News editor Poppy Jacobs sat down with some candidates running for 2024 Guild President last week – Mattie Widdop, Herbie Abraham, Syed Sadath and Queen Chenge – to discuss their plans for their potential presidency. Here’s what they had to say to student voters ahead of the deadline on Thursday 14^th March.

 

Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you…

Herbie: I’m a second-year politics student and I’ll be running for president in the 2024 Guild Presidential elections!

Syed: Hi, I’m Syed Sadath! I am currently doing my masters in Engineering Management here at UoB and I am an international student running for Guild President!

Matty: Hey, I’m Matty Widdop, and I am currently fourth year studying an integrated masters with Computer Science! I’m running for Guild President in 2024!

Queen: My name is Queen Madonna Chenge – I’m studying an MSc in Structural Engineering, and I am running for President of the student Guild!

 

Can you summarise your manifesto for someone who hasn’t read it yet?

Herbie: So my main bullet points are SAME – S for societies, which is all about bringing societies back into the limelight and giving them more powers. It’s about making the Guild more responsive to what societies actually want. Societies are the main way students interact with the Guild and the way they are sometimes pushed aside doesn’t sit right with me.

A is for accountability and sustainability; accountability here looks at the purpose of the Guild, which is finding out what the students want, and how the Guild can be better. This isn’t just about doing a student survey and giving ourselves a pat on the back, like ‘Good job, team!’ – there should be anonymous channels where people can feel safe reporting problems about discrimination, or anything like that. It’s about reaching out to the relevant communities about what they want and need, and really understanding what they need, understanding what is important. Sustainability here is about having an honest conversation – this is such an important issue, and how do we best approach that? I – like most people – am not that knowledgeable on this topic, so I want to listen to what the environment officers have to say, give them my time, to work out how best I can help them do what they have been elected to do in their role.

It’s about making the Guild more responsive to what societies actually want. Societies are the main way students interact with the Guild and the way they are sometimes pushed aside doesn’t sit right with me. – Herbie Abrahams

Mental health and de-stigmatisation is M. I think one of the biggest issues surrounding mental health is actually knowing what’s on offer. I think if you had a comprehensive showcase of what is on offer to students, both inside and outside the uni, twice a year, people could actually see what is on offer and would know what to do if they do need some help. That being said, some people might not be able to attend, or might have anxiety about attending, so having clear information online as to what is available, contact information, and all that other stuff is equally important. De-stigmatisation is a bit of a personal project of mine, focusing on de-stigmatising sober living on campus. I’m over 150 days sober – I will be coming to half a year by the time of results – but I have experienced first-hand the shame and uncomfortableness of being sober on campus. Equally, any sort of addiction – substance, sex, all kinds of taboo subjects – the whole point is to make them not taboo, to break them down and make this a safe space to take those right steps.

E for empowerment is about holding liberation weeks – 5 different weeks – each assigned to the respective liberation officers in order to celebrate each-other’s differences, because we need a community that comes together to support one-another. These weeks might include guest lecturers and various social events, and would be led by their respective officers, because they have experience in that community. This is important – we should be educated on the past, the present and the future; having important, honest conversations about how to change and what we should be doing better.

Syed: My mission is basically to enhance, to elevate, the student entertainment. And I want to empower guidance – I want to increase the support on offer to all the students here at the university. My real focus is going to be on the real, tangible improvements for mental support, guidance, career support – I am going to emphasise that. You aren’t just voting for me, you are voting to widen student university life!

Matty: Communication, transparency and accountability are the three big ones! The breakdown of that, so it’s less vague, is ensuring that the students are consulted on stuff, from both the Guild and the university’s sides of things. Communication – which sort of feeds into the accountability side of things – is that if they are communicating properly, then they can be held to account more easily, which is always good. Being Senate Rep has made me realise there are a lot of interesting documents that get pushed aside, whereas if we had those out in the open for people to look at, I just think it would be a lot better. So these are my main, core things, and they feed out into other, more specific things on the ground. I would say half of my manifesto is about these bigger things, and the other half is more focused on simple, quick changes that we can implement from the start.

