The results are in: Meet the new York SU Sabbatical Officers for 2025/26

It’s official. Your new sabbatical officers for York Student Union 2025/26 have been confirmed!

Voting was open from Monday 24th to Thursday 27th March, and results were announced live in Hendrix Hall last Friday by YSTV. Candidates had a week to campaign (you might have noticed the hundreds of posters around campus), and were quizzed on their manifestos by student media outlets such as York Vision, YSTV and University Radio York.

There were seven roles up for grabs this year, with many of last years Sabbs running for re-election. The elections used the STV (Single Transferable Vote) method, with candidates being eliminated in rounds until a voting threshold was reached. The newly elected officers will take up their roles in July and hold them for most of the 2025/26 academic year.

So, let’s meet the new (or returning) officers…

Union Affairs Officer: Lewis Parrey

via YouTube

First up is the current Union Affairs Officer and former Kato president, who was successfully re-elected for another year in the role, beating five other candidates.

The Union Affairs Officer is similar to the role of president and acts as head of the Students’ Union, working alongside Vice-Chancellor Charlie Jeffrey and university staff.

Lewis’ manifesto focused on improving student experience, methods to combat the cost of living crisis and increasing student representation in talks with the university.

Union Development Officer: Anna Lindberg

via YouTube

Next up is the new Union Development Officer, Anna Lindberg, who has been President of All Should Eat for the last two years.

Anna won the role against two other candidates, including the current officer, Gen Andrews, in one of the closest election races.

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The Union Development Officer is in charge of leading events and fundraisers, as well as ensuring sustainability in the student community.

Anna pledged to improve support for volunteering, ensure student safety in regards to York nightlife, focus on accessibility for on-campus events, and promote sustainability.

Academic Officer: Aya Haidar

via YouTube

Taking over from Fenella Johnson as Academic Officer is Aya Haidar!

The main responsibility of the Academic Officer is to represent students’ academic interests and work with representatives in all academic departments.

In Aya’s manifesto she promised to advocate for improved dissertation support and assessment timetabling, and to prioritise academic representation. Aya has previously held positions as the VP of Events at Constantine, President of the Pottery Society and Department Rep.

Sports Officer: Darcy Graham

via YouTube

Next up is the new Sports Officer, Darcy Graham, who will take on the role previously held by Tanisha Jain.

The Sports Officer works to coordinate all the sports teams at York and run events like Roses and the Colours Ball, doubling as president of the York Sport Union.

Darcy has previously been a member of the York Sport Union Committee and has held leadership roles in both university and college hockey, as well as college football.

In their manifesto, Darcy pledged to focus on inclusion for underrepresented groups in sport, provide increased welfare support for teams, and ensure financial and environmental sustainability within the Sports Union.

Equality and Inclusion Officer: Abi Harrison

via YouTube

Abi Harrison won the role of Equality and Inclusion Officer out of five candidates.

The Equality and Inclusion Officer’s role is to champion underrepresented communities and ensure intersectionality and inclusivity within the Union.

Abi’s campaign points included improving accessibility in university spaces, making it easier for students to find part-time work, prioritising BAME and LGBTQ+ mixers, and introducing more open discussions for underrepresented groups.

Community and Wellbeing Officer: Sam Dickinson

via YouTube

Now for the new Community and Wellbeing Officer, Sam Dickinson!

After probably the most entertaining campaign of the election (never got my free beer), Sam won the role against five other candidates including the current officer, Freddy Russell.

The Community and Wellbeing Officer’s responsibility is to advocate for the welfare and mental health of students, collaborating with the uni’s support services.

In his manifesto, Sam pledged to try and improve nightlife safety, advocate for subsidised laundry, and fight for lower rent prices.

Activities Officer: Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb

via YouTube

Last up is Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb, who successfully re-ran for the role of Activities Officer against four other candidates.

The Activities Officer represents the hundreds of societies here at York, including volunteering groups and student media.

Kaitlyn’s campaign focused on continuing her work from this year, by improving funding and resources for societies, guaranteeing on-campus spaces for societies and student leaders, and restructure bureaucracy within the union and university.

The newly elected officers will take on their positions from July 2025 until June 2026, representing all York students through the 2025-26 academic year.

Featured image via @yorkunisu