VP Welfare & Community

Lottie James

About Me

Hi! I am Lottie (she/they), and I am your Vice President of Welfare and Community for the 2024/25 academic year. Before starting my second term as a Sabbatical Officer, I studied for a BSc in Education with a minor in Creative Writing. I am a mature student and have spent the last nine years studying or working in education, with roles in further and higher education, as well as union groups. I have completed several representative roles during my undergraduate and founded and presided over the Pagan and Witchcraft Society.

My passion for inclusion and ensuring everyone gets a fair, accessible and good quality education has driven me to run for Sabbatical Officer positions. My focus this year is on improving the sense of community and belonging for LGBTQ+ students, ensuring that neurodivergent and disabled students feel represented, ensuring that students from all campuses feel part of the university community, and advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion within SUSU – including staff, clubs, and societies. However, there is much more to my manifesto, and I am currently exploring more projects that support the student experience based on your feedback through SUSU surveys.

What do you do as VP Welfare & Community?

I attend the University and Union meetings regarding equity, diversity and inclusion, and meet with other teams to ensure that inclusion and accessibility are included in all of their plans. While the role is quite vague, I represent underrepresented students, support liberation campaigns (including mental health), and work to ensure that the University and Union are suitable for everyone.

I work in the Advice Centre and work with the advisers to ensure that what affects you the most, I’m working on. While I do not get involved in cases, and your information is completely confidential, the advisers may share topics that I can then work on which is also backed up by student survey data. I also look after our six Liberation Officers (BAME, Disabilities, International, LGBTQ+, Wellbeing and Women’s) and support their campaigns throughout the year.

What I’m working on:

LGBTQ+ students sense of community and belonging.
Neurodivergent and disabled student representation.
From Halls to Homes, and post-graduation transitions.
Halls life, access to sports, and community work.
City safety and inclusive facilities.
Friendship-making events, inclusion within clubs and societies, and accessible events.

This list changes! You can view all of my updates on the ‘Updates’ tab.