Queen: So my manifesto is comprised of things that would help to cut down university stress, tackling cognitive overload, running programmes like time-management workshops, and events for career-development. Also enhancing student support available for wellbeing and welfare, ensuring policies are inclusive and cover all organisations and areas of the student body. Striking that balance between workload and mental and physical health. Global engagement is also important – learning other people’s cultures and what is going on around the world. These will all help to enhance student experience at the university, alongside student recreational activities, sporting, and all of those sorts of things!

 

Which of these issues are you planning on prioritising?

Herbie: So, it’s not exactly an issue of prioritisation, but more about what can be done quicker – do that first, and then the more complex issues can come later and have the attention they deserve. For example, giving societies more powers, its quick bylaws thing that shouldn’t take very long at all. But things like the sober living campaign, or creating more channels for different minority groups on campus – reaching out to them and having those lengthy conversations about change – the process will have to be started early, but might take a little longer. So it’s not about prioritisation of importance, but a more practical approach to get things done.

Syed: I think one of the most important things that needs to be addressed is the feedback mechanism; this is where our university is kinda lagging behind…The feedback mechanism to reach higher authority is going to take a lot of time, and so I think this would be my first priority. Having people – students – give feedback on a regular basis would be really important here.

Matty: Well, they all kind of feed into themselves, but perhaps the most important of them all is the communication side of things, because this feeds into transparency, which equally feeds into accountability. And obviously there are some very easy things that can be done – like the sanitary product stuff, that can be done in week one. Whereas other things require more cultural change, and are things that both the Guild and the university are guilty of, that will take more poking at over time. A good example of this is the communication. Being able to put their hands up and say ‘Yeah, sorry, our bad’ and acknowledge mistakes, instead of hushing up and hiding it away.

Queen: One of the things I would prioritise is inclusive policies, and also cutting down uni stress. One of the key things that students go through with deadlines is their time management skills, and everything compounding and not being able to handle that, so ensuring there are plenty of time management workshops to help students handle that. And also focusing on employability; making sure you aren’t leaving university and then struggling with applications. So making sure that students have workshops to cater for those struggling to fill out applications, and giving them guidance on what to do if they are doing a course that they love but they have no idea how to apply it in industry. How do we push these people ahead of our competitors at other universities?

 

What practical changes do you want to implement?

Herbie: I want to make some small, but no less important changes; replacing all he/him or she/her references in Guild documentation to they/them, because we are a supportive community here – non-binary students are valid, and we should show that. Also, liberation and education groups currently cannot protest about issues outside of education at the moment – it specifically says that in the bylaws, which is dumb, and I want to change that.

In terms of societies: holding ‘surgeries’ – like GP surgeries – where you get people from similar societies, perhaps the presidents, and you get in the relevant officers, and have a more in-depth conversation about what your problems are with the Guild and how can they improve – that sort of thing. I also want to get green groups more involved with each other, to increase cross-society cooperation, which is a big goal of mine. There is also the concept of liberation weeks, which I talked about earlier, that I would want to introduce?

I want to really utilise the student reps and make sure they are used for communication purposes – that way, people could actually know about and use [support and guidance] resources. – Syed Sadath

Syed: Whilst entertainment already exists here at UoB, there is something that is missing – a cultural festival. This could be where all the societies from different cultures – and there are so many of these on campus – could come together to have a two-day event full of drama, dancing, singing, maybe even a fashion show?! This is something that is missing in our university, and could happen across a two-day event. Most of our nights out are just ‘Fab’ nights and Sports’ nights, and this is great and they are a lot of fun, but this festival could bring people together and it could be a huge uniting event!

In terms of support and guidance, the university already provides a lot of these things. But what is missing is the students use of these resources. So I would really focus on highlighting that these services are already there for you, and we have the facilities to help and guide you if students know how to reach us…Being an international student, and speaking to friends and other people who are also international students at other universities, I can see that UoB does already provide a lot more support than in other universities. But because we are all in different groups, people might not know about these services and guidance – things like the B-Enterprising, the careers guidance and networks, all these sorts of things. The only way people interact with these right now is via email – which most people probably just ignore! – so I want to really utilise the student reps and make sure they are used for communication purposes, as they are already in all these different groups. And that way, people could actually know about and use these resources.

