Every year, LSE students have the chance to vote for a series of elected officers to represent them at LSE Students’ Union. These representatives play a key role in shaping the Union’s work, influencing LSE decision-making and improving the student experience. I spoke to Morgan Fairless, Postgraduate Officer for the 2020/21 academic year, about what inspired him to run for the role, the importance of student activism, and ways that you, too, can get involved with all the Union has to offer.

Can you tell me a bit about your background at LSE?

I first came to LSE to study for a bachelor’s in Politics and Philosophy from Uruguay after finishing high school. During my first few weeks, I went into the media office at the Union by chance, got talking to some people there and then just became really involved with the student newspaper, The Beaver. In my first year I ran for News Editor, and I loved that, so I kept going and became Managing Editor in my second year and Executive Editor in my third year. I always joked that I got a degree in politics and philosophy from LSE and a degree in journalism from the paper! It was a brilliant way of getting involved in the student community by observing and learning a lot about what goes on within it.

After I graduated, I decided to stay on at LSE for a master’s degree. Things were very uncertain because of the pandemic, and I valued staying in a place that I really liked and where I knew the community. It felt like a really valuable opportunity to continue studying here, so I took it!

What inspired you to run for Postgraduate Officer?

During my time at The Beaver, we could be quite critical of the Union, and the university to a certain extent. At the start of the pandemic, when conversations started to go around about no disadvantage and a safety net for students sitting assessments remotely, I felt disillusioned by LSE’s response but also felt that the Union could be doing more than it was on this issue. I also realised the Union’s power in the sense that it had to be involved in these conversations. So then and there, I decided that if I was going to take my place at LSE for my master’s degree, I was going to run for Postgraduate Officer. It was an opportunity to be inside of the place that I had covered for three years at The Beaver, to see how it operates, and to contribute both to the organisation itself and to the wider student community.

What are some key areas you’ve been working on over the past year?

When I started out, I quickly realised that the Union was constantly improving and was on a path to becoming so much better. There was a strong eagerness from staff and elected representatives, from both before and during my term, to make improvements. After I realised this, I felt it made sense to address one of the key areas of concern, which was the Union’s lack of postgraduate involvement. I wrote a report on this alongside PhD Officer Sarah Gerwens and GTA Officer Riccardo Jaede, after which we developed a working group and an action plan that will be in place for three years. These will help develop interventions so that postgraduates are both better served by the Union and more involved with it. I think this is super important because there is a wealth of opportunities for academic and personal development available to postgraduates though the Union, and we can do a better job of showing this to them and getting them involved.

I’m pretty proud of this and I’m quite confident that over the next three years, there’s going to be constant improvement in this area, and I’m very proud of the staff and the other student officers that have helped along the way.

Why is student activism at LSE important?

I would call what I did student representation more than activism because of the kind of person that I am and the kind of work that I did. However, I think both Union representation and broader student activism is super important. It holds the university to account where it matters, and it improves educational provision because students know what serves them best. It also improves student wellbeing, and there are many examples of this in the work the Community and Welfare Officers, first David Gordon and during my year Laura Goddard, have been doing around cultural competence in mental health provision, a student support map and around consent, which I really believe have had huge effects for student welfare.

But also, when LSE is receptive, it establishes a rich network of co-creation between students and the university, making sure that students can own their own process.

I was really in awe of the serious activism that lots of actors both within and outside of the Union did last year trying to improve things for students. They really did some very hard work and should be proud of it – so they deserve a shout out!

What about on a personal level?

There’s two aspects to this. There’s the inherent good that it does to serve your community, and I feel quite strongly that when you’re doing things for others it helps you develop into a better person and makes you feel like you’re part of a community.

And if later in life, you want to continue to be an activist or, in any kind of profession or in your personal life, to advocate for the things you believe in and you think are right, I think developing that capacity in a safe environment like a university is super important.

How does the postgraduate experience at LSE differ from that of undergraduates?

The big difference that I perceived was that there was a much larger heterogeneity within my postgraduate cohort in terms of professional and personal experiences. Many students have worked or done some other things since they were undergraduates, and there are a few more international students in my experience. Students were very willing to speak about these experiences and link them to some of the concepts that we were dealing with in class, which I found really enriching.

The other thing that really changes is time, at least for master’s students. Undergraduates have a lot of time at university, and it can feel like you’re going to be here forever, compared to only one or two years for a master’s degree. This means that it can feel like we’re trying to kind of cram everything we can in such little time, which can be hectic sometimes, but you’re getting so much out of it. So there’s that sense of urgency that I don’t think exists at undergraduate level so much.

What tips would you give to new postgraduates at LSE?

Invest time in expanding your circle of friends within your course – I know I made a lot of friends from my cohort. But apart from that, I think there can be a tendency to just be involved in your course, and both LSE and the Union have so much more to offer. Outside of academia, there are societies, the Athletics Union clubs, the Careers service, public events (which are great!), LSE Life, and the Student Counselling Service. I think if you make use of as many of these as you can within your time here, while taking care not to not overdo it and burn yourself out, then that’s a great way to get a taste of all that’s available.

What opportunities are available for students to have an impact at LSE?

You can run to become an elected representative within the Union, which has been great for me and I really recommend that people throw their hat in!

You can also form your own student activism network or join one of those that are already around like Decolonising LSE, The Consent Collective or the Climate Emergency Collective. All of these are brilliant, they need people, and they’re really welcoming.

You could also become an Academic Representative for your cohort, which is a great way of contributing to your inner circle and having a tangible impact. Academic Representatives are super powerful and departments really do listen to them. They become shapers of the curriculum and wider educational provision, which is such an enriching experience to have.

Finally, what other activities and support are available for LSE students, including for postgraduates, through the Union?

Apart from the societies, the Athletics Union and other social provision, the main one I want to shout out is the Advice Service, which is something that postgraduates do use a lot and that they should really value. The Advice Service provides impartial, private advice on things like housing, academic issues, and so on. I have seen how they work – which is spectacularly! – and they really do change students’ experiences during their time here.

We also have a gym, coffee shops, and other ways of getting involved such as employment opportunities. I really encourage postgraduates to make more use of these, because the Union is here for all students, which I think is a really important remark to make.

Elections for the LSESU 2021/22 Postgraduate Officer will take place later this term and nominations are open until 5pm on Thursday 13 October.

Note: This article gives the views of the authors, and not the position of the Social Policy Blog, nor of the London School of Economics.