Jul
Meet the Officer: Samuel Dedman, VP Education
This year we have a brand new team of Full-Time Officers at the Union (and a couple of familiar faces too). We asked a few questions to get to know them a little better…
Samuel works with Academic Presidents and Course Reps to represent you on educational matters like teaching quality, library provision and feedback.
What advice would you give to your Fresher self?
Don’t be afraid to get involved with Union Elections. They aren’t as scary as they seem, yet are so fundamentally important to all the work that the Union does. Needless to say I got the idea eventually and it got me to where I am today!
What’s your first memory of moving to Southampton?
My flatmates offering me cake when I walked into the kitchen for the first time!
What are you most looking forward to about being VP Education?
Being able to give something back to the students of Southampton. I’ve been lucky over my time studying here to have the support of some fantastic Union officers, and this is something that I’m keen to continue.
What would you most like to achieve whilst in office?
More consistent submission and marking processes. These sound really boring, but it would be brilliant if we could make it as simple and easy as possible for students across the entire University to submit work.
Favourite club, pub or restaurant in Southampton?
For the wonderful range of rainbow-coloured drinks and 10/10 cheesy chips, The Hobbit gets my vote.
Where would we have found you during your Freshers’ week?
Avenue. Definitely Avenue. Most of my time at Southampton was spent walking to and from Avenue Campus.
Tip for getting over Freshers Flu
Become good friends with orange juice. That and Lemsip sachets.
Favourite place in the Union and why?
The Surge Radio studio. Surge was the first society that I signed up to and has been a constant throughout my time here. It is a quiet corner in an otherwise vibrant building – plus it has air conditioning!
What was your best student experience?
This is fairly recent, but I honestly have to say running in the 2017 Spring Elections. The other candidates were a fantastic group of people, the campaigning period was a blast and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to represent all of you as VP Education.
If you were an animal what would you be and why?
Definitely a Labrador! Not only are they super cuddly and generally awesome, but they also match my own personality so closely.
You can take 3 things to a desert island – what do you choose?
Tarpaulin, a flint and steel and a penknife. All those years in the Scouts have to mean something!
Got an idea to share with Samuel? Get in touch at vpeducation@susu.org.
Tags: Full-Time Sabbatical Officers, Sabbatical Officer, Southampton Students Union, student advice, student experience, Student Union