We met the freshly announced candidates for Students’ Union President to get to know them better and have them explain their manifestos… apart from Morphsuit Gary, who is mute (we emailed him for your reading pleasure).
Keep an eye out for further coverage on the other positions throughout the week, and be sure to check online for candidates’ full manifestoes. Voting starts Monday 13th at 10am and closes Thursday 16th at 5pm, and we’ll bring you the results on Friday night!
Firstly, what should we know about you? Is there anything you’re proud of, any experience you’ve had, or skills that might help you in this position?
Alexandra Hulme: “The thing that I’m most proud of is my activism, I’ve really come into myself as an activist in these past two years on campus. I helped organise anti-spiking demonstrations and helped organise one of the biggest strikes in UK history, which is quite a thing under my belt.
“I was on the University Archery team as their Social Media Manager for two years, I’ve been on the committee for Sheffield Solidarity Group for nearly two years as their Social Media Manager. I’m also a Brownie Leader, and have been for six years. So my leadership comes from herding 22 seven-to-10 year-olds around, and that’s something I’m proud of.”
Ali Khan: “My achievement began before I came to the University of Sheffield. I applied for the International 50% scholarship and I was really lucky to have received it. In my second year I started applying to societies. I became a general student ambassador, the Inclusions Officer at Pakistan Society, and worked for the School of Law as an ambassador and gave tours to prospective students.
“Now I’m the academic representative for the School of Law, a wellbeing student ambassador, and President of Pakistan Society. I’ve also hosted cultural music nights to highlight international cultures, arranged a cricket match series against Indian Society, organised international and local sport matches, and raised appeal for Syrian and Turkish victims.”
Ioanna Bezirtzoglou: “I’ve been a volunteering ambassador just helping the university outreach to new students who want to do volunteering activities. I’ve also been on two committees: the Ice Skating Society Committee as Treasurer, and a volunteering officer in the Biomedical Science society in my second year, as well as being an academic representative and a faculty representative.
“This year I’m President of the Japanese Society, I’m an academic rep again and a faculty rep, as well as being an ambassador working part time for open days and things like that. Being a President this year will help me, because obviously I’m running for SU President. It has the most similarities in the job and I think it really taught me how to be able to create a good team spirit and communication in the committee.”
Kerry Lindeque: “I was one of the founding members of Our Bodies Our Streets; it started off as a grassroots campaign, but it essentially ended up with us doing consultations with the community and we ended up influencing Sheffield City Council policy. It also gave me the tools and the understanding on how to make actual practical change for people.
“I was a project leader on ChangeLab, which really helped me with leadership skills. What I’m mostly proud of is, I’ve got the experience in the SU, I’ve got the experience outside the SU, and I’m an experienced change-maker.”
Lily Byrne: “I think the life experience I have is not reflected in my years! I lived in America over the summer to teach art, which I am still doing now in Sheffield primary schools. I am the Treasurer for APS and have some experience in communications.
“I was recruited by the current sustainability officer, which boosted my confidence for sure. I am good at picking up a lot of different things – I have ADHD which means I really enjoy juggling it all. At the end of this year I’m going to do a research project in Brunei for a bit, and I have checked I would still be able to do that alongside this role if I get it.”
Leo Hoxha: “Throughout my time here and coming to the elections as well, I have been consistently working on student voice. I’ve been an academic representative, I’ve been a faculty representative, but also I’ve been an academic representative facilitator in the last year.
“Besides that I’ve also been doing society committees and this year I have been the academic and departmental liaison officer for the Societies Committee. I’ve had a lot of insight into how the Students’ Union and university works. So, basically, I’ll get shit done because I know how shit works.”
Winko Kyaw Oo: “I’m a campaigner. I’m the inclusion officer for Labour students. During this last summer, I helped in the campaign against UniHomes and holding them accountable has taught me a lot about how to be an organiser. I’m also a part of ACORN, the community union. They also taught me a lot of organizing skills.
“Also I’m in Feminist Society. I used to be the Molecular Biology councillor last year and that really gave me a lot of experience, just seeing how the internal democracy of the SU actually works.”
Morphsuit Gary: “Gary is a Drama student. He has already organised the 10,000 local campus rats who wish to attend Rat Tarts.”
Elaborate on your manifesto.
Alexandra: “This year I’m focusing a lot on international students and their freedom of expression and fighting the restraints that university puts on them. It’s important as President that I reach out to them, and be like ‘hey, I’m on your side too, I’m thinking about you’.
