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Meet the Sabbs: 2013-14

The Students' Union Sabbatical Officers, the 'Sabbs', for 2013-2014 took up their new roles on 1 August and are now making preparations for the year ahead.

Earlier this year they were elected by the student body to run and develop Warwick Students' Union and associated activities.

Here, we introduce them to the University community:

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Ben Sundell: Students' Union President


Ben is the Student Union President this year. He graduated in 2012 with a degree in Politics and Sociology and is now in his second year as a Sabbatical Officer, having previously been the Welfare and Campaigns Officer last year. Ben has loved his time being involved in the SU and is passionate about developing students and the local area.

Ben is the lead student representative at the Union, to the University and externally, and is here to make sure that the student voice is heard at every possible chance. Ben’s priorities this year are to push to get all your lectures recorded so that you can listen to them again, to increase the work we do in the local community through volunteering projects, and to further develop the University and SU's Widening Participation Agendas.

Cosmo March: Democracy and Development Officer


Cosmo graduated in 2012 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Since then he has served as the Democracy and Development Officer, having recently been re-elected for a second year in office.

During his three years at Warwick, Cosmo was involved in the University’s Ski and Snowboard club, representing Warwick on a national level at ski races and organising trips to the Alps for hundreds of students twice a year. Alongside this, Cosmo was also the President of the PPE Society, played Lacrosse and worked as a Team Leader in The Copper Rooms.

Cosmo’s constant involvement with the SU inspired him to run for an Officer position. Having previously worked for the Union’s commercial services, part of his job now is to oversee the running of this department as well as the Union’s finances. His role has also been extended to ensuring that the SU’s democratic structures are fair, representative and effective.

 

Erin Davies – Education Officer


Erin is this year’s Education Officer at the SU, having studied Law and Sociology for the past four years. Throughout her time at Warwick she was very involved in all aspects of student life, joining multiple societies and sports clubs. She was also very active within the Students’ Union, being the Undergraduate Social Sciences Representative for two years and the Chair of Student Council in her final year.

As Education Officer she is tasked with representing students on all academic issues. She is also responsible for coordinating the Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) systems and sits on a number of University committees and working groups, ensuring that students’ views and opinions are heard by the right people.

This year, Erin aims to increase the amount of lectures being recorded, ensure continuing quality of feedback and contact hours, and champion students as partners in learning. She is very keen to enhance the SSLC training and incorporate this into Education Convention. Erin is also extremely eager to meet as many students as possible, and will be very visible around campus this year.

Lucy Gill – Postgraduate Officer


Lucy is the Postgraduate Officer this year. She graduated in July 2012 with a degree in History, then continued on to complete a taught Masters in the same department, focusing on early modern history. Lucy became involved in the SU by working on last year’s Social Enterprise Project. She was also an SSLC Rep, worked at SUHQ Reception and helped to organise the History Postgraduate Conference.

As Postgraduate Officer, Lucy represents students completing both Masters degrees and PhD research. She chairs the Postgraduate Association (the Union’s representative body for Postgraduates), sits on a number of University committees dealing with academic concerns and helps to co-ordinate welfare and social provision for postgraduate students.

Lucy’s main objectives for the year include improving social space and provision for Postgraduates, increasing support and training for postgraduate students who teach, and campaigning on postgraduate funding. She will also be supporting the work of the Postgraduate Hub and the Wolfson Research Exchange.

Ant Scott – Societies Officer


Ant is this year’s Societies Officer at the SU, having graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. In his second term at Warwick he was elected as the President of the Raising and Giving (RAG) society, and during his year in office his team managed to triple the University fundraising record, raising over £300,000 for a range of local, national and international charities. Since then he was elected as the Chair of the Societies Committee managing the emergency budget given out to societies, and working closely alongside last year’s Societies Officer, Silkie Cragg. He has also worked as a Team Leader in The Bread Oven and Curiositea.
 
Ant’s main priorities for the year ahead will be encouraging collaboration between society execs so that it is easier to share the burden of putting on large events. He will also be working hard to try to increase the space available for performance societies to rehearse in, and will be working closely alongside Ben to provide social action projects to help transform the local communities that our students live in.

Zoe Buckland – Sports Officer


Zoë is the Sports Officer, having recently graduated with a degree in Mathematics. Over the last three years Zoë has been involved in many different sports, primarily Rowing and Kickboxing. She coxed the Senior Women’s Squad in her second year and was elected President of Kickboxing, as well as Martial Arts Representative on the Sports Committee. She’s also helped coordinate the EY Football Leagues and various charity events throughout her time at Warwick.#
As Sports Officer, Zoë is the face of sport on campus. She is responsible for supporting the Sports Clubs and ensuring there is a collaborative relationship between the students, Warwick Sport and the Students' Union. She also takes the lead role in organising the big sporting events of the year, including Varsity and the Sports Ball.
 
Her primary aims for the year are improving Exec handover, introducing online booking systems and a more user-friendly website, as well as improving the coverage and promotion of sport on campus and getting more people on campus active and participating in sport than ever before.

Cat Turhan - Welfare and Campaigns Officer


Cat has recently graduated from Warwick with a degree in Classics. During her time here, Cat represented the union both academically, as the secretary of her SSLC, and democratically as a third year councillor. She was heavily involved in many societies, and held the positions of treasurer of Radio Warwick (RaW), and marketing co-ordinator of both Freshblood Theatre and the Shakespeare Society. She was also an active member of both the University’s ski and snowboard club and the Surf club. However, she considers her greatest achievement to date her role in founding both ‘Shoot From the Lip’ (a project encouraging young people to write and perform poetry), and ‘I am Woman, hear me roar’ (a programme teaching young women in schools the importance of feminism).

Cat’s role this year is to offer support if things don’t go to plan. She can assist with accommodation problems, how to have a safe and happy time on a year abroad, and developing a positive relationship with your community. She is also responsible for facilitating student activism in the SU, University and beyond through a number of campaigns during the year.

Her main priorities in the year are to increase awareness of issues surrounding student mental and sexual health, and to ensure the union provides adequate support and opportunities for international students. She also hopes to nurture and reinvigorate the liberation campaigns (Disabled, Ethnic Minorities, LGBTUA+ and women’s movement) though adequate training and resourcing.


You can keep up to date with the Sabbs through their blogs on the SU website