It’s Pinky (she/her), your Welfare Officer, writing to you for the last time. Here are a few of my highlights from the last two years! 

• Battling Covid with an iconic officer team – Dylan, Eleanor, Yasmeen and I have fought UAL to expand the Hardship Fund, establish No Detriment, finish its Anti-Racism Action Plan, and do an EDI investigation into its Vice Chancellor recruitment process… 

• Representing international students, committing the SU to covering visa costs for full-time international officers! 

• Ensuring the Hardship Fund is available to international students! 

• Negotiating for new bursaries for EU students post-Brexit!  

• Partnering with immigration law firm Connaughts to provide free visa advice for students 

• Successfully lobbying for permanent self-certified Extenuating Circumstances !! 

• Establishing the Step Up scheme with Rethink Mental Illness, training students to become paid workshop creators! (Plus the online zine about Coping During Covid.) 

• Pushing for extended counselling hours and investment in more mental health professionals! 

• Successfully lobbying for consent training to be adapted online ! 

• Persuading UAL Student Services to take sex worker awareness training, delivered by the organisation SWARM! 

Congrats to every student for surviving this year, and thank you for working with me and the SU to make UAL a better place!