“One of the things that [my policy on rent strikes and housing] stems from is the University ran a housing drop-in thing, and from reports about half of them weren’t approved housing, they weren’t up to scratch, and I think it’s unfair that students are dealing with the Cost of Living and then having to come home to subpar houses at the end of the day. It’s also about getting people to realise, with the renters’ union and the rent strikes, that the power lies in their hands. It’s all about empowering students and getting them to take back power from the University and landlords.
Ali: “Some of my policies include: increasing communication and connection between the SU and students, I want to enhance the communication between these two to bridge the gap, and bring awareness as to the progress the SU is doing right now. I’ll be there in person for society events, visit different libraries after work hours to make sure everything is okay, ask people and students myself what do they think about certain issues. Simultaneously, hosting regular online meetings with different societies and student groups to discuss the opportunities for creating a positive impact, and simultaneously through my social media be in touch with students.
“Refine campus culture and inclusivity, by increasing interaction between domestic and international students. I want to make them feel as secure, safe, confident, and connected as possible. I want to give them a warm and friendly welcome, so that they don’t feel alone and isolated or discriminated against. I want to make them feel at home away from home.
“I also want to promote diversity, by promoting different cultures, creating a safe space for marginalised groups and ensuring that the SU is a pleasant environment for all students with zero discrimination and racism.
“Finally, I want to provide convenient transport facilities within our campus. Because I’ve talked to many students, especially from the Crookesmoor side, it’s difficult for them to have a proper channel to come conveniently to campus, especially for women as well. For them to have a safe and secure mode of transport system, even later during the night when campus closed.”
Ioanna: “I have three main areas that I want to cover. One of them is career development, so just to ensure that people, when they leave university, they’re ready to go into a graduate space, either if they want to continue in academia with further degrees or just get a job, and just to ensure that there’s a better network and fairs happening that are actually useful to people.
“A second thing is just a general advocacy for all unmet needs – might that be the LGBTQ, any disabilities, if there’s for example a sports society that’s often overlooked. Anything like those types of things, just to focus more time and give them the light of day.
“And lastly, just general student welfare and student engagement, because I feel like the SU has a lot of services available but sometimes not many people know about them, so just to make sure that everybody knows what is available, what services there are and if a service is not working or there’s like long lists of waiting to get resources that you need, we can do that quicker.”
Kerry: “I’m doing three major policies: tackling the Cost of Living Crisis, student housing that works for students, and making it easier for students to make change. Students have a lot of political power, but does the SU have a proper national political voice? No. So all of my policies have different impact levels: SU, local, national.
“Tackling the cost of living crisis nationally, the NUS is campaigning for free public transport for students. A study showed 51% of students have stopped using public transport as much because of rising costs. There was some success with NUS Scotland getting under-22s free bus passes, but they want to take it to a national level, and I think we should spearhead that; we are the largest Students’ Union and the most successful one in the country.
“The NUS counts housing as affordable if it costs less than half the highest possible maintenance loan. We have 15 university provided accommodations. Two out of 15 are affordable. That’s unacceptable. “Dundee have saved their students £12,000 in one year from dodgy landlords and getting compensation and knowing their rights, so we need a renters’ union to lobby the University for more affordable university provided housing, we also need it to help students know their rights.
“The current SU systems are too formal and they’re too complicated. We need to go to students. I’d like for SU Officers to go to the spots were students regularly are and set up a big desk, hang a big banner, have some sweets to motivate people, and ask them what they want to change. We can’t just sit here and wait.”
Leo: “In summary, I am giving a message: we are tired, we don’t have time for over the counter answers and non-answers. The first and foremost part of my manifesto is we have to get that financial transparency going to regain control of student finance through the students union. The University’s annual budget last year was £776m. I want the students to regain control of that £776m.
“Students are experiencing a lot of wait times on simple stuff and a lot of wait times on complicated mental health issues as well. One of the reasons I noticed this is happening is the amount of unnecessary bureaucracy surrounding any health care appointment, or any procedure. If a mental health support procedure is exacerbating your mental health issues, then that’s not a support procedure anymore.
“My idea [on accessible education] is going beyond recording lectures and having it live for students with accessibility needs. Students with a wheelchair might not be able to travel between lectures when they’re back-to-back. Students with learning needs, students with particular mental health issues, may not be able to come to the lecture because it’s an overcrowded environment, it’s a long way to the lecture, and so on.
“It’s just another barricade to a person’s education when they’re dealing with a lot of problems as well. If you allow live access to these lectures for students with accessibility needs, it would make life easier for them, and rescue the University from a lot of bureaucratic work when they miss lectures or when they have to apply for extenuating circumstances.
