Warwick SU Elections 2025 Question Time Day 2: Full-Time Officers

As part of preparation for this week’s Students’ Union (SU) elections, The Boar recently attended a Question Time event for the candidates vying for the Part-Time Officer positions.

Candidates for the positions were able to launch their campaigns with a short speech, followed by questions asked by The Boar, RAW 1251AM, and audience members in the Kevin Gately Room in the SU building.

VP Welfare & Campaigns 

Two of seven candidates, Ollie Chapman and Summer Jones, were present at Question Time.

Is the University doing enough to campaign against sexual violence and misogyny on campus? How could they improve?

Jones said they do not “feel like they’re doing enough to campaign against sexual violence and misogyny”.  If elected, they pledged to:

• Provide specialist sexual violence advisors
• Fight against NDAs being used to silence survivors of sexual assault 
• Increase awareness and the number of educational events 
• Provide “stronger support services like Report and Support”

Ollie Chapman agreed with his opposition and said that many of his friends “have had horrific experiences”. He mentioned the “great people in university wellbeing and at the SU” but emphasised the need for change. He pledged to:

• Reform Report and Support by consulting student groups and bringing in an external review of the system
• Separate the welfare and security responsibilities of Community Safety
• Help to end the rape culture on campus

How would you work with student protest groups like the divestment campaign, and is there any way you’d want to change how the SU deals with these protest issues?

Chapman is “proud to have supported those campaigns” and believes there is a “culture” where the University and SU view students involved in these campaigns as “just angry” and “enraged for no reason”. He stated: “it’s not the students that need to change, it’s the University and the SU that need to change”. He aimed to change this outlook from the SU and the University through the following:

• Working with the students in the Student Staff Solidarity Network
• Having a “stern conversation” with Community Safety about how people were treated at demonstrations, the encampment and sit-ins

Jones highlighted how “students have the right to protest and to feel safe doing so”.  They believed that these key steps need to be taken:

• Support from the SU towards protest groups
• Change who carries out welfare checks on students, these are currently carried out by Campus Security who some students have had negative experiences with

With volunteer welfare services like Nightline coming under pressure, would you want to change how the University and SU support these services?

Jones discussed the vitality of these services for students and expressed their desire for an increased support to volunteers and suggested that these roles become paid positions. 

Chapman declared that it’s “a real shame that the Nightline Association has folded”. He emphasised how the SU should help the organisation to find as many volunteers as possible as well as provide financial help.

What more do you think the SU could do to support students in being more sustainable?

Chapman is “passionate about sustainability” and thinks that it is not just about helping the climate but also improving people’s health. He wants to work towards these aims:

• Implement the plant-based university motion
• Work towards a plastic-free Pop!
• Lobby the University to divest from arms affiliated companies

Jones too recognised the importance of sustainability. They hopes to implement the below:

• A swap shop and give away drive for household items which students no longer need
• Working towards net-zero in SU outlets
• Having community fridges were leftovers can be redistributed to students 
• Having agricultural crops on land to grow our own food

Are there any other causes that are particularly important to you?

Jones holds “mental health and accessibility” of high importance to them. They call for “special, knowledgeable support” for “specific communities”. In addition to this, they hope to make campaigns inclusive for all so that the SU is “representative of those it’s serving”.

For Chapman, finances are what he wants to focus on. He aims to make the free breakfast club daily, make Rootes Grocery Store  more affordable, subsidise bus passes for disadvantaged students, and produce a report on rent prices which can be used to lobby the University.

VP Sports

Ollie Seal, the sole candidate running for this position, was in attendance.

This year there has been a push to increase the turnout at BUCS fixtures, what other ways do you think spectating university sports fixtures can be encouraged next year?

Seal wants to “push for social media presence”. They said that not a lot of students want to go to “the majority of these events” but that a social media presence will encourage them to go along.

Over recent years, Sports Officers have pushed to increase inclusivity in sport, especially when it comes to female and LGBTQ+ athletes. How would you increase inclusivity in sport across Warwick clubs further?

Seal wants to “set up a pot of money to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds get into the realm of Warwick sports”. Part of this would involve helping people from “more diverse backgrounds”. They want alumni to come and to encourage people from these backgrounds to try out sport at Warwick.

The price for societies to engage with sports at Warwick has ballooned this year – the entry fee for a 5-a-side league, for instance has increased 50%. How would you work to make access to sports more affordable for societies?

Seal described this as the “most pressing question” that they are getting at the moment. They aim to tackle the “financial barrier” as this is what stopped them from getting started with university sport. Seal will negotiate with the University to lower costs and create a fund for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Some students have cited an intimidating environment around Warwick Sports – how would you open up sports to become a more welcoming environment?

