Dear students,

I'm excited to share a positive update about our ongoing efforts to enhance the student experience in the Faculty of Business and Law. As your Vice President, one of our key focuses has been addressing the challenge of large class sizes.

As an MBA student, one of my main struggles was navigating larger classrooms, significantly impacting my ability to engage with the material, especially given my history of dyslexia. Recognizing that many of you were facing similar challenges, I wanted to turn this personal struggle into a collective one, using the strength of the Union.

Initially, I was met with scepticism, the idea of reducing class sizes faced concerns about splitting classrooms and associated resourcing challenges. Despite these hurdles, we persisted in discussions in education committees; student voice meetings, and regular catch-ups with the Vice Chancellor. To convey the depth of the issue, student representatives were brought into these meetings to share the specific challenges they faced.

In these discussions, I raised the issue multiple times, sharing my personal experience and shedding light on the difficulties faced in large classrooms, especially for those with specific learning needs. My fellow officers supported this cause, raising the issue in the committees they attended. Our dedicated SU staff also raised the issue in multiple committees and meetings with senior university leadership, often guiding the conversation back to the root issue of large class sizes when other, related feedback was raised.

Your course representatives were amazing in bringing these issues to the forefront as well. As democratically elected reps, looking to make improvements on behalf of their year groups, their voices made a powerful impact on the university. Their voices carried the weight of hundreds, and without their efforts, we may not have reached the victory we see today. I want all reps who helped us in the struggle to know they have my sincere thanks.

Despite initial doubts and the notion that changes wouldn't happen soon, our collective efforts bore fruit. Discussions led to positive outcomes, with the understanding of the faculty. I'm pleased to share that starting from the next academic year, tutor-led sessions in the Faculty of Business and Law will be capped at 80 to 100 students, with student-led sessions capped at 30. This positive change is a step towards a better learning environment for all of us.

I sincerely thank the faculty, especially our dean and deputy dean, for their support in considering and implementing these changes. Additionally, a heartfelt thank you to my campaign coordinators, the full-time staff who assisted me at the SU; my fellow officers for their unwavering support and dedication, and once again the course representatives who came together to fight with us. It's a reminder of the positive impact we can achieve when we engage in a collective effort to win changes together.

Let's continue this spirit of collaboration and make our academic community even better. Your voices matter, and I'm challenging all who read this to become part of the collective struggle for better conditions for all students of ARU. If you want to be a leader in the fight for a better educational experience for all then nominate yourself to be one of the next officers of ARU Students’ Union; stand as a course or faculty representative next year, or start a society that campaigns for equitable education!

Thank you for your ongoing support and solidarity to you all!