For Competence. For Clarity. For Change. 

Vote Dr. Luqmaan Waqar for KCLSU President

A Manifesto for Institutional Transformation

I am standing to be your KCLSU President because our Union requires more than just slogans; it requires leadership that combines academic expertise with a commitment to radical institutional transformation. My campaign is built on three pillars: Competence, Clarity, and Change. We need a Union that understands the complexities of the student experience, communicates its goals with transparency, and has the courage to demand the changes our community deserves.

1. Prioritising Student Mental Health: From Awareness to Action

Mental health is not merely a personal concern for me; it is my field of expertise. Having dedicated four years to researching student mental health for my PhD, I have seen firsthand the systemic failures that contribute to the current crisis. We must move beyond superficial "wellness" initiatives and toward substantial institutional transformation.

As your KCLSU President, I will:

• Lead with Expertise: Leverage my academic background and professional connections to place student mental health at the absolute forefront of the Union's strategy.

• Formalise Peer Support: Develop a robust, structured peer-support system that extends from first-year integration to managing the specific stresses of final-year dissertations and theses.

• Empower Staff and Tutors: Implement workshops for personal tutors and supervisors to equip them with the tools to identify loneliness, social isolation and mental health difficulties within their cohorts.

2. A Union for All: Bridging the Gap Between UG and PG

KCL is a diverse community, yet our Union often fails to represent the full spectrum of its students from foundation year students to those in the final stages of their PhD. Despite constituting nearly half of our population, postgraduate students remain underrepresented and isolated. It is time to build a truly inclusive student community.

My "Union for All" strategy includes:

• Targeted Funding: Ring-fencing the KCLSU budget for student-led community building, peer-support groups, and interdisciplinary networking events.

• Well-funded societies: Student societies are the core of the KCL community. I will ensure they receive the funding they need to organise and grow across the student population.

• Revitalising campus life: Cutting bureaucracy for societies to book rooms and increasing budgets for major cultural events.

• Paid Integration Roles: Creating paid "Community Lead" positions in every department to organise social and academic integration events that bring students together.

• Support for Researchers: Streamlining the process for changing supervisors to reduce the isolation and power imbalances often faced by Postgraduate Research (PGR) students.

3. Tackling the Cost of Living Crisis: Economic Justice for Students

The financial burden of living in London has reached a breaking point. It is the Union’s duty to fight for the economic dignity and security of every member.

I will campaign for:

• Housing Security: Lobbying for a rent freeze on university-owned accommodation, establishing a Rent Guarantor scheme for international and low-income students, and creating an emergency housing fund for students at risk of eviction.

• Campus Amenities: Following the successful fight for free hot water, I will push for every faculty to have a kitchenette with microwaves, free tea and coffee, ensuring students aren't forced to spend money in expensive Central London cafes.

• Fair Pay for GTAs: Ending the exploitation of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) by ensuring every hour worked—including preparation and marking—is paid in line with the London Living Wage. I will work with the largest staff union at KCL (UCU) to achieve this.

• PhD Stipend Reform: Campaigning for PhD stipends to match the London Living Wage, with KCL making up the difference for underfunded researchers regardless of their funding body.

4. Ethical Divestment: Investing in Education, Not Destruction

KCL’s students have been clear: they do not want their university financing the war machine, occupation, or human rights violations. Last year, in 2025, nearly 2,000 students voted with an overwhelming 89.7% majority to end the £35 million worth of unethical investments identified by the KCL BDS Forum.

I will demand that KCL:

• Direct Oversight: Move the endowment fund to a direct investment framework overseen by a joint student-staff-CFO committee with full transparency.

• Expand Exclusion Criteria: Update ethical investment policies to exclude companies involved in war crimes and human rights violations.

• Full Arms Divestment: Exclude all arms manufacturers from the investment portfolio, moving beyond the limited "controversial weapons" definition.

• Target Complicit Firms: Prioritise divestment from firms involved in the manufacturing of chemical weapons like White Phosphorus.

5. International Solidarity: Supporting Gaza’s Higher Education

KCL is a global university with a responsibility to uphold the values of education worldwide. The university pledged to support Gaza’s decimated Higher Education sector but has since failed to deliver on that promise.

I will hold KCL accountable by:

• Honouring Pledges: Ensuring KCL provides significant, meaningful assistance based on the assessments of senior Gazan academics from the Emergency Committee of the Universities in Gaza and the Friends of Palestinian Universities.

• Long-term Partnerships: Establishing institutional partnerships with Palestinian universities and providing dedicated support for our fellow Palestinian students.

6. Campus Infrastructure: Reclaiming Our Study Spaces

The redevelopment of the Bush House South West Wing has exacerbated an already critical shortage of study spaces. Students should not have to hunt for a desk during term time.

I will push for:

• Dynamic Space Allocation: Utilising unused classrooms, lecture halls, and outdoor quads as "pop-up" study spaces during peak exam seasons.

• Expanded Capacity: Prioritising the creation of permanent, accessible study spaces across all campuses to reflect the actual needs of our student body.

For Competence. For Clarity. For Change.

Vote Dr. Luqmaan Waqar for KCLSU President

If you have any questions or wish to contact me or support the campaign visit my Instagram: @luqmaan4pres

or email me: [email protected]