Re-elect Mahamed for a strong, campaigning union.

Hi all, I'm Mahamed Abdullahi, VP Welfare and Community at KCLSU and the first postgraduate student in a full time role in 5 years.
It has been a honour and a privilege to represent you all over the past year and I hope to continue to do this in a different role. This role was introduced as I fought to create it and respond to the call from the postgraduate community for a dedicated role and the amount of candidates running is heartening and a testament to its need.
Re-elect me, if you want a union that challenges staff on student sexual harrassment, that centres the most vulnerable/marginalised, that not only fights for GTA pay but to train and unionise them, that wants a liberated curriculum but also a reimagining of the structures of the university itself. A university where cleaners are paid the living wage and that doesn't invest in arms and fossil fuels. Another university is possible and I hope to continue the great collaborative work of students to make this university a better space for us all.
This year I hope to:
- Tackle the postgraduate attainment gap for BME students and increase participation at PGR level
- Combat sexual harrassment/violence particularly staff on student at PGR level. I aim to work closely with the 1752 group and other stakeholders/groups.
- Support the GTA pay campaign - improve training of GTAs and unionise them.
- Increase postgraduate study space
- Scrap postgraduate course deposits and introduce termly fee installments so economically disadvangtaged students/students of faith are able to access education
- Support student parents and carers - I hope to fight for subsidised childcare and spread awareness of caring responsibilities at an institutional level. Flexible assessments and extensions for those with caring responsibilities.
- Fight for better mental health provisions - to continue to push the institution to adopt a counsellor to student ratio of around that is proprotional to the student body to cut waiting times for counselling services.
- Secure divestment from fossil fuels and arms companies
- Increase hardship funds and scholarships for all students
- Ensure an accessible campus (and accesible accomodation) for disabled students with a focus on Strand, Waterloo, Guy's, Denmark Hill.
- Reform services available to international students and to protest fee increases for international students
Achievements to date:
- Pushed the university to develop a mental health policy, and to create an institution wide strategy to mental health and map the existing services.
- Stopped fees being increased for continuing students via the KLCSU freeze the fees campaign and opposed TEF.
- Lead officer on college’s sanctuary program work - I pushed for increased support for Syrian refugees, scholarships and adopting the equal access pledge.
- It Stops Here- lobbied MPs to ratify the Istanbul convention and led a delegation to the Yarl's wood demonstration.
- Championed right to protest - given arrestee support to student actvists, challenged the university on surveillence/policing of protest on campus
- Liberating the union project - secured and embedded an institutional commitment from kclsu to tackling oppression
- Preventing prevent - refused to sit on prevent working group/stopped good campus relations working group from reporting into it
- I have worked closely with KCL Student Action for Refugees (refugee outreach), Demilitarise King's and Justice for Cleaners.
- Organised work experience for refugee students.
- Worked with residences to develop affordable accomodation for those most in need.
- Supported the November 19th demo - no fees, no cuts, no debt!



