On January 24, The Courier had the opportunity to interview the candidates running for 25/26 Sabbatical and Liberation officers.
Vote HERE in the NUSU Elections!
President by Sanya Tayal
The President plays a pivotal role in both Union and University governance and ensures both stay relevant to students. Each candidate addressed various important issues within the university, proposing different initiatives to tackle them.
Ilsa Hartley proposed a monthly culture-sharing club where students from all communities meet to share food, language, and traditions. This idea is inspired by her personal experience when she struggled to meet new people at the University. She believes it would be a good opportunity for students to branch out and make new friends.
Aleks Frost, on the other hand, pledged to bring in more opportunities to assist students during the cost of living crisis. One of the initiatives he proposed is to bring free, affordable, and nutritious food to the University. He believed the student pantry plays an important role in bringing awareness and therefore believes it is essential to provide good-quality, affordable food in the university. He plans to accomplish his goal with the help of the student committees and local food shops.
Leo David proposed to start a student-created Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training and disability training for University staff and student well-being. He has created a completely student-led framework that would consist of student feedback and direct involvement of students. Through this, he aims to cover “common pitfalls” these students face, getting their issues to the staff.
Afiya Ballard Debois proposed a People of Colour safe space by making the university space more diverse. In addition, she recommended expanding the university's career opportunities and diversifying its industry. One of the industries she wants to concentrate on is the arts. According to her, the art business is the "most forgotten" and least amplified at universities.
All of the candidates think that there is a need to improve student engagement within the student body and have proposed various strategies to achieve so.
Ilsa believed it is critical for the Students' Union to inform students about their democratic framework, and she intends to do so by establishing an open forum.
Aleks, however, believes that boosting attendance at clubs and societies will enhance student interaction.
In contrast, Leo disagrees, arguing that the University already has higher student participation in such activities compared to most universities in the country. According to him, the focus should be on democracy, student well-being, and support services. He also calls the NUSU system “slightly archaic” and wants to make it more “21st century” suited by introducing more digital elements like the online element of voting ideas.
Afiya, on the other hand, wants to increase student engagement by promoting and connecting digitally and finding NUSU across the university rather than just a building.
Academic Officer by Timothy Daw
This role plays a key role in developing and coordinating initiatives to improve academic experience of all students - both taught and research.
Sohaila Marmoush's main idea was focused around improving responsiveness to student feedback and accountability from academics. To do this, she pledges to introduce the "Rapid Response" motions for addressing urgent student issues that academic year, describing University responsiveness as "completely unacceptable". Part of this framework would be to offer a single 12-hour academic extension for menstruating students annually. In terms of academia, Sohaila wishes to expand cross-faculty module choices for adaptable degrees, while increasing supervisor accountability and PGR inclusivity.
Gina Tindale pledges to enhance student rep visibility while improving feedback mechanisms. This would involve electing student reps before summer for early idea development and ensure immediate availability for student support at the start of the year. Gina hopes to improve anonymous student feedback and lecturer accountability, partly by creating an anonymised essay bank for clarity of grading standards. Her final idea was to increase campus presence both through office hours for school reps, as well as supporting student-run conferences for academic experiences.
The main emphasis from Kieron Johnson was to increase academic engagement and employability through revamped support systems. This would involve remodelling SSCs into advisory committees to gather and share actionable feedback. To add, by enhancing office hours, Kieron hopes to encourage students to engage with academics beyond their modules and explore career opportunities. These employability skills would be improved by launching monthly vocational workshops, featuring both staff and external professionals. For research students, Johnson hopes to create a mentorship scheme for research students, guiding them towards academic career paths.
Jasmine McGee hopes to address the cost-of-living, expand academic support, and improve pastoral care. By funding research opportunities to tackle cost-of-living issues using the hardship funds and external sources, which are important following the recent announcement of 300 full-time redundancies. McGee also hopes for greater support for those transitioning from UG to PG courses, and Stage 1 students via mentorship schemes. The final point Jasmine made, was to introduce standardised feedback rubrics for markers.
Current Education Officer Jasmine Banks hopes to revitalise the rep systems, promoting inclusivity and alternative assessments. By revitalising the rep system with a streamlined feedback pathway that takes the following shape: SSCs → school reps → faculty reps → university management. Banks also hopes to reduce reliance on traditional exams, exploring alternative assessment methods, while fostering a sense of belonging to a broader student community.
Wellbeing and Communities Officer by Amelie Baker
The Wellbeing and Equality Officer is crucial to leading the Student Union’s support practices and choosing what student welfare topics are prioritised on campus. The Courier spoke to the Wellbeing and Equality candidates on what they plan to bring to the role.
