Label Editor Anna Cooper, sat down with the candidates running to be your next LSU President, to find out more about their ideas!
Callum Parke
What are the main points of your manifesto?
Communication – improved face to face and virtual communication. I want to engage students as much as possible and make sure that they can see what the exec does and so they know where to go if they have issues. We’re thinking to start exec office hours so having an hour every week where there will be a drop-in session so they can come into the office and chat to us. I’d like to do more face to face visits so things like dining hall visits and going to committee meetings more regularly.
Construction – I want to consult student bodies and section heads about what they want the interior of the building to look like and to make sure that the building serves a purpose for the students of today but also for the students tomorrow as well.
Culture –The student volunteer position should be value added to your degree, but often they’re becoming value over the degree. I’d like to introduce a graded system where for example say the number limit is 9 and a student has a level 5 and a level 4, we would sit down with them to discuss their workload alongside their degree. The second part of culture is that I want to diversify and increase our student volunteer base. We will review all the sections, especially hall hustings and look into whether they’re truly inclusive.
What experience do you have that makes you suitable for the role?
I am the only person to have been hall chair of 2 different halls, I was the hall chair of The Holt and then the inaugural hall chair for Claudia Parsons. I’ve led not only a team of people I know but also a team people I don’t know. I feel I organised and managed it well and delivered a successful freshers, hopefully the freshers say the same thing! I’ve also been involved in the union through the DRC, so I know the inner workings of the union and the policies on the table. Other than that, I am a football referee and there are a set of skills that come with that; man management, teamwork, making decisions under pressure and these things come naturally to me. I have also worked for the university for a year, I worked in the Hazel-Rigg building on my placement year, so I know a lot of the university staff and the workings of student services fairly well.
What is it about Loughborough that you love so much that makes you want to be the next LSU President?
The position has been something I had half an eye on since first year and I love Loughborough is just an fantastic place. It’s the happiest I’ve been for a very long time and I have no real desire to leave, it’s given me memories and memories I want to replicate and keep going. I enjoy making things better for other people, for example through open days and you can only really market a product that you love. This allows me to show why I love the university and the union so much. The opportunities we offer and the communities we have really allow everyone to find something that they can excel in and progress as individuals.
What student issues will you present to the university?
I think the main issue is the culture here, so I want to make sure that we cater not only for the party students, but we cater for everyone. Also, this falls under the education remit as much as mine, but obviously handling strikes as it is a circumstance we need to mitigate, but it has been handled fantastically this year, we need to obviously make sure we are on top of the situation. Another issue I’d like to raise is a sensitive one, as I’d like to look into the welfare support systems we have around drugs, alcohol and gambling. We want to be able to support our students as we have a duty of care over them. I’m not saying that the university has a problem, but if one of two students do have one then I believe it’s our duty as a representative to make sure these support systems are in place.
How will you support sections where the chair is unpaid?
I’d like to have as many meetings as possible to make sure we’re supporting them as best as we can in terms of budget, manpower and they have been allocated the correct resources. Just because they’re unpaid doesn’t mean they are any less of a section.
If you were a biscuit what biscuit would you be?
I’d be a chocolate hobnob!
Matt Youngs
What are the main points of your manifesto?
- Loughborough experience for all – tackling social isolation and loneliness across campus and in the community through cross collaborative working.
- An exec accountable to all – a termly exec forum that allows students to challenge the exec face to face or online.
- A venue fit for all – a full review of the current security arrangements at the union and the championing of student staff wherever possible.
What experience do you have that makes you suitable for the role?
Having been Welfare and Diversity Exec Officer this year, alongside the culmination of four years of volunteering un LSU as a student, I’ve always understood and championed the importance of listening to and representing students. In my role this year I’ve gained a greater breadth and depth of understanding of where the union needs the change – it needs an experienced individual who is not afraid to make that change.
What is it about Loughborough that you love so much that makes you want to be the next LSU President?
The fact that the phrase Loughborough family really does exist, and that no matter what, students will always support each other; they should, and deserve to, have a union that reflects that. Having been here for five years, I consider myself in the perfect place to ensure we have a students’ union that is always on your side.
What student issues will you present to the university?
Loneliness and socialisation are massive issues at universities across the country; 1 in 5 students in the UK experience loneliness at least once a week. At the moment it’s not currently high enough on the university’s agenda. Everyone deserves a voice at Loughborough, no matter who they are or where they come from.
How will you support sections where the chair is unpaid?
I would consider myself to have done a good job as pres if the output from a section with a paid section chair is the same as that of a non-paid section. In order for that to be achieved, every section chair (whether paid or not) should feel like they are properly supported by the pres and the rest of the officer team. Section chairs, including those who do it on a voluntary basis, should always feel empowered to make a difference, and empowerment is at the heart of everything I do.
If you were a biscuit what biscuit would you be?
Bourbon, of course!
Voting is now open! To vote head to https://msl.lsu.co.uk/elections/cast-your-vote/
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