Name:
Mark Walker
My role:
Vice President Student Welfare
My priorities for this term:
With such a wide diversity in our student community there will be varied, simple and complex barriers that many or most students will encounter at some point during their studies. Our Association has some great support services, but it could take a bit of effort to find and access them especially when experiencing issues. My priority is to, at least, begin a process to make finding services easier by making them more visible and generally improving overall. More importantly making students aware of the services and help available before they are needed.
What I’ve been up to and what I’m currently working on:
Having just taken up the role there has been a lot of induction training and initial meetings to attend. Despite that I like to hit the ground running and I have been looking at the guidance given to students seeking to apply for Discretionary funding in Scotland, I am looking at working on various areas including Isolation Awareness Month, Campaign on Student Finance and General Accessibility Training.
What I'm studying:
I am in the first year of two studying two Postgraduate modules leading to the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.
What I do when I’m not studying:
When not studying, apart from going on great trips with my dog, I like to visit historical places, especially castles, I volunteer by working on the website and social media of the local Community Council.
My top study tips:
Remember your OU journey is a personal one, but you are always part of a community that is there for you, so never think that you are on your own there is always help available, so never be afraid to reach out and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question, just ask! Take regular breaks when studying and if you have a dog, going for a dog walk at set points is good for your mental and physical health. My dog is my health & wellbeing coach!
Where to find me:
Email: mark.walker@open.ac.uk
Facebook: Mark Walker: VP Student Welfare - OU Students Association 23-24