Matty: So my manifesto is about half and half in having issues that are quite specific – like having sanitary products in all toilets across campus, increasing the number of gender-neutral toilets across campus – and others that are more vague and yet realistic. I want to get those things that feel almost like common sense done as soon as possible, especially when they aren’t too expensive, like the sanitary products thing. Other items on my manifesto, like the gender-neutral toilets, will take a lot more time and money, but this is still something that we can do and get started on. And it should be said that the Guild and the university are making progress on a number of issues, it’s just not at the pace that they could be moving.

Queen: With employability post-university, having workshops and the opportunity to do work experience or internships, are really valuable for securing a job after university. This is a key problem for students going out into the world, especially in their final years when they are trying to meet their deadlines and then have to deal with job rejections on top of that – it’s really difficult to manage. Bringing in people to run seminars to build up their CVs, inviting companies in to do talks or to run workshops or internships, would be a great way to set UoB students apart. Having an entrepreneurial workshop for those who want to open businesses would also be great, giving them training, and explaining the first steps of this process.

 

What sets you apart from other guild president candidates?

Herbie: There are a couple things…I think there a lot of conversations about honesty, and not to suggest that candidates are being dishonest in any way, but just trying to be realistic about what the Guild can actually do. I know there is a history of overpromising and under-delivering, and I want to directly try and avoid that. My campaign and my policy is based on things I genuinely think are do-able.

I also want to highlight the sober living campaign – I think this is really an unspoken issue, and I really want to put it on the table. There is a lot of stigma surrounding it, a lot of guilt, and that needs to be broken apart piece by piece.

Syed: The main thing is that I am dedicated in amplifying student voices, and my focus is going to be on the real problems here. I want to stay committed to the problems that students actually face, the things that actually matter and that they care about.

Matty: That element of making sure we can actually do what I am setting out to do is really important to me. Something that really bothers me is when people say they want to do things in the Guild that just ‘aren’t possible’, and so I am really trying to focus on making promises that are reasonable, and that I can actually accomplish. And understanding the culture, the atmosphere within the Guild, which is something I am already familiar with, means I have a good basis to build from.

Queen: I really want to focus on cutting down the stress for students, and address the problem of cognitive overload. I know a few lecturers try to give students a few small breaks, but being bombarded with information for hours on end is not always helpful and this should be something we try to improve. This is one of the things I really think we need to take into consideration. Also, I really want to improve a lot of the paperwork surrounding extenuating circumstance forms, as the websites and big documents can be super overwhelming when you are trying to find all the right information. Trying to make all the little things less stressful is really important to me.

 

What experiences or skills have you had/got that lend themselves well to this role?

Herbie: Despite the fact that I am a Politics and International Relations student now, for the longest time I was involved in drama, and that was something I wanted to pursue. And this was really important – it taught me the importance of teamwork, and the importance of understanding that you cannot do everything. There are people around you who specialise in certain specific things, and listening and trusting them is nearly always the best thing you can do because they are the expert on that thing. The ability to know when to speak and when to listen is extremely important.

I also work alongside my studies and my main role is to train people, and understanding how different people process, how to listen to them, and how best to train them – it’s all about understanding all different sorts of people and where they are coming from. That’s the best way to make progress.

I would say that I have seen most sides of most departments, both from the staff and student perspectives, and I would say this is very valuable in knowing not only the direction you can go, but how far you can push issues. – Matty Widdop

Syed: I have been Culture Sec at my previous university, and am the Senate Rep for this university. I am also the Activities Committee member. So I think about experience, passion, dedication – all things I am bringing to the table for the students.

Matty: Over the past few years I have been a Student Rep for three years, a Senate Rep for two years, a College Rep for one! I also work in the Student Groups department for the Guild, as well as working security for the Guild and welcome team for the Guild. I also act as a teaching assistant for the university, as well as holding an ambassador role at UoB too! So I am just chronically in the Guild, really!

I would say that I have seen most sides of most departments, both from the staff and student perspectives, and I would say this is very valuable in knowing not only the direction you can go, but how far you can push issues. There are some departments where you know you can make headway, and others that are harder, so knowing where you need to use a softer touch is very valuable here. So knowing how things work on both the student and staff sides of things is really key here.

