Passed: May 2022 (10th)

What do you want? / Why do you want it? 

While the university has a wide range of funds and support options available for students struggling with the increased cost of living – particularly the cost of food and groceries – I believe that these are not readily accessible or visible to the students who need them. During my PhD research I have conducted 60 interviews with 20 low-income students across the 2020-2021 academic year, and none of the disadvantaged students I spoke to made mention of any support options that might have been available to them. This suggests that the existing support is not being used by the very people it is designed for – if students don’t know or can’t access these things, they go unused and students go unsupported.

This being the case, I argue that there is a need to improve visibility of what support there is available – helping to ensure that students know the ‘where, what, and how’ of support. Secondly, making these avenues of support more easily accessible would help as well – online forms and questionnaires can be a stressful experience for students already struggling, so making the process easier would go a long way towards improving student outcomes.