SU President – Amy Smith

My name is Amy Smith, currently the SU’s Postgraduate Education Officer. I did my undergrad in Drama and English, and started my Master’s in Arts Management, currently running for SU President.

“VOTE AMY #1 for President 25/26. I will support placement students with their financial struggles whilst reforming assessment ensuring our students get the most out of university opportunities. I will work on ongoing issues like cost of living and mental health, ensuring the continuation of mental health awareness around campus.”

How do you aim to help students in the midst of financial hardship?

I have a real passion for helping students and helping get student voices heard. I think the cost-of-living crisis at the minute is not just a crisis but a way of life for students at the minute. I hope to expand on the pantry and the SU Swap Shop, as well as other initiatives, beyond just free breakfast, free lunches and free meals in general. I just hope that students know that it’s not the norm to live relying on Pot Noodles; that’s not normal, and not something that should be normalised in society. It’s my goal to work against this.

What do you think isn’t been done by the SU leadership enough for students?

I think what a lot of what SU Presidents have done has been good work, with a lot of leadership within teams. I think we could delegate things, like having certain officers involved in certain things. Obviously we have officers in certain roles, but certain things slip through the crack. Just having those things nailed down, understanding what students need and want, and getting student feedback. More student engagement is something we need more in even our day-to-day life, fixing things like assessment, education things (education officers); I think there’s not enough time at the moment to engage with students on the front line, so that’s something we must work on.

What experience – in SU and general student involvement – can you bring to this role?

I’ve been involved with many societies at Queen’s. I’ve been the President and Treasurer of Queen’s Musical Theatre Society, as well as an active member of QUB Knight’s Cheerleaders, travelling across the UK for various competitions. The year before I started my role as PG Education Officer I worked in the operations team down at the reception desk, so I had a lot of interactions with students, understanding what they need, and what they want and expect from a university experience. From my work as PG Education Officer, it’s been great to see perspectives from across the university, from not only just staff members, but also academics – what they’re doing behind the scenes with students -, and really connecting with PG students, off the radar and so on. They sometimes feel like in the SU they don’t have a place – that it’s for freshers and undergrads. It’s my goal to reinforce the idea that it’s for them too.

What do you do in your free time?

I’m a performer so I do a lot of musical theatre; I’m actually performing at the Grand Opera House in the middle of the elections; a busy week!

In 5 words or less, what is your campaign about?

Helping students advocate for eachother.

You can read Amy’s manifesto here.

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