As the NTSU Exec Team elections are nearing, we got in touch with the four candidates running for the President role to help you decide who to vote for.
The President is the figurehead of the Students’ Union and acts as the main representative for public relations and with other Students’ Unions.
They direct organisational strategy and are responsible for liaising with the Senior Management Team of the Union and relevant University staff.
They also attend and chair the Board of Trustees, Student Council, Union and Annual General Meetings.
Here is what this year’s President candidates had to say.
Anna O’Hara, current VP Postgraduate
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m the current VP Postgraduate and I’ve been at Trent for five years now.
I did my undergrad in International Relations and Media and I’ve just completed my Master’s in Media and Globalisation.
During my Master’s, I was a course rep so I have quite a lot of experience in representing students.
I’ve also been a cheer for four years.
Why are you running for the President role?
For me, this year has been great and I’ve enjoyed the role but I think female representation and leadership is very important, as there hasn’t been a female president in four or five years.
I just think it needs to happen now. I’m really passionate about making sure that actual change happens and that all students’ voices are heard.
As a student, and even in this role, I’ve experienced things that no one should go through so I was like ‘okay, how do I make that change?’
Going through this role was probably the best way to do it, it just made sense.
What sets you apart from the other candidates?
Definitely being a girl as we tend to usually have mostly female candidates.
Obviously, I already have the experience of working with the exec team, I’m quite settled in the SU.
I’ve had the unique experience of not only being able to focus on active representation in my role, but also on that pastoral representation, representing international students as well.
This enabled me to learn so much and feel like I’ve been representing such a wide range of students compared to the other candidates.
Name one change you would make if elected that would improve the student experience here at NTU.
I would like to ensure that all students have fair and equal opportunities and that they are treated with respect and that their voices are heard.
Ian Bell
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m currently studying International Relations as my postgrad.
I was born in Argentina.
I’m very passionate about helping others and getting involved with campaigns.
In my spare time, I like hanging out with friends, watching movies, and playing sports.
Why are you running for the President role?
I’m really passionate about helping people out and improving their experience and their lives.
As I’m doing International Relations, I’m hoping to go into a career where I can help people out in terms of public service and that’s what I want my life’s work to be.
I feel like as President, you can enact the most change, whether it be in terms of sustainability or welfare or student safety at work or in nightclubs. It’s the role though which you can make the biggest impact.
What sets you apart from the other candidates?
I think my passion is one of the main things. I have a deep, burning passion to really get things done and to really help people out with whatever problems they might have, big or small.
In terms of working with other institutions, I know a lot of councillors very well so I’d be able to work with them on many projects and issues.
The fact that I’m studying International Relations means I study how institutions work and how to manage them.
I think this gives me quite a deep knowledge of how to best work in this role for the benefit of people.
Name one change you would make if elected that would improve the student experience here at NTU.
Being a lot tougher on nightclub harassment and student accommodation in terms of the quality of it.
Currently going through a cost of living crisis, the prices are exorbitant and many landlords tend to take a lot of time to fix certain things and problems around the accommodation.
With nightclubs, I don’t think they take harassment as seriously as they should at all. And it’s not just about the partygoers’ safety, but that of the bar staff’s as well.
I have many friends who work as bartenders and they’re harassed by customers constantly and management doesn’t do anything about it. I think there needs to be someone that has students’ backs and not just saying that they will do something, but really, don’t do anything.
I would have to meet up with a lot of the local businesses that employ students, as well as the nightclubs and local authorities and have a bug discussion to look at the issues.
We’d also get students who have gone through issues like these who want to talk about their experiences and about what they think should be done.
Kallum Hancox, current VP Education
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Kallum Hancox, your current VP Education. I started university in 2019 studying Mathematics and Computer Science.
During my time at NTU I have been very involved with the Students’ Union through programs like Ents Committee, School Officer, and Freshers Repping.
I have a passion for working with people and get a lot of enjoyment from collaborating with others to make things work for students. This mixed with my policy-driven mindset means that I am able to understand the needs of students holistically through student voice.
My goal is to move further into the higher education sector and work on academic policy ensuring that students have the power to dictate the policies which affect them.
Why are you running for the President role?
I was involved with a lot of SU programs during my time as a student, more specifically academic representation. This underpinned a lot of my time while studying and made me passionate about student voice and ensuring the university was listening to students.
Because I studied during COVID, a lot of the issues I had seen during my time as a School Officer were a mixture of welfare and academic. I spent a lot of time sharing my knowledge of the university systems with students, ensuring they got the help they needed from the university and pushed for more provision from the SU.
Due to this, and working closely with the previous two VPs Education, I decided to run for VP Education myself and ended up being appointed this year.
Although I’ve done a lot of work around assuring students are not disadvantaged by the very policies governing them, I understand this needs a stronger voice.
That is why I am running to be the next NTSU President, to push further for students and ensure that the student voice is represented properly.
What sets you apart from the other candidates?
As the current VP Education, I have been working very closely with the President for anything from Freshers’ Week planning to going through policies and ensuring we take the correct stance.
I have been involved with proposing changes to the university, writing academic papers, ensuring the operational side of the SU is working, and contributing to the SU’s strategic direction on important issues like sustainability.
I have also spent time nurturing positive relationships with key staff members within the university which is a crucial tool as President.
Due to this, I think I have an advantageous position over other candidates to make real change.
Name one change you would make if elected that would improve the student experience here at NTU.
I have spent a lot of time improving and laying down the groundwork for a better academic representation system at NTSU. If elected, I will continue to work on this alongside the next VP Education.
Student Engagement and Academic Representation goes hand-in-hand and that’s why the StEAR system is so important to ensure students have the power to act as a critical friend to the university and scrutinise their practices.
The SU can do so much more to ensure that students are engaging with the systems that are meant to benefit them and understand why they might not be engaging in the first place.
Patrycja Drojecka is also a candidate for the SU President role and has been contacted.
Platform Magazine did not receive a response from her.
The candidates’ full manifestos can be read here.
For more information about when hustings and voting will take place, click here.