What are your FTO candidates’ main goals?

With elections opening Tomorrow for LUSU Full-Time Officers, we interviewed your candidates so that students could get to know them a bit better.

We asked candidates what their main goals are, what sets them apart, and what they would want to change about the uni if elected.

All of the FTO candidate manifestos can be found here.

VP Sport: Jack Watson

Via @watson4sport on Instagram

1) What are your main goals for the role?

“My three main goals are:
1. Facilitate the incoming changes to the structure of sport to the best of my ability, ensuring these changes take place before we return in September.
2. Provide more support and communication to college and recreational sports teams.
3. Streamline the committee handover process by introducing a mandatory ‘Club Handover’ package and introduce regular ‘Sports Review Focus Groups’ between Captains and Presidents to encourage communication between each other and with LUSU.”

2) What would you bring to the role that you think your opponents wouldn’t?

“Experience! I’ve been at Lancaster for three years and have been involved in sport ever since I started. Not just at BUCS level, but I play recreational netball for the LEC mixed and mens+ team too.”

3) What are the main changes you’d like to see in the university?

“1. A new structure of sport across the board, as promised over the last couple of years.

“2. An improvement of the merchandising of sports clubs and societies on campus.

“3. An improved handover process between exec’s and increased communication not just with LUSU, but between sports leaders as well.”

VP Welfare: Josh Newsham

Via @josh4vpwelfare on Instagram

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1) What are your main goals for the role?

2) What would you bring to the role that you think your opponents wouldn’t?

3) What are the main changes you’d like to see in the university?

“Alongside a shift in culture to a more welfare focussed university, I want to see the University continue and expand the Cost of Living support package and the free food schemes across the colleges. I also want to see meaningful reform the University’s Complaints Procedure and Deanery Process to be more accessible to students, especially students from minority backgrounds, who are disproportionately affected by incidents.”

VP Education: Samuel Hedges

Via @samhedgesforvpeducation on Instagram

1) What are your main goals for the role?
“As VP Education, I would have 4 main goals: reform flawed systems, uplift student voices, provide effective financial support and streamline extenuating circumstances.

“In order to reform flawed systems, I would make information that would have been previously difficult to access, widely accessible to students, through the student portal. For example, many students have expressed their frustrations with accessing information through the ASK system, as it has been shown to be difficult and confusing.

“To uplift student voices, I will be working closely with academic reps to improve communication across department and faculties. I want to shift the focus of academic reps being in dialogue with VP Education and allow and encourage them to be in dialogue with one another. In addition to this, I want to listen and uplift minority voices so that they can be heard by the Senate, the Student Assembly and the SU Trustee board, which I would be a part of.

“By providing effective financial support, I would continue to promote services such as LOAF and college schloarship to reduce financial stress and minimise further impact on grades. I will also continue to run the Breakfast and Supper club alongisde my fellow officers.

“By streamlining Extenuating Circumstances, I would make sure that the form would be easily accessible across departments. I would also implement limited extensions without the need for a reason so that students who are struggling are able to access support.”

2) What would you bring to the role that you think your opponents wouldn’t?
“Whilst I am running unopposed (not including Re-Open Nominations), I believe that I have experience in helping to coordinate campaigns such as helping to stop the implementation of off-campus exams. In having this experience, it has given me insight into how the Students’ Union functions daily. Therefore, I have a unique perspective of these systems as whilst I have gotten involved with LUSU campaigns, I have been able to provide fresh ideas that have aided in campaigns’ success.”

3) What are the main changes you’d like to see in the university?
“The changes I would like to see change at the university is the wider student populus to be aware of the support that is available for them to access in times of need. This is beacuse anecdotally, many students I have spoken to are unaware of systems of support or are unsure of how to access them. Through making people aware of the support that is available to them, they will be able to flourish in their academic endeavours.”

Elections for FTO open Tuesday 7th March at 10am.

Featured image via @lancastersu on Instagram, @watson4sport on Instagram, @josh4vpwelfare on Instagram, @samhedgesforvpeducation on Instagram

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