Julius Papong spoke of how University services, like the Neurodevelopmental Assessment Service and Neurodivergent Support Network (NeuSNet), had helped him out throughout their student experience. In their pledges, they speak about improving connections with external services, and in their interview, they expanded on raising awareness on the services that are offered by the University, encouraging inter-school communication between marginalised communities.
Elijah Wright emphasised the need for the Student Union to provide more training surrounding consent and violence on campus. Although the University provides ‘compulsory’ canvas modules on consent, he said he would instigate an in-person compulsory workshop in freshers week to prepare the new student body on how to handle these issues.
Erin Reid centred her new pledge on the need for more sustainability on campus to “bring a whole new awareness” and “get people involved on campus”. Her pledge stated that she would reinstate sustainability week, talking about the importance of raising this issue amongst the student body to boost understanding and improve daily habits.
Faraaz Ansari talked about how his proposal of a thrift shop on campus aimed to make clothing affordable for both students and the wider Newcastle community. He expanded how this “very collaborative product” would also help the University to “really work on sustainability”.
Lily Allan said that she would take the fight against sexual stigma further. Although University “is meant to be a place for growth rather than a place of judgement”, her dissertation research had raised the issue of how “people are more likely to say nothing amid fear of saying something and receiving judgement for it”.
Erin Robinson also reached out to share her pledges, centering on ensuring job security for students by improving the protection of 0-hour contracts on and off campus. She stated that she would complete this goal through introducing a Student Contract, available on the provision of a valid student ID.
Opportunities Officer by Lily Stokes
On Monday 24 February, Opportunities Officer Candidates launched their campaigns for the role. Opportunities Officer is the lead representative for student involvement in activities and opportunities other than Sport and Student Media.
James Geary spoke about his plans for increasing the role of the SU to improve the student experience and make the SU into a better third space for students.
Drawing on past international experiences, Abhilash Naidu wants to introduce a range of initiatives; he suggests a skill-sharing platform and better ways to recognise student success.
Rhys Barnfather affirmed the need to optimise equipment and venues use across campus. Barnfather aims to give funding for affordable memberships.
Ruaridh Lee wants to focus on publicity and support of societies, especially smaller ones. Better relations between societies and NUSU is also a priority.
Anitya Jain aims to launch a 'First-Time Free Pass' to allow students to join societies year-round. Jain also proposed a portal where students can suggest new ideas.
Sophie Dixon-Youll pledges to find new places for students on campus, create new cultural events as well as weeks to promote different society types.
Anouka Perera "loves university life". He spoke about his ongoing support and presence in the role. He also spoke about introducing Newcastle University’s Got Talent
Candidates affirmed the need for better long-term support for incoming students. Barnfather advocated for a month-long adjustment period and Geary proposed a more inclusive Freshers’ Week. Jain suggested a specialised post-graduate Freshers.
Post-graduate opportunities were also discussed; Dixon-Youll expressed dedication to promoting the importance of volunteering and SU activities for life after university. Perera and Naidu both suggest creating more links between students and alumni.
Sports Officer by Adam Tibke
The Sports Officer is responsibility for representing all students in relation to sporting opportunities, overseeing our Sports Clubs.
Clare Baker is keenly aware of the financial strain the University is already under, andwould instead look to outreach programs such as those offered by Newcastle United F.C. and Newcastle Falcons to “decrease financial barriers students face when joining sports clubs.” The Triathlon and Cycling Welfare Secretary would also provide wellbeing workshops to support student athletes and help them work on their mental health.
The Pole and Aerial President Lydia Bond plans on making University sport more inclusive by offering students more opportunities to get involved in activities they wouldn’t usually try. Acknowledging the importance of continued support, Lydia would also create online toolkits on “leadership, welfare, and club management,” that club committees can access throughout the year, not just in one-off sessions.
Building on the success of Varsity, Sophie Donaldson would increase the visibility of all sports in Newcastle through social media engagement. This would help create a sense of community that even the university’s smaller clubs could feel a part of. The Basketball President also plans on reducing the stigma around the culture of some sports clubs by fostering inclusivity and disassociating from the larger, more intimidating clubs for Give-It-A-Go sessions.
The incumbent AU Officer Alex Duggan believes that her re-election would help ease the University through a difficult restructuring period. Alex’s existing relationships with Newcastle’s partners in sport would also aide this transition, as she plans on working with Castore to create kit that is personalised for each sport. Also mindful of Newcastle’s current financial challenges, the former Women’s Rugby President plans on a smarter distribution of existing grants, strategic lobbying, and collaboration with the University to assuage the monetary obstacles some student athletes face.
With the overwhelming theme of Korfball Secretary Emma Hawthorn's pledges being engagement, Emma would introduce regular social media spotlights and create inclusive intra-university tournaments that would help build a stronger, more connected and supportive sports community.
