The late winter air has warmed as campaigns get into full swing. This election season is definitely a busy one with 12 candidates across 5 positions hoping to breeze to victory by the 5th of March! One of these candidates is James Peat. James is running to retain his position as student communities officer. James is from Thornton-Cleveleys, a small town near Blackpool. Through his studies at Loughborough, he attained a BA in History. James has spent the last year as an executive officer, so he will be building a campaign based on his experience. We questioned James about his goals, campaign, and experience.
What are your top priorities for your time as Student Communities officer if elected?
My top priorities for if I get elected include:
- Providing Societies, Action and Rag with the focus they deserve in LSU decision-making, including assessing budget allocation, engagement and promotion of opportunities, to ensure that all students are informed of opportunities and able to engage.
- Improving transparency of decision-making of LSU Executive Officer and Senior Leadership teams with standardised and regular updates, and more information around changes that affect students.
- Ensuring that student input is received and valued when changes affecting students are made.
- Increasing university department social engagement by working more closely with the Societies section to the benefit of students and volunteers in both areas.
What good work would you look to carry on from this year?
I would use my experience as Executive Officer to drive the changes that need making regarding the sections of Societies, Action and Rag. I feel that having worked closely with all three sections throughout the year, I understand which are the main concerns of the students in these sections and I would dedicate my time to driving the changes that need to be made.
I would continue to drive engagement with Student Voice Committee, ensuring that it is able to critique and provide feedback on all major changes made, as well as providing regular updates on the work of different LSU teams and ensuring that their perspectives are valued and acted upon. I would also continue to work on pushing the LSUggestions platform, allowing students to make any suggestions that they feel would benefit the Loughborough experience, and ensuring that these suggestions are acted on by the Union and University.
What experience have you encountered which you believe improved your ability in the role?
During my time as Executive Officer, I have sat on Action and Rag committees, working directly with the students at the forefront of these sections to understand what is important to and affects both volunteers and students engaging within these sections. I have also led two Society Chairs Councils, as well as attending numerous Society Section Meetings, giving me a direct perspective on how societies are affected by changes made within LSU. From this, I feel that I am in a strong position to focus my time on directly making these changes in the interests of
students, something I feel is reflected within my manifesto. I hope that following a year of working around the changes caused by the significant restructuring at LSU, I can dedicate myself to a year of cementing positive changes within these sections, both for the sake of volunteers and students as a whole.
Where does your personal drive to take up this position come from?
During my time both as a student and as an Executive Officer, I have engaged largely with different student sections and communities, and have been interested in how Students Unions and Universities work to engage students and provide opportunities outside of achieving a degree, leading to me looking to work in higher education as a career. I feel strongly about empowering students and the student voice, and would look to keep working towards it, both in this position, or any future jobs going forwards for me. I’ve really enjoyed the work I’ve completed so far this year in my role and have loved working directly with students and seeing the great things that they’re getting up to!
What should voters expect from your campaign?
Voters can expect to see me out and about around campus, talking with students and in
lectures, and on my Instagram talking about myself, my manifesto and my goals for the year. I’m always happy to answer any questions, so come and have a chat if you see me!
If voters would like to get in touch with further questions, are you open to this and how would they go about contacting you?
I’m absolutely open to further questions, and anyone who wants to contact me can find me at my email [email protected], or on my Instagram @JamesPeat2025Election.
