Student Candidate Spotlight: Sites Officers & Trustees

Although the Spring Elections are vital for electing our Sabbatical Officers, it is also important because it gives us the opportunity to elect student volunteers to lead and enrich several areas of Union life. Here, we will be exploring some of the candidates of student leadership positions to give you an insight into who you want to vote for! This article will be focusing on students running to represent various sites or to be Student Trustees.

Halls Officer

Rishi-Nayan Varodaria

‘I have built up a fantastic portfolio as the former Monte Halls President and the current Halls Officer, tackling issues such as laundry, recycling, maintenance and IM funding. I am keen to continue my work and include more sustainable activity, have a clear structure to ensure all Halls are offered an equal provision of events and opportunities. I am ready to take proposals such as 24/7 gyms in Halls, enhanced equipment in Common Rooms and also ideas about road safety and transport links to the council, Unilink and other relevant services. I am a relatable, approachable character with a wide-reaching influence throughout Southampton.’

Avenue Officer

Gabriel Stirling

‘Avenue Campus isn’t just a place of study, it’s community. My priority will be to work with societies and encourage and help them to make the most out of the facilities at Avenue. As someone who has struggled at times at university, I understand how important support can be. I will work with Enabling Services and Student Life to see how we can provide more support on campus for Avenue students.’

Boldrewood Officer

Kitty McNeill

 ‘I, like many of us engineers here at Southampton, LOVE Boldrewood. We all love Boldrewood – what’s not to love? It’s shiny and has amazing facilities and its exclusive. Problem is, it’s just a bit too exclusive. As Boldrewood Officer, I would use my position to inform students about all the fantastic events and resources available at Boldrewood.’ 

Student Trustee

Olivia George

‘I would love the opportunity to be more involved in SUSU and to be a bigger part of the positive changes that are already taking place.’

Nathaniel Ogunniyi

‘I have experience as a Course Rep and as a Trustee for the last year, I want to build on this.’

Rishi-Nayan Varodaria

‘I have vast experience as a Trustee from Scouting and would carry out the role with competence and understanding. I have also held and currently hold committee roles within volunteering and academic societies and have had considerable involvement with the Sustainability Zone in my capacities as Monte Halls President and subsequently Halls Officer. Further work on equal opportunities and inclusivity are central parts of what I would bring to SUSU if elected and I would endeavour to improve the communication of financial and strategic decisions from all parts of SUSU so that they are understood and known by every individual within our community’

James Williams

‘The role of Student Trustee is one that very few people know about, yet they are vital to the governance of SUSU. I am passionate that decisions are made correctly and that the union’s budget should not be squandered. If elected, I would like to see that the trustee board is confident in its ability to question matters of governance, strategy and finance.’

Voting closes Friday 6th March, 4pm. You can vote at on-campus polling stations or online at the SUSU website.

The results will be announced the evening of Friday 6th March during Elections Night Live at The Bridge. If you aren’t there in person, be sure to follow Wessex Scene’s live coverage!

To see all the candidates and their manifestos, click here.

Editor’s Note: We endeavoured to contact all student leadership candidates to ensure fairness and equal representation. For those candidates who failed to respond, we quoted a small portion of their manifesto.