Mohammed Hameed

Supporting Statement (May 2011)

By now, you will probably be suffering from election-fatigue ... what with wall-to-wall coverage of politicians offering us barely-credible 'solutions' to the world's woes  every night on our television screens. I dare say that like me you're grateful that we don't also have local council elections! We do however have an election that's important in these uncertain times and I would urge you to use your vote, regardless of who you cast it for.

Some of you may already know me as the Diversity Partner for the University. But for those who don't here's a little bit about what I do. I am based in Human Resources but my remit covers both staff and students. At its most basic, my role is about ensuring that the University continues to be an inclusive place to work or study. You only have to look around you to appreciate that Edinburgh Napier attracts a wide diversity of people yet that diversity is not necessarily reflected in our decision-making bodies.

So, why stand for election? Well, it's not because I don't have enough on my plate already (honestly!). It's also not because I want to go through this very public process. It is because I want to do my bit for what I think is a good place to work and study. We should be proud of our already good reputation for encouraging potential students from backgrounds where there may be little or no history of going to university to come and study here. We have a very different ethos here to the one I grew accustomed to when I was an undergraduate at another local university (which also has 'Edinburgh' in its name.... no points for guessing which one I mean!).

This is my third year in post and I like to think at least that I can still bring a fresh perspective to the way we do things. So, if you believe, like me, that the best organisations are the ones that constantly strive to be inclusive and representative then vote for me.