My name is Nima Mudey. I’m a final year BA Japanese and Korean student. In the last few months I have gotten involved with Decolonising SOAS and firmly believed this is something that needs to be further developed within the school and beyond.
My manifesto is simple. I want to ensure that students across the board particularly those of marginalised groups are seen and heard. That their issues aren’t just used as a talking point but are actively addressed openly and transparently.
Decolonising
This cannot simply be relegated to a working group and a buzzword for SOAS to tick off to show that they are ‘progressive’. It needs to be front and centre in the future of the institution and actively needs involvement not just from the student union but students across the board. I hope to get students together to raise awareness collectively and deconstruct the problematic history of SOAS.
BME Attainment Gap
The BME attainment gap is an issue that cannot be allowed to continue especially at an institution like SOAS which prides itself on the diverse makeup of its students. BME students aren’t here just to be tokens used as promotional tools.
Bursaries
It has recently come to light that the university has been withholding bursaries from eligible students. I will fight to make sure that this does not continue and that students who were eligible in past years are backdated for any fees owed them. SOAS needs to be transparent about the support it has available for students.
Support
University has many challenges for students from all kinds of backgrounds particularly those from marginalised groups. I hope to ensure not only that support is freely available but that it takes into account our various backgrounds in the availability of treatment given out. That faith, gender and ethnicity plays a large part in how we approach mental health and the university itself takes into account that when considering extenuating circumstances. This is something I feel passionately about and will try my best to fight for.
Thank you for reading. :)