Speech Insta
What is your name?
Lee Allen
What course are you studying?
Politics with foundation year
What stage of your course are you currently studying?
Foundation year
What motivated you to run for a Sabbatical Officer role and why do you think you would be a good Sabbatical Officer?
I was motivated to become a sabbatical officer by people confiding their experiences of being made to feel uncomfortable by someone else and not feeling there was anyone they could turn to for help. At first, I questioned whether I would make a good president. But multiple friends and acquaintances disagreed and thought I would make a fantastic sabbatical officer and thought I should seek election.
Why is the Sabbatical Officer role important
The sabbatical role is important to because it is at the very heart of student governance of the university, and through this role I know I can make significant change to the lives of students. Furthermore, the role is important because it gives me the opportunities to help students at the university and ensure that they have a positive experience while at the University. By voicing the concerns of the student body to the University executive.
What three words would your friends use to describe you?
“Eccentric, passionate, dedicated”
If you could change one thing about the University, what would that be
If I could change one thing about the university, it would be to eliminate the stigma that many people feel towards coming forward and speaking about how they have been made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe by someone else. Although this does seem like a tall task, I hope that with enough events, promotion and campaigning we can begin to break down this stigma towards victims coming forward irrespective of age, gender/sexuality, class, race, disability or religion.
If you could change one thing about the Students' Union, what would it be?
I would make all events which the SU holds physically and cognitively accessible to all students. For example, when I attended the 2023 ASM, I found the meeting had not taken into account students with ADHD, Autism etc. There were many distracting loud noises which proved difficult for some including myself to focus on the meeting. Which I raised to the sabbatical officers at the time, however in future I would ensure that all events of this nature are open and accessible to all.
Who do you draw most inspiration from and why?
I draw the most inspiration from former Labour and SDP politician Roy Jenkins, This is because I see a lot of myself in him. We both came from working class very poor backgrounds and with a lot of grit and perseverance achieved beyond what many would expect of our social class. In addition, I draw inspiration from him as both of us were very awkward socially anxious individuals at one point in our lives and were able to work past this through being more comfortable with ourselves.
What is your proudest moment so far and why?
One of my proudest moments was that for a few Saturdays in October, I gave series of soapbox speeches at the sundial in Plymouth centre. I was very proud of this moment because I had grown up a very shy and somewhat sheepish child, whose average volume was little more than a whisper. To now come to a totally new place and give a series of speeches about policies I care greatly about, to members of the public was quite a unique moment. Also, one I am very proud of.