Here's what your Officers have been up to

Friday 14-11-2025 - 15:02

As a students’ union, we are led by elected student officers. Your five student officers are:

President – Komal Ashfaq
Education – Forum Yadav
Wellbeing – George Charlton
Societies and Development – Vanessa Nongo
Sport – Imogen Holland

They represent you to the university and ensure you have the best possible time at uni.

Here’s what they’ve been up to since assuming their positions in the summer.

Financial

GMSP

As part of the Greater Manchester Student Partnership (GMSP), your Officers have joined forces with four other Students’ Unions to make our city an even better place for students. In October, eight student officers - including your President Komal and Wellbeing Officer George - signed an open letter to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. The letter called out the unfair payment structure for tram fares, which can see commuting students paying hundreds of pounds just to get to campus. With the cost of living continuing to rise, this puts an unnecessary burden on students.

Komal and George urged the Mayor to introduce a cheaper student tram fare. A fairer pricing model would ensure students who rely on trams aren’t paying up to three times more than those using buses, helping to make travel across Manchester more affordable and accessible for everyone.

Your Officers on TV

Your Sports Officer Imogen and Wellbeing Officer George were on national news talking about the financial issues students are facing.

In the media landscape, students are often scapegoated as only ever partying, we know this isn’t true. Imogen and George went on television to explain that as the cost-of-living crisis effects students more and more, this cliché of the partying student becomes increasingly inaccurate.

With students working more and student loans not going far enough, Imogen and George took to national television to tell people audiences what it’s really like being a student in 2025.

Success Fund

Did you start Uni in September? You could be eligible for a non-repayable bursary up to £1,500.

Money is tight for all students at the moment, but there is support out there. The University’s Success Fund is in place to help students from key groups succeed at university.

Your Officers are committed to make sure if you need support, you get it. That’s why we’re promoting the Success Fund. Ensuring everyone can be financially secure at uni.

If you think you’re eligible for support, it’s important that you’re honest in your application and apply early.

Community & Inclusion

Big Union Social

Returning for this academic year, Big Union Socials have proved to be a big hit again. With free events full of games, crafts and opportunities to make friends – Big Union Social is a major part of the Officer’s priority of strengthening the community at The Union.

Our next event is 3 December, and we’ve got plenty more exciting ideas planned for the new year!

MMU’s Got Talent

Have you got a hidden talent, ability or skill that you want to show off? Now’s your time to shine!

MMU’s Got Talent is your chance to perform in front of an audience and showcase the incredible skills we’ve got at the Uni.

This event is an example of your Societies and Development Officer, Vanessa’s priority of building community and help strengthen your skills while at uni.

Want to get involved? Email Vanessa at s.u.socdev@mmu.ac.uk. Just want to see the talents on offer? Keep your eyes peeled for more details.

Spotlight

Movember

If you’ve seen your Wellbeing Officer George in the last couple weeks, you might notice something different about him. As part of the annual Movember campaign, people all throughout the University community are growing moustaches to raise awareness and money for men’s mental health, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

You can give your support and donate over at @movember_mmu and follow George’s progress at @mmuwellbeingofficer. If you’d like to get involved yourself, you can find more information on the official Movember website.

Islamophobia Awareness Month

November marks Islamophobia Awareness Month, a national campaign aimed at reducing ignorance and prejudice towards the Muslim community as well as celebrating their contributions to society.

Your President, Komal, has been championing this campaign by working with societies like the Islamic Society to create social content around misconceptions around Islam. These pieces of content draw upon the experiences of our Islamic students as well as calling upon non-Muslim students to share their knowledge.

If you’d like to get involved in the social media content, or have experiences you’d like to share with Komal, you can message her on Instagram or email her at S.U.President@mmu.ac.uk

Parliamentary petition

As an international student, your Education Officer Forum is campaigning to ensure International Student Visa’s aren’t diluted and students get a fair deal.

Under the new proposed government plan, international graduates’ ability to stay in the UK after graduation would decrease from two years to 18 months.

You can read more about the proposal and sign the petition on the official UK Parliament website.

If you can see yourself making positive changes like these, and want to steer the direction of The Union to put our students at the heart of every conversation and decision made, you might make a fantastic Student Officer - nominations open soon so keep an eye out.