Thoughts of a Psychology Student

If you know me well, this won't come as a surprise. And I kind of hope that even if you don't know me that well, this won't come as a surprise either. I'm running to be your next SU President. If you can't be bothered with long blog posts and would rather just read in bullet points why you should vote for me, you can follow this link to my manifesto:  https://www.thesubath.com/elections/officers/eve-alcock-2018/  or watch some manifesto videos on my Facebook Page here:  https://www.facebook.com/eveforprez/  (don't worry - it's quality content. I won't spam you). But if you can and don't mind an insight into my motivations and hopes going into campaign week, then by all means read on! Let me be clear when I say that  I want the direction and priorities of the SU to be led by you guys as students . And I'm not just talking about the students that are already very involved and vocal about student issues. I'm talking about you who ...

It's been an interesting term at Bath. We've seen activism get up off the sideline having stayed dormant for years, and take it's time in the limelight after revelations around our University's governance and our Vice-Chancellor's pay. After the protest on parade around her pay packet, the release of the HEFCE report, our focus should really be turning to governance. The way Uni is run. The people who sit in those decision making positions. On the 14th of November, I submitted my first FOI, requesting all the membership of all the university committees and council from 2000 to 2017. Exactly 20 working days later, as stated in the terms and conditions of submitting an FOI, I received my reply. And this is what I found. Just before we begin let me be clear: It doesn't look to me like any standing orders of committees have been breached. Nobody appears to have served a longer term than the rules dictate. Similarly, it's not as if Glynis waltzes around...

In September 2014, I moved from my home near Reading and started life as an undergraduate Psychology student studying at the University of Bath. As of September 2014, my predominant postcode has been BA2. I have done my food shopping in Bath supermarkets. I have drunk coffee in Bath coffee shops. I have gone to church in a Bath based church. I have spent my nights out in Bath clubs and eaten Sunday roasts in Bath pubs. I have lived next to Bath-born neighbours. I have worked for Bath and North East Somerset Council. I have mentored young people who commit crime in Bath. I have organised events which have raised money for charities local to Bath. I have spent 2 out of the 3 summers since moving here, working and earning money in Bath. Yet, because of my age, my student status, and a heavy dose of prejudice from some who live in this city, I am not considered a resident. Some, such as Eleanor Swift - resident in Southdown Road, Bath - would even go as far to call me a 'tran...

I have never not been a young person. How mad is that. I have, for 7854 days, revelled in the glory of being young. But never have I revelled so much in that glory than today. Between the hours of 10pm and 5am this morning, my heart swelled at the growing realisation that us, young people, had turned up to churches, village halls, sports halls and schools across the country and put a cross on a piece of paper to make our voices heard. For years and years, we have systematically been screwed over by too often white middle class adults who, shockingly, haven't got a clue what it's like to be a young person in the 21st century. From university fees trebling, to the scrapping of maintenance grants, to the extortionate rent increases in the housing market, to leaving the European Union which allows us to travel freely, fund educational research and study in institutions across the world, we have constantly bared the brunt of these policies whilst politicians sit c...

A Student's Guide to the General Election *links to websites might not work, so copy and paste the ones in red* Look. I get it. We're all sick of politics by now. We've all been politically saturated over the last year. Brexit. Theresa May. Trump. And now a snap general election. But I beg you, just hang on in there another month. Then I promise, you can go on your way. SO basically, this election is kind of a big deal. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but basically everything we hold dear in this country is going to the dogs. And when I say 'we', I mean us. Me and you. Young people. Students. Those that don't suffer from hangovers in the same way our parents do. The ones that always get asked to solve problems with iPads and Macbooks. Yes. You too. And for those of you who are like "hmm yeah that doesn't really apply to me".... guess what? It applies to you too. Because it's such a big deal, I wanna outlin...

It's that time again. Cue the incessant Facebook posts, not-so-oscar-worthy campaign videos and flocking to parade to persuade your average bath student why they should give a crap... But before you click that 'unfollow' button on candidates' social media profiles, before you roll your eyes at the countless flyers, stickers and stamps, before you make a beeline for the underpass to avoid the harassing of students on parade, let me tell you why all this matters. Every time you've bought too many VKs in score Every time you've walked into the ARC stressed out your mind Every time you've won (or lost) a match with your sports team Every time you've performed on stage in The Edge Every time you've asked for help with your housing contract Every time you've voiced your concerns about your degree Every time you've read an article from BathImpact Every time you've wanted to hold Glynis to account for her biscuit funds Every t...

