Month: February 2021

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Martin Nicholls' answers to our questions. Martin is running for SU President. Why are you running for your role? - Simply because I feel the current SU is not doing as good of a job as it should be doing and needs someone to move it into a more desirable direction. Call me biased, but I believe I am that person. When first considering which role I would run for I was quite torn. I have an interest in each of the VP roles and genuinely believe that I could bring something to the table for any of them, however due to my interest across the board I felt I could achieve the m...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Emi Dowse's answers to our questions. Emi is running for President. Why are you running for your role? I’m running for President because I'm passionate about implementing positive change for our students. I believe the SU can be doing more to empower our students. During my time as VP Education I have noticed that many of our students don’t feel safe enough, valued enough or comfortable to speak out on matters which affect them. It makes me angry that there is an environment within the University where some students would rather suffer in silence than speak up and I want t...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are George Burrow's answers to our questions. George is running for SU President. Why are you running for your role? I am running for the role of President because I fundamentally believe that our union would be stronger with me at the helm. I want to change the way students perceive our union, change how our university interacts with students and make positive change to every single student within our community. We have to believe that we can have better, we deserve better, from improving mental well-being services to ensuring the SU promotes quality landlords rather than pro...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Charlie Atkinson's answers to our questions. Charlie is running for VP Education. Why are you running for your role? Since starting my Masters in Archival Practice, I have been heavily involved within the Student’s Union. Starting as a Course Rep, and recently being co-opted as the School Rep of Humanities and Performing Arts, I have been much more active in trying to make a change for students. As such, the next step for me to make an even larger positive impact on students and their studies would be to run for the role of VP Education. Specifically, I am running for t...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Sushma Pandurangan’s answers to our questions. Sushma is running for VP Wellbeing and Diversity. Why are you running for your role? I’ve always abeen actively interested in politics – whether it was regional, national or international. I want to make positive changes to our student community in regards to wellbeing and diversity – two topics I’m incredibly passionate about and what can be a better way to implement this than becoming the vice president of wellbeing and diversity? What makes you different to the other candidates running? As a first-generation immigrant...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Alannah O'Neill's answers to our questions. Alannah is running for VP Wellbeing and Diversity. Why are you running for your role? I am running for the role of VP Wellbeing and Diversity as I have experienced and witnessed the impact that the past year has had on student mental health and general wellbeing. What makes you different to the other candidates running? • I believe that my experience sets me apart. Last year I was Health and Safety Officer for RAG, where I took on the responsibility of a huge number of students. I also personally extended the role to Health, Safe...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Takudzwa Mawera's answers to our questions. Takudzwa is running for VP Wellbeing and Diversity. Why are you running for your role? I am running for Vice President of Wellbeing and Diversity, because I want International Students and BAME Students to be fully supported, celebrated and recognised for their presence and contribution to the University Of Plymouth. I am running for this role to establish a foundation which bridges the gap between the local and international students through education, awareness and advocacy to understand, appreciate and accept everyone despite ...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Fawziyyah Ahmed's answers to our questions. Fawziyyah is running for VP Wellbeing and Diversity. Why are you running for your role? I have the pleasure of representing students for 8 months now as the current VP Wellbeing and Diversity, I have found myself in a position where I can use my experiences in University as well as empower students to call for a better student experience and I worked on a range of issues and campaign relating to student’s wellbeing and empowerment of underrepresented groups and rent rebates. I passionately believe that a student’s time in Univers...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Owain Gullam's answers to our questions. Owain is running for VP Activities. Why are you running for your role? I'm running for my role because I believe the SU can do a better job for all students. Student groups are too marginalised from each-other, left to pick up the pieces of really hard situations and don't get equal representation.  I have experience as RAG Chair, setting up other societies including the Plymouth Gazette, and helping to run established ones. I’ve represented UPSU at a national and international level at conferences, winning awards whilst doi...

Plymouth Gazette are working with UPSU during this student election cycle to bring the candidates to you in their own words, unedited and unabridged to represent their true personalities and passion. These are Obioha Emmanuel Chukwunwike's answers to our questions. Chucks is running for VP Activities. Why are you running for your role? My name is Obioha Emmanuel Chukwunwike (chuks)I am running for vice president of activities because I believe that covid19 has greatly affected our student experience over the past one year and so societies and clubs have not been able to perform as effectively I believe that now more than ever we need passionate and purposeful leadership that would be able to partner with students, societies and clubs so as to provide innovative solutions to ...