Know Your Sabb: President

The Yorker attempted to contact Tim Ngwena to interview him alongside the other candidates; however the emails were sent to his YUSU account, which he was not checking whilst campaigning. Regrettably, as a result Ngwena was not able to respond to our questions in time for the publication of this article.

• Why did you decide to run?

David Hansen: I wonder why I must live my life in these concrete ways.

David Levene: Next year’s going to be critical for York students, with the development of Hes East and the resulting “reshuffle” of colleges, the possibility of huge rises in tuition fees and repayments, and cuts of over £1m across the board. I strongly feel that YUSU needs to be much more effective at campaigning if we’re going to defend student’s interests, and I think I’m the person to make it happen!

Matthew Freckelton: To make a difference and give students the voice they deserve within their own union.

Ollie Hutchings: I made a fairly late and difficult decision to run against a group of people I'd consider friends because I love this university and I love people. A university Students Union Sabbatical position is unlike any other job in the world; it gives me a chance to give back to a community that has given me so much and work for a cause I feel passionately about, directly improving people’s lives. I felt that I can add something to the mix that some of other candidates lack, not because they are worse than me, but because they are different. I'm approachable, friendly and down to earth, but I've also had successful experiences with the SU and Senior Management, I just feel the type of person I've remained isn't someone overly pious or up themselves but someone who could successfully fill the Presidents role.

Roberto Powell: I don't feel YUSU have defended student interests enough in the past year!

• If you were a girl, what name would you like to be called?

DH: A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.

DL: Lyra. His Dark Materials rules – fact.

MF: Tough question, I’ve always liked the name Hannah.

OH: I've met a Goodricke Fresher recently who's chosen to call herself Coco, I'd like to think I'd have a cool name like that, alas I'd probably have a much more old fashioned name that I'd feel uncomfortable with, Francesca or something. Francesca is in no way a bad name, but I'd blatantly be a 'Fran' and not a 'Cesca' and I don't want to be a 'Fran', especially not if people insist on pronouncing it with some sort of horrible nasal tone.

RP: Zara because that is what I'd be called by my parents if I was born a girl.

• Why should students vote for you?

DH: Because I'm slicker than cat shit on a linoleum floor.

DL: I’ve got experience as Union Council Chair, which means that I’ve got an in-depth knowledge of the job and I can hit the ground running. But it also shows me where YUSU does badly and needs to do much better, and because I’m not actually a YUSU Officer I can bring fresh ideas and a new direction to the job. I’ve got loads of campaigning experience, and know how to run a good campaign that gets a wide variety of students involved. Plus the hair.

MF: Because I’m outside of YUSU and therefore independent and I will push the union in all directions until I get the job done and live up to the policies I have promised. I have shown in the past that when tasked with a job I have always delivered and this will continue if I am elected.

OH: I'm not an 'average' student by any means, but university has changed me for the better. I used to think I could make judgements and be 'right' just like that, but I've been crippled by all pervasive philosophical scepticism from Hume and Wittgenstein and I've become all the better for it. What's been eroded from me in terms of a sense of self and a firm belief in 'right' and 'wrong' has made me a far more relaxed guy, I'm more sympathetic and I think it puts me in a good position to relate to other people. I'd like to think that people can look at me and realise that I want to do this for the right reasons, that I'm fairly well known because I'm a nice guy, not a social whore and that I'm not judgemental. I think people should vote for me because I've remained a real student but have the ability to get things done, not to mention simple sensible policies (viewable at ollie4president.blogspot.com).

RP: I got things done as a college chair and now I will use that experience to make sure your Student Union represents you. Students should not feel detached from their Union, they should feel empowered and believe that their President is working to enrich their university experience. I am the candidate that can bring change.

• What do you think are the biggest issues the university is facing right now?

DH: The quasi-logorithmical malaise by which the students' vortal supply chain is being extricated. The answer, in layman's terms: a veritable smorgasboard of idea showers.

DL: Tuition fees, Hes East and cuts to departments and facilities.

MF: Lack of communication from the top all way down to the bottom, this affects everything that we as students do. We need a way for the university to inform students about everything they are doing and progress they are making on issues. That’s why I propose creating a text messaging service, webcasting UGM’s, revamping the YUSU Newsletter allowing more stuff to be displayed on the plasma screen TVs and creating an open meeting between the Union, the University and its students where we can sit down together and debate the issues that matter.

OH: I think there are a number of big issues, the continued expansion on Hes East and making sure students on that campus aren't marginalised is a really big one that is specific to York. Also the debate over catered accommodation which has gone largely un-discussed is important to focus on, I don't think that there are enough provisions to improve the quality of catering sufficiently to make this plan a good one and I think it's important that future students aren't forced into low quality catered accommodation. This also sits obviously with the issue of rent banding and ensuring that students from lower-income social backgrounds aren't marginalised, I'm a big fan of Rawlsian Luck Egalitarianism and think that we should oppose rent-banding ideologically. I also guess the former should be stressed in relation to the national issue of higher education funding as well, removing the cap on tuition fees would be abhorrent with regards to the accessibility of higher education. I want to see a hard line on all of the above, but I think it's important that we don't forget some of the smaller issues too, the library plans are detailed for the future but we need to make it more comfortable in the short run so students degrees aren't adversely effected in a very real way

RP: Higher education funding cuts, tuition fees, Hes East, colleges and portering.

