Have your say on the priorities that matter most to you

In December, students from across the University came together at the first Student Assembly to talk honestly about their experiences. Alongside the insight we've been gathering over the first semester, those conversations helped identify six key areas that students are facing right now.

We are now asking you to help decide what the Students' Union should focus on next and what priorities we move forward with in the New Era.

Voting runs from 12th January to 31st January

What you are voting on:

Based on student discussions, six priority areas were identified:

  • Cost of living and studying
  • Access and disability support
  • Placements
  • Facilities
  • Teaching
  • Timetabling

Your vote will help narrow these down to three priorities that will shape the Students' Union's campaigning and influence work.

All priorities remain important. However, the top three will be the focus of the SU’s available resources, while the remaining three can continue to move forward with the support and involvement of students.

Your stories matter

Voting is only part of the process. The comments section of our voting system is just as important

We want to hear:

  • What your experience has been
  • How these issues affect you day to day
  • What you think needs to change
  • Any ideas or solutions you would like the University or Students' Union to explore

Comments are anonymous to other students, but staff can see who has written them so we can offer support if needed.

Once you've voted, share this with your coursemates and communities.

What happens next

Once voting closes on 31st January, the top three priorities will be confirmed.

Thank you for taking the time to vote and share your story.

If you have any questions, contact us at suinformation@lancashire.ac.uk or message us on social media @lancashire_su

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  • 46 up votes 0 down votes
    46 voters

    Theme: Access

    Submitted 1 month ago by Steph Lomas
    Current
      5comments

      Theme: Access

       

      We've been listening to Students, and we shared this listening at the assembly…

      “Insufficient Halal food on campus, Oasis centre doesn’t open early enough for morning prayers.”

      “Use preferred name across all university systems… fund gender affirming items… rainbow lanyards.”

      “My note takers just don’t turn up. I’m exhausted having to advocate for myself every week.”

      “It’s university policy to have subtitles, but none of the videos in my classes have them.”

      “The card scanner to enter Livesey House is positioned at the top of a steep ramp, preventing wheelchair users from accessing the building independently.”

      “Students with accessibility needs struggle to take notes when slides are not released before teaching sessions.”

       

      At the assembly, we heard powerful stories from students about the challenges they faced with:

      Student 1 – Disabled Student, Mature Student

      Fire alarms across buildings do not have visual alarm signals, which is essential and required in order to ensure disabled students can safely perceive alarms and evacuate accordingly. There is a lack of provisions given to disabled students. They feel like previous calls and pleas related to disabled student support are not being answered appropriately by the university.

      Student 2 – Second Year Physics Student

      Accessibility inquiries and feedback are not being respected and responded to in a timely manner by the university.

      Student 3 – Deaf Student

      Deaf students are experiencing barriers, for example, not having an interpreter. They have experienced that the interpreter was not booked for them appropriately, despite requests. Repeated enquiries and complaints have not been answered. As a BSL user, they feel like their rights are often overlooked. Additionally, it is unclear who is responsible for providing them with interpreters and note takers, and therefore, they do not know who to turn to and who to hold responsible. Prohibiting them from achieving and attaining their degree.

      Student 4 – Third Year Student in Nursing and Midwifery

      Lecturers have not provided lecture slides due to concerns about attendance. However, this student struggles with this, as they need to understand the course content, and being able to go through lecture slides at their own pace helps with this. They are feeling overlooked and mistreated due to this and argue that providing lecture slides would not only benefit them as a disabled student but also the wider student community.

       

      We can see from this insight that students are experiencing issues with:

      • Accessibility of buildings and campus spaces
      • Access to teaching materials, including slides and subtitles
      • Reliability of reasonable adjustments, such as note takers and interpreters
      • Timeliness and clarity of communication around accessibility support
      • Safety and emergency provision for disabled students
      • Inclusion of students’ identity, faith, and preferred names across university systems and facilities.

      (These examples come directly from student stories and listening sessions. They are shared as insight to inform how you might vote on the future priorities of the Union. Following this vote, we will bring together those students interested in progressing work and taking action on the priorities to decide the issues and next steps.)

