Vote week is here, it’s time for you to have your say!

Until 9 March you’ll have the opportunity to decide which candidate you want to represent student voices to the uni, local community, and government. The person that leads your SU is up to you.

But who is running, and who can you vote for?

Meet the candidates here and find out why they deserve your vote from their three bullet-point manifestos. You can also find the list of candidates running for Network Chair, Faculty Rep, and Student Trustees on our Candidate Webpage.

Equality, Liberation & Access Officer

Saranya Thambirajah

• A wholly liberated, safe university for all students from marginalised backgrounds and identities – with a focus on proactive approaches to trans healthcare and antiracism.
• Ensuring the wellbeing of students is at the core of the university experience with specialised support for everyone’s needs.
• Dismantling financial and unequal barriers to higher education, and ensuring students are supported through the current cost of living crisis.

Joshua Littleford

• Promoting more inclusive student groups, including offering more non-alcoholic socials & hosting socials at accessible venues.
• Increasing support for LGBTQ+ students by improving wellbeing services and providing better medical support for trans students through Student Health.
• Continuing to make the University more sustainable and ensure we are on track to meet the aims of our Sustainable Action Plans.

International Students' Officer

Joyce Cao

• I know what international students need.
• I have working experiences.
• I’m good at using different methods to communicate with others. 

Bakhtawar Javed

• Belonging:‘1 out of 10 students said they did not feel connected to anyone at the university’ (Bristol SU Community Report Nov 2022). I want to be an agent of change for international students by supporting and developing networks and creating opportunities for collaboration and engagement.
• Accessibility: ‘Students felt communities were closed to them outside of the welcome period, and they missed out on opportunities if arriving later.’(Bristol SU Report Nov 2022)I will ensure that all international students have information and access to all university facilities available to them.
• Graduate Visas: As Graduate Visa and its length is currently under scrutiny and might have a great impact on students, particularly international students, I ensure that I will lobby in the best interests of students.

Umran Majeed

• Career Prospects: Enhance career prospects of graduating international students by conducting programs such as career fairs and workshops in conjunction with the University.  
• International Student Experience: Work personally with international student societies to cultivate an environment of culture sharing as well as hosting drop-in sessions with international student leaders to gather feedback on how to better improve the international student university experience. 
• Academic Support: Increase awareness and accessibility of available SU and University academic support systems and opportunities such as scholarships, bursaries, and hardship funds.

Hassan Muhammad

• Gather all international student at one platform to enhance/strengthen their bond as one entity, with frequent interactive sessions to share concerns, enhance engagements and be source of motivation and inspiration for each other while leaving no one behind. 
• Take pro-active measure to address the financial hardships being faced by the students during their studies, by taking effective measure to create a part time student jobs hub to safeguard students from being pushed into the hard manual works and more.
• Deliberate on the inclusion and diversity at UoB by enhanced participations of all irrespective of their gender, colour, religious beliefs, and racial/ethnic Identities.

Divyasri Kanumarla

• Create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all the international students, free from discrimination and prejudice.
• Provide international students with the same access to resources and support services as domestic students, and the same academic, social, housing, and cultural experiences as every student.
• Work to ensure that international students have access to the same financial aid and scholarships.

Jing Bao

• Try my best to solve the problem that international students are not accustomed to. 
• Try my best to establish a direct connection with Bristol SU and students.
• As a transmitter, I will transfer the idea of Chinese students (Chinese Internet) to Bristol SU.

Postgraduate Education Officer

Timber Hill

• Advocating for improvements to mental health & wellbeing services.
• Fighting for increased support around the rising cost of living.
• Enhancing communication and engagement with the University and the SU.

Junaid Mohammed

• Representation & Advocacy: Ensure voices are heard, regular communication with university, policies for postgraduate needs.
• Academic Support & Development: Access to academic support services, workshops, tutoring portal improvement, research skills training, and mentoring programs.
• Community & Engagement: Build a sense of community with regular social and networking events, promote opportunities for engagement with the wider university community. 

