For the past two years, Jess Hindley has served as Student Welfare Officer, leading on major initiatives to support student wellbeing. Her time in the role has seen meaningful progress.
Q: How would you sum up your two years as Welfare Officer?
A: Memorable and educational. I’ve learnt so much and I’ve had the opportunity to work on some amazing projects with incredible people. I’ve also been part of fantastic Student Officer teams, and I’m genuinely proud of what we’ve all achieved together.
Q: What are you most proud of from your time in office?
A: Leading the Drug and Alcohol Impact programme. It’s a two-year partnership between the SU and the University that focuses on harm reduction, moving away from silence or punishment, and instead having open, evidence-based conversations about substance use.
There’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes work: from successfully lobbying the University to sign up for the programme in my first few months, to changing the student substance use policy in my last few months – making us officially a harm reduction university. I got to chair a steering group of incredibly dedicated people across the university, and together we have improved the information and support available to students.
We’re not done yet, but I’m confident we’re on track to secure the official accreditation.
Q: Was there anything that surprised you about the role?
A. Even after two years, I’m still surprised by how broad the role is. One day I’m writing policy, the next I’m on a panel advocating for improvements to student housing or brainstorming ideas for a new student welcome experience. I’ve secured funding for student safety projects, organised harm reduction stalls – it’s such a mix. No two weeks have ever looked the same!
Q: What were your biggest challenges this year?
A: Balancing long-term goals with the day-to-day can be a challenge. You come into the role with manifesto aims you’re passionate about, but there’s also daily activity like meetings, reports, events. Learning that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to the way I intended was difficult at first but with more time in the role and support from the SU Voice team I learned how to prioritise and adapt my plans.
Q: What skills have you gained from being a Student Officer?
A: So many! Policy writing, advocacy, project management, campaign development and even media skills – I never imagined I’d be giving interviews to the BBC and not even feel that nervous about it. I got a lot better at organizing events too – the pre–St Patrick’s Day alcohol awareness event was a lot of fun to organise and run, and gave students (and me) a chance to try some great mocktails and learn more about their own alcohol use.
Q: Any final thoughts as you conclude your term?
A: It’s been a genuinely incredible journey. I’m proud of how far we’ve come in making welfare a priority, and of the truly innovative steps we’ve taken when it comes to harm reduction and student housing. Next year the role becomes Welfare and Community Officer which cements the importance of officers supporting students outside the confines of campus and working with the local community. I’m definitely sad to be leaving but I know that Jack is going to do an amazing job in this role and I am excited to see what they and the whole team next year achieve.
