Why Me

Hi, my name is Kunal. As a second-year Sabbatical Officer and Board of Governors member at UCB, I bring hands-on experience in community organising and student representation. In my role as Equality and Wellbeing Officer, I have worked closely with Liberation Groups, campaigned for Gender-neutral facilities, launched a campus-wide facilities survey, secured a permanent prayer space, established a Wellbeing Hub, and promoted sexual health awareness. I have also advocated for affordable, accessible transportation. My commitment is to ensure every student experiences fairness, dignity, and genuine representation that delivers real, lasting change.

Liberation campaigns need someone who’s already won. I’ve spent 2 years as Equality & Wellbeing Officer at UCB, Student Governors, and NUS Delegate, securing real wins for real students. As your NUS VP Liberation & Equality, I’ll take that fight on national grounds. Visit my social media for more information

Key Track Record

The Problem:

No national campaign exists for neurodivergent students despite 1 in 7 being affected. Universities collect no consistent data, course design routinely disadvantages neurodivergent learners, and there is no binding standard to change this.

My Pledges:

• Launch Neurodiversity Liberation Working Group and commission a national student survey with the British Psychological Society.

• Lobby the OfS to include neurodiversity metrics in Access & Participation Plans, making accountability binding, not voluntary.

• Establish a national network of Disabled and Neurodivergent student Leaders to directly influence policy on accessible learning, inclusive pedagogy, and barrier-free campus environments.

Neurodiversity Right and Justice Campaign

• Gender-Neutral Facilities: Actively campaigning for permanent gender-neutral facilities on campus.

• Free School Meals: Fought for free school meals for FE students

• Free Menstrual Products: Secured free period products across campus to tackle period poverty.

• Multi-Faith Prayer Space: Campaigned successfully for a dedicated religious space on campus.

• Sexual Health & Blood Donation: Regular Umbrella health service visits and NHS blood donation drives.

• Wellbeing Events and Hub- Organised wellbeing events and create Wellbeing Hub in Uni

• Tackle hostile environment and homesickness: Hosted inclusive events and history month.

• Disability Item Fund and Gender Expression Fund: Available for student support to reduce additional costs for disabled and trans students.

• The Transportation Campaign has been working and leading with the West Midlands Sabbatical Officers' group to develop a campaign to make public transport better and more affordable for students

Needs Data Transparency Initiatives

The Problem:

There is no centralised, evidence-based system that captures: what specific issues Liberation groups are facing across regions, what resources or structural support they require, and where universities are falling short.

My Pledges:

• Commit to conducting structured consultations and surveys with all Liberation networks (LGBTQ, Disability and Neurodiversity, Women, trans, racialised) across UK.

• Collecting data on lived experiences, barriers, institutional failures, and resources needed.

• Publishing an accessible national report that will be shared to every student union’s Liberation or Wellbeing officer.

• Using this evidence can help to lobby institutions, policymakers, and the government at a national level.

Liberation Mental and Sexual Health Programe

The Problem:

University counselling services are identity blind. Students whose distress is rooted in race, sexuality, or disability are failed by untrained services. Universities face no obligation to report whether students are accessing or benefiting from mental and sexual health support.

My Pledges:

• Publish Liberation Informed Counselling Standards for all universities with an annual public audit and ranking.

• Build a peer-led Mental Health Network connecting students across institutions by shared identity.

• Campaign for universities to report identity-disaggregated mental health data to the OfS, creating binding accountability.

• Fight for Apprenticeship students' mental health.

Financial Access & Opportunity for Students

The Problem:

Students facing discrimination have no free legal support. Without accessible advice, most drop claims and institutions go unaccountable. No national body records discrimination cases, leaving policy campaigns without hard evidence.

My Pledges:

• Partners with law schools and organisations launch student-staffed Liberation Legal Clinics supervised by equality law solicitors.

• Build an online triage tool to help students identify discrimination claims and connect to the nearest clinic.

• Target cases nationally, building an evidence base to drive systemic change.

Student Support Legal Clinic Network

The Problem:

Financial hardship hits Liberation students hardest. Disabled, Black, and first-generation students are disproportionately poor, yet universities do not track or publish how hardship funds reach Liberation groups. No ring-fenced support exists.

My Pledges:

• Publish an annual Liberation Poverty Index ranking universities on how well bursaries reach disabled, Black, and first-generation students.

• Demand all universities publish hardship fund allocation data broken down by liberation characteristics.

• Campaign for a ring-fenced Liberation Support Bursary within Access & Participation Plans.

Digital AI Bias & Online Harassment

The Problem:

University AI systems in admissions and assessment are biased against Black and disabled students, yet no institution must prove fairness. Liberation student leaders face coordinated online harassment with no fast-track recourse.

My Pledges:

• Commission an AI bias report with the Alan Turing Institute and deliver a parliamentary briefing.

• Campaign for mandatory annual Algorithmic Impact Assessments at all universities, published by protected characteristics.

• Create a fast-track Online Harassment Protocol for liberation student leaders, working with Ofcom under the Online Safety Act.

Equality & Trans Liberation

The Problem:

Despite legal protections under the Equality Act 2010, gender inequality and trans discrimination remain deeply embedded in UK institutions.

My Pledges:

• Ensure all institutions implement trans- affirming policies, including streamlined name and pronoun changes, clear pathways to gender- affirming healthcare.

• Lead a national movement to eradicate sexual violence and harassment through mandatory consent education for all students and staff, with reporting mechanisms.

• Access to free menstrual products available on every campus.

• Ensure every NUS campaign incorporates targeted liberation actions example, cost of living advocacy must prioritise low-income disabled students, care-experienced students, and international students facing visa-related financial restrictions.

• Collaborate with NUS nations and regions to deliver contextually responsive liberation campaigns that reflect local demographics, specific challenges, and community-identified priorities.

• Build strategic partnerships with EHRC, Trade Unions (UCU, Unison), Stonewall, and Disability Rights UK to amplify student voices in national policy development.

Strategic Campaign Integration