Bethany Alice Murphy
Can you introduce yourself by telling us your name and the position you are running for?
Hi, I’m Bethany and I’m going for Activities Officer.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of the university?
So, I do pole dancing which is probably my main one and I was in the pole dance society for three years which was really good.. And I do a lot of contortion work and loads of stretching – going to the gym a lot and trying to crochet, which is really hard!
I’m actually quite a creative person, the course I studied was fashion with textiles & I’m running my own business on the side, trying to do pole wear so I’d say that’s kind of my main hobby.
Why have you decided to run for your chosen role?
This will be (fingers crossed) my second year in the position, I’ve absolutely loved the job this year. The reason that I went for the job last year was because I was so in love with my role on the committee as I was president of Pole at the time, and I absolutely loved that. We worked on loads of collaborations and things like that with other societies and I thought, oh, do you know what? Why is nobody else doing this like it’s so much fun. And so, this year I’ve really pushed for social collaborations and made really good connections, not only with just students but also university and SU staff and I’ve just loved it.
What are your top three policies?
I have six but, these are my top three:
My number one is that I’m hoping to get a female only space in the gym, so downstairs in ActiveHud there is an upstairs area that we call the mezzanine. I’m trying to get that to be female only, it’s been a push, but hopefully fingers crossed that I can get it done. Obviously, this includes all women but more specifically Muslim women so that they feel comfortable in a safe environment to take their hijabs off when working out. Just a comfortable and safe environment for any female to work on their physical fitness, I think it is really important.
My second one, I’m going to go with society collaborations. This was on my manifesto last year and I’m carrying it through to this year and I’ve done loads of work on it, however I still think that there’s work to be done. I created something called Global Social which went extremely well. Working with the other officers and our global citizens networks adapter. We managed to get 100 students there from global societies, our next one will have other societies, so not just global societies. Unfortunately, even though the SU would love to fund everyone’s amazing events this isn’t possible. But because of everyone’s club accounts (self-funded money within the SU) if people were to collaborate on a large event, they’d be able to pool all their money and therefore bring more students which works for everyone.
My third one, we’ll go with making societies more affordable again. I’m working really, really closely and trying to build my relationships with the university because they’re who give us our grant. So I’ve worked really hard on that this year, I’m wanting to make societies more affordable – specifically more sports clubs as they’re reaching 75 pounds at the minute which we’re hoping to not raise next year. Alot of students might be thinking that they can’t afford these so that’s going to be a big one. Everyone should have the same opportunity to be able to have a hobby and an interest, regardless of money.
Why do you think these policies are important for students?
So, society collaborations is important because, my course was in the Barbra Hepworth building, obviously the other side of campus so I was the only one in my class of maybe 15-20 that did a sports club or anything, because they just weren’t aware of it or they didn’t know how to get to it. So, I think society collaborations are really important because if they’re in a sports club or they’ve got a hobby, it means they’ll be able to reach a larger number of students. For example, if there’s a bunch of people in astrology and they think rock climbing was cool but didn’t know anyone who would go with them, and they’re all going to do a big collab, they might meet someone at that event and then feel brave enough to go to rock climbing.
And then, like I said earlier (policy 1) I just think it’s important that women have a safe space as the female memberships are low and I think that’s down to intimidation. I’m quite a confident person so I feel okay going to the gym alone, but I know for a fact that a lot of my friend wouldn’t feel the same if they walked into a space of all these guys, which is not their fault they’re just living their lives. But it is really intimidating and it’s really important that they can improve their physical wellbeing.
And then making societies more affordable, it’s just everyone should have the opportunity to do something to love and a cost shouldn’t hold them back. The SU do really well with the hardship fund and splitting payment cost, but at the end of the day, because of inflation they can’t afford to give everyone free memberships. So I think showing the University how important being part of the SU is and that the funding should be increased as it’s good marketing for them – you know if we win in varsity, that gives them a huge marketing tactics but if prices keep being raised there might not be these clubs as people won’t be able to afford it.
Do you have a message for the students reading this?
I mean, obviously vote, that is the most important thing, even if it’s not for me your engagement in the SU is so vital and important, not only do you find friends, improve your physical/mental wellbeing but you also learn so many skills. Even if I wasn’t on the committee (for pole) I would’ve still learned so many skills. Performing for one, I would’ve never done that in my first year. It only takes one step to just walk into a room and I promise you that every single person in there is going to be the nicest person, because they want you to be a part of their society.
So, I think my biggest message would just be to engage, try and engage, be brave and just take the first step.
Sabih Nadeem
Can you introduce yourself by telling us your name and the position you are running for?
Hi, I’m Sabih and I’m running for Activities Officer.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of the university?