Words are pretty cool right? These words you are currently reading allow me to address you specifically, and generate some sort of sense in your head so that I as a writer, can communicate with you as a reader. Words allow you to share your secrets with your best friend, disagree with that lecturer you hate and express opinions to anyone that will dare to listen to you. It is largely through words, that we are made known to the world around us. Words help formulate who we are, and how other people perceive us; what we choose to denounce, who we choose to praise, what we choose to question and things we choose to affirm.  For whatever reason, recently I seem to be coming across a load of new words: dearth, corollary, acquiesce, deleterious and germane, chronicity, spurious, abscond... the list goes on. All these different arrangements of letters with new meanings. A whole array of words that I didn't know. And this scares me. It scares me that there are hundreds of w...

At 4 years old I knew I had The best Christmas in town With mum and dad and family too Love actually was all around My stocking hung upon the door The birthday of a King,  A hum of expectation in the house, What will morning bring? The break of dawn saw eyes awake, The magic had begun, With wrapping paper on the floor A day of festive fun A church service with wondrous carols, More presents by the tree Enough roast lunch to feed a crowd, A time of jollity  At 10 years old I thought I had The best Christmas in town With mum and dad and brothers too Love was still all around My stocking hung upon the door The birthday of a King,  A hum of expectation in the house, What will morning bring? All relatives around the fire Seem jubilant enough, But behind those smiles are troubled minds I start to call their bluff Dad arrived home late that night I heard it all begin, Some shouts, a bang, then s...

Right. I could sit here and bemoan the heartbreakingly backwards decision America made last night. I could sit here and launch missiles of resentment to all those who decided a racist, sexist tyrannical business man was the appropriate candidate to run the country. I could sit here and despair at the future prospects of minority groups in America, anyone who isn't a white male and indeed the future of our fragile planet. But the problem with that, quite frankly, is that I'd still just be sitting here: Sitting here exuding bitterness, Sitting here slating individuals, Sitting here criticising a system. So here's the thing: Yes people like trump have unprecedented powers to shake up the world as we know it.  Yes  there will be people who feel the brutal brunt of his decisions and policies.  And yes the next 4 years are not going to be easy by any stretch. But it's not solely those in positions of power who have the ability...

I wanted to get this blog post written before the terrifying event that Trump becomes President tomorrow and the world as we know it comes to an end. I also wanted to write this blog post because never in my life have I seen a film that has made me so angry, outraged and ashamed at this country. Last week, I went to the cinema on my own (I'm an independent woman who don't need no man.... or friends apparently) to watch Ken Loach's new film: I, Daniel Blake. I'd seen the trailer, and countless reviews on twitter, and as soon as I'd seen it had even been mentioned in the House of Commons and PMQs, I couldn't wait any longer. I'll try and not give any spoilers about the film, because I want every single person that reads this blog post to go out and watch it. But essentially, Daniel Blake is a man in his 60s, who has suffered a bad heart attack and is deemed medically unfit for work by his doctor. The whole film follows his journey of applying for Empl...

**This is a blog post of two halves... the first half I wrote whilst slightly inebriated after a night out last week. The second half I wrote this evening AKA not  slightly inebriated... ** Part 1: So it's definitely 2.43am on Saturday morning, and I've definitely just got back from a night out at freshers week and no less than an hour ago I was definitely dancing with The Hoosiers. You're probably wondering why I'm not stuffing my face with kebab or forgetting to take my makeup off, but this blog post has been a long time coming. All week in fact. Lets start from the beginning. I enjoy having a few drinks. I like that it's a sociable activity, I enjoy unwinding at the end of a week with drinks and friends. And freshers week is a great opportunity to socialise with people and have a few beverages... But the extent of alcohol I have witnessed so far this week has got me thinking. The extremes of the UK's drinking culture is bizarre.  Li...

Dear Theresa May, In the current political, social and economic climate, the promise to build a country that works for everyone is a welcome one, and you are having to contend with a history of Tory decisions that has meant that in too many circumstances, our country only works for the wealthy and elite.  However, in light of your new education reforms that involve lifting the ban on grammar schools, you will forgive me for merely lumping you in with your predecessors as you implement regressive reforms under the disguise of 'improving social mobility'. I know you intend to put measures in place to encourage more children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) to apply to grammar schools, but I'm afraid the barriers for these children go deeper than you might think, and your approach is exclusive and damaging. A quota that works on the basis of lowering the pass grade for lower income families would be ineffective. Amongst children who ach...

As the British weather worsens and the daylight evenings begin to get shorter, we all have to start facing the fact that the summer holidays are coming to a close. For many, this means returning to school for another year of maths, science, english and detentions. For others, this marks the start of a new chapter: university. University has a shed load of pre-conceptions surrounding it. For some, university conjures up project-x style images of frat parties and those red beer pong cups that seem to serve no purpose but to reassure everyone else that you have the correct social status to even be at that party... For others, university seems to emit pure despair; textbooks as thick as rugby players thighs, research papers as dense as the Magna Carta, and lectures so dull even Hermione would fall asleep in them. When I was at school, the thought of not going to university never occurred to me. For me, university was the default option. Both my parents have English degrees; my older...