Leaving Speech

More or less as delivered to Guild Council on 14th June 2010

To me, this is a room and a building full of ghosts.

There was a time I could name almost everyone who sat in this room at Guild Council, and count lots of them amongst my friends, but being at Uni five years means you outlast a lot of those you started with and see a lot of people come and go. Students are so fleeting, and sabbs even more so. The student movement is in a constant and rapid state of flux, and this year has made me realise that more than ever.




When I started five short years ago here I lived in a hall that is now closed because it breached fire regulations; holding an RA bar crawl entitled “Chamberlain Chunderfest” was perfectly OK; it was not unusual for Guild Councils to last well past midnight; the Muirhead tower was pre-refurbishment and you entered it next to a rusted on sign apologising for the temporary scaffolding; the biggest political faction on Guild Council was probably the Paintball club; and the Guild contained two cafés, a games room and a record store; and you could smoke in Joe’s. So much has changed, and I can safely say that the Guild seems to be stronger now than I’ve ever seen it, thanks to the work of hundreds of great students and staff who have passed through it.



I won’t bore you with a life story, but for those of you who don't know me, I did a four year physics degree, and spent my first year living in the now condemned Chamberlain hall getting drunk and going to Snobs and Bar One lot. I only got involved in my second year here; I realised how much I was missing out on and joined the Labour Club. I sat down at my very first Labour event four years ago, next to the guy who quickly became one of my closest friends was later to turn out to be my predecessor in this job, Tom Marley, and before I knew it he’d convinced me to join the society committee and get onto Guild Council; the rest just happened from there. That curry was where I met Tom Guise for the first time and the Guild Council the next week I met Fab and Ed; never did I think we’d all end up here together. There are other people who aren’t here and not many of you will know but they deserve a special mention- Gaz Hughes, for his support and inspiration and believing in me and making sure I knew it, and John Ritchie, the very first person I met in the Labour Club, for dragging me into the student movement, giving me the pushes I needed, being one of my closest friends and never letting me get down. There have been so many other great officers and people involved in the Guild they’d take forever to name, but I haven't forgotten any of you; thank you all for your encouragement, inspiration, support and friendship over all this time.



I have loved every moment of my sabb year. My election was close, and I have never forgotten this- if twenty three voters had changed their minds I wouldn't be here now. Elections are cruel and crude and the best people will not always win- whether I was the best or not I leave to you to judge, but I want to thank Claire, Luke, Si, Siz, Alex, Louise, Pippa, Emma, Kat, Alan, Tom, Mat, Jim, Heather, Mathis, Dora and especially Steve Johnson for getting me here- I would not have won without every one of you supporting me and working so so hard for me, thank you for giving me the best year of my life. Everyone I’ve known in BULS, past and present, you’ve defined my time at University, thank you. And to my friends, my coursemates and most of all my long suffering housemates, all of you from first year to now- my adopted family, I’m sorry I haven’t seen more of you this year but thank you so much for your continued support and for putting up with me for all these years.



The Guild means something different to everyone. I got involved through a society, but my heart will always be in representation. I believe as a Guild we care a lot about representation and campaigning, but we aren’t always able to give it the resource it deserves. I know I can’t name people here but the Guild staff have been incredible to work with, especially R and D department and everyone in the ARC, and the SMT have been so supportive, and I know there is so much more we could be doing if we had the capacity.



Access is a topic very close to my own heart, but I’m going to be honest and say I have done barely anything on it this year. And I regret this; although I had started a couple of projects and ideas, so many educational issues have arisen that all my time has been taken up.



The Sociology affair has defined my term in office, and is probably the most testing thing I have ever had to go through in my life. Fresh from the glory of the flashmob that we pulled off last November, that evening I got a phone call telling me the outcome of the Sociology review and from that moment my life was consumed. There were highs and lows; having to stand in a room full of a hundred students telling me I was wrong and realising I had fundamentally underestimated their strength of feeling was the lowest point, but sitting in Senate and Council and giving a statement on behalf of the students with the noise of them chanting in protest outside throughout the meeting was one of the most tough but exhilarating experiences of the year. It meant sacrificing a lot of my national engagement, like missing a national demo so I could be at the student meetings and missing NUS conference so I could go the University Council and see it through, but I always put the Guild first this year and am proud to have done so.



