On Saturday 12th February, two candidates for Guild Activities and Employability Officer accepted the invitation from BURN FM to be interviewed by Ella Kipling about their campaigns. This is what they had to say. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order by their surnames.

Harry ‘Hungry 4 Change’ Brooks

Harry Brooks, who is running under the slogan ‘Hungry 4 Change,’ is a second year History student, who’s manifesto focuses on ‘fun, safety, and inclusivity.’ In reference to his slogan, ‘Hungry 4 Change,’ Harry said ‘I really do want to place my mark and change things where I can.’ Harry said he is running for AEO because university activities are ‘a really important part of the student experience.’

Harry told Redbrick students should vote for him because of his ‘good work ethic,’ and experience working with the University as a student ambassador and leading events. When asked what makes his manifesto stand out, Harry emphasised the focus on Fab N Fresh events at the Guild, including ‘new themes,’ and tackling spiking at Fab and Sports Night. He also said he would be ‘very open to student suggestions’ outside his manifesto, since he believes the role of AEO is about ‘reflecting the student voice.’

Preventing spikings at the Guild are a major area Harry believes he could improve saying the introduction of cup covers and sniffer dogs are ‘not enough.’ He would want to improve the quality of CCTV cameras and ensure there is no ‘racial bias’ in random body searches. To get these changes through, Harry would work closely with the venues team, and improve training for the security team.

If elected, Harry says it is ‘hard to guarantee everything [on his manifesto]’ as he does not have experience in the roles, but does believe his manifesto is achievable, especially a mid-year societies fair, which he described as ‘definitely doable.’

Harry’s manifesto promises to ‘reduce single-use plastic at Joe’s Bar,’ though he told Redbrick ‘I’m not sure how much plastic there is at the moment,’ so this is something he would explore further should he be elected. However, Harry said ‘collaboration is really important in a role like this,’ and would want to work with the Welfare Officer, and the Environmental Officer to achieve his promised plastic reduction.

The AEO also works closely with Redbrick, and Harry said he would ‘listen to [Redbrick’s communication with the Guild] and cater to that,’ and ‘communicate all the way through.’

Harry also suggested student surveys ‘to make sure people not only feel that their voice is heard, but that it is actually heard,’ though he acknowledged ‘you’re always going to face criticism’ as a guild officer.

Finally, Harry said ‘I feel like my manifesto is set in stone largely but not massively, if people disagree with certain aspects, I would certainly listen […] that’s the main part of the role, reflecting you guys. Let’s keep the campus fun, safe, and inclusive.’

 Izzy ‘Busy Bee’ Lawson

Third year Politics and Philosophy student Izzy Lawson, running under the slogan ‘Busy Bee,’ has a manifesto which emphasises ‘sustainability, safety, and inclusivity’ as well as helping ‘succeed post-lockdown.’ In reference to her slogan ‘Busy Bee,’ Izzy says ‘I will get busy as AEO if I’m elected, I’ll get things done.’ Izzy told Redbrick she decided to run for AEO after her time as President of Politics Society. She said by being on a committee she has seen ‘how the Guild works with student groups; what’s done really well but also things that can be enhanced.’

Izzy suggested that Guild coordinators should ‘be shuffled around,’ and proposed an FAQs system at the start of the year. She also emphasised the importance of safety measures at Fab N Fresh, especially to prevent spiking. Izzy said the current safety measures should be permanent and ‘ideally search everyone, but obviously there’s an issue with the queues being long’ though she mentioned that other clubs, such as Pryzm and Gales have been successful in doing so. She also said that as AEO she would make ‘the Chill Out Room better advertised at Fab, to the staff as well as the students.’ Izzy would also improve CCTV at the Guild.

Izzy says that having been on Politics Society committee means ‘I know how these things work, the first few months in office I wouldn’t be figuring out what’s going on […] I’ve already got background knowledge.’

Sustainability is also a part of Izzy’s manifesto, and she says ‘I want to reduce single-use plastic and throw-away culture on campus.’ When asked how she would go about this, Izzy said ‘at Fab N Fresh and Sports’ Night, I want any drink that’s currently poured into a single-use plastic cup to be poured into a reusable plastic cup.’

 In terms of improving on the previous AEO’s work, Izzy emphasised strengthening the relationship between committee members and student group co-ordinators. She would also want to make Lakeside ‘a permanent thing, in Summertime at least,’ but also ensure activities are inclusive of ‘non-first years, commuters, post-grad students, international students,’ as well as ‘women and non-binary students, and non-white students.’ One of the ways Izzy hopes to do this would be running a ‘Grad party’ alongside the Grad Ball, as a cheaper alternative.

When asked if she thinks her manifesto is achievable, Izzy said ‘a lot of it builds off of what the Guild already does […] and so many things can already be changed, they just need someone there who’s determined to make the changes.’

As a Guild officer, Izzy would aim to improve transparency with the student community, but also said ‘when you’re any kind of representative that’s democratically elected you need to have a thick skin and know that not everything you do everyone’s going to love.’

In reference to the AEO’s relationship with Redbrick, Izzy would want ‘very regular meetings […] so that any slight issue would be brought up sooner and then worked out sooner.’

Izzy’s manifesto states she will ‘address issues with Worklink,’ and she told Redbrick this includes ‘issues with delayed payment and remote access.’

The other candidates running for this role are Fatima Shafeeullah Arif, Pradeep Kumar, and Hassan Nazari. Voting opens at 10am on Monday 28th February on the Guild website and closes on Friday 4th March at 4pm.

Read more candidate interviews here: