Jared Spencer is running to be UoN’s Students’ Union BME Officer for the 2020/21 academic year. Impact caught up with Jared to ask him a few questions.
Why do you want to be the BME Officer? What are your motivations?
This past year I had the privileged of working closely with the BME Network as the president of One Heritage Society. I saw first hand how incredibly diverse our student body and how they positively impact student life at UoN. I made the decision to run because although we’ve made great progress we still have so much work to do ensure that every BME student from every ethnic background feels comfortable at Nottingham to share their culture and interact with others.
What, in your eyes, are the current problem?
I think unfortunately there’s a level of ignorance surrounding BME countries and cultures in the UK. We are not from 3rd world, war stricken, underdeveloped places as it is often perceived rather we are from some of the most culturally rich and prosperous countries in the world and I want to tell that story. I will say there is a willingness to learn amongst the student body though so I have a lot of hope.
“I think unfortunately there’s a level of ignorance surrounding BME countries and cultures in the UK.”
How will the BME scholarship be carried out? In what way will this aid BME students in the community?
Great Question! In my 3 years at notts I’ve seen them tout their love for equality, diversity and inclusion and their willingness to engage my community. However we can no loner wait for the administration to recognise the importance of diversity at The University of Nottingham we must begin to enact positive change ourselves. That’s why the scholarship will be student led with a 1 pound donation with every sign up to the network. The EDI committee which compromises of staff and professors will decide on the deserving candidate. Student-led change is the most powerful type of change there is on a university campus and I know if you give UoN students a platform to give and enact that change they will wholeheartedly.
Voting in the 2020 SU Election closes at 3pm on Monday 11th May.
You can read Jared’s manifesto here.The link to vote for the 2020 Student Union candidates is here.
Safa Shahid
Featured image courtesy of Nina Sasha.
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