to you to make the most of your opportunity.”
In her new role as Students’ Union President, some priority projects Amy hopes to work on for the upcoming year are cost of living and mental health; support for students taking on placement years/modules and Academic Assessment Reform.
She explained: “Some of our team priorities include cost of living support where we’ve got our pantry, which offers free food basically. You can come in twice a week and take things from different sections. You’ve got pastas and all dried goods, seasonings, sanitary products, toilet roll, anything that students might need. All they need is their student card and containers. We gave out a lot of free meals as well to our students last year and hopefully we’ll be able to retain that this year as well.
“We also have our swap shop that opened last year, which is basically like a charity shop, but instead of paying for things, you bring in something to swap. Maybe you have an old jumper and you want to exchange or just really freshen up your wardrobe – that’s also part of our sustainability goal.
“The cost of living crisis is having major impacts on our students travelling to and from mandatory placements, with students struggling even further without the support of a part time job. Our students shouldn’t have to struggle their way through finances just to have the access to their education that most are already in debt for.”
Amy is also keen to stress that Queen’s Students’ Union isn’t just for undergraduates: “Well-being and inclusivity is also one of our priorities around getting people involved in clubs and societies, specifically post grads. Because of my involvement with many clubs and societies over the years, it is extremely apparent that there is a severe lack of postgraduate students that get involved. I think there’s a stigma around post grads not thinking that they can join those clubs and societies.
“There are many reasons for this including ‘feeling out of place’ also post-grad students not knowing that they were eligible to be a part of a club or society. They can also often see that as just something for freshers when really we want to be bringing more students into different aspects of the union.”
Turning to Academic Assessment Reform, Amy added: “After working in education last year, it became clear that the assessment burden has a severe effect on the mental health of students. They are currently balancing their student life, classes, part time jobs and involvement in the SU, whilst also being assessed in sporadic and heavy loads.
“I will be using that knowledge from years previous to fight for a lighter assessment load for students that will in the long run have a more positive impact on their graduate outcomes.
“The mental health of our students continues to be the top priority for me and it remains as one of the main issues students face as a result of the many burdens that come with university life, such as assessments and cost of living have such a negative impact on our students mentally.
“Student mental health is the heart and soul of issues we have yet to conquer so I want to invest and expand in the services provided in the SU, such as growing the club and societies services, encouraging more students to volunteer and improve visibility of the opportunities offered in enterprise and voice.”
Ahead of the new academic year, Amy has this message for QUB students: “To new students, I would definitely say just get involved with everything that you possibly can. It’s a great way to meet other like-minded students. As I said earlier your university life is far more than just your academics that you’re studying. Whilst that is very important, it’s also important that you have fun with your experience.
“To returning students, I would say don’t be a stranger to the union. Even if you didn’t engage in previous years, it’s never too late. There’s lots of things that you can get involved in, especially as a returner, where your opinion and outlooks would be valued a lot because of you having experienced it before and bringing that forward to your student officers.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
#opportunity #Queens #Students #Union #President #message #term #begins