Lily: “I want more affordable transport and transport schemes in place – there is the better points system, but hardly anyone knows about it. There are so many things in place already that just aren’t accessible, and making those easy to use is important. Even SAMHS – so many people just don’t know that’s in place, and people need to know about it.
“Creating a family system here was so easy, but with the financial crisis it is becoming more difficult to do that. I think the wellbeing cafe should be funded by the university. I want grants available for people who cannot afford society prices.”
Winko: “I want to campaign on keeping costs low in the SU and also in university accommodations and in the spaces that they hold, like the gym. It’s got a crossover with students’ wellbeing as well because students learn better when they’re not stressed out, when they’re not working extra hours to cover their rent, when they’re not worried about what they put in their car because it might be too expensive. I also want to increase the bursary ceilings. Have you seen the boundaries where if your household or your parents are like a penny more than 25,000, the amount of help you get immediately gets halved?
“The last thing is sustainability and making sure that there’s big systematic changes. I really love what the SU is, what the university is doing with that sustainability. But there’s a lot more that we can do and a lot more that we can pressure the university to do because those things, those are really small, important things, but we can achieve the big victories that we need. The university is an anchor institution in Sheffield and they have a big responsibility to be sustainable.”
Morphsuit Gary: “The 10,000 rats will be treated like kings. After Rat Tarts they will be free to do just what the students do, run amok around the city centre and go to Aslans. They have the same rights as humans, the right to have and hold each other til death do them part.
[Regarding his policy on STEM students ‘shutting the **** up’] We have surveyed local STEM students and they are tired of hearing the words of STEM from themselves and their coursemates. They are Tired. Shutting up is for their own good. They aren’t happy.”
Why do you fit the role, and why should people vote for you?
Alexandra: “I’m personable, I have plenty of experience fighting battles, fighting my own corner, fighting the concern for students, having our voices heard. I’ve organised on campus for two years, and outside of that for longer, and I just know I can make long-lasting change in the Students’ Union and I’m organised and I have the right mentality and ethos going forward.”
Ali: “My goal after graduating is to become a barrister. When you think of a barrister, what comes to mind? You see a court, a room full of people and maybe a jury, and so what does that tell you? It tells you that the person is confident, knowledgeable in that field and he can make a difference in someone’s life. All of these things combined, if you transfer these skills into an SU president, this is what I aspire to become if elected. I consider myself to have all of these abilities.”
Ioanna: “All my experience within the Student Union. I’ve been a person that’s been very advocating for students in general and I just love helping out students. I think in general all my experience that I have from all the different societies will help. I’ve worked with so many different backgrounds and different types of people, either that being from my course or ethnic diversities and all that through the societies I’ve been part of, and I just feel like I’m a very open person, a very international person, so I feel like I can understand a lot of the issues that are currently happening.”
Kerry: “I’m organised and you cannot stress enough the importance of organisation. I’ve learned a lot through my leadership experience, I know how to delegate, because I know that doing everything yourself, or not understanding who fits what role is gonna mean your team is totally mismanaged; I am totally boss at managing skills. I’m a compassionate person, I’m a friendly person. I do also understand my own barriers, I know when to take a step back.”
Leo: “I know the ins and outs of the Students’ Union, I know the ins and outs of the University. I come from a family of diplomats, I know how to establish diplomatic relationships. I know how to very, very carefully pursue a community’s interests, in this case the students’ interests, and be in good relationships with them. I am also trained by the United Nations and the United States Institute of Peace on conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation. I want to reclaim higher education. I want to reclaim the students’ power and have them have a say in their own matters.”
Lily: “I have experience in communications and I’m the treasurer for APS, which I set up with some other biology students. It has 200 members and 500 people who are involved now! I view the position as a connection between people in the university and people on the committee.
“I am aiming to be the communication and point of call that people can go to if they are needing help or support. Having this as a constant ethos, alongside supporting other officers, is how I see myself doing the role.”
Winko: “I’m fit for the role because I have experience inside and outside the SU. I was a former SU councillor. I have these big wins and I can deliver them because of my experience. I really care about these things as well, to me, as a student. I’m a refugee from a different country. So, if you’re like me, citizenship is expensive, but also just being a BAME student who’s from Sheffield. I really struggled to get here and I think having that kind of background really informs me of the disadvantages that students go through.
Morphsuit Gary: “Gary is a 7 dimensional being who can fit inside anything, and anything can fit inside him. Therefore he can fit comfortably into the role of president, and expand the SU to new dimensions. Gary represents the true chaos of the student body.”