Missed the Question the Candidates evening? No worries!
Here’s a quick rundown of the key discussions and debates that went down as candidates for full-time officer positions made their pitches.
These are just the highlights; if you want to see more about the candidates and their proposals, take a look here!
How It Worked
- We heard from all six Full-Time Officer position candidates
- Each candidate had 90 seconds to answer a question
- To spice things up, they were also asked two random audience questions!
Education Officer
Key topics: AI in education, subject rep engagement, academic misconduct and tuition fees
Big Questions:
How would you work with students to promote academic integrity?
What specific strategies would you implement to boost rep engagement?
Candidate Ideas:
- Stronger connections between students and subject reps
- More drop-in sessions for academic support
- Addressing concerns about the rise in tuition fees
Sports Officer
Key topics: Transport, limited training spaces, struggling clubs, and financial concerns
Big Questions:
How would you advocate for better access to existing facilities and secure additional spaces for sports teams?
How would you ensure that sports at Swansea are inclusive for students with disabilities, those with financial troubles, or those who feel less confident about joining?
Candidate Ideas:
- How to help struggling clubs - ideas included fundraising events and inter-club games
- Expanding non-alcoholic sponsorships and making sports more accessible to students in different financial circumstances
- Reusing old kits to be more sustainable
- Bad behavior in sports clubs - should there be bans or fines (Bye Bye BUCS) or implementation of a strike system
President
Key Topics: Student support, accessibility and finances
Big Questions:
How would you ensure students continue to get a good level of service from the university due to its financial struggles?
How would you stay up to date with student issues and represent all students at Swansea?
With only one candidate running for President, here’s what they’re proposing:
- Maximizing student support with accessibility at the forefront
- Tackling university financial struggles, better communication between students and the university
- Reviewing ‘Swanfess’ - suggestions to moderate or remove it
- Wellbeing & financial support are top priorities
Welfare Officer
Key topics: student support, welfare services and wellbeing sessions
Big Questions:
Why don’t students access support services?
How can welfare initiatives reach more people?
Candidate Ideas:
- More engagement between campuses - maybe even free transport to connect students
- Welfare workshops with ambassadors working alongside university services
- Yoga, meditation, and wellbeing sessions to help with student stress
- Drop-in sessions for students to talk without pressure
Welsh Officer
Key Topics: Culture and traditions, societies and inclusivity
Big Questions:
How would you implement of Welsh traditions and history within the student body?
What are the challenges for Welsh speaking students and what would be done to address this?
Candidate Ideas:
- Supporting Welsh students through more bilingual events, Welsh lessons and social
- Preserving Welsh culture and history through social media and campus interviews
- The biggest challenge Welsh speakers face being inclusivity and visibility
- Supporting Welsh societies – funding for socials
- Supporting Fulton Costcutter by supporting local businesses in campus
Societies and Services Officer
Key Topics: Accessibility, society spaces and events
Big Questions:
What strategies would you use to encourage students to engage with the matrix?
What would you do to maximise student services such as JCs and Costcutter?
Candidates Ideas:
- Grants for startup societies, marketing for services on campus
- More rooms to support societies
- Reestablish SU TV, increasing society memberships
- Fundraising events
- Commercial services - gaining student feedback, promo deals, a Fulton Outfitters fashion show