Catching Up With Our Student Officers

Whilst our beloved Guild building may be closed, that hasn’t stopped our student officers from working hard to represent our interests from home! In a socially distanced interview (covered from all points of the country!), I managed to catch up with 3 of our 4 officers, Adnan, Dylan, and Hannah, to discuss and reflect on what the past year has meant to them!

First things first, how has lockdown been treating you all? 

Adnan –  “Lockdown has made me realise how much I miss being on campus! I am missing normal life but it’s the situation the whole world is in and one where we have to go through it together. An upside is that I’ve been able to catch up with friends and family virtually, which makes the days better.”

Dylan – “I think like most people, there are ups and downs. I certainly haven’t learnt all the skills I was promised I’d gain during the lockdown! But generally I’m feeling good actually, all my housemates are here and work is keeping me sane and busy.”

Hannah – “I’ve been ok! I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months – I feel like I have adjusted to living to everything really quickly and can’t imagine what it’ll be like to return to ‘normal’. I am very privileged to be able to work from home and I have a comfortable home environment and lovely housemates to make lockdown bearable.”

Are you bingeing or listening to anything interesting?

Adnan – “I was watching Sunderland ’till I Die – an interesting watch to say the least! I do feel for the fans of Sunderland.”  

Dylan – “I’ve binged a few old TV shows I missed originally: Line of Duty and The Missing. I’ve also been listening to Louis Theroux’s new podcast on BBC Sounds as well as my daily dose of Novara Media to keep me up to date with everything.”

Hannah – “I just finished watching Broad City and I think it’s my new favourite show – I live for Ilana’s chaotic energy! I’ve been listening to a lot of Matt Maltese recently.”

If you could sum up the past year working at the Guild in one sentence, what would it be?

Adnan – “It’s been a year of turning troughs into peaks, ready for the next year!” 

Dylan – “A huge and winding learning curve.”

Hannah – “As a second year officer I can tell you that no year is the same.”

If you could describe each other in one word what would it be?

Adnan – “Dylan: Sarcastic, Jodie: Great, Hannah: Brainy” 

Dylan – “Adnan: Funny, Jodie: partner-in-crime, Hannah: Wise”

Hannah – “Adnan: Dad jokes, Dylan: Greggs sausage rolls, Jodie: Cats”

What do you all miss the most from the Guild, and in particular your office space?

Adnan – “The Sphinx, and my Aston Villa mug.”

Dylan – “Hash browns and hash browns”

Hannah – “I miss the Courtyard hashbrowns – so cheap and delicious! In terms of the office, I miss my poor plant which is probably struggling after 2 months of neglect.”

Recently, we have seen you collaborate with Liverpool John Moores SU and Liverpool Hope SU, in order to combat the student rent crisis, what has that been like? 

Adnan – “It’s been really great to link up with Julia and Haris at their respective SUs. I think they’re both great President’s and wish them all the best in whatever they do once their term ends this year.” 

Dylan – “Yeah it’s been exciting to finally start cross-city organising. It’s something that we’ve wanted to do all year but haven’t been able to find a unifying issue but COVID has provided just that.” 

Hannah – “It’s been good, yeah. Existing student housing issues have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and it’s important that we joined efforts for this campaign.”

What advice would you give UoL students who are trying to adapt to working from home? 

Adnan – ” Find the time to effectively unwind and relax, whatever that may be. Everyone needs that ‘me’ time so they can work as best as possible. If possible keep your weekends free from any work!” 

Dylan – “Try to stay healthy and keep a routine. Everyone’s going to have bad days where it all gets too much but it’s ok to just accept them and start again the next day. Oh and make lists, lots of lists!” 

Hannah – “I find it so hard to get out of a rut once I’m in it. I can easily not leave the house for days but going for a walk round Sefton Park makes me feel loads better, especially with the lovely weather we’ve been having recently.”

Adnan, as president-elect for another year, what are you most excited about for the next academic year and what are your key priorities?                                                

Adnan – “I am excited to return to campus when it is safe to do so. I am also eager to work with the new team, it’s great to see Harm Reduction on a fellow officer-elects manifesto so will be great to further develop the campaign. My other key priorities will be to improve disability support in creating an improved fluctuating conditions policy, to obtain MyTickets for students, make washing affordable for first year students and securing an alternative Gym subscription model that removes the financial barriers to sport and physical activity. Finally, I would like to say a massive thank you to Dylan, Hannah and Jodie for all of their hard work this year. They’ve been great colleagues to work with!” 

Finally, to our two departing officers; Dylan and Hannah; What has your Student Officer experience been like?

Dylan – “It’s been a fascinating experience. I’ve learnt a huge amount and I’m extremely grateful to everyone at the Guild who have been lovely and inspiring throughout.” 

Hannah – “It’s been both intensely good and bad at times! It’s no easy job and the learning curve is huge but I’ve grown in confidence so much since I started two years ago. A highlight has definitely been the Fossil Free campaign and securing a commitment from the University to divest from all fossil fuels by 2022.”

What will you miss the most about the role?

Dylan – “The people and leading campaigns on student issues.”

Hannah –  “I’ll miss being in a position where I have the support to do the work I really care about.”

Do you have any advice for our new Student Officers?

Dylan – “There is a lot to take in in one year so don’t be afraid to ask questions, you’ll often ask questions that someone else is thinking. Also, make lists…lots of them!” 

Hannah – “Remember the things that motivated you to run to be a student officer and make sure you keep working on them! It makes the less fun parts of the job easier.”

Want to know more?

If you want to know more about our officers and their work be sure to check out the Liverpool Guild of Students website!

Eager to meet your officers for 2020/21? Check out our election coverage to find our more!

Feature Image Credit; Liverpool Guild Instagram