Elections for Student Union president open Monday to Thursday of 4th Week. Candidates include SU veterans and outsiders with a radically different vision for the role of the organisation and president. Cherwell sat down with seven candidates to hear about who they are and what they hope to accomplish in the presidency.
Addi Haran Diman:
Who are you?
Addi Haran Diman, third year in a DPhil in Politics at Lincoln College.
On previous experience in the SU:
I’m pretty much an outsider to that babble and I think that’s good because what’s really needed right now is someone who can shake up the system and is not part of the problem.
On other relevant experience:
I have been political for over a decade now. I have mainly been focusing on LGBTQ+ work as the President of OULGBTQ Society, founder of Oxford Trans+ Pride, and a community officer at Oxford Pride. I have an experience that not many students in Oxford have of negotiating with the University and advocating to achieve actual things.
What would be your top goals as SU president?
I would mainly focus on advocacy. There are so many glaring problems in Oxford, such as college disparities, rent rates, and backlog of the disability and welfare services. We are expected to perform exceptionally and so we should expect world-class support. It can be done with powerful representation and powerful advocacy.
Describe your platform in one sentence:
Competence, seriousness, inclusion, powerful representation, advocacy.
Shermar Pryce:
Who are you?
I’m Shermar Pryce, a third year PPEist at Univ.
On experience and motivations to run:
I’ve always had a passion for student representation. I’m not really from a background which was traditionally represented in Oxford. I’ve interacted with the SU quite a lot in various capacities, including working directly for them this year, and before that as [University College] JCR president.
On what the SU have done well:
I think this year they’ve done well on EDI issues. They’ve worked hard to maintain the fine line between representation of people’s views and grievances while at the same time not necessarily becoming overly political as we’ve seen in previous years.
On top priorities as president:
Empowering [College] Common Rooms – making sure they’re equipped to fight for the rights of students. I hope to collect data from colleges – anything from sustainability to rent and food prices – and make that available for everyone to see. It’s an invaluable tool for common rooms negotiating with colleges by leveling the asymmetric information that reps usually have to go off. It also embarrasses colleges.
Describe your platform in one sentence:
An SU that’s actually useful.
Reuben Constantine:
Who are you?
My name is Reuben Constantine, 2nd year at St. Peter’s studying Modern languages – specifically French and Modern Greek.
On experience and motivations to run:
I’m the treasurer of the 93% Club and access and outreach ambassador for my college, my faculty, and for the university as a whole. I’m also heavily involved in Class Act, which is an initiative run by the SU to address class disparities. I would ultimately love to be involved in allowing the university to become more diverse in that way [and] to profit from the same life changing opportunities that I’ve had.
What’s one thing you would have handled differently?
Honestly, nothing. I think in all the situations the SU have been, they’ve dealt with it the best they could.
Describe your platform in one sentence.
My campaign slogan is Make Oxford Smile; I want to contribute to building an environment where everyone can truly be happy.
Elliot (Riz) Possnett
Who are you?
Elliot (Riz) Possnett, 2nd year, PPE, Wadham
On motivation to run:
I love so much about this university, but there are so many things that infuriate me and that create massive barriers for certain groups of people. I want to make sure that everyone can get the best out of Oxford, and Oxford can be a better place for the wider world.
On experience:
[I’ve been involved in] strategy coordination for UK Student Climate Network and youth delegate to COP C40 Cities “Women 4 Climate” conference, as well as Oxford Trans Pride activism, including leading direct action protest inside the [Union] debating chamber. I’m also Chair of the Economics Undergraduate Joint Consultative Committee.
On doing things differently:
I would replace the role of SU President with an “internal coordinator” role, taking the pressure and attention off of one person so the team can work in a more equal and efficient way.
Describe your platform in a sentence:
I’m an experienced youth advocate and campaigner, and I want to use that experience to leverage collective power in the university with the support of targeted data-driven projects to put greater pressure on the university to make essential changes.
Tim Green
Who are you?
My name is Tim Green. My course is PPE. And I’m in my third year at Regent’s Park College.
On experience with the SU:
Most students have had very little interaction with the SU, and that’s despite the fact that the SU has over a million pounds in budget and 17 members of staff. I think that’s not good enough.
On background:
I was diagnosed with a disability in Oxford and I’m a bursary holder. I’ve led an access committee of about 15 people, we’d have meetings every week devoted to representing different groups.
On specific policies:
A referendum for a reading week. A cap on rent inflation. A universal lecture recording policy. A helpline if people are experiencing issues. Because we have the resources to do these things, it just isn’t there at the moment.
Describe your platform in a sentence.
To build an SU that works for every student in Oxford, with policies prioritising mental health and improving accessibility to forge an Oxford that leaves no one behind.
Q Sun
Who are you?
I’m Q. Third year material scientist at Teddy.
Why do you want to run for SU?
I’m running for empty chair; I envision a year without an SU president. The money that would go to the presidency – around £27,000 — would go to other things. The SU in Oxford functions with much less effect on the student population than it would at other universities because we have the Common Rooms. [The SU president does] relatively little. You attend meetings on behalf of the SU. You go to some events. That money could go to something different.
On experience:
I’ve got experience in not doing things.
What happens if you win?
Well, I need to convince people I’m not running as a facade. I’d be the mechanism through which I bring the views of the students to the university that the SU might not be something that A) the students want and B) is needed. I’ll see whether the rules and regulations with the SU could be re-written, and put that to a referendum to see what the student population think at a wider scale.
In a sentence:
The SU will run perfectly fun with no SU president for the year 2024-25.
Isaac Chase-Rahman
Who are you?
Isaac Chase-Rahman. 4th year, Physics, Corpus Christi College.
On motivations for running:
The SU is broken. It functions similarly to SUs in other universities but Oxford is not other universities, and so the things that would normally be done by an SU are done by other groups.
On experience:
[Within the SU] I’ve been the Chair of Student Council for two terms; previously I was on the Steering Committee and Elections Committee. I was JCR president of Corpus Christi college before that, as well as Returning Officer, undergraduate MCR representative, and secretary of drama society at Corpus. I’m also a peer supporter with University Welfare Services and sat on the tutors committee as a university representative.
What’s one thing you would have handled differently?
When the University decided to not put more money into diagnoses of specific learning disabilities, the SU should have pushed them to make sure that students who need diagnoses quickly are able to get them. There’s a problem of college disparity, but the University chose to shirk responsibility, and the SU didn’t put their foot down.
Describe your platform in a sentence.
Reform, engage, transform.
Despite being on the initial announcement, candidates Lucy Wang and George Zhao are no longer in the race.
Voting will be open between Monday and Thursday of 4th Week. Full election manifestos are published on the Student Union’s website.
