Manifesto Points
- Support for Students
- Transport for Students
- Power for Students
I’m Freddy and I’m running to be re-elected as your Community and Wellbeing Officer! My reason for re-running is the same reason I ran last year. I want to give back to the community that changed my life: the students of York.
This year, my manifesto is focussed on the 3 areas that students urgently need improvements in. Their support, their transport and their power.
Support for students:
- The University support services are lacking the basic systems they require in order to help students. We need a single case management system now.
- We have to take increased responsibility for night-life safety as a union. Our reporting functions need to be more visible and shared between YorkSU and York Parties, we need direct contact with bouncer companies, and we need to dispel the culture of fear around nightlife through transparency and listening.
- I’m calling for a full review into Open Door. As the mental health professionals on campus, we have a responsibility to ensure that they are delivering the right service in a consistent and timely fashion amidst a student mental health crisis.
- Peer to peer support groups have had a transformative impact on me and so many others I know. I want to work nationally to embed these groups into the university experience.
Transport for students:
- Right now, the bus services don’t serve the places where students most commonly live off-campus (like Tang Hall and Fulford) consistently enough. That’s why we need more U3 and 6 buses at peak times, and all student tickets to be expanded to the number 6 bus.
- The changes to scheduling have caused students to commonly wait for 20 minutes at a stop due to buses being bunched together. We need to work with First Bus to fix this as a priority.
- Campus has a stark lack of student parking available, especially accessible parking. The University has to either re-allocate existing space or find new space.
Power for students:
- In order to change things for the better we need to campaign with students, not just for them. That’s why I want to embed a framework of listening and collective action into everything we do at YorkSU, and focus on bringing students with us when we campaign.
- I will continue to lobby parliament to accept the recommendations in the Student Minds Mental Health Manifesto by campaigning with students.
- I will also co-create a Housing Toolkit with students to help them fight rogue landlords and poor housing standards. We have to shift the balance of power back towards students by giving them practical and effective guidance on their rights and how to fight for them.
If you like the sound of that, then vote to Stay Steady with Freddy!
The manifestos appear here exactly as they were submitted to us. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of York Vision.
Don’t get us wrong, the York SU elections are very important. But so much of the election process is formal and serious…which means it can also (at times) be a little bit dull.
But we don’t think it has to be like this. So alongside their manifesto, Vision asked each candidate a series of light-hearted, get-to-know-you type questions. This should give you a little dive into the individual personalities of the candidates:
What would be the theme song for your campaign?
Take Your Mask Off (Tyler the Creator)
If your campaign had a mascot, what would it be?
It already does! A red panda :)
What is your go-to comfort show after a stressful day?
Any episode of the first 9 seasons of The Simpsons. Can’t be beaten.
We gave the candidate a word, and asked them to think of what the question would be:
Answer: A long hug
Candidate Question: The thing my mum is the best at.