Issue 1474 Monday 2 March 2026
Free
Est. 1948 thecourieronline.co.uk
The Courier gets SIX shortlists at
Newcastle’s SNIDE awarded investment
Side Gallery relocates to Baltic
News | Page 4
Fashion & Beauty | Page 22
Arts | Page 34
Vote in the Elections! March 3-5, nusu.co.uk/vote
Exclusive interviews from Candidate’s Rally, who will the next Officer team be? Multiple Writers
Who should you vote for in the upcoming elections? Let’s provide you with some insight... Chairs, Jessica Hollis As the Student Elections draw near, the Chair of Council, Aanandita, and the Chair of Scrutiny, Prajakta, discussed how they plan to champion student voice and uphold fairness within the Students’ Union. Both candidates were clear; representation must be intentional and accessible. Aanandita suggested open mic sessions and structured debates to tackle issues where students felt their concerns were “not big enough to actually be heard”. She firmly added “that is simply not true”, and hopes to tackle this in creating spaces for Student Council where students can share these challenges and experiences. This commitment was echoed by Prajakta, who noted how many students do not feel comfortable coming forward themselves. She proposed anonymous feedback forms and smaller group discussions with Liberation Officers to cultive a safe, welcoming environment that encourages student participation. When asked about sitting on key committees, Aanandita addressed student engagement, drawing on observations of the limited awareness about Student Council among students. She advocated for stronger online promotion, clearer application processes, and recorded sessions to broaden access. Prajakta similarly highlighted proactive outreach and in-person engagement to demystify scrutiny processes and encourage participation. When presented with hypothetical
scenarios with relative issues to their roles, Prajakta underscored the importance of balanced accountability: reviewing agenda commitments, establishing timelines, and maintaining constructive communication to support delivery while preserving fairness. Aanandita reflected on minority voices being overshadowed, pledging to ensure that “everyone’s opinion matters,” incorporating minority perspectives into final decisions without undermining democratic outcomes.
role while studying, which resulted in her struggling socially. She is running to improve the role and be the advocate she did not have. Candidates expressed concerns about suboptimal promotion of the established support and strive to improve this. The conversation closed on the importance of uniting as one Liberation Officers team, to represent students with intersectional identities and create a wider community among marginalised students.
Liberation Officers, Alex Evans
Opportunities Officer, Ellie Hopwood
Five of the nine candidates for the Liberation Officers answered questions based on representing minority groups on campus, and drew on a lot of personal experiences. Candidates included Hibah Hussain and Skye Reed for Working Class Students’ Officer, Samantha Burgos for International Students’ Officer, Peter Smith for LGBTQ+ Officer, and Emma Stephenson for Disability Officer. Both Working Class Officers addressed key issues for students with working-class backgrounds, Hibah focused on prioritising transparency and drew on her experience as SMBP Ambassador and the school rep for both Law and HASS. Skye expressed concerns around transport fees, wanting to ensure awareness of financial aid and work with local authorities to improve and expand support. As an international student from Ecuador, Samantha drew on her experiences with identity in Newcastle and is keen to extend the sense of pride and celebration for other international students to come forward and celebrate their identities and backgrounds. With rising levels of discrimination across the country, Peter aspires to support and represent the LGBTQ+ community and ensure inclusivity across campus. Emma found a lack of awareness about the Disability Officer
Previously known as Activities Officer solely representing societies, the Opportunities Officer has been reformed to include volunteering projects. All candidates hold similar values and aims; to push better resources, more opportunities, and support international students. Nikki has experience as Treasurer, Social Sec, and President of three different societies, alongside founding two new ones. Their fundraising efforts and dedication to campaigning for better resource access proves their experience ahead of voting. Lakshay hopes to challenge the lack of awareness around opportunities by introducing a weekly commitment to societies and volunteering. While it aims to improve student engagement, it’s unpredictable how the student body will react to the hours it demands alongside full-time study. Charu has experience with volunteering, organising events, and is passionate about breaking down language barriers for international students to increase the accessibility of societies and volunteering. He detailed his experience with content creation, and while not directly related to the role, aims to use those skills to help promote information to students. Kyi Nue worked with the Promo Team in the Students’ Union and wants to
take a wellbeing approach to the role by limiting stress for committees. She said she wanted to campaign for the role as she wants to support her peers and friends in societies and on committees. Sports Officer, Noelia Fernandez Perez All candidates come from niche sporting backgrounds, and all agree more needs to be done to highlight underrepresented clubs and athletes, whilst still showcasing performance clubs. Megan argued that ‘there’s quite a heavy focus on performance sports’, detailing how a social media pushW to highlight other clubs, athletes, and members of the AU would help balance it out. She also emphasised the importance of promoting careers in sport and transferable skills gained from joining clubs. When discussing finances and AU structures, she acknowledged that more could be done to better equip committees, especially in terms of training and support. Similarly, Marie highlighted the lack of recognition smaller clubs receive. As an intern for NCL Sport, she hopes to push club spotlights and taster sessions as visibility tools for clubs. She pointed to club spotlights and taster sessions as effective visibility tools. As a non-AU Exec Committee member, she called for greater transparency around funding decisions and policies - choosing to focus her campaigning on her expertise yet still acknowledging where she hopes to develop in the role.
Both Will and Jack are currently on AU Exec Committee, and they touched on how their experiences have shaped their campaigns. Will said, “every club should be equal, [we need to highlight] the need for fairness between BUCS, non-BUCS, and intramural sports”. He spoke about how his experience on AU Exec allowed him to see the common challenges clubs face within the operation of the Students’ Union, including financial strain and volunteer burn out. He wants to focus on social media strategies, promoting the Activities Access Fund, and reaching out to alumni networks for sponsorships. Jack also highlighted the Activities Access Fund, pointing out the realities of grant allocations and budget limits, he said “we can’t just magic more money”. However, he still wants to change how the fund is distributed to clubs and suggests splitting it by semester to maximise benefits. Other funding ideas included university-wide charity events and cross-club fundraising as to not solely rely on funds and make clubs more proactive in managing their finances. All candidates emphasised visibility and accessibility, drawing on their experiences either in AU Exec, being a part of a club, or interning at the Sports Centre. Both Will and Jack’s experience on AU Exec Committee shows a deeper understanding of how clubs operate within the Students Union, and it will be interested to see how this is reflected in the voting turnout. For more candidates, find page 3.
View the candidates on pages 12-15