Meet your candidates: Faculty of Arts Exec, Faculty Representative

Meet the candidates running to be your next Faculty of Arts Exec – Faculty Representative in this year’s spring elections.

Sidney Pycroft

I’m Sidney, a History & Politics finalist, current Arts Faculty Rep, Chair of the Joint-Honours History SSLC, and Chair of SU Education Committee. I wish to continue this work on academic representation in my prospective master’s year. The student voice at Warwick is not always consistent, powerful, or listened to, I wish to see a greater emphasis on SSLCs and new Department Reps to address this. 2020/21 has shown how fragile but important the student voice is and emphasised the need to continue pushing the university to act upon our needs. Academic representation should, and must, be the SU’s core.

Why are you running for this role?

I have spent three years at Warwick getting increasingly involved with academic representation and after a year as one of your Arts Faculty Reps I have seen clearer than ever the problems we face at every level to getting our voices heard. I wish to continue all the current hard work next year as a master’s student. PGT students have been particularly left behind this last year and this, especially, cannot be allowed to happen again.

What, in your opinion, most needs changing at Warwick?

The common theme over the last three years at all levels is the lack of student engagement and the tendency for students’ concerns to be slow-walked or outright dismissed. This is not helped with the petty SU in-fighting which has meant we have not had a powerful champion for our interests and fundamental needs. Collaboration and putting students’ voices at the centre of all we do is crucial to securing positive change. Academic and university experience must come before politics.

What has been your favourite memory from your time at Warwick?

As, sadly, not much has happened since I was elected last year my favourite memories are still the TriUni and UniBrass trips with the Brass Society to Durham and Bangor, respectively. Some of my favourite times spent here, it is such a shame that life has been placed on hold since last Spring. This year I have also become a bit obsessed with writing for the Boar, this is probably my favourite thing to happen in my final year.

Jake Newbury

Candidate did not respond.

Jack Sperry

Candidate did not respond.

Disclaimer: candidates’ answers have not been edited. The opinions featured here do not reflect the opinions of The Boar.