What inspired you to run for Students’ Union President?
This year has been really hard for a lot of students and we’ve seen the impact of the pandemic. It’s probably why we’ve got a lot more people running this year. The amount of students being exploited and taken advantage of this year has really brought up a lot of anger. It’s definitely brought up a lot of anger in me and I want to do something about it. Recently, I was looking at mental health services and people’s experiences of them just aren’t good at all. My experience with them is really good, which I don’t think is common at university. I felt the services really supported me but seeing all of these people not having the same support made me think we need to have a new way to battle it. That’s my main reason why I went for the President role: I have really good ideas that could make a big difference.
If you were elected, what would your main priorities be?
Definitely mental health, it’s quite a big component of mine. I want to ensure that there’s mental health help in the social aspects of university just as there is in the academic. I also want to integrate student values into creative ideas and events which is why I’ve included the Culture Week and the local food market. I think they’re really good ideas that aren’t just events to get people to come together, but they integrate all the values that we have as students. What I’m specifically trying to do this year is be proactive and integrate our values into everything that we do rather than just saying ‘we want to’ and ‘this is what we’re going to do’. My policies are proactive.
What qualities and experience have you got that other candidates might not have?
I was Charity Secretary for the Edward Bramley Law Society this year. I know a lot of people running have been in societies, but I’ve really made the role my own and have gone above and beyond what’s expected because I absolutely loved doing it. I’ve worked with charities, non-profit organisations, and I’ve had to contact firms and organisations to get the sponsorship in, to try and encourage people to fundraise this year, even with everything that’s going on. Tackling the online environment when fundraising has been a real struggle but it’s also been really inspirational seeing the dedication and the aspiration that these charities and the people working in them have. You can see the impact that the pandemic has had on people. It’s not as if the problems weren’t there before, but it’s really exaggerated them. It’s made me realise the issues that are underlying in the Sheffield community. My relationship with a lot of these charities and organizations that Sheffield will give me a really good insight that some other people might not have had. A lot of my policies are oriented around lobbying with organisations like ACORN for housing rights and lobbying to light up the parks. It’s those positive and interpersonal skills I’ve built this year that will give me a step ahead of the game.
What would you say to somebody who isn’t planning on voting or doesn’t really care about voting?
It’s understandable that people don’t think that these elections are a big deal to them, but a lot of the changes that we’ve had in the past which you think just come from the University are actually done by the Student’s Union and the Officers. The SU is separate from the University. The roles of these Officers is to really push the University into giving the things that the students deserve. You should be voting for someone that you think is going to represent your own values, your own ideas and what you want to change in the Student’s Union, because it really does have a big impact which people maybe underestimate or don’t get involved with. Even if it doesn’t affect you, there’s other things that could affect your friends or coursemates. Some people might not realise the importance of it because it doesn’t directly affect them. I think integrating that into who you vote for is really important. Just vote!
Do you look up to anyone politically or has anyone inspired your campaign?
I interviewed Jacqui Hunt, the director of Equality Now’s Europe office, a few weeks ago for the Law Society. She’s a human rights lawyer but she set up the Europe office for the charity whose aims are to protect women against legal injustices across the world. They support these issues globally and her incentive was to create this office and bring her values and what she cares about to Europe. Her work with other charities and the network that she built up is really inspirational. The work she’s done really shows her values and it’s something that I want to do with my life: spend it doing the things I really believe in and be committed to change. She’s been a big inspiration for me.
How have you found campaigning during a pandemic and how have you adapted to it being all online?
It’s been difficult. We don’t get to meet people and one of the big things about campaigning is that you can talk to people, talk about your ideas and get feedback on your policies. I have struggled with the element of not meeting people, but a lot of the candidates are really nice and I’ve met some amazing friends through this which is definitely an upside. It has been hard to reach out to people and do it in a way that’s respectful to people’s privacy. It’s very difficult to ask ‘can you vote for me?’ on people’s private Facebook, because it just feels like you’re going into their own private life. I have enjoyed it, but it’s been stressful because it’s very hard to switch off from social media anyway. It’s been an exciting week, so I can’t complain too much.
How will you help the SU, and its societies and its activities, recover after the pandemic?
Something that really distinguishes me from the other candidates is that I’ve got two events in place that are going to bring income into the University, and quite a substantial amount of it. This year because of the pandemic we’ve had huge budget cuts which are expected to continue for probably a year or so after our campaign. Having the income is going to allow us to dedicate more of that spending to societies and make sure that the budget cuts don’t impact what they can have and the support that they can have. Culture Week would be absolutely amazing, that’s something that I would definitely want to push. It’s a brilliant way to celebrate diversity at university and give societies a place where they can showcase what they love about their cultures. It will also be a great way to generate income for their societies.
You want to introduce a Mental Health First Aider into societies. Given the effect of the pandemic on student mental health, how will this role work in practice and how effective do you think it can be?
We know there’s going to be big budget cuts and I’ve mentioned before that it is expensive to do, but it’s definitely not unrealistic. There’s ways around this in the way that you can train people. You can bring in someone who trains a large group of people, which brings the costs down. The training takes two days and would be done near the beginning of term. We had someone in our society trained in Mental Health First Aid this year and it was really effective. She was engaged with it and the fact that it was effective in an online environment shows how much more effective it will be in person. The certificates last for three years, so if you’re in your final year it will last for the two years after you leave university. The training will originate in societies, but it’s going to make such a big impact that goes beyond just the societies and the University. I’m really passionate about this one and it’s definitely achievable.
You’ve said that you’re hoping to partner up with groups like ACORN to protect students’ housing rights, what would this involve?
It’s really important that we don’t just focus our attention on what the SU is doing. There’s so many non-profit organisations and charities out there that are working hard to make sure that rights are protected. ACORN is a particular example because they focus on housing. I don’t think anyone who runs for these positions is anywhere near as experienced as the people who have been doing it for years. It’s important that you can communicate with these organisations to set up a partnership, but it’s more about their advice, what they think we can do, listening to the people that have that experience, and bringing that to the SU. Integrating our own policies and doing all these things are great, but you need that knowledge and you need the support of these organizations to help students. It brings a greater voice behind lobbying.
One of your policies is to implement a Postgraduate Student Hub. What would this look like?
As first years get ResLife, this would be PostgradLife. It’s to ensure that postgraduates have the same opportunities that first years do because a lot of people come from other universities, other parts of the country and other countries. Postgraduates are really undermined in importance at the University. It would be a domain that was especially for them and only they could access it. It could be events that are organised by postgraduates for extracurricular activities and it will also have information about housing. Whereas before things have been done on social media, this would be a site that was protected by the University and that you know you can trust. Hopefully, if we have enough funding, there would be free events and specific societies for postgraduates.
In one sentence, why should people vote for you?
I have proactive policies rather than just promises, and I have integrated student values into everything that I’ve done rather than hold them separate.
All President candidates were offered an equal opportunity to participate in an interview with Forge Press. To find out more about the elections and the candidates, please visit: https://su.sheffield.ac.uk/student-leadership/officer-elections
Image credit: Rosie McKnight
