Daisy Watson is a candidate for SU president in this year’s SU election.
We asked why she thinks her role is important. She said: “When it comes to SU President, because you are in so many rooms talking to different students, staff and national organisations,
“You have this uncanny ability to draw in so many different people’s opinions and take them into a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor and go,
“I understand that this is where you’re coming from, but this is where I’m coming from and this is going to impact thousands of students.”
She said: “A lot of the consultation work around the tuition fee rises stopped it being as big of a raise as it could have been.”
Forge asked about her motivation for being a candidate. She said: “I came to uni as a student from a financially challenging background, who was estranged, had to work full-time alongside my degree and was experiencing mental health problems.
“I’ve experienced the side of university that is really harrowing and makes you feel as if this time that’s supposed to be the most exciting time of your life, isn’t.”
She continued: “Having the chance to sit in those rooms, talk to students and go, I hear you, I see you and I genuinely have felt the way you feel,
“Was an opportunity that I felt I had to at least try and go for.”
She said: “Over this past year, I’ve had the opportunity to protect services in the SU that have helped students who were in my position or worse positions,
“Protecting services like our advice centre, from financial cuts.”
Forge asked about her motivation for rerunning. She said: “Knowing that SU president has such a significant role in protecting students from difficult backgrounds,
“And the student’s experience in general, it feels like an honour to be able to try and do that for a second year.”
She said: “There is something so privileged about being able to get up every morning and say, I might not always get things right, but I know that I’m entering every room with a dedication to supporting students.
“The continuity that I would bring to this role would be phenomenal.”
She continued: “I would be able to make some significant changes because the work wouldn’t start in June, it would start at the beginning of April.
“Knowing the names of people and knowing they can trust me, people know my face; I can start work immediately.”
Forge asked about her campaign and manifesto ideas. She said: “The benefit of being a returner is that I wrote my manifesto through the lens of what I will do and know I can do.”
She told us how she has relationships which will enable her to do everything on her manifesto. She said: “I’ve split my manifesto so that it’s what impacts students across the UK, within our city and our SU.
“My priorities lie in knowing we need to fight for better funding for students; there isn’t enough prioritisation of students’ rights within higher education, and that extends into protest rights.”
She said: “If we aren’t educating people or giving them the best resources to be supported, how can their voices be heard?”
She can ensure student’s voices are heard: “I’ve forged relationships with members of parliament, have regular meetings with our MPs. That’s the first time in a very long time that’s happened at this SU.”
She said: “We work closely with other SU’s, and want to try to form an SU-owned careers hub. That would be in collaboration with places like Leeds and Manchester.”
She told us she’s already having those conversations to start the hub. It would be for ethical, underrepresented and international career support. She has also formed the first partnership between Hallam SU, Sheffield SU and the City Centre Council.
She said: “Bus franchising wouldn’t have happened without Sheffield’s SU saying to these people,
“We will not change the bus system. Young people aren’t going to be able to move around unless we stop allowing all our public entities to be corporatised.”
She said: “I’ve got a close relationship with the local council and all its associations, I’ve started getting students into city council meetings.”
She spoke about her final manifesto point: “We may have this beacon of being the number one SU, but are we actively looking at ourselves and giving our students the number one experience?”
A full length accessibility audit is in development, starting with food safety, specifically allergen and halal. The Liberation Activities Officer would work on audio, visual and downloadable accessibility.
