#Warwick2016: Meet the Sabbatical Team

Did you know that President Luke Pilot is colour blind? Or that Nat Panda, Postgraduate Officer, once had a top score printed in Nintendo Official Magazine? As part of The Boar‘s Introduction to Warwick SU we asked the Sabbatical Team to introduce themselves to you – including fun facts!

Luke Pilot – President
I’m Luke Pilot, the President of your Students’ Union. I act as the outward face of the Union and the main liaison with the University, representing a diverse and international 25,000-strong population of students.

Last year I was the Welfare Officer, prioritising student wellbeing and campaigning. This year I will continue with a focus on wellbeing while making sure the University always acts in your best interests and challenging Government policy. SUs are inherently political bodies which can channel our collective strength into the student movement, which is so important given the challenges we face.

Fun facts: I have a black belt in Tae Kwon-Do and I’m colour blind.

Hope Worsdale – Education Officer
Hi! My name is Hope and I’m the SU Education Officer for the coming year. On a campus level, I represent students on all matters academic and strive to ensure that your interests and wellbeing are prioritised throughout your academic journey here at Warwick.

On a national level, I ensure that students are kept up-to-date about Higher Education policy, as well as facilitating and supporting campaigning around these issues. Some of my key priorities this year are cutting out hidden course costs, improving mental health support in the tutor system, and doing work around a liberated curriculum. ]

Fun fact about me: I can play guitar and drums, and I have an unhealthy obsession with cats.

Becky Gittins – Democracy and Development Officer
As your Democracy and Development Officer, I have a very varied role with huge remit (oo-er!). The democracy side of my job sees me run all of the All Student Meetings, SU Referenda and both sets of officer elections. My development remit concerns the SU outlets and making sure they run in your interests. 

My main priorities this year are to develop plans for a student-led eco-centre which will accommodate our many wonderful sustainability initiatives and has the potential to house Warwick Foodbank to combat food waste on campus; to push for a better and more flexible bus service, with the Swift Card being operated between Coventry and Leamington; finally, I’d like to spark a culture change around how you engage with union democracy, through implementing the feedback you gave in the 2014/15 democracy review, updating the website and communications to demystify the democratic processes and working damn hard to make sure you know how to get involved and make change in your union!

Fun fact: Up until I was around age 16, I had dreams of being an actress. I even played Audrey in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in high school….and I’m hoping those pictures never surface! I’m thinking that the huge picture of my face in the SU Atrium on a background of the ever-flattering ‘democracy orange’ is the next best thing to having my name up in lights!

Nat Panda – Postgraduate Officer
Hello! My name is Nat and I am your Postgraduate Officer and as such represent all postgraduates at Warwick. We have almost 10,000 postgrads studying at Warwick and they are a wonderfully diverse group of students.

My priorities are to get postgrads a better deal with their housing, fair teaching pay and conditions, better access to health services, a more liberated curriculum, extended widening participation support and much, much more. I’ll also be fighting against the government’s damaging Higher Education reforms, the government’s toxic Prevent agenda, and against the University’s injunction restricting students’ right to protest on campus.

A fun fact about me is that I once had a top score printed in Nintendo Official Magazine.

Chloe Wynne – Welfare and Campaigns Officer
My role as Welfare and Campaigns Officer involves directing and enacting policy related to the student experience at Warwick, and lobbying the relevant stakeholders to ensure everyone is suitably cared for in our community. My number one priority is to make real, tangible progress with the way in which sexual violence and harassment are dealt with in our community – largely related to referral and aftercare, but also involving work on prevention.

I want to launch an ‘Are You OK?’ mental health campaign that will make the topic a regular point of discussion in the academic year rather than a one-off. Each month will have its own theme, including events, resources and collaboration with the university! As well as my manifesto, a considerable portion of my time will also necessarily be dedicated to reactive case work as and when a student needs the SU’s support, so if you find yourself in a tricky spot get in touch with us.

Fun facts: I love mint hot chocolate; Marlon Brando is God; I went to the same school as Sir Ian McKellan; I was born without a thyroid gland.

Marissa Beatty – Societies Officer
Hello! I am Marissa – your Societies Officer for the year. My role is to oversee and support the 250+ student societies we have here at Warwick – from brand new societies just getting started all the way through to more established societies who are looking to grow and develop.

My aim for this year is to give all societies – no matter how big or small – the tools and resources they need to raise funds for, organise and promote their wide range of activities. I’m really keen to put societies on the map this year by launching an exciting campus-wide campaign called ‘Creative Warwick’ which will showcase all the incredible things Warwick societies get up to. The campaign will culminate in the first ever Warwick Fringe Festival taking place in Term 3.

Fun facts: I co-founded the Human Zoo Theatre Company in my gap year. As a child I ate 12 bowls of jelly in one sitting. Tom Hanks once told me to “keep on riding the system”.

Ted Crowson – Sports Officer
Hi, I’m Ted, your Sports Officer for this coming year. My role is to try and get everyone on campus involved in sport of some kind whilst you’re at Warwick; whether that’s cheering on #teamwarwick from the sidelines on a Wednesday afternoon or going for a kickabout on a Sunday evening – if it’s sport, I’m here to help you do it.

My main aim this year is to create a larger awareness and presence of sport here than ever before, from working with WTV to get live matches shown on screens around campus and halls, to building on the Sports Speaker Series and huge #teamwarwick campaign.

Fun facts: A crane once attacked me at a bird sanctuary in Cleethorpes, I can play the trumpet and I met DJ Casper at Butlins (I know, right!!!!!).