Queen: So before I studied here full time, I was actually a lecturer at University College Birmingham, so I have been able to manage the activities of students and guide students with both personal and academic problems before. I know how to create support groups for different courses and things like that, and students should be made aware of these. I want all students to be able to achieve the great things that they can!

 

Are there any areas you feel prior guild presidents have not given enough attention to?

Herbie: Me and my friends – my ‘campaign team’ [laughs] – sat down and looked at all the past campaigns, looked at what people liked and didn’t life. And the biggest thing I saw popping up was with societies…and I think they are one of, if not THE most important, aspects of student life – they make the student experience. Everyone seems to be part of at least one society – we wouldn’t be able to do so many things if these societies didn’t exist! And the fact that they aren’t getting the attention that they deserve, that the same issues come up time and time again – we just really need to give them full powers, give them the voice to speak. And I wouldn’t say that’s a particular failure on any one person’s account, but just something we really need to focus on.  

Syed: One of my main goals is to fil the voids of the previous president – to be honest, Amira did a good job, but there are always differences in opinion. As I have mentioned, one of these is entertainment – this is really something that is missing in the uni, and something I had a very different expectation of before I got here. There is no current gathering, or meet-up, of all the cultural societies that is showcasing all the students. And there are so many people that could get involved.

Also making sure our feedback gets up to the higher authorities, because a lot of the reps that we have currently don’t really know what they have to do. So, as President, I would work with the Education officer to attempt to resolve this problem.

Matty: What I have learnt from being both staff and a student is that it is incredibly difficult to know what is going on without being directly involved. It’s all well and good saying the Guild should be doing this or that, but it is hard to accurately measure that without being able to see all the secret documents and stats. And sometimes you might think that the university aren’t doing enough, but when you see the other side of it – which I have been able to do on the Senate – then it makes it a lot more complicated to find specific things that haven’t been done properly. Because sometimes people are fighting tooth and nail to get something done, and the university just said no, and that’s not the fault of prior Guild presidents.

I mean, really I think the biggest point goes back to the communication side of things – if you can communicate properly then you can be more transparent, and can also be held accountable, which feeds back into good communication again. They are just intrinsically linked. And making sure people do believe that they are being listened to when they complain about things is really important.

The nursery on campus really needs addressing. I am a mother myself, and whilst the university does offer a staff and student discount, compared to the price of nurseries outside the university, the prices are very expensive. – Queen Chenge

Queen: I think we really need to look at the price of a lot of the things we sell in café’s and restaurants on campus and making sure they are consistent because students typically don’t have a lot of money to spend. Making sure that food on campus is affordable, and that some of these prices are cut down.

Also, the nursery on campus really needs addressing. I am a mother myself, and whilst the university does offer a staff and student discount, compared to the price of nurseries outside the university, the prices are very expensive. So I end up putting my kids in nurseries a lot closer to my house, because it’s not so expensive. So if we addressed this, it might make more people consider Birmingham as they know they are catering for it. We should really cut down prices by about 10% compared to the nurseries outside, as postgraduates and undergraduates might have kids, and the welfare of those parents is very important. This is one of the inclusive policies that I hope to address should I be made president, because parents are often left out.

 

Any final comments?

Herbie: Follow me on Instagram @herbie4guildpresident ! And remember my slogan – I don’t want the same, I won’t deliver the same, I’ll deliver S-A-M-E!

Syed: My Instagram is @Syed_0305_ ! If you guys vote for me, you guys will have a great student life experience – all my past involvement with this, and other, universities have really given me the knowledge of how to elevate the student experience for you!

Matty: The main thing I would like to reiterate is my experience in terms of both the student and staff sides of things. A lot of people complain about the Guild, and I think that stems from the idea that people don’t think that they are listened to, and that is probably the biggest thing I want to look at going forward.

Queen: When I was speaking to students, raising issues like having decent food – not just snacks from a vending machine – available at night, was something that was raised, because people are often studying late on campus and everything shuts. I want to hear from people directly about the problems they have and find a way to address them.

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