Partnering with ResLife, Abby Vera Sinclair wants to involve Newcastle’s various student accommodations in sports-focused Freshers Week activities to introduce students to new sports and clubs. The long-standing Wheelchair Basketball committee member pledges to “link up social, competitive, and society sport” to share resources, maximise training sessions, and grow Newcastle’s sporting community.
Student Media Officer by Christine Soloch
All five candidates for Student Media Officer sat down with The Courier last Monday to discuss their visions for the future of student media. With each bringing unique and valid ideas to the table, this election will be a tight race.
Ashutosh Yadav, the only candidate without previous involvement in student media, proposed actively inviting students from various departments and providing a platform to share their perspectives.
With experience across all outlets, Adam Lovegrove wants to introduce taster sessions to learn editing and equipment use. He also emphasises the need for a suggestion board to allow for all voices, no matter their prior experience, to be heard, keeping student media “student-focussed” and community-driven.
Sarah Tunstall aims to champion collaborations between northern universities, believing that “students leading students” is a beneficial approach for mutual empowerment. They also seek to organise more personal workshops to help beginners understand different article formats and improve their skills.
As a fresh yet well-established member within student media, Ebony Maude focusses on diversity. She wants to highlight various clubs and societies and ensure students from all subjects feel seen. With a new “Global Voices” section, she aspires to break down language barriers and reach more international student engagement.
Libby Griffiths, current Deputy Editor, prioritises mentorship and seeks to create a welcoming atmosphere for all students. Inspired by her own positive introduction to student media, she pledges to introduce a “buddy system” to support new volunteers and foster stronger writer-editor relationships.
Liberation Officers by Hannah Mercer
Three out of seven candidates for the Liberation Officer roles answered questions at the Election Rally on Monday 24 February. This included Kasra Mojaverisamak for Ethnic Diversity Officer, and Ela Nur Ceylan and Yunru Deng for International Students Officer.
Mojaverisamak discussed his past experience as an EDI representative, where he found that vacant staff EDI roles made implementing minor changes difficult. He emphasised how he desires to give greater support to EDI representatives which, in turn, will enable an improvement in support for students throughout the university as a whole.
Ceylan expressed her commitment to take steps in securing more scholarship opportunities for international students, additionally aiming to provide funding for support in academia and joining clubs and societies. She emphasised how cultural difference is a key issue, and wants to help establish a more structured induction week to help international students.
Deng focussed on her pledge to ensure international students feel that they belong in all aspects of university life. She highlighted how language is a major barrier for international students, often resulting in missed opportunities due to inadequate communication within the university. Deng wants to create space to open conversations, fostering access to opportunities
Chair of Scrutiny and Chair of Council by Amelia Thompson
At the elections rally, I interviewed two candidates running for chair positions. Sophia Dolan, running unopposed for Chair of Scrutiny, and Oliver Tierney, a first-year student competing for Chair of Council, both who presented their visions for student governance.
Oliver, a first-year BA Ancient History student, did not shy away from acknowledging his initial concerns about running against PhD student Abdul Alghamdi. He admitted that Abdul’s experience was intimidating, making him somewhat relieved that his opponent did not attend the rally, but he remains focussed on his key priorities. His campaign is centred around increasing attendance at council meetings and raising awareness of student governance, particularly among Stage One students. He aims to introduce engagement initiatives from Freshers’ Week onwards. Additionally, he plans to organise social events, such as pub trips to Luthers, in collaboration with the Opportunities Officer, to provide an informal space for discussing council matters after the sessions.
When jokingly asked about the infamous “Don’t Vote for Oliver” Instagram account, he admitted he was unaware of who was behind it but speculated it could be a friend’s attempt at tactical voting; we hope so to!
Sophia a second year BA History and English student and the sole candidate for Chair of Scrutiny, drew on her experience as President of the English Society, which she believes has prepared her well for the role. One of Sophia’s key concerns is the "negative stigma" surrounding the disciplinary committee. She acknowledged that many students view it as an institution designed to penalise them or “spoil the fun.” However, she stressed that this is not its purpose. Instead, she hopes to highlight its role in upholding student rights, ensuring fairness, and maintaining accountability within the university.
With Sophia running unopposed and Abdul absent from the rally, the event provided a strong platform for both undergraduate students to share their visions without challenge. If elected, both candidates will have the opportunity to implement their plans and bring their perspectives to their respective roles.
Their shared belief that studying history has equipped them with critical thinking skills and an understanding of governance reflects their approach to leadership—one that values analysis, accountability, and engagement. Whether their initiatives will bring about change remains to be seen, but their enthusiasm suggests they are eager to make a lasting impact.