• What is the best thing you've done at university?

DH: I am the university.

DL: Being a Chair of a society – meeting some really great people, and feeling like you’re doing something really positive.

MF: Too MANY! Won the best enterprise society award, beating 30 other universities across the UK, set up my own ltd. company during the worst recession for decades, run workshops for students teaching them new skills such as using Photoshop, helped develop a masters degree for the University which is staring in October in the area of ‘ideation’.

OH: I've done tonnes of amazing things at university, Rag Parade is a definite highlight from the past 3 years, York Come Dancing, Take Me Out, being Alcuin chair and loads of other stuff. The best thing though was undoubtedly meeting Lawrence Nind and Eddie Twitchett in Freshers week, they're two of my best friends at this university and without them I doubt I'd be half the man I am today, they brought me out of my shell and got me involved in my JCRC, it all snowballed from there, pure blind dumb luck and the start of everything good that university has offered me.

RP: Got the university's first ever foam party!

• How was hustings for you? What was the most memorable part?

DH: Hustings was a ubiquitous blancmange of synergy up until I was world-shatteringly offended by one of the questions.

DL: It was great. I like public speaking. The most memorable part was probably when the Nouse editor called me a slag.

MF: Hustings was great; everyone seems to think I was really good, a cross between Blair, Obama and Cameron, past present and future? I really enjoyed the speech but enjoyed the questions even more. I felt I communicated my points across really well.

OH: Hustings was a bit shit if I'm going to be honest, I was in a lot of pain from a recent operation and I was a little apprehensive, I fluffed my speech a little as I'm more used to actually engaging with people and talking naturally, this speech was a bit outside the remits of my usual public speaking and I think it showed. The most memorable part was seeing a comment on the Nouse Blog that had counted the amount of times I'd gone to the toilet, that or the rapturous applause when I self defined as one of Henry Foy's many "pies".

RP: Hustings was enjoyable. The Womens' Officers speeches etc. was a moment to remember.

• As President, how do you plan on making YUSU more interactive with students?

DH: I believe in a new direction in developing interactive functionalities so as to promote developmental system models.

DL: Bringing YUSU to students, rather than expecting students to come to us, is a big part of my communications policies. We should be using Facebook much more effectively, properly integrating the YUSU website with Facebook groups, events and profiles, while the website itself needs to be using more interactive features like event calendars and forums. The Courtyard is a fantastic space and we should be using it to tell students what we’re doing, and I’d hope to work more closely with the campus media so Officers can tell students exactly what we’ve been up to!

MF: By making it more convenient for students to get involved, creating a new e-petition section on the YUSU website, where students can create debate about issues that matter to them. These could then get commented on, liked or disliked and if popular automatically proposed at the next UGM. This will allow student politics to become accessible to all, from the ground all the way to the top; it’s about empowering students with the right tools to allow them to let YUSU know what is important to them and then we as YUSU can act on it straight away.

OH: I obviously want to make YUSU more appealing to students, but I think it's more important to make students and societies more interactive with each other first and I plan to address that with my "creative campaigning" policies, that is to say more student advertising spaces, a more profitable relationship with the student press (which definitely does not involve curtailing their freedom) and more ground roots engaging campaigning, not things that are just rolled off of a printing press, but lovingly crafted student banners, real engagement. I think that students will appreciate their union more if their union helps them appreciate each other more, YUSU is always going to be invisible in many of the most important things it does, we just have to hope that students find it easy to relate to and understand the hard work their Sabbs do to ensure they have a good time at university.

RP: By simplifying the website, holding drop in sessions, allowing comments on officers blogs, getting officers out of the office. Going down to JCRCs, holding informal meet YUSU events in JCRs. Showing what good work is done by YUSU that is usually hidden from view.

• Do you have anything exciting/big planned as part of your campaign that students should look out for?

DH: I believe that this question undermines the very core of my existence.

DL: Yes. I’m not going to say what it is, but watch out for the fro wigs!

MF: Big cardboard posters, lots of amazing election videos, people wondering around in Frecks 4 YUSU t-shirts. Just wait till Monday and Tuesday roll around, if everything comes together it will be really good.

OH: Well, I'm going to be honest, I spent about an hour the night before hustings trying to break elections rules with Lawrence Nind and Henry Foy. We made a large sign and attached it to a home made buoy, which we tried to throw in the lake near central hall, we failed miserably and covered ourselves in paint. If only there had been a porter to try and stop us, we probably wouldn't have spent as long on such a futile cause. Back to the drawing board I guess... I may be doing something involving a mini later in the week.

RP: Samba band sadly happened on Friday! It was a great event!

• Tell us the funniest joke you know.

DH: What did the farmer say when he couldn't find his tractor? WHERE'S MY TRACTOR?

DL: I don’t really do regular jokes, just lots of “your mum” and “that’s what she said”. I made a really terrible joke at Election Night last year and I promised myself I’d steer clear of them this time!

MF: Have you seen David Levene’s hair?

OH: What do you call a man who shouldn't bother walking into hustings? Mark Pickard or Peter Saul. I don't think what they did was funny in the slightest, but I think the reaction against them and the way that their "joke" backfired was hilarious. Whether they are actually nice people or not, whether they were serious or not, they deserve to have their inability to make whatever point they were trying to make exposed to the maximum degree so everyone can have a big angry laugh.

RP: What's brown and sticky? A stick!

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