What did I promise in my manifesto?



Longer library hours: from next year they’ll go up by at least an hour every day



Better feedback on work: me and Fabian also won feedback on exams starting from next year, and have worked hard on this issue throughout



An online bookstore: The book exchange is up and running and soon to be expanding to include other items



An improved Student Rep scheme: We now have online training but while I hoped I could bring you online discussion forums you’ll have to wait quite some time for them



Fairer access: I tried to work on this, but unfortunately everything else took over. Maybe I’ll be able to in my last month.



But this job is about so much more than simplistic manifesto promises. There are times when as an individual and as part of the team I have come in for criticism, and I know I haven’t got everything right and done everything you wanted me to, and I know as a Guild Councillor I often criticised officers in ways that I know now they never deserved. Until you become a sabb as much as you think you understand the job and what we do, you really can’t. While I’d love to see the Guild campaigning on all the ethical issues that get brought to us and have full sympathy for them, I’m struggling to cope with all the issues that are within my remit in the first place and there comes a point when we have to put our own students first. There are thousands of charities that look out for these issues, and I think they are amazing, but there are only two organisations in the world that will look out for the rights of Birmingham students as students and that’s the NUS and us, the Guild of Students, and this is what we have to remember.



You don’t normally see me about the Guild much, and that’s because I spend a lot of time in University meetings. I can’t show you any big campaigns I’ve done or flashy marketing, because the job of VPEA is often a very subtle and behind-the-scenes one; I’ve sat on pretty much every University board that relates to Education, from the Learning Environment Group up to University Council, and I’m there as partly as a watchdog, partly as an equal, partly as the student voice. These meetings are about answering the questions on behalf of everyone, not just the majority, about spotting things that aren’t student friendly that the rest of the committee would never have picked up on, about making sure students get the best deal and fair treatment at every point in their education.



The other half of my job has been helping run the Guild, and I have been so incredibly privileged to work with this years sabb team. I don’t want this to be too much of a mushy love-in, and I’ll say my real goodbyes to you in July, but I’ve shared so much with you and you’ve made this year amazing- Whether its planning a flashmob on the late train back from Scunthorpe with Fab and Tom, driving lost around the countryside at four in the morning with Fordy searching for A&E with no map or satnav; or the cup of tea Ed brought me after finding me asleep on my desk; or drinking far too much with all of you in Harbourne, it’s been the moments with you that have made this year amazing.



Fabian, you are the smartest guy I’ve ever met, the best president I’ve ever seen and I’m in awe of what you do and how you do it, and I could never have done my without you at my side; Emma, never slow down, you do so much and I don’t know where you get the energy to do all the things that you do and do them so well; Katie, never stop fighting, you’re a true trooper and you’ve done so much for sport this year and to revolutionise your role this year, never let anyone get you down because you’re amazing; Ed, from the day I met you four years ago I knew you were something incredible, never lose that sparkle; Johnny, you’ve achieved so much this year and had the guts to re-stand; I came close but couldn’t face another election campaign, but you did it and made history, you have one more year to make so much difference, don’t stop believing; and finally Tom. You’ve been one of my closest friends for the last four years and I could never have run, never have won, and never survived this year or the last four without you. I know it’s been a crazy year for us both but you’ve been there for me for all my four years in the Guild and in Labour and I’m going to miss you so much, please never lose touch.



As for what I’m going to do next, I don’t know, so please don’t ask me. I achieved my life’s aim at eighteen; I got out of my hometown into University. I achieved my life’s ambition at twenty two, getting a physics degree, and I’ve now achieved my dream at twenty three, having a job like this. When I left Eastbourne I never imagined that by this age I’d have met two Prime Ministers, shouted down an Education secretary for getting his facts wrong, led student protests, sat around University Council and our Trustee Board as an equal to all these experienced people be taken seriously, and get elected to a job like this. I have no idea what the future holds but if I’m ever as happy again as I have been in my time here I will count myself incredibly lucky. Thank you for everything, and Rob, I know you’ll do great. Best of luck.