Anvee Bhutani has been elected as the President of the Oxford Student Union for the 2021-22 academic year. The voting had the highest ever turnout for a by-election, and has also beaten the overall turnout for several past annual leadership elections. 2506 people turned out to vote, a 146% increase from the last by-election in 2019, with the most voters coming from Keble College. The leadership contest also had the highest number of candidates ever in an SU President election, with 11 students running for the spot.
Bhutani is a current 2nd-year student at Magdalen College studying Human Sciences. In her manifesto she outlined the key areas she will focus on in her role as SU President: Access and Academics, Community Affairs, Welfare and Mental Health and Societies and Clubs. She also highlighted her experience across SU, college, and society roles.
In her manifesto, she states that she will “continue to lobby for lecture capture post-pandemic,” work with the student press to increase engagement, and “lobby for more funding towards existing mental health support programs for graduate students,” alongside a range of further policies including extending racial awareness and the accessibility of welfare support. Bhutani’s full manifesto can be viewed here.
Bhutani’s experience includes President of the Oxford India Society, Managing Director at The Oxford Blue, and she is the current Co-Chair at the Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality (CRAE), which forms part of the wider SU. She has also worked as a shift leader at Turl Street Homeless Action, and in her manifesto suggests working with this group to support the local homeless population “via food and supply donations.”