This “social barrier” and “almost toxic nature” of sports is something which many have spoken to Seal about. They said that they are “committed to” tackling this discrimination through communicating with presidents and sports officers of “other societies” to tone down events such as circles and “initiations” which “are not called initiations anymore”. This will lead to Warwick Sport having a “more diverse platform of people”.

One question from the floor sparked a reaction from the crowd, this question asked Seal about their own experiences with sport at Warwick.

Seal spoke about concerns they have noted from others because they are “not involved in Warwick Sport”. They, however, believe that this puts them “aside from a lot of potential people who could come into this role with a lot of experience in specific societies on campus”. Unlike these individuals, Seal is “unbiased” and hopes to help those who, like them, are not currently involved in university sport. They mentioned “running as a joke originally” but were interrupted by SU representatives who prevented them from giving further response.

VP Societies

Both candidates for Vice President for Societies, Anshuman Joshi and Adam Skrzymowski, attended Question Time.

Joshi, after summarising his varied involvement with societies, said: “I view societies as ideas. I value them because they each serve a purpose to the people involved with it. All societies matter in their own way […] and are due consideration.”

Skrzymowski spoke about his long-term experience on society execs. “I know what works and where things fall short”, he said.

Should he be elected, the candidate plans to cut the societies federation fee to £10 (£2 for postgraduates), with the ultimate goal of completely eliminating it.

Skrzymowski’s other pledges included “reviewing and simplifying spending rules, creating a vibrant term two socs fair, and providing more opportunities for societies to publicise themselves across campus”.

“I believe our SU should be a powerful ally and support system and not an inconvenience. By overhauling our online resources, cutting unnecessary bureaucracy to put execs in control, and regularly going out to talk to you, I will ensure your voice is heard, your ideas are supported, and your societies have the freedom and funding they need to thrive.”

Many societies see the SU as something to be worked around rather than something to be worked with. How would you work with societies to change this attitude? 

Skrzymowski listed some “achievable changes” like letting societies sell their own tickets and reviewing rules and guidance on spending.

Joshi expressed interest in surveying societies’ key concerns both now and for the future. He would like to improve the risk assessment process for tours to eliminate “strange feedback” and also to improve the ticketing process.

What do you think is important to consider when reviewing whether a society should become SU-affiliated or not?

Joshi suggested that risks to “emotional welfare” and “the popularity of the idea” are both key aspects to consider. Skrzymowski, meanwhile, stated his priority as being “how much of a community [a society] provides”.

VP Democracy and Development 

Both candidates, Sharlz Peters and James Varney, attended the event.

Peters talked about her work as a student fundraiser, during which she has spoken to alumni who did not feel “included” at Warwick. “What sets me apart from others is that I embrace diversity to its fullest, she said. “I engage beyond echo chambers, I value different perspectives, and I champion meaningful representation.” Peters also emphasised the value of her “global perspective”.

Varney lamented what he called the SU’s “unbelievable wall of bureaucracy”. He intends to “push for affordable student life, overhaul SU democracy, and push for a safe, ethical and green campus”.

As head of development, you would be responsible for championing sustainability initiatives. What areas of development within the SU would be your priorities?

Peters stated her aim to champion “responsible waste disposal” and to look for digital alternatives to paper. Varney’s answer referred to his “track record” as Environment and Ethics Officer (EEO), during which he has helped to change the University’s recycling supplier and to more effectively label vegetarian and vegan products in SU outlets. He also promised to work towards eliminating what he termed “the University’s complicity” in the destruction of our planet from weapons.

Until this year there have been three All Student Votes a year annually. Would you want to see a return to frequent All Student Votes and how would you increase student engagement with the ASV process?

Varney answered in the affirmative, saying, “I’ve met with the CEO, management and student voice to address this”. “The new ideas platform with simpler motion structures should really help people get involved”. He also outlined his EEO experience, “changing SU structures to make them more accessible”.

Peters also agreed, but stressed the need to encourage student participation in the first place. “We have to encourage people to say what they need to say, get a fair democratic vote on it, and show that we are willing to listen to people.”

VP Education 

Ananya Sreekumar was the only candidate of four for Vice President for Education at Question Time.

Sreekumar stated her key priorities as being disability and wellbeing, decolonising education, anti-racism, and representation.

She is looking to deal with deadlines and self-certifications, whilst “working with departments to ensure that the disability code of practice is being incorporated”.

Sreekumar expressed her desire to create a “decolonise the curriculum handbook” and to “conduct primary research into people’s experiences with racism in the classroom”. She also wants to diversify SSLC committees by better advertising positions.