       

    2:05pm on 13 Jan 26 The gym opens far too late, I know many people who say it should be earlier so they can go before classes.
    9:34am on 15 Jan 26 We will always advocate for more accessibility!!!!
    10:21am on 15 Jan 26 The fact that we have Disabled Students having to beg for access - blows my mind! If we can't access education - what are we paying for?
    1:57pm on 19 Jan 26 The University still has quite a long way to go to get ontop of this. The amount of adjustments I've got personally that I had when I was in BA and simply weren't enforced or were a struggle to get enforced suggests that element of the system has its problems Alongside that, access related concerns still remain that aren't addressed or at times have instead been made worse. There's also talk of Block teaching and with respect, we need to hear more about it and what's intended with it. With what's gotten out so far, it feels remarkably like that while it looks good on the face that there are issues with it that are going to quite negatively effect disabled students on certain courses. We need desperately to know what's going on with that. Also if it is going to do what's being suggested, then the Union should really be approaching this matter in a Student first approach to assist the disabled community in advocating for themselves and making sure that the university is more fully aware of the true nature of the effect of their impending decisions on courses and especially on the students (disabled or otherwise but I'm especially focusing on disabled students) so they may proceed with a more full understanding of all that's occurred. We need to get better at access, not worse. I can personally speak to standards having dropped relating to contact about accessibility since I've been here, especially since the university transitioned to a one helpline/call line model where all calls are filtered through Student Support. The amount of data that disabled students are now expected to share with people without clear indication of the training they have or anything like that to justify things enough to be allowed to be put through to the Inclusive support department beggars belief. What does more so for me is when Student Support turns away calls seeking that assistance and tries to insist all go through email or that some matter needs to go through email when in point of fact, they aren't qualified to make that assessment. I know from personal experience also that Student Support needs to be approached to adopt a code of approach to such matters if the university remains set on this that is Access minded, disability conscious and maintains the standard of the university when it comes to customer contact. This is something the Union should play a part in the discussion of to advocate for the student body and to in the case of the Disabled student element of the body to also aid us in obtaining the access to education we should have. You're the Students Union. Access to education should be a core part of what you do especially with this current situation where it remains that students are having to beg and fight for access. It shouldn't be the case. This university, while it might have departed from its UCLAN brand identify which was well known for its efforts to further improve its record on disability and access (even if it didn't always get there), is still the same university it was. The Union should be there to have a voice for the students and to help take things to the point where we don't have a single person reporting that students are having to beg for access because nobody needs to anymore cause they're getting it. Until Access excellence is a core to the approach of the SU and the University, Until the university gets it right and even then, there will always be advocating for more accessibility. Lets get it right and get it to the point where its a 'this is good, here's how we might approve it' and not, we're begging you to do what you promised and students having to battle to get what they as disabled students need to be able to get the experience their able fellows have. This should not be a principle for vote. This should be core to your policy. Please consider that. Please consider that, as the Union, you are one of the core players in pushing for access to get where it should be. It's not there yet. Is it going to have to be disabled students on panels and others doing this alone while your priorities are elsewhere or are you going to be a part of this? Cause when I leave this year the university that I've loved for years has gotten to the point that I'm seriously considering an alternative place to do a PHD at and that makes me sad. I fought for my rights and for my health through High school. I'm sorry to say that I've had to fight and beg here too.
    2:30pm on 19 Jan 26 Accessibility is a RIGHTS matter. NOT one for this. Be democratic yes approach things in that way YES but THIS. THIS is a RIGHT. We shouldn't be in a world where even ONE student has to approach this without the SU backing them up! We shouldn't be in a world where even ONE student is excluded from a trip on unjustifiable disability grounds. UNTIL we're nolonger in that world, THIS should be a CORE belief of the Union that Equal access for ALL is not some principle for a voting banner but is part of what the Union is here for students FOR. To be there, so nobody is begging nobody is FIGHTING alone. And that isn't the case yet. Don't reach out to me. I'm on the disability panel. With respect I'm doing this one on my own. I tried your advice service, it left me feeling unable to pursue a issue further. That issue is now almost a year behind me but still. Now I'm doing this my way, providing reasoned and respectful critical feedback on issues to further the Uni's move to draw more in line with the disability commitment, as has been asked. But the Disability Forum shouldn't be alone in that purpose. Yes we're paid to do that, but still. I wish you all the best with this vote. I just note what you've included. I respect what you're trying to do here, but consider the examples you've put forward here. Consider them and consider what I hope I've clearly highlighted. Hope you don't mind the caps but well, I feel very strongly about this issue. I'm sure you're doing alot behind the scenes on this matter but please. Consider how this looks, with consideration to the examples you've put. I'm sure you didn't intend this as such but, as the Students Union I'm afraid that's a consideration that has to be made. Also, have a brilliant day and if you've read through the massive block of text I put (as it deleted all my formatting to make it more readable, sorry!) thank you for your time.

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