Temilola Adeniyi

• Working closely with the University's executive management to ensure that the academic interests of postgraduate students are represented and addressed- advocating for fair and equitable academic policies and procedures.
• Representing the welfare concerns of postgraduate students, including their mental health and wellbeing.
• Supporting the postgraduate student network to offer a variety of social environments that foster a sense of community and belonging for postgraduate students. This includes organizing events and initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion and providing opportunities for networking and socializing.

Sport and Student Development Officer

Hasan Tanriseven

• Making facilities more affordable and accessible to everyone in our diverse student body.
• Raising funds to improve the quality of sports activities and sports facilities.
• Organising campaigns and projects that champion students' sports issues and raise awareness with the broader student body, the local community, and clubs.

Joe Phillips

• Champion accessibility and inclusivity across the board.
• Advocate for the improvement of material conditions and operational standards for all sporting societies.
• Provide access to professional development and certification for aspiring coaches and instructors.

Pat Gibbs

• Reintroducing the Sporting Community (the Bristol University sporting family feel) that has been lost due to the pandemic. I will aim to do this by introducing single-day sporting events for as many clubs as possible.
• Increasing Elite Recruitment – pushing sports higher up the list of reasons why a prospective student may join Bristol University, and increasing funding for scholarships to ensure sport does not discourage a top-tier athlete to join Bristol.
• Targeted Sport-Specific Committee Training – having been a club captain myself, I would aim to tailor training for sports club committees, ensuring they have easy and specific access to the required information.

Sankalp Chawla

• Making sports accessible to every University of Bristol Student without additional charge. Currently, students from across the world are paying a huge sum of money to come to the university and then are expected to pay for sports facilities additionally.
• Organise accommodation-based competitions in different sports for students based out in university halls, because town often is lonely for students coming from different parts of the world.
• I plan to make the University gym open for 24 hours like Pure Gym or perhaps any gym in town for the convenience of the students studying/with part-time shifts.

Student Living Officer

Charlie Davey

• Improve wellbeing by installing sustainability and equitable inclusivity into our universities culture.
• Create an ally network to reduce inequality, improve safety and develop security. 
• Ensure those living under a rock find appropriate accommodation. 

Izzy Russell

• Continue supporting students through the cost of living and housing crises - through cheap food, better housing support and lobbying for national action.
• Making Bristol and our students feel safer by improving harm reduction, consent culture, nightime lighting, and pastoral support. 
• Lobby for Bristol to be a sector-leading University in sustainability - putting the climate crisis at the forefront of learning and ensuring all University business is ethical. 

Fran McDaid

• Tackle drinking culture and further sex education.
• Advertise scholarships and bursaries more widely to make them accessible.
• Provide support and advice in the housing crisis for marginalised groups and excluded accommodation buildings. 

Undergraduate Education Officer

Nicole Antoine

• Improvement of university services and learning outcomes. Lobbying the university to extend the hours of at least one other library to be open for 24 hours and extend opening times of other buildings on campus, to improve study spaces.
• Ensure accessibility, affordability, and representation. Making sure campus is accessible for all – ensuring student travel is affordable and reliable and working with Bristol City Council to look into the efficiency of bus routes.
• Develop an enriching and holistic university experience for ALL! Holding wellbeing weeks around assessments and exams to make sure students have opportunity to relax – such as Zumba, yoga and puppies!

Eliana Garcia Bustos

• Hold a new series of events aimed at getting more people involved in academic societies to increase outreach and research.
• Increase investigation thought Internships and placement opportunities promoting undergraduate and postgraduate involvement.
• Increase funding by seeking out new sponsorship opportunities to many academic societies. 

Union Affairs Officer

Art Taylor

• Create a greater connection between students and the Student Union. 
• Work to uphold strong democratic standards in all SU elections.
• Develop greater support for student groups particularly for supporting the mental health of members.

Adam Michael

• Continue the reform of the SU's democratic structures by involving students in the agenda setting of the SU Public Forums. SU democratic events such as Student Council and Annual Members' Meeting will also be reformed to be more dynamic.
• Student Groups and societies to be made more accessible by tripling the fund pot for the SU's Activity Hardship Fund, and by liaising with the Alumni Relations Office to increase opportunity for funding and high-profile speakers. 
• Finalise the University Guarantor Scheme to make housing more accessible for those unable to provide UK guarantors.