Strike action between university management and academics looks set to affect universities all over the country. What role do you think the SU should play in these disputes?

Sreekumar responded by emphasising the presence of postgraduate students among the teachers striking, noting how neither students nor staff are responsible for their vulnerable situation. “It’s the University’s fault”, she said.

What change do you think that the SU could push for in the year ahead to improve the educational experiences of neurodiverse students on campus?

Accessibility to affordable diagnoses is of high importance to Sreekumar, as a neurodiverse student herself. She stressed the importance of “facilitat[ing] […] more spaces where students can engage with each other” and find community.

VP Postgraduates

Four candidates for Vice President for Postgraduates attended Question Time: Anish Pani, Vaishnavi Ravi, Sophie Bourne and Bhawini Rathor.

Pani’s opening statement focused on the need for “collectivism” in the University leadership to help those from “underrepresented communities and [the] financially repressed”.

Ravi’s priorities include cost-of-living support, for example “mak[ing] the hardship fund more accessible to students” and pushing for “stipends to match the real living wage”. She also wants to work with the PGR collective to improve the rights of teaching students.

Bourne’s policies include improving postgraduate community, promoting SU transparency, a more inclusive SU, and a liberated, decolonised and sustainable university campus. Moreover, she intends to lobby for more postgrad funding and study space, alongside more events. “I’m not afraid to stand up and speak out for what I believe in even if that means challenging the University particularly on things like divestment.”

“A Master’s degree isn’t just about grades. It’s about holistic growth”, Rathor said. Rathor aims to “bridge the gap between the students and the University officials”, focusing on wellbeing, academic support and cross-culture community networks.

This year there’s been a series of postgrad events focused on neurodiversity. Are there any other minority groups within the postgrad body that you would like to better support on campus, and if so, how?

Ravi stressed the need to support neurodiverse postgraduates, alongside part-time, mature, and international students. Bourne “ would be keen”, she said, “to work with Widening Participation postgrads”, referencing her low socio-economic background.

Rathor aims to help neurodiverse postgrads by having “tailored internships”, “oral examinations if possible” and “more verbal communications events”. Finally, Pani spoke out against “groupism” and how students must be motivated “to explore their passions and interests”.

In what ways would you encourage postgrads at Warwick to get more involved in the wider student community and culture?

Bourne explained how she is keen to work with societies to make sport more accessible to postgrads, for example through “marketing the opportunities”. Rathor proposed “interdisciplinary meets”, “mentorship programmes from PG to UG” and “skill-sharing”.

Building a student “ecosystem” to provide collective “profitability” was Pani’s main point here. Lastly, Ravi stated that she aims to provide more zero-cost events for postgrads to encourage community building.

President

Three of the four candidates were present at Question Time with Harry Curtis, the absent candidate, having his speech read out by an SU representative. The present candidates were Louis Gosling, Muneeba Amjad and Alijah Taha.

The work the SU president does involves liaising with other students and National Unions. What makes you the best candidate to represent Warwick on a national level?

Gosling highlighted his experience working with BUCS on a national level and collaborating with other SUs and sports clubs. He stated that national work has been “intrinsic” to his current role as VP Sports. 

Taha has also worked on a national level in his role as VP Postgraduates. He has “helped to lobby with MPs” and believes he has experience working with other bodies. He emphasised the need for “dialogue” between organisations”.

Amjad has attended NUS and has “interacted with officers, particularly education officers around the country”. In her role as VP Education she has experience working beyond the SU and the University. 

Last year, only about 14% of students cast a vote for SU President. How would you reach out to the other 86% of students who don’t care about SU processes?

Amjad thinks the main issue is the SU’s “communication” with students and states that she does not think that students understand what SU officers can do to improve life at the University. Amjad is a physics student, a department which she states as being “less engaged” with campus politics and thinks the SU should “work more closely with SSLCs” and increase “communications” through projects like newsletters.

Gosling wants to highlight “the fantastic stuff” which happens in the SU building which goes unshown. He wants to change how the SU is seen “more widely” and will work with marketing to ensure that this “culture shift” happens. He also wants to engage with parts of campus such as Westwood and the medical school.

Taha mentioned how students’ support cannot be bought through a free hot drink. He emphasised the “intrinsic value” of the Board. Like Gosling, he wants to reach out further and aims to include Gibbet Hill campus in SU activity.

A recording of the entire Full-Time Officer Question Time event can be found here, courtesy of RAW 1251AM.

A list of all Full-Time Officer candidates and their manifestos can be found here.

Voting closes at 5pm on Friday 7 March.