So I’ve been learning Korean for about two to three years now, that’s a big hobby of mine. I also like to listen to a lot of K-POP, watch K-Dramas. My favourite band is Stray Kids at the moment and my favourite K-Drama is Alchemy of Souls.
Why have you decided to run for your chosen role?
I’ve decided to run for Activities Officer, because I’ve been in societies, so like, for example, I’ve been a part of T’Hud and K-wave society this year, and different societies in previous years. The SU do an amazing job with, but sometimes when it comes to hobby societies or the global societies, we are kind of left in the shadows a little bit, and sports societies are kind of on top. Now I’m not saying we should stop that support for the sports societies, but I think we need to bring hobbies and global societies to the same level. Which is why I’ve decided to run this year.
What are your top three policies?
So my first one is fair for all. What that basically means, so equal contribution, equal recognition and equal support for all societies whether you’re a niche society, a global society or a sports society, it doesn’t matter, it’s just that equal recognition. And with that, pushing for cheaper recreational sports memberships for those who just play casually.
My second policy is working on a collaboration portal. So, I’ve spoken to many societies, and they do feel like messaging on social media can be intimidating especially with smaller societies trying to contact larger ones – they don’t always hear back from them. So in the collaboration portal you would be able to put in open requests in societies you may never have heard of, or ones that you would’ve never thought to have collaborated with, they can accept your idea and may collaborate with you which is why I think it’s a great idea.
My third main society is just society support. So, this being a mental wellbeing check-in. It’s quite stressful when you’re a committee member in a society, especially as you’re using a lot of your own time along with your studies, it can be very hard to maintain and manage. So, I want to bring in a well-being check in every two months where it can be a nice casual chat, but you can also bring things up. There will be an anonymous form as well, so if you don’t feel like you want to share it with anybody as you, there will be that form there where you can raise your concerns as well.
Why do you think these policies are important for students?
So I think these policies are important for students as it, for example, when it comes to fair for all, it means each society feels like they are being recognised, students don’t feel like they’re putting so much work into their society and then not getting anything back from it. Also, when I was talking about the stress, it can really take a toll on a person as well, so having those check ins will really help those students.
That’s why I think those three policies are important, I do have other policies, but they were my top three and I think they’re really important as I have spoken to students, and all of these are based on student feedback
Do you have a message for the students reading this?
So, look at my policies as they have all been made on student feedback and what students want. So hopefully vote for me on Tuesday, and let’s make campus buzz together.
Chelsea Stevenson
Can you introduce yourself by telling us your name and the position you are running for?
Hi, I’m Chelsea and I’m running for Activities Officer this year!
What are your hobbies and interests outside of the university?
Outside of university, I like to sing and perform, and I also really like Taylor Swift. I’m part of the Musical theater society as well.
Why have you decided to run for your chosen role?
I decided to run for activities because I wanted to make a long lasting difference, because I feel like often when an officer leaves the role, anything they’ve brought in kind of goes with them. So I want to make sure any changes I make are a permanent thing – so they impact not only the current students, but also future ones in years to come. I’ve built up a lot of confidence being on the committee for two societies this year, and it’s also made me a lot more in tune to the needs of everyone else, and not just their preferences but the things that they as students need from the University.
What are your top three policies?
I have seven policies, but my top three policies are:
Bringing in regular wellbeing checks for committees is one of my policies. Being on two committees, I’ve learnt that it’s very stressful running a society. It’s already there, however I feel like if it was more prominent, and committees were reminded that the support was there, it may be more likely that they will use it. Monthly check-ins – maybe every six to eight weeks would help make sure committees are okay and that they are coping with the overload of work with both their course and the society.
Another policy is bringing back emergency accommodation. This used to be a thing within the University, where they had a flat in student accommodation on hold if students needed it for whatever reason – but they don’t fund it anymore. I wanted to bring that back to give students a safety net if they need it, as their safety is a priority whether they live on campus or commute from elsewhere.
I also want to campaign to change the way that maintenance loans are worked out – either increasing or getting rid of the minimum loan for students, as sometimes the minimum doesn’t even cover their rent, meaning they have to work on top of it to afford food, societies, and generally having a social life. I feel like students should not be just surviving, but thriving.
Why do you think these policies are important for students?
I feel like my policies are important because together, they represent everyone. My Project 84 campaign represents the importance of male mental health awareness. This also connects with my committee wellbeing campaign, as it can be mentally and physically exhausting – and I feel that committee members need to be supported in the best ways possible. My Student housing policy represents students who struggle financially due to maintenance loans, as well as students at risk of abuse / neglect / homelessness. I also want to make sure that everybody is able to get involved and feel welcome in society events.
Do you have a message for students?
All my policies aim to support everyone at the University – even the ones I haven’t mentioned (as I have seven policies), and I just want to make sure that